A Phenomenological and Space Syntax Analysis of Domains in Traditional- Historical Iranian houses and Neighborhoods

The hierarchy of social domains which is the product of historical experiences and socio-psychological conditions manifest itself in the urban fabric and architectural elements. Particularly, the physical dimension of the built environment is marked by physical landmarks which indicate the hierarchy of territories. In the process of architecture and urban design, recognition, evaluation and modeling of these domains is very important in creating a socially sustainable environment. In this article which is the product of a research study, the hierarchy of territories and the differences in the spatial values of these domains in neighborhood structure and architecture of traditional Iranian housing units is studied. For recognition of all physical dimensions of the territorial hierarchy, first the two old neighborhoods of Fahadan and Tal in the historic fabric of Yazd and five traditional houses are selected as case studies. In this study both phenomenology and space syntax is employed. The results of this research show that the geometric patterns and the contextual location of spaces are important in recognition of the territorial hierarchy. Also the impact of layers of private and public spaces on concentration or distraction of people in urban spaces and houses are revealed. The importance of thresholds as effective elements of passage from one domain to the other is clarified. A study of spaces utilizing space syntax technique clarified the hierarchy of domains in a precise graphical and mathematical form. The impact of architectural and urban elements and spaces on the hierarchy of domains is acknowledged. Then the mutual relationship of spaces according to the social logic is also clarified. At the end, the article concludes that morphological studies of city, neighborhood skeleton and architectural elements in the process of architectural and urban design are necessary to preserve and create hierarchical domains.