مجله صفه
پیاپی 101 (تابستان 1402)

This study aims to describe and explain the metanarrative of the fundamental idea and concept of authority in traditional societies, art, and architecture. There is much evidence that the formation of art and architecture, the socio-professional organisation of craftsmen, class structure, and behaviours of the traditional societies was based on a hierarchical pyramid system of patterns or spiritual and material references. Based on the historical interpretation methods, this article investigates the role and influence of the three sources, namely, metaphysics, nature (macrocosm), and humans (microcosm), together with all the concepts, principles, and elements related to them on the theory and practice of artisans/ architects. The findings show that these authoritative sources, who reach a sacred status in a hierarchical system, have control over the formation of art/ architecture and the artisans' professional life. Indeed, the idea of authority played a decisive role and authority in organising the structure and content of artisans' guilds, granting holiness and legitimacy to their craft, determining authoritative models and patterns, and judging them. It seems that the theoretical formulation of the idea of authority and the concept of hierarchy of authoritative sources, in addition to describing some manners and principles of traditional professions, can provide a new explanation of the theoretical origins of the creation of form in the world of tradition.

Concepts such as nature and the natural world have always been a source of thought and theorisation for thinkers throughout history. Like other thinkers, Islamic thinkers have provided their definitions about these two categories. An exploration of these definitions in the context of architecture can be a way to understand the approach of contemporary architects to these two categories. For this purpose, the present research starts with examining the concept of nature and the world of nature from the point of view of some Islamic thinkers in a descriptive-analytical way, and then by inference and logical reasoning with regard to the role humans and consequently the architect in the world of existence. According to some thinkers, the nature of the inspiring and sensual powers is intelligent and regulated.Considering the concept of the architect as the caliphate and the servant of man attributed to him/her, s/he can achieve the position of caliphate over the natural world only in the context of empathy, obedience, compliance and submission to the acts of the power of nature and the laws of the natural world. In fact, this attribute of caliphate is obtained through servitude.In what follows, in order to explain the resulting approach in the process of building, the act of architect is examined according to the concepts of nature and the natural world. To conclude, it appears that architects should revise and reread their theoretical foundations regarding their relationship with nature and the natural world, in the context of countless advances in the field of architecture.

As the age increases, the power and ability of the elderly to recognise architectural spaces and related internal or external areas decreases. This initially increases their dependence on others, and in the next stages they may lose the ability to find their way. The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of the elements that play a role in the mental dimensions of aging. The present article was formed in order to answer these questions: ‘how does the perception and cognition of the elderly take place with a focus on environmental and human approaches’, and ‘what are the influential indicators in the perception and cognition of the elderly’. For this purpose, Kahrizak elderly home was chosen. Using the 'Space Syntax’ method, this article examines the behavioural and cognitive responses of the elderly regarding the spatial characteristics of the elderly home. The research method includes two cognitive and spatial parts. In the cognitive section, after interviewing the elderly and receiving cognitive maps, the findings from the cognitive maps were compiled. Space configuration was evaluated through depth map software and Space Syntax parameters. In this analysis, spatial parameters such as connection value, connectivity, selection, depth of access and resolution have been examined and compared with cognitive maps. The analyses show that the maximum correlation is 7.3 and its average is 3.5, the maximum and average correlation parameters are 20 and 8.6, respectively. The maximum and average selection parameters are equal to 67 and 11.06, respectively. The maximum and average access depth parameters are 257 and 138.7, respectively. The analysis shows that Space Syntax modelling can be effective for understanding the perceptibility of space by the elderly, but for a correct understanding of the same space, other methods such as cognitive maps are needed. The results show that multiple objective and subjective factors are effective in the elderly's perception and their knowledge of space, together and sometimes with priorities over each other.

Extensive research has been done on various aspects of structural knowledge. The main problem with most results is the lack of sufficient attention to how structural knowledge should be present in the design process. Structural knowledge contains two main types of cognition: numerical and geometric. With both cognitions having their merits in the design process, structural cognition deserves to be present from initial to implementation stages; and it is the important and valuable position of geometry that has been ignored amidst computational difficulties and the development of structural design and analytical tools. Many structural solutions are realised based on geometrical cognition. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of geometric cognition on activities related to structural design in architecture. The study starts with thoroughly introducing the aspects of geometric cognition of the structure. Then, the quantitative research strategy is used to statistically measure the two parameters of satisfaction and skill enhancement of architecture students following the application of geometric cognition method in structural design. For quantitative analysis, the paired t-test method is used using SPSS software. The results show that the use of geometric cognition has a positive effect on the level of satisfaction and skill of participants in applying structural knowledge in architectural designs.

The first Pahlavi Era coincided with many changes and developments that led to the advent of modern Iran. Reza Shah tried to institutionalise power in society based on a new political rationality. To do so, he needed obedient and disciplined citizens to achieve sovereignty. According to Foucault, the famous French philosopher, the modern form of power differs from its traditional. He believes that modern power has tacitly influenced all society layers, and controlled the behaviour of large populations by bringing discipline. In this case, Foucault points to some techniques that create discipline in the space. The question here is how architectural space played a vital role in implementing power in the first Pahlavi era from the Foucauldian perspective of power theory. The extant study aimed at matching the spatial configuration of Tabriz Municipality Building with Foucault's spatial discipline techniques. The research was conducted based on the descriptive-analytical method, and data analysis was done through Depthmap software. According to results obtained from VGA indices (including visual integration, visual control, entropy, coherence, and depth), the location of the main entrance of the building, spatial articulation, settings of walls, the arrangement of rooms along narrow corridors, and transparent room doors were consistent with disciplinary techniques introduced by Foucault. The features mentioned above could play a significant role in visual and physical control of the interiors of a building, as well as creating a spatial discipline. The results pointed to a pattern that can be used in the design of public buildings by city managers.

Cities are dynamic systems that grow or decline under different factors. Urban shrinkage is one of the new phenomena in urban literature that was considered in the first decade of the 21st century. In fact, this concept represents a kind of urban decline that is affected by population decline, economy, environment, and other urban dimensions. The multidimensional and causal nature of this phenomenon has led to it appearing in the form of vicious cycles causing death in affected cities over time. Many factors from global to local levels can create or intensify this, including globalisation, competition, deindustrialisation, suburbanisation, and political decline.Numerous studies and researches have in developed countries have measured the causes and effects of this phenomenon, but despite the importance of this concept, very little has been done in developing countries so far. This study aims to introduce urban shrinkage as one of the important issues largely neglected in the global south, and to investigate the drivers of urban shrinkage in the small-size town of Harsin. The research method is quantitative and qualitative, so that on the one hand, by examining the relevant statistics, the amount of population changes in different periods has been calculated, whilst on the other hand, by a content analysis of interviews with immigrants allows for the themes related to urban shrinkage, and thereby the drivers of this phenomenon to be extracted.Examining the population studies of Kermanshah province, the research shows that in the cities of this province, five cities have lost population between2012 to 2017,with Harsin ranking highest with 11.6%. The content analysis of interviews shows that the most important drivers of Harsin urban shrinkage are to do with employment, lack of amenities, and socio-political problems.

Architectural historiography deals with understanding and explaining architectural practices (and their results and products) as they have been realized through history. To do this, the architectural historian should acquire a historical understanding of the knowledge on which the architectural practices had been based. According to a knowledge classification model proposed by Harry Collins, the sociologist of science, the concept of ‘somatic knowledge’, is a kind of tacit knowledge. This concept can be applied to architecture and regarded as a kind of knowledge upon which the architectural practice is based. In the historiography of somatic knowledge in architecture, obtaining historical evidence is the most crucial methodological obstacle; because this knowledge is inexplicable, and its evidence is not clear. Each piece of evidence can only be seen when the historian asks questions about it based on his/her preconceptions. Thus, the prior somatic knowledge acquired through practical architectural experience is highly likely to affect the discovery and interpretation of the evidence of historical somatic knowledge. The question is, therefore, about the ways in which this prior knowledge makes its marks. In this paper, an epistemological idea of the ‘Web of Belief’ is considered for answering this question. According to this idea, the architectural historian acquires new beliefs about the past agents’ somatic knowledge through three ways: recalling personal somatic memory, replicating the past somatic experiences, re-enacting them, and making inductive hypotheses based on his/her somatic expectation. When each of these newcomer beliefs enters the architectural historian’s web of belief, they may be confirmed by his/her prior somatic beliefs, may be rejected, or may turn into non-beliefs. The new belief intervenes in the historian’s understanding of historical practices if accepted in the architectural historian’s web of belief and given it a new coherence.