Soffeh
Year:2011 | Volume:21 | Issue:53|Papers Count:20

This paper reviews the metaphysical background of elements employed in the Islamic Garden such as trees and water. Then the philosophical connotations of these elements are explained reference to the Ar-Rahman sura of the Holy Koran. In light of the same sura, a paradisiacal garden is described as an unlimited idyll and secures space, with diverse trees planted in specific locations, accessed to through eight gates. The believers in green attire enjoy this garden while leaning against cushions under vast tents. All these descriptions also include philosophical connotations.

All cosmic creatures mirror the divine omnipotence, while each is the manifestation of an archetypal name representing a particular meaning. In his capacity as the divine successor, the human being or architect possesses the necessary creative capability to design and manage the living environment to assist the evolution of man. His designs are realized through two complementary features of beauty and power. Both these features are expressed through the interaction of the architect with the divine cosmic existence. As an autonomous agent, the architect employs three instruments of spirit, mind and sense to create his design.

This paper attempts to define the role of analogy in the design process. 10 this end, some definitions of design are reviewed and three key approaches to design are explained: Analysis-Synthesis; Participatory Design; and Concept-Trial. The third approach best employs analogy in the design process due to the emphasis it puts on the role of concept in the process design. Thus the role of analogy in the design process is not only that of formulating the concept, but could also include concept generation. Creativity is thus defined as the ability of the designer to associate between diverse types of analogies to design decisions.

This paper attempts to find a methodology for an individual analysis of factors affecting the design concept. Such numerous factors could be broadly attributed to three main components: designer, design location, and design subject. To this end, a design project at the BArch level was selected to demonstrate and test this analysis methodology. In a series of design exercises, the students treated these components. A table was then formed using the results of these exercises. Each row of the table thus demonstrates how a certain design concept has evolved through these exercises. The advantage of this method is that the students acquire a self-conscious understanding of the design process which enables them to 'autocorrect' both their design and their process.

Critical thinking could be defined as a review process which could be acquired and includes description, analysis, reasoning, interpretation, assessment, decision-making, selection, judgment and revision. As a designer employs a variety of thinking strategies, the design process could not be thoroughly described. Nevertheless, critical thinking provides opportunities for enriching an explicitly assessing the design process. By use of critical thinking in the design process, two complementary strategies are employed: problem-based strategy and solution-based strategy.

This research aims at developing guidelines for climatic design specific for Hamadan City, western Iran. Hamadan is located on the foothills of Zagros Mountains and therefore has a cold climate. Achieving comfort levels requires 98% heating versus 8% cooling. Building typology in Hamadan varies between traditional courtyard houses oriented towards the sun in dense historic quarters and three storey apartment buildings built mainly after 2001. Certain guidelines are recommended to achieve comfort levels with minimum use of energy and maximum passive cooling and heating.

The rights of all society members are respected in Islam, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, gender and age. Nevertheless, the access of disabled population is limited in diverse urban environments. This paper reviews the necessity of an inclusive design approach based on Islamic texts. Then the inclusiveness of urban environments is compared between historic towns and new developments. The results are verified by a field survey in District 8 of Tehran where some 74 disabled respondents identified 9 main problems in accessibility of their urban environment. In conclusion, a series of recommendations are presented for increasing the accessibility and liveability of Iranian metropolitan areas.

This paper considers the role of gender in urban planning. The basic theories on gender philosophy are first reviewed to clarify the nature of gender representation in the urban space. The potential of urban planning interventions to improve the urban environment in response to the needs of all social groups is then assessed. It is demonstrated that although gender differences are based on the natural differences between the two sexes, they are defined in a certain historical, cultural and social context. It is argued that a common representation of gender in space is 'segregated space'-a hierarchic defense system to demarcate private and public domains. Its concluded that the interaction of urban space and gender requires a multidisciplinary conduct, a pluralistic approach and universal planning criteria. It would then be possible to create a balanced gender-sensitive urban space.

On 31 March 2006 a 6.1 earthquake on the Richter scale jolted a vast area in Lorestan Province. Despite a low casualty of only 63, the earthquake seriously damaged close to 20, 000 buildings in 156 villages and 2 cities. Since the earthquake had happened in early spring, a full construction season was ahead. Thus, some 52,000 tents were distributed throughout the Province with the intention to finish reconstruction before winter. The affected households therefore had to live in tents while rebuilding their houses. This paper attempts to evaluate the efficiency of this policy by a survey of 75 households in 15 villages. The results indicate that only 54.7% of the households lived in tents during the reconstruction. Only 13.9% of those staying in tents considered them to be acceptable. The affected households introduced improvements to make tents more liveable, such as erecting timber frames on top of the tents for better insulation and weather protection, or adding shacks for storage or kitchen. The main problems in provision of tents were: inappropriate, insufficient and delayed distribution of tents; delay in lending reconstruction loans and grants; lack of spaces for cattle; hesitation in relocating some villages; lack of know-how on safe construction methods; inappropriate dwelling design; and lack of market control leading to inflation.

Although post-disaster reconstruction activities have been practiced for a long-time, relatively new approaches were developed since 1970s. In recent decades, housing reconstruction after disasters has been studied mostly from the point of view of "household control". Such approach has attracted policy makers and authorities because of its capacity in empowering community in order to participate actively in processes of recovery. There are a number of criteria which should be considered, such as: housing cost, promoting family and community security, upgrading livelihood, cultural situation and copying mechanism. Post-disaster housing reconstruction has been adopted in five categories:• Cash Approach: Unconditional financial assistance is given without technical support.• Owner-Driven Reconstruction: Conditional financial assistance is given, accompanied by regulations and technical support aimed at ensuring that houses are built back better.• Community-Driven Reconstruction: Financial and/or material assistance is channeled through community organizations that are actively involved in decision making and managing reconstruction.• Agency-Driven Reconstruction in-situ: Refers to an approach in which a governmental or non-governmental agency hires a construction company to replace damaged houses in their pre-disaster location.• Agency-Driven Reconstruction in Relocated Sites: Refers to an approach in which a governmental or non-governmental agency hires a construction company to build new houses in a new site.The advantages and disadvantages of the mentioned approaches are discussed based on their contexts and characteristics of affected populations. The paper resulted in selecting the Owner-Driven Reconstruction approach as a high potential for empowering survivors, as well as, capacity building and cost benefit appropriate housing reconstruction policy.

Once a prosperous capital in the Safavid period, Isfahan was neglected for almost two centuries after its siege by Afghan invaders. Under the Qajar rule, governors were frequently replaced until 1290 AH (circa 1900 AD) when Prince Zel-os-Soltan was appointed governor. He governed Isfahan for some thirty years. In the first seven years of his reign, he managed the abandoned royal lands, promoted suburban development, restored royal buildings and built new commercial edifices. Nevertheless, the latter years of his reign witnessed adverse impacts of his rule in particular, destruction of Safavid gardens and palaces.

The capital of Iran for the past 200 years, Tehran has a very long history of settlement. The archaeological excavations have revealed remains of scattered settlements in this area dating to as early as eight millennia ago. Tehran was located on trade routes linking east and west, as well as north and south, while enjoying a pleasant climate in the desert environment. Therefore, the Safavid Shah Tahmasb designated this rural settlement as a city circa 16 century A.D. and ordered development of fortifications and public buildings.Under The Qajar dynasty, Tehran was designated as the capital of Iran-an status it has enjoyed for the past 200 years. Accordingly Tehran witnessed an influx of diverse ethnic groups who turned the capital the representative of all Iran. As each ethnic group specialized in a certain skill, they all contributed to the buoyancy of the capital. World War II brought in more migrants from Europe and America and new building typologies.The First Pahlavi King lacked this background and appointed mayors who were also unfamiliar with Tehran's heritage. They demolished the historic fortifications and gates as well as several historic buildings, and widened and extended roads into the historic fabric. This trend continues today when urban development projects are planned with sufficient attention to neither the natural conditions nor the historical background of Tehran. This has caused to implementation of several unsustainable solutions which have caused more problems than solving any.Nevertheless, a third generation descending from earlier rural migrants have demonstrated a tendency for urban traditions and conventions. Tehran will thus witness a 'Spring of Urbanity'.

Three-dimensional modeling and virtual reality concepts have been increasingly employed in archaeology with the advent of computer technology. The notion of 'virtual' was conceived as being directly related to 'simulacrum' or model whose realism depends on the quantity and quality of the existing archaeological data. Virtual reality is based on a methodological framework for choice of a visualization technique as well as an identification of appropriate meaning and an adequate association between virtual and real. Such a virtual reality model including digital representation of geometrical and abstract archaeological data was prepared for Bandian Temple. This Sassanid Temple is located in Northwest Iran and includes historic layers as early as 5th millennium B.C. This site was excavated between 1994~1999 by Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization.

This article surveys the evolution of concepts regarding the meaning of space in 19th and 20th Century. It first reviews the etymological development of the concept of space, in particular in view of the theories of Kant and Semper and later those of environmental psychologist. It is concluded that in 19th century, the meaning of space evolved from a material enclosure to a continuum linking inside to outside. The Empathy Theory explained space as the extension of the body. In the 20th century, space defined the relationship of human beings to their environment and was linked to the concept of place. The evolution of space notion was in line with consideration of the role of human beings. Although the interaction of human beings and architecture is not given due consideration.

Kashan is a historic Persian City located some 200 kilometers southwest of the Capital City, Tehran. Located on one of the important trade routes, this city has a historic bazaar with magnificent commercial architecture.The Amin-od-Dowleh Mall or Timcheh is one of the most beautiful edifices of this bazaar boasting a complex spatial composition under a vast brick dome with a richly decorated ceiling. This paper explains the results of a recent survey using laser and other photogrammetric techniques. The structure consists of three interconnected layers which present a symmetrical view of an otherwise irregular structure.