Identification of staircase house type in rural architecture of Iran: Masouleh and Abyaneh settlements

Abstract

Vernacular Architecture is derived from the Latin word “which means „native‟. Therefore, this term refers to belonging of people to the regions, where they are from and the places, where they refer their original nationality or hometown. The words nationality and hometown associate some meanings and concepts such as identity, belonging and the heritages from the previous generations. Thus, study and investigation of the built environment‟s evolution will probably be a helpful approach toward discovering the necessary factors for keeping, preserving and fostering the qualities of the built environment due to identity and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, in chapter one and two, the dissertation explores the characteristics of vernacular architecture in general where introduction is being explained according to the aim, limitation, methodology and the background of staircase housing. In chapter two, the general overview of vernacular architecture and house form followed by focusing on Iranian vernacular architecture is examined. In sequence, chapter three and four looks at the terms such as physical, environmental and socio-cultural factors of chosen villages of Iran as case studies which are named as Masouleh and Abyaneh. Identification of these villages is processed due to some theoretical factors such as housing typology, plan organization and urban form, typology of forms and elevation and construction and material in Iranian staircase settlements. Discussion part is followed by comparisons of analysis, case studies and findings to draw the final conclusion. This study, therefore, aims at identifying and analysing the local vernacular architecture of the Iranian steepy land so–called staircase housing and to extract useful principles for application to contemporary design. It is also hoped that, by such research, a body of knowledge will be built up on the structural heritage of the vernacular architecture of Iran, which is about to demolish specially in these ages. Architects and designers in Iran in particular, need to be aware of the existing traditional construction methods and existing vernacular housing stock in order to be able to develop an appropriate method of design and construction of building and solve the contemporary housing design problems. It should be noted that there are many type of staircase housing in the whole world like Bahrain, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Greece, and Japan which were built in response to human‟s needs according to topographical land situation. However, the design achievements and principles are different, according to the variation of cultures and traditions. In this respect, Iranian staircase housing remains distinctive with its local richness and variation on this geography. The research will be carried out through survey and comparison of two different villages in different geographic and climatic parts of Iran.