A Design Research Towards Developing an Appropriate Domestic Architecture in Iran: a Case Study of Kerman

A design research towards developing an appropriate domestic architecture in Iran: A case study of Kerman Submitted by Fariba Fani Molki A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Sheffield Faculty of Social Sciences School of Architecture 2017 Abstract Until the beginning of the twentieth century domestic architecture and the design of Iranian houses was sympathetic to the social, cultural and religious values of traditional Iranian society. A wave of Westernisation, which started in the early 20th century, greatly impacted on domestic architectural style and design in Iran. Due to a continuous process of disconnection from traditional and vernacular design principles, cons residents’ needs and values. Domestic architecture spaces are largely designed in an attempt to merely mimic some aspects of Iranian traditional houses while failing to function properly, hence new spaces do not relate to the sociocultural and religious practices and lifestyles of people. In this context, this research focusing on middle-income people, investigates ways in which contemporary housing solutions can cater better to the constantly changing lifestyles of residents while retaining various cultural and symbolic connotations that are embedded in various spaces in a house. The research focuses on Kerman, a historical city in Iran. Adopting a qualitative methodology, this research employs narrative workshops, photo elicitation and in-depth semi-structured interviewing methods for data collection. The research adopted diverse techniques during the interviews, such as drawings, models and films, to capture the rich narratives of participants’ experiential understanding and perceptions of their houses. These rich and complex narratives were analysed to examine the relationship between various spatial arrangements and residents’ sociocultural and religious practices. The research findings show the complex relationship between residents, the places in which they live and the organisation of their home and suggests key architectural design propositions that relate to social interaction, inside- outside connectedness, privacy and re-inventing the past, which play a prominent role in developing an appropriate domestic architecture in contemporary Iran. I Acknowledgements There are many people whom I would like to thank for the support that they have given me during this research. My immense gratitude goes to Professor Prue Chiles for her advice, support and willingness that allowed me to pursue research on topics which I am truly passionate about. I also owe a huge debt to my second supervisor, Dr Tatjana Schneider. I am deeply indebted to Dr Stephen Walker who made the final stages of submission possible. I cannot adequately express my thanks to him for his help and support. Thanks too to Noushin and Hassan, who were my fellow students and introduced me to Sheffield University. They always encouraged me and made the university environment more liveable for me. I would also like to thank my friends, Mat, Jemima, Shiva, Priya, Ruxandra, Vera and Hooman, for their support. I also owe a significant debt to my friends and family, Aboozar, Ali, Dorna, Hassan, Marjan, Maryam, Rokhsareh, Shahram and Soroor, for their help during the long process of my workshops. I would also like to thank Hamid who helped me in the last stages of this thesis. Finally, but nowhere near the end of my thoughts, is my husband, Ali. I sincerely thank my patient husband who was my best comrade throughout this long process of study. I will be forever grateful to him. Thank you so much. II To my beloved husband, Ali III Contents Abstract I Acknowledgements II Contents IV List of figures: X List of tables: XV Structure of the Thesis XVI Research Statement XVII Key terms XX Chapter 1 1 Background and History 1 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 Socio-political development in Iran 2 1.3 The Architecture of Iran 5 1.3.1 History and transformation 5 1.4 Transformation processes of dwellings in Iran 7 1.4.1 Impact on Climate-responsive Architecture 13 1.5 Conclusion: 14 Chapter 2 16 Traditional Domestic Architecture in Iran 16 2.1 Introduction: 17 2.2 Concept of “house” in Persian culture 17 2.3 House, home, dwelling 19 2.4 Iranian house Design 24 2.4.1 Early Persian houses 24 2.4.2 Traditional Iranian domestic architecture 27 2.5 Examination of Iranian dwelling practices 55 2.5.1 Socialising practices 56 2.5.2 Interior decoration 57 2.5.4 Eating 58 2.5.5 Using courtyards 59 2.5.6 Sleeping practices 61 2.5.7 Roof 62 2.5.8 Etiquette 62 2.6 Discussion 63 IV 2.7 Conclusion 65 Chapter 3 66 Methodology 66 3.1 Introduction 67 3.2 Research Methodology 67 3.2.1 Research by design 67 3.2.2 Qualitative research 69 3.2.3 Participatory Research 70 3.2.4 Data Collection 71 3.2.5 Participant sampling 76 3.3 Process of Study and Narrative Workshop 76 3.3.1 Structure of the Workshop 84 3.4 Positionality 85 3.5 Validity and Reliability 86 3.6 Conclusion 88 Chapter 4 89 Context and Pilot Study 89 4.1 Introduction 90 4.2 Kerman – Physical geography 90 4.3 Historical development of settlement in Kerman 92 4.4 Transformation of the city after the constitutional revolution 95 4.5 Kerman today 98 4.6 Contemporary Iranian House: Transformation of spaces and associated practices 100 4.6.1 Kitchen transition between 1921 and now: 101 4.6.2 Toilet transition between 1921 and now: 101 4.6.3 Bathroom transition between 1921 and now: 102 4.6.4 Living area and reception 102 4.6.5 Bedrooms 103 4.7 Contemporary Iranian house in Kerman – An ethnographic pilot study 103 4.7.1 Analysis and Discussion 104 4.8 Conclusion 113 Chapter 5 114 Main Study: Workshop Narratives 114 5.1 Introduction 115 5.2 Workshop participants: Sampling and Challenges 115 V 5.3 Participant H’s narrative 117 5.3.1 Background and introduction 117 5.3.2 Workshop part I – Various houses inhabited 117 5.3.3 Workshop, part II – Everyday activities, practices and preferences 121 5.3.4 Workshop, part III – Perceptions of traditional Iranian vs contemporary architecture 125 5.3.5 Workshop, part IV: Co-creation process 129 5.4 Participant S Narrative 135 5.4.1 Background and Introduction 135 5.4.2 Workshop part I – Various houses inhabited 136 5.4.3 Workshop part II – Everyday activities, practices and preferences 139 5.4.4 Workshop part III – Perceptions on traditional vs contemporary architecture 144 5.4.5 Workshop part IV: Co-creation process 145 5.5 Participant A’s Narrative 148 5.5.1 Background and introduction 148 5.5.2 Workshop part I – Various houses inhabited 148 5.5.3 Workshop part II – Everyday activities, practices and preferences 151 5.5.4 Workshop part III – Perceptions of Traditional Iranian vs contemporary architecture 158 5.5.5 Workshop part IV – Co-creation process 160 5.6 Participants M and SH’s narrative 163 5.6.1 Background and introduction 163 5.6.2 Workshop part I – Various houses inhabited 164 5.6.3 Workshop part II – Everyday activities, practices and preferences 170 5.6.4 Workshop part III – Perceptions of Traditional vs contemporary Iranian architecture 175 5.6.5 Workshop part IV – Co-creation process 180 5.7 Conclusion 184 Chapter 6 185 Summary and Findings 185 6.1 Introduction 186 6.2 Summary 186 6.3 Discussion 188 6.4 Thesis’s contribution 190 6.4.1 Design propositions for appropriate domestic architecture in contemporary Iran 190 6.5 Significance of the thesis 206 6.5.1 Design Propositions 206 6.5.2 Contribution to Iranian architecture research 207 6.5.3 Transferability 207 6.5.4 Importance of participatory research. 208 6.6 Limitations 208 VI 6.7 Further Research 210 Bibliography 211 Appendix 1 222 Transcription of interview with Fariba Adelkhah 222 An informal discussion with Iranian anthropologist, Fariba Adelkhah about Iranian ways of living today. 223 Appendix 2 225 A summary of questions discussed during Workshops 225 A summary of questions which were discussed with participants is listed below. 226 The first stage 226 The second stage 226 The third stage 228 The fourth stage 235 Appendix 3 238 Ethical approval 239 Information sheet - English 240 Consent form - English 241 Information sheet - Persian 242 Consent form - Persian 243 Appendix 4 245 Interview transcript H 245 Part1 246 Part 2 255 Part 3 262 Part4 269 After a short break 275 Appendix 5 278 Interview transcript S 278 part 1 279 Part 2 286 Part 3 305 Part 4 314 Appendix 6 325 Interview transcript A 325 part 1 326 VII part 2 336 part 3 354 part 4 359 Appendix 7 374 Interview transcript M and SH 374 part 1 375 part 2 388 part3 407 part4 423 VIII List of figures: Figure 1: Historical periods of Iranian Architecture. 5 Figure 2: Architectural changes in the 20th century. 6 Figure 3: This picture shows changes in the relations of buildings, courtyards and streets. Street forms changed between the 19th and 20th centuries. The courtyard was placed at the centre of a plot when building traditional houses, but it was now placed to one side of the plot, beside the building, in front of it or behind it. 8 Figure 4: Relationship between a building plot and open space. 9 Figure 5 : A typical contemporary apartment plan. Generally, houses and apartments today have two main elevations, as shown in this figure. 9 Figure 6: An example of early houses in Iran. A: Fireplace B: a kind of stove in the middle part of the house C: entrance to the south D: stone bench as a bed in several rooms.

Load more