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سال بیستم شماره 118 (فروردین 1402)

Problem statement: 

In the last hundred years, the houses of Najafabad in Isfahan, Iran changed from a central courtyard to four forms of the central hall, a riding-pedestrian hall, and the private and apartment hall during modernization. So far, no research has been conducted on this developmental history to introduce the past and its changes and inform contemporary researchers and designers about the background and history of house design in this city.

This study aims to evaluate the developmental history of the architecture of Najafabad houses over the last hundred years and compare these houses based on the space syntax technique.

In the present descriptive and analytical study,  the developmental history of houses was evaluated from the point of view of spatial configuration, in several categories with several indicators using library studies, field observations, and simulation with the specialized software of syntax and space, and behavioral patterns were analyzed in spatial categories of entrance space, motion path, and privacy with navigable depth index, the internal organization of main spaces with interconnectedness index and spaces of pause, motion, and spatial hierarchy with depth index. In addition, entrance space, motion path, and privacy with navigable depth index, the internal organization of main spaces with interconnection index, and spaces of pause, motion, and spatial hierarchy with depth index were investigated. SPSS software version 20 was used to prove the numerical results based on inferential statistics methods such as Pearson correlation test.

Based on the results, the spatial configuration of the houses changed over time and privacy decreased. There was a direct statistical correlation between integration, depth, and navigable depth of common spaces in all periods. A gradual change was evident in the relationship between the courtyard and the building and its role from active to passive, reducing privacy at the entrance, identifying multi-functional vertical communication routes, reducing hierarchy in horizontal routes, increasing the number of organizing elements, and changing the organization from central to linear. The results can be effective for researchers and contemporary housing designers to reflect on the spatial qualities of contemporary housing to reduce the above deficiencies.

Problem Statement:

Following the cultural affectability of Iranians from Europe during the Qajar dynasty, the gradual penetration of new architecture and urbanism also happened. The advent of the oil industry in the southern territory of Iran, besides the presence of foreigners who were the conveyers of the changes, turned that gradual penetration into a hasty movement, which led to the creation of a phenomenon called company towns. In these towns, the new lifestyle was based on occupational and social classifications and individuals’ positions in the production system, which demanded a new living receptacle and architectural body.

Research objecive :

The study was carried out to demonstrate the lifestyle changes in these town companies, their influence on architecture, and the identification of the resulting modern life pattern that subsequently infiltrated into the heart of our culture.

Software-assisted scrutiny and qualitative analyses were used in descriptive-historical research. Utilizing AGRAPH software, explanatory graphs obtained from the software were analyzed for the physical identification of sample houses chosen from three different occupational classifications in Abadan company town. Afterward, magazines and bulletins published from 1940 to 1970 were investigated for recognition of lifestyle changes. The lifestyle changes were identified by qualitative analysis, and ultimately, the results were obtained by content-descriptive and comparative analysis methods.

It can be cited that changes in factors of consumption, leisure, culture, and identity have had the highest impact on the lifestyle of residents of Abadan oil company town. The creation of different structures in the plan of houses of various occupational classes, elimination of compounds, spatial changes of a kitchen, and ultimately extroversion, and entirely different structures of bungalows at the managers’ level are examples of the reflection of those changes.

Problem statement: 

Despite the introduction of the concept of “sustainable urban development” - following the consequences of one-dimensional economic development - urban researchers still pay less attention to legal practices in this area. Laws are presented as a development framework, related to historical contexts, institutional capacities, etc., and their success is introduced in achieving “what is necessary”. since their success is not always guaranteed; to describe them, one must go beyond the level of a legal draft; and its implementation process and results should be studied as a whole unit. Therefore the research question is how Tehran’s physical-spatial development laws are based on the planning law assessment framework (PLAF) analytical model.

This study attempts to provide a descriptive-analytical study of the status of physical-spatial development planning laws in Tehran, on the path to sustainable urban development.

This applied-developmental research used indicators derived from the PLAF analytical model and carried out data processing by a group consisting of eight experts. Finally, the qualitative criteria measured, are quantified and compared.

Finally, the results of this mixed research showed on the path to sustainable urban development Tehran’s physical-spatial development law, is not in the desired situation both in terms of functional effectiveness and technical dimensions. Among the six thematic categories studied, the planning laws related to “building codes” and “land-based finance” are in the best and worst status in terms of “Functional effectiveness”, respectively. Also, the planning laws related to “Development Rights” and “public spaces” are in the best and worst condition in terms of “technical aspects”, respectively. The same situation is reflected in the final score, and the planning laws related to “plots and blocks” and “Development Rights” have the highest, and the planning laws related to “public spaces” have the lowest scores among all categories. Finally, it is noteworthy that the ultimate descriptions of this research can explain the legal reasons for the gap between the spatial situation of Tehran, between the desired vision of urban sustainable development.

Problem statement: 

 Sheikh Lotfollah is a prominent building that dates back to the Safavid era. In different periods, various interventions have changed some parts of the building’s original form. Despite the international value of the Sheikh Lotfollah monument, no complete documentation of its changes and interventions has been carried out so far. Revealing hidden and undiscovered aspects of the form and function of Sheikh Lotfollah can identify any inappropriate interventions done in the past. On the other hand, it can pave the way to preserve this building for posterity.

This article aims to display the transformations of unique and little-known features of Sheikh Lotfollah for the first time.

This research attempted to present the transformation process of this building by analyzing related descriptive and visual documents in the order of the year. In addition, some of the unwritten features of Sheikh Lotfollah were documented by interviewing people who had been involved in its conservation from the past until now. Moreover, the main part of this research was done with a detailed field survey of each part of this building. Ultimately, all the analyses were implemented on the maps.

This research revealed that some sections of Sheikh Lotfollah were separated from it over time and dedicated to other functions. Consequently, the changes in the access point to the building brought about changes in the original plan of the building. It is noteworthy that there have been many other changes in the facade and form of the building.

Problem statement: 

In reaction to the deficiency of policymaking, housing planning and urban development, housing poverty and the formation of slums are increasing and low-income housing has become one of the main challenges in the urban planning system. In the meantime, the separation of centralized and mostly government-based housing policies from local policies and urban development plans is a fundamental issue in this regard, which has led to many problems in accessing affordable housing for low-income groups. The increasing trend of informal settlements and the acceleration of housing poverty also indicate that the housing policy in Iran does not respond to the current demand for low-income housing.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the pathology of previous policies for the provision and design of housing in Iran and the offer of a new policy framework according to Iran’s conditions.

In this research, based on the quality approach and the various tools such as content analysis of documents, plans, and existing statistics, we have evaluated policies for the provision and design of low-income housing in the world and Iran. With the pathology of the current condition, new policy frameworks according to the situation of Iran are presented. Solving the issue of low-income housing needs to the local policies, rather than the same pattern and policy and centralized government-based intervention. The local policies are formed by the participation of residents and the urban development process and are influenced by the socio-cultural and economical characteristics of local communities.

The results of this research reveal the need for national housing policymaking integration with local politics and urban plans. Since housing demand is directly related to the urban economy and the provision of employment opportunities, it is necessary to consider the various dimensions of urban planning and housing provision and design programs concerning each other.

Problem statement: 

Mental health has received a lot of attention in recent years from various fields. One of the parameters of mental health is emotion, which has been influenced by various environmental, social, cognitive, and motor factors. Architectural space as one of the important environmental components has an impact on emotion and has neurophysiological effects on the human brain. Since humans spend a lot of time in the interior of architecture, it has doubled in importance. Despite the great importance of this issue, little research has been done in architecture so far, and most of the research has used qualitative methods of interview, observation, and questionnaire, which, due to the influence of the author, there has been a possibility of orientation in the results. Nevertheless, with the advancement of technology and the emergence of the field of neuroscience, new quantitative tools and methods have been provided to researchers to measure emotion, and it has led to the formation of a new paradigm of neuroarchitecture.

The present research aims to review the studies conducted in this field so that in addition to clarifying the effect of interior architecture on emotion, the methodology of the studies is also analyzed and provides a clear path for future researchers. Therefore, the present research questions can be expressed as follows: Which physical components of the interior space of architecture affect emotion? What effect has their exposure had on neurophysiological emotion? And how do these emotions appear?

The present research employed the systematic review methodology. In this regard, the inclusion criteria such as terms, measurement variables, measuring instruments, and publication date were defined. The way of searching databases of studies, selecting and assessing their qualities were defined, and the final studies were introduced and analyzed.

The results indicate the effect of the physical parameters of the interior space such as form, materials and texture, furniture, ceiling height, architectural details, and openness to nature on emotion, each of which is one of the emotional states and feelings such as enjoy, pleasure, arousal, and disgust have appeared. The present research is a window to the issue of mental health, which introduces a field for using the interior space of architecture as a type of treatment or prevention.