Soffeh
Year:2009 | Volume:18 | Issue:48|Papers Count:8

Traditional architecture’ is frequently used with an implicit meaning. This paper tries to find a more explicit meaning for this phrase by reviewing common synonyms of the phrase. This review does not only lead to a definition for traditional architecture, but also arrives at prerequisites of traditional architecture, i.e. traditional, design and traditional design education.

The quadripartite design of Persian Gardens is based on the four fundamental constituents of the world as understood in ancient philosophy. These substances (earth, water, air and fire) have deeply influenced the design of the Persian Garden. Through association with earth, the garden fulfills its function of regeneration and quadruplication. Through association with water, the four water channels, fountains and pool are formed. Through association with wind, the walls and enclosure is formed. Finally, through association with fire, the quadrilateral pavilion is formed to witness the recurrence of four seasons. The balanced combination of these four elements thus creates the equilibrium sought after in the Persian design.

According to historical references, the ‘Baq Takht’ Garden was built during late 11th or early 12th century, on the north of Shiraz plain on the south of Baba Koohi Mountain. It was originally named ‘Takht-e-Qarache’: In the 17th century, it inspired the IIkhanid rulers and their architects. In the Safavid period, there was a lake beneath it. Towards the end of Safavid period or probably under the reign of the Zandieh Dynasty, it included a building on top, a water channel on the hillside and a pool beneath. At the beginning of Qajar Dynasty, a new building replaced the old and the garden was renamed as ‘Takht-e-Qajar’: In the middle of this period, the sloped garden was terraced in an elaborate design. By the end of this period, the garden experienced a period of depression. Under the Pahlavi reign, parts of the garden were reconstructed, yet its design. was modified. The garden was subsequently included in the military campus and is now partially demolished.

This paper tries to demonstrate the constantly variable meaning of building despite its fixed physical appearance. This diversity of meaning can be attributed to the social diversity of building users, as well as the change in its functions. The authors employ a semiotic approach to explain the coding system developed in the dialectic relationship between the building as a text and its users as readers.

Water, especially in an arid land like Iran, had an important role in cities, in their formation and survival, their form and structure, and their life. However, to reach a proper understanding of the role and status of water in Iranian/ Persian city, one cannot limit himself to climatic factors and constraints. What has created the status of water in Iranian city is a constellation of factors from Iranian imagination and mentality down to material and geographical determinants. A proper understanding of the relation between water and city requires comprehension of this phenomenon: in its different degrees from by imagination to reality. Some of the characteristics of the phenomenon have appeared in Iranian cultural manifestations including Persian literature. In this article, I will study the matter in Persian prose from the early Islamic centuries.

Climate change is accelerated by unsustainable use of natural resources so that its adverse impacts on human life have become grave and irreversible. The emission of greenhouse gases is a major contributing factor for climate change. Since close to 60% of these gases are emitted through use of heating, cooling, ventilation and illumination systems, some design techniques have been developed for reduction of these gases. This paper reviews the application of these techniques both in urban Planning and in architecture.

This paper examines impact of western modernity on urban development trends in Iran. Despite its origins in the West, modernity is considered as a post-renaissance approach to culture based on rationalism. This approach led to the Industrial Revolution and consequently, new urbanism. It is argued that the advance of Modernity in Iran was not based on the same socioeconomic and cultural influences that caused its progress in the West. The Modernity pursued in Iranian urbanism was rather concerned with physical aspects. The resulting urbanism was therefore devoid of a deep thinking, nor did it correspond to the national or local identity.

Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)is a multi-criteria decision making method originally developed By Thomas L.Saaty. lt is a method to derive ratio scales from paired comparisons. The input can be obtained from actual measurement such as price, weight etc., or from subjective opinion such as satisfaction feelings and preference. AHP allows some small inconsistency in judgment because human perception is not always consistent. The ratio scales are derived from the principal Eigen vectors and the consistency index is derived from the principal Eigen value. This paper uses this method in determining the priorities for investments by the Municipality of Sardasht. Eight experts answered a questionnaire on eight different investment areas in the city: traffic, urban development, drainage, mitigation, urban environment, recreation and tourism, urban infrastructure, and income-generating activities. Using AHP to analyze the results, the respective priority of each investment area is calculated.