مطالب

In addition to attention to natural light as a renewable, costless and environment-friendly source of energy in the late 20th century, numerous studies have been conducted into the effect of natural light on human being’s soul and body and all such studies reiterate the undeniable role of natural lighting on people’s behavior, attitudes, and efficiency. However, in spite of the awareness of the effects of natural light on human beings as well as on the environment, source of lighting in most buildings is still limited to artificial lighting and most of the solutions used in the old architecture with regard to the use of natural lighting have been forgotten nowadays. This paper, based upon a holistic approach and a qualitative research method analyses a few traditional houses in Hot and Dry climate of Iran and showed how their builders by using architectural elements as well as different methods of space organization so to better use light to satisfy the physical and psychological needs of the inhabitants,including visual and heat comfort, health, introducing  variety and increasing space quality. As we will see, this research describes the methods they tried to create a balance between physical and psychological needs of the inhabitants and to supply the required energy.

This paper seeks to investigate a new definition for architecture by unifying the three Vitruvian principles of firmitas, utilities, and venustas via a phenomenological approach in the interpretation and analysis of their role in defining architecture. The paper is composed in two main sections. The first section investigates the nature of architecture based on the mentioned principles, where architecture is interpreted and analyzed in terms of its “thingly,” “equipmental,” and “artistic” characters. While it seems that architecture could be in view of its “thingness” alone, or “equip mentality”, or “artless”, but each perspective reveals only a dimension of the nature of architecture. Therefore, the second section of this paper focuses on unifying the Vitruvian Triad, attempting to define architecture from the single stance of “architecturality” the sphere from which architecture is seen as a way of disclosing the truth in the desired life of humans in an architectural work. In this definition, there is the simultaneous presence of thingness, equip mentality, and artless of architecture, thus establishing an integral unity between the principles of the Vitruvian Triad. Thus, the three Vitruvian principles come to unify in architecture which is defined as “the manifestation of truth of human desired life in the work of architecture.” This definition also allows us to assume three fundamental principles for architecture, “truth of human desired life”, “work of architecture” and “manifestation of truth”. These three principles are themselves, in fact, reflections of the three Vitruvian principles.

This paper is a part of study about the impact of the microclimate on the space use and the user’s behaviours. The purpose of our study is to get an in-depth understanding of how people use out door public spaces in different climatic conditions, how their behaviour and perception of the space change with the climatic variations. We have employed a multi-method approach which combines a “qualitative” and “quantitative” analysis. Three squares were chosen as a setting for either a video observations, climatic measurement and interviews with the users. The whole investigations were conducted one day in winter 2009 and one day in summer 2010. The result of the qualitative and the quantitative analysis revealed that the climate variables played very different roles in predicting the use mode and density of the three squares in the two seasonal periods.

Urban form has undergone tremendous changes throughout history. These changes have stemmed from various causes. Technology has been one of the most influential forces in changing the face of cities, leaving different marks on the city form. In fact, technology has gained an increasingly more important and integrative role in bringing changes to the urban form. In addition, recent plethora of developments and advances in various fields of technology more than before necessitates an exامینation of the relationship between technology and urban form. However, such an inquiry should be based on an understanding of the underlying philosophical and historical foundations underlying such a relationship. Throughout human history, a direct relationship has existed between the philosophical outlook on the world, the view on technology and its application, technological developments and consequently their effects on the city. The first step in understanding the relationship between technological developments and urban form changes and also in explaining the philosophical tenets, underlying urban form changes throughout history, is to realize the nature and philosophy of technology per se. The present study aims to facilitate and present such an understanding in order to broaden the horizons projecting the relationship between technology and urban form.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran is considered as a turning point in the contemporary architecture of the nation. There have been apexes to the eye catching architectural improvements in the three forthcoming decades after the revolution. One of the most effective isorganizing the contests in architectural that affairs has not only removed the recession in the field but has also discarded the professional monotonicity. It may enhance the possibility of the best selections and invite the younger generation to experience the existing trends of the profession. But, the inconsistency of the competition organizers in fulfilling their commitment to either pay cash prizes or signing contracts with the winning competitors and failure in judging the designs decrease the positive effects. Exامینing the competitions throughout the three decades after the Revolution suggests that the continuity of such competitions, and revising their structure, can be considered as a suitable and useful approach in developing the contemporary architecture of Iran.