The Typology of Noble Pavilion Houses of the First Pahlavi Era in Isfahan City

Problem statement: 

After the establishment of industrial factories in the first Pahlavi era, the new noble social class that owned factories was added to the traditional noble families (i.e., tradesmen, courtiers, landlords, and government relatives) of Isfahan. Considering the developments of that era and the new demands of factory owners, tradesmen, and government relatives, a new pavilion-style architecture appeared in Isfahan’s noble houses, which are either destroyed or exposed to destruction, as they have no written documents. 

This study aimed to analyze and document Isfahan’s contemporary residential-architectural heritage based on house typologies.

The study method fell under historical-interpretive research and was based on field, documentary, and oral findings. For this, the typology of Isfahan’s pavilion-style houses in the first Pahlavi era was based on a combination of mass-space and ground deployment, space-entry elements syntax, and main and secondary axes of the building, façade, and decorations.

According to the findings of this study, pavilion-style houses in Isfahan during the first Pahlavi era are classified into three types: first, a space organized by a stairway (mostly two-way) in the center of the plan, with other spatial elements formed on either side; second, a space organized by a hall located in the center, with other spatial elements laid next to it; and third, service spaces on the ground floor separated by a corridor from other spaces. Here, the element of the corridor is located in the center of the plan, with other elements formed next to it. Findings also suggest that in the interior spaces of the studied houses, volume, diversity, and decorations have reduced compared to the Qajar era; however, the facades facing the courtyards and passageways include more decorations (brick, tile, and metalwork), with the decorations being more geometrically and realistically themed. Also, one can see the traditional materials of Isfahan used in those structures, as flat ceilings with wooden beams have replaced traditional arches.