JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURE STUDIES
Year:2019 | Volume:7 | Issue:14 |Papers Count:8

Architecture experience is among educational strategies widely used in architectural teaching. One area wherein this strategy can be adopted is the gaining of practical knowledge of design, since observing architectural works has a major impact on improving the mental skills of an architect which would come to use later in the creation of architectural works. Experience of architectural examples with such a design-oriented approach would prove effective in promoting the practical knowledge of an architect in the design phase when the cognitive impacts and visual perceptions of that experience come to use as mental preconceptions in the visualization process. This essay aims to introduce a solution that would make such quality experience possible. The proposed solution is described as the “ active experience model. ” The research findings, which are based on the logical analysis of data from library sources, demonstrate the fact that a quality architecture experience would include the successful completion of verbal attention and visual processing. These two stages are pillars of the “ active experience model” whose effectiveness was evaluated through a field study involving several students from the Art and Architecture Faculty at Yazd University. The results prove that the relationship between successful active experience and both the quantity and quality of retrieving visual information perceived during that experience is statistically significant in comparison to simple observing.

Investigation of historical works of architecture as “ complex socio-physical phenomena” requires adopting a special research approach and method that would yield an explanatory-narrative product. The Persian Garden is also an historical-cultural phenomenon in material form, many cases of which were built throughout the history of Iran. Case studies of any of the extant types of Persian Gardens in a way that would uncover facts from different angles and from under different layers would present us with various research topics which are presently among the priorities of Iranian architectural studies. Comprehensive research of recent lesser-known, deteriorating gardens can help us gain more in-depth knowledge of Persian Gardens in general. Bagh-I Nishat in Nishabour is among surviving gardens dating to the transition period from the traditional to the modern era. It is currently the subject of an extensive study which aims to produce a comprehensive understanding of it, and ultimately, a narrative by means of a holistic approach based on fieldwork and oral history, among other sources. This paper presents part of this extensive research which focuses on the documentation, reconstruction, and re-interpretation of the garden design. It is structured on two pivotal questions: one regarding space and physical design in the garden, and the other, choosing the appropriate research method with regard to opportunities and limitations of the proposed methods. Therefore, this paper is arranged around the theme of reconstruction and re-interpretation of the garden design and knowledge of the garden space, and at the same time discussing the application of the appropriate research method. Conclusively, the research produces a narrative of the story of the garden-design as a theatrical scene in three episodes.

Naraq, which for a long time has been on an important historic route, has been a settlement with a suitable natural environment and adequate water. So, for a long period of time, the city has enjoyed significant agricultural incomes and regional trade revenues. The city's economy was affected and weakened by the consequences of a change in regional routes that its range has expanded to Bazaar. The city has stayed away from the main regional routes and it has led Bazaar to lose its regional and urban status. This problem and the expansion of the city resulting from the construction of a new avenue and a new town have led to an isolation that has involved Bazaar as other parts of the historic city. The construction of the avenue, in addition to the changes caused by the direct destruction of parts of Bazaar and its urban area, has led to the transfer of activities and trades from within the market and the neighborhoods, making the avenue a powerful rival to Bazaar. Therefore, the city that has lost its rich economy, in addition to the destruction of some parts, It also has faced the new element of the avenue, which is the main rival of the market from both commercial and access points, and imposed its requirements to the historic city, including the fact that passage of Bazaar is marginalized and a new business axis and market is formed along the avenue. Nevertheless, Bazaar still has significant values and the historic city needs preservation. This paper, which its methodology is historical-interpretive and it is based on SWOT technique, seeks to answer these questions: What are the challenges of the Naraq historic Bazaar in terms of criteria for the conservation of historic cities? And what can be the strategies for conservation of the Bazaar in the historical context and its sub-divisions? The purpose of this paper is to define a framework and strategies for preserving the Naraq historic Bazaar. The findings of this paper show that any strategy for conservation of the Bazaar should be designed according to its urban context and in relation to the most important elements of the new city, such as avenue and square. In addition, enhancement of Bazaar requires strategies such as revitalization of Bazaar’ s complexes, defining and strengthening its commercial centralization, redefining the relation between the Bazaar and the avenue, and strengthening the link between passage of Bazaar and the square.

The city of Rey was one of the most prominent and prosperous cities of the Islamic world during the early to middle centuries of the Islamic period. Several factors had influenced this prosperity and importance. The main objective of this research is to find out the specific factors, among others, which had affected the prosperity of roads and the relationship between roads, economics, and the spatial structure of Rey. For this, the reasons for the significance of the roads of Rey in the early centuries of Islam up to the Mongol invasion are identified from historical texts. Then, the development of the city from an architectural and urban perspective is examined through a comparative study of numerous historical texts as well as historical and archaeological studies of contemporary scholars. Based on the results, the mutual relationship between the road network and the spatial structure of the city is drawn in the given period. Based on the findings of this research, adequate security, ample water resources, as well as the centrality and importance of the city from a commercial and religious point of view had led to the constant presence of merchants and caravans in Rey. The beauty, cleanliness, and the existence of numerous caravansaries, baths, and high-quality markets, added to the welfare of travelers and merchants. In addition, a number of goods produced in Rey were largely popular and easily sold in the markets of other lands. These factors increased the affluence of the city and market stability due to numerous commercial exchanges besides the safety and welfare of travelers and merchants. In the end, the relationships between the natural and the spatial structure of the city and its roads are seen as reciprocal within a cycle.

The aim of this study is to investigate the climatic knowledge of traditional architects and find the role of medical principles of climate-responsive design based on seasonal displacement (as environmental behavior) on human health and on the spatial organization of residential architecture in the four climate types of Iran. Data was collected using an interpretative-historical method; case studies were done using an analytical-comparative method, and data analysis was performed using a qualitative method. The research findings show that medical principles behind seasonal architecture include factors such as location, time, elevation, and orientation of spaces. A general conclusion drawn from the analysis of spatial organization in 18 houses surveyed in the four regions of Iran shows that the houses fall within a hierarchy of climate-responsive design according to the collective medical-climatic knowledge of their time. Hence, their design is in agreement with the medical principles of seasonality. Displacement inside the house depended on time and place according to medical principles which affected the spatial organization of houses. This concept was manifested in the form of introvert double-sided or single-sided, extrovert single-sided, seasonal, diurnal, vertical (along the axis of the sky, i. e., roof, upper part, lower part, underground) and horizontal displacement (front and back parts). As a result, choosing a climate-responsive lifestyle and treatment style based on seasonal displacement shows to maintain health and ensure a sustainable climatic design and thermal comfort for contemporary houses.

In the research for the desirability of the experience of “ being at home, ” a methodis required that would be capable of representing the specific features of the lived experience. The quality of lived experience unfolds at the simultaneous presence of the dweller and the physical form of the house; and in order for the specific lively experience to be perceived and then shared with others, the chosen method of research must respect the: : : union: : : of subject and object. This: : : union: : : is recognizable through different features of the “ lived experience of home” , and they are introduced in this paper by studying the ideas of architectural phenomenologist sand utilized to define a suitable method for the interpretation and representation of the quality of that experience. In lived experiences, features such as the “ unity of inner and outer time” , “ tangibility” and “ imagination” make narrative inquiry, which would preserve its lively experience, a suitable context for research. From information gathering to the final presentation, the research procedure isoutlined according to the main aspects oflived experiences and the specific quality of each spatial experience. Titled as “ the narrative of home, ” two types of narratives are introduced, both of which are concentrated on the role of place in the desirable lived experience. The first type is the narrative of home stated by dwellers and the other is the narrative of home stated by the researcher, each with its own strengths and limitations. Finally, this method was used in a case study of Tehran’ s houses in the transitional period.

Knowing students is an important and effective aspect of teaching in architecture studios. Without properly knowing architecture students and their reactions, they cannot be taught under a standard, pre-determined program. One of the ways to know students is to know their learning styles, which shows their learning preferences and different learning methods. Corresponding teaching styles with the learning styles of students leads to a strengthened motivation for learning and academic achievement. With the increasing number of applicants entering the diverse fields of scientific and technical programs and their different learning types, there is an urgent need to know the characteristics of learners in various academic disciplines, including architecture. With an assessment of architectural education, this paper expresses that attention to learning styles is one of the ways to overcome the weaknesses in the field. The research method in this study is descriptive-analytic, through which architecture students of Urmia University are categorized based on Kolb’ s learning styles inventory. Data are analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. The findings show that the dominant learning types of architectural students are the Assimilator and the Converger. Also that the students are Assimilators in the first half of their academic program, and Convergers in the second half, and that there is no significant relationship between learning styles and gender. After analyzing the findings, suggestions are made for students such as taking a specific test with necessary artistic prerequisites before entering the discipline, taking the learning styles test in the early stages of university education, and for educators such as adapting educational delivery to students' learning styles in the early years of education to motivate them to continue their education, and using varied teaching styles for different learner types. In addition, some examples and solutions are mentioned for adapting teaching to the needs of architecture students to make architectural education more effective.

Practicing architects duringthe Pahlavi I era can be divided into three main groups, including traditional architects, those who were educated abroad, and non-Iranian architects. This research focuses on the third groupand attempts to study their views and influences on educational spaces from the viewpoint of contextualism. For this, Alborz high school in Tehran and Iranshahr high school in Yazd were examined as case studies. The research method is a combination of qualitative and case study. The findings show that in both cases, the physical attributes of context such as material, ornament, and historical factors were considered in the design, whereas the bulk of the value system that shapes the infrastructure of functional and socio-cultural contexts, which affect educational methods and purposes, was ignored. This ignorance is morenoticeable in the first case which is located in the capital cityand whose design was under the influence of governmental systems and modern nationalism under the shadow of western thoughts. On the other hand, some other attributes of context such as Iranian educational methods and interactive open spaceswere considered in the second case.