Comparative Study of Infill Design Approaches in Historical Urban Contexts

The preservation-oriented design of new structures in historical fabricsis a matter of debate between preservationists and architects. Therefore, many research studies are aimed at exploring different design approaches and their implications, resulting in explicit or implicit recommendations for design. Therefore, it is important to review and analyze them, as well as the international documents and other national and regional design guidelines— a study that has not been done to date. Accordingly, this research aims to classify the proposed recommendations in the form of design approaches. For this purpose, the required data in related research studieswere collected and coded separately based on the theme and structure of each approach into three levels: point of view, strategy, and method. Then, they were described with the help of a comparative study. The results show thatin the studies of Groat (1985) and Sotoudeh and Wan Abdullah (2012) at the level of point of view, the historical character of the fabric is preferable to its urban character. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid changes in the level of strategy and practice compatibilityat the level of method. This is while other studies emphasize both the historical and urban characters, the difference being that in the studies of Oers (2010), Bianca (2010), Diski (2012), Adam (2010), and Duch (2010), the reference frame is tradition, while in other studies it is modernity. Influenced by the reference point of view, Oers, Bianca, Diski, Adam, and Duch recommend the management of change through traditional architectural and urban planning patterns, whileother studies influenced by the modern point of viewrecommend the management of change by referring to the characteristics of the historical context with the aim of compatibility.