مهسا جوادی نوده

This study was conducted with the aim of recognizing and classifying those structural criteria in the traditional houses of Ardabil which were effectively compatible with the climate of the region. To this end, a combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods was used. Based on the frequency percentages of indices in the samples under investigation, the structural criteria compatible with the climate of the region were close to each other. They were generally classified in 5 classes, wherein the indices of outer space, inner spaces, and spatial details were of paramount importance.

Using traditional houses as schools of architecture is based on sustainable multi-dimensional concepts. Reusing these houses can affect the quality of life of the people living in historical textures as well as the experiences of the users of those spaces. Appropriate learning environments can leave positive effects on the education of the students of architecture.However, these beneficiaries have not been considered in the related processes and the effects of their needs on different aspects of changing the use class of these houses have not been evaluated. Therefore, in the present study, the effective criteria in reusing traditional houses as schools of architecture were evaluated from the viewpoints of the people living in the historical texture and the students of architecture so as to determine the effects of these criteria on the education of the students and the quality of life of the local residents.The traditional houses located in Uch-Dokan Neighborhood were propounded by the experts for these purposes.The houses in this neighborhood were investigated using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods.A questionnaire validated by Cronbach’s α was used to evaluate operational research patterns. Also, considering the normal distribution of the main variables, both descriptive and inferential statistics and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to determine the relationship between the purposes of the beneficiaries and the variables of the study from the viewpoints of the students of Mohaghegh Ardabili University and the residents of Uch-Dokan Neighborhood. The results indicated that from the viewpoints of the students, attending to perceptual dimensions (aesthetics, belonging...) was the most effective factor on their education when using the traditional houses as schools of architecture. From the viewpoints of the residents, functional dimensions (social and cultural activities..) were found to have the highest correlation with their quality of life and vitality in the environment.

Problem statement:

The use of proportions derived from nature in vernacular architecture is one of the principles that govern the interactionsbetween the built environment and nature.The existence of the formal relationship between the built environment and nature can lead to optimization,order,and stability in the built environment.In fact,structures in nature have become stable over time in terms of form and combination and can create reproducible principles regarding the continuity and beauty of spaces.Nowadays,such principles have been neglected in the proportions and numeric relationships employed in the geometry of spaces.The sample of this study contains twenty-four traditional houses in the Qajar era in Ardabil because most of these buildings have been built in this period.

Research objective:

The present study aims to determine the compatibility of common geometric proportions used in the traditional houses of Ardabil with Iranian proportions,golden ratios, and approximate ratios derived from nature to identify the most common nature-friendly layout in the region.

Research method:

This study isapplied and mixed-methods research in which both quantitative and qualitative methodsare employed. First of all, the data related to the dimensions, sizes, and computational ratios were obtained via field observations. After that, the geometric proportions employed in halls, rooms, and main facades were identified using frequency diagrams. Then their compatibility with the proportions derived from nature was analyzedto determine which spatial ratios and standards derived from nature had the highest frequency in the buildings.

The results showed that the architecture of the traditional houses was consistent and compatible with nature in terms of formal characteristics.in addition to using Iranian proportions, golden proportionsin laying out the elements and architectural spaces from plans to façades,the architects of the buildings have also made use of ratios close to simple arithmetic proportions.This shows the relationship between the spatial patterns and the combination of data received from nature,which have been integrated intothe construction of the buildings.

Appropriate structural and physical design has been one of the climatic strategies of traditional houses in interacting with nature. Over many years, these houses have tested various types of designs and have now reached a stable structure and have obtained some reproducible principles. This way, not only have they affected the health of the users directly and positively, but also, they have prevented energy wastage, rectified the unhealthy conditions in internal spaces, reduced environmental crises, etc. These principles, however, have been disregarded in the structural aspects of spaces in the modern architecture. Bearing this in mind, the present study aimed to recognize the geometric and proportional patters as well as the standards being employed in the structures of central courtyard, winter halls, and the seasonal rooms designed based on the cold climate. The connections between various spaces were also investigated based on their structural features so that by comparing climatic criteria, we can get to a sustainable designing pattern based on the structural patterns. We can also recognize the most common nature-friendly spatial ratios in this region and make use of them to meet the needs of the modern era. In the current study, 12 traditional houses belonging to Qajar era were investigated. In so doing, the needed information was collected from the spaces affected by the cold climate via field observations and the obtained data were classified. Then using computational methods, logical reasoning, and qualitative as well as quantitative analyses, a series of geometric proportions and spatial relations were detected. The results of the analyses regarding the most common ratios, dimensions, and areas were indicative of the high compatibility of spatial patterns with the cold climate. More specifically, some spaces that are used for similar purposes in special seasons of the year have similar proportions and shapes. The differentiation between the spaces has only been limited to winter and summer. The details of the structures designed for winter have been attended to relatively more. Therefore, the structural patterns employed in the past can be used for designing buildings in the modern era. By doing so, we will be able to reduce most of the energy wastage.

This study attempts to determine the compatibility of common geometric proportions used in traditional houses with daylight performance and natural proportions of the surrounding physical environment so as to recognize the most compatible structural layout with nature. To this end, 28 shahneshin rooms were chosen from 21 traditional houses in Ardabil. Moreover, they were observed to have the highest level of overlap with the frequency perimeter zone of daylight.

In the architecture of traditional houses, the environment used to be formed by the mutual interaction of human beings and nature. With the emergence of environmental crises in the contemporary world, the integration of natural and human processes became the most important ecological issue in the domain of sustainability. The aim of the current study is to recognize those ecological criteria of traditional houses which can be productive in the contemporary world so as to arrive at ecological solutions based on the thermal behavior of these houses in cold regions.

These factors are investigated in two traditional houses in Ardabil using descriptive methods, field observations, and quantitative analyses.

The investigation of the most critical climatic condition of the region is indicative of the thermal resistance of the rooms against temperature fluctuations. Furthermore, the analysis of the architectural features taken from physical environment (topography, climate) and structural environment (building form, spatial organization, material, landscape, infrastructure) shows that there is an optimal interaction between these components. The recognition of these architectural features can also provide ecological solutions.

The results of the assessment of the ecological criteria in the houses are also indicative of their conformity with the environment.In fact,these structures have overcome climatic effects via the use of natural resources in a way that rooms like shahneshin and basement which have seasonal function, have optimal performance against temperature fluctuations. For example, in a sample shahneshin room in smaller dimensions, the minimum difference between the inside and outside temperature is 13 °C