The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

An Examination of the Presence of Nature in Post-Revolutionary Contemporary Iranian Architecture Based on the Critique and Ideas of Christopher Alexander

https://doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2024.468310.5637
Volume 21, Issue 138
December 2024
Pages 55-66
The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Samaneh Zangeneh 1
Armiya Ghaderi 2
Kianoush Faraji 3

1 Ph.D. Candidate in Architecture, Department of Architecture, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran.

2 Ph.D. Candidate in Architecture, , Department of Architecture, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Arhitecture,Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran.

Abstract
Problem statement: Today, attention has been paid to the diverse presence of natural elements in the contemporary architecture of Iran, especially in the post-revolution era, as part of a broad movement towards sustainability and human-centered design, and this presence has been examined based on different perspectives and attitudes, with However, less attention has been paid to the order of nature and its fundamental features that increase vitality and stability in buildings.
Research objective: The purpose of this research is to examine the Iranian architectural buildings based on the opinions of Christopher Alexander to create structural integrity and order and increase harmony with the environment, as mentioned in her main works “Language of Patterns” and “The Nature of Order.
Research method: To achieve this objective, 24 significant contemporary Iranian buildings from three distinct post-revolutionary periods were systematically evaluated. A questionnaire based on Alexander’s 15 principles of “Living Structures” was utilized, and responses were analyzed by a group of architectural and urban planning experts. The evaluation focused on the presence and effectiveness of natural elements within these architectural designs.
Conclusion: The results show that buildings such as Tehran Book Garden and Mellat Cinema Campus are more consistent with Alexander’s principles, especially in elements such as simplicity and inner peace, contrast and good shape that contribute to the well-being and comfort of the user and more harmony with the environment and vice versa. Structures such as the library and the national museum are less consistent in characteristics such as grading and ambiguity; Therefore, paying attention to a comprehensive approach in architectural design and balancing traditional elements with modern innovations and paying attention to the characteristics of nature and using them for future projects seems necessary.

Keywords

Contemporary Iranian Architecture
Nature
Natural Elements
Sustainability
Christopher Alexander
Alexander, C. (1977). A pattern language: towns, buildings, construction. OUP USA.
Alexander, C. (1999). The origins of pattern theory: The future of the theory, and the generation of a living world. IEEE software, 16(5), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1109/52.795104 
Alexander, C. (2001). The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe Book One: the Phenomenon of Life. Oxford University Press.
Alexander, C. (2007). Empirical findings from the nature of order. Environmental and architectural phenomenology, 18(1), 11-19.
Alexander, C. (2011). The nature of order and essay on the art of building and the nature of the universe (C. R. Sabri & A. Akbari, Trans.). Parham Naghsh.
Alexander, C. (2021). New concepts in complexity theory arising from studies in the field of architecture: an overview of the four books of the nature of order with emphasis on the scientific problems which are raised. Handbook on cities and complexity, 210-232. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789900125.00020 
Alexander, C. (2023). A City is not a Tree (1965). In Anthologie zum Städtebau. Band III: Vom Wiederaufbau nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg bis zur zeitgenössischen Stadt (pp. 415-423). Gebr. Mann Verlag. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783786175247 
Alehashemi, A., & Mansouri, S. (2018). Landscape; a Shifting Concept;The Evolution of the Concept of Landscape from Renaissance. The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar, 14(57), 33-44.
Angel, S., & Salingaros, N. A. (2022). Christopher Alexander’s Architectural Insights and Limitations. New Design Ideas, 6(3), 386-401. 
Bembel, I. O. (2023). Comprehending Alexander’s Legacy. New Design Ideas, 7(2), 201-207.
Daneshjoo, K., Mirhosseini, S. M., & Mahdavinejad, M. J. (2014). An introduction to nature orientation in examples of contemporary Iranian architecture. Hoviatshahr, 9(23), 83-90.
Diba, D. (2012). Iran contemporary architecture. Aban Book.
Dickinson, D. (2020). Christopher Alexander and the Inadequacy of Genius in the Architecture of the Coming Age. Urban Science, 4(17). https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci4020017 
Doroudgar, M. M. A., & Moradcheleh, A. (2012). The impact of revivalist trends on contemporary Iranian architecture (1977-2011). Middle East Journal of Scientific Research, 11(2), 176-183.
Du Plessis, C., & Cole, R. J. (2011). Motivating Change: Shifting the Environmental Impact of Architecture. Building Research & Information, 39(5), 436-449.
Galle, P. (2020). Christopher Alexander’s Battle for Beauty in a World Turning Ugly: The Inception of a Science of Architecture?. She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 6(3), 345-375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2020.03.002 
Ghobadiab, V. (2013). Style and concepts in Iranian contemporary architecture. Elmememar Publications.
Hatefishojae, S., Islami, S. G., & Rezaei, M. (2021). Role of local and urban textures in promoting social interactions of residents and emphasizing living centers theory of Christopher Alexander. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 10(1), 66-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2020.05.008 
Iwanczak, B., & Lewicka, M. (2020). Affective map of Warsaw: Testing Alexander’s pattern language theory in an urban landscape. Landscape and Urban Planning, 204, 103910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103910 
Kabinesh, V., Vennila, S., Baranidharan, K., Ravi, R., Krishnamoorthi, S., & Thirunavukkarasu, M. (2024). Sustainable spaces-the evolution of biophilic design in modern architecture: A review. Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology, 23(5), 64-77. https://doi.org/10.9734/AJEE/2024/v23i5548 
Kamelnia, H., & Hanachi, P. (2022). Building new heritage for the future: investigating community architecture paradigms in contemporary architecture of Iran (1978–2020). Journal of Architecture & Urbanism, 46(2), 171-190. https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2022.16663
Kellert, S. R., & Calabrese, E. F. (2015). The Practice of Biophilic Design. Terrapin Bright Green.
Levin, T., Sjöberg, S., Jiang, B., & Barthel, S. (2023). Social sustainability and Alexander’s living structure through a new kind of city science. Urban Planning, 8(3), 224-234. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6841 
Mahdavinejad, M. J. (2016). In search of excellent architecture: The capacities of contemporary Iranian architecture to become a heritage for the future. Armanshahr, (17), 129-138.
Mahdavinejad, M., Moradcheleh, A., Dehghani, S., & Mirhoseini, S. M. (2013). Adoption of the central courtyard as a traditional archetype in contemporary Iranian architecture. World Applied Sciences Journal, 21(6), 802-811.
Mahdavinejad, M. J., & Taleb Hashemi, S. (2017). The qualitative role of design and implementation in realizing the concept of identity in contemporary Iranian architecture. Andishe Memari, 1, 94-105.
Mahmoodi, M. (2004). Natural Ventilation in Iranian Architecture: Lessons from Traditional Designs. Journal of Environmental Design, 29(1), 67-81
Mehaffy, M. W. (2007). On The Nature of Order: An interview with Christopher Alexander. Urban Design International, 12(1), 51-57. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.udi.9000184 
Moeat, M. E. S., M Abo El Enein, O., & Noaman, D. S. (2020). The Relation between Alexander’s Fifteen Fundamental Properties and Sustainability in Office Buildings. Port-Said Engineering Research Journal, 24(2), 1-9. https://dx.doi.org/10.21608/pserj.2020.25409.1035 
Mousavi, L., & Mahdavinejad, M. (2013). Searching for sustainability in contemporary Iranian architecture. American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 1(6), 129-142.
Petrusevski, I. (2012). Fifteen rules of Christopher Alexander and the methods of generative design as the practical application of the” the nature of order” in architecture. SAJ-Serbian Architectural Journal, 4(3), 254-279. https://doi.org/10.5937/SAJ1203254P 
Salingaros, N. A. (2020). Empirical Findings from The Nature of Order. Empirical Findings, Winter 2002; Fall 2006. Retrieved from https://www.patternlanguage.com/empirical-findings
Sarami, N., Mandegari, K., & Nadimi, H. (2021). The Hierarchies of the Void, Based on A Re-Reading of Christopher Alexander. Soffeh, 31(4), 17-29. https://doi.org/10.52547/SOFEH.31.4.17
Seamon, D. (2024). Ways of Understanding Wholeness: Place, Christopher Alexander, and Synergistic Relationality. World Futures, 80(2), 93-110. https://doi.org/10.1080/02604027.2024.2330288 
Shirazi, M. R. (2018). The influence of traditional Iranian architecture on contemporary designs: A review. Journal of Iranian Architecture, 20(4), 67-83.
Taghizadeh, R. (2005). Maximizing Views in Modern Iranian Architecture: Reflections from Alexander’s Perspective. Iranian Architectural Studies, 20(5), 87-98.
Taghvaei, S. H., & Semiari, A. (2022). Causal Study of Design Studios in the Landscape Architecture Program of Iran: Educational Contents of Landscape Design Studio I. Journal of Iranian Architecture Studies, 4(8), 119-135.
Wijesooriya, N., Brambilla, A., & Markauskaite, L. (2023). Biophilic design frameworks: A review of structure, development techniques and their compatibility with LEED sustainable design criteria. Cleaner Production Letters, 4, 100033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clpl.2023.100033
Zamani, P. (2008). Views Across Boundaries and Groupings Across Categories: The Morphology of Display in the Galleries of the High Museum of Art (1983–2003) (Doctoral dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology).

Home

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us