Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert (RACO)

A research on historical and cultural buildings in iranian vernacular architecture

Hanie Okhovat, Nina Almasifar, Mohammad Reza Bemanian


The need for preserving historical constructions is not only a cultural requirement, but also an economical and developmental demand. In addition to their historical interest, cultural heritage buildings and landscapes are valuable because they contribute significantly to the economy by providing key attractions at a time when tourism and leisure are major industries. Herein, the great Iranian tradition is as yet little known in the West and there is much to be learnt both from it and the building techniques which are integral with it. Meanwhile, not only is the Iranian vernacular building tradition itself still alive, but there is much to be gained from the knowledge of a highly developed technology which makes such ingenious use of natural resources without the consumption of additional power.
This article is a study of the artisanship involved in the construction of the mud brick vernacular architecture of Iran, and the cultural aspects of a traditional architecture that incorporates an understanding of buildings that date back centuries. Expanding the existing knowledge of these earthen heritage properties, examining their behaviour in the local climate and explaining their current condition in order to express the need for the preservation of traditional artisanship as part of a sustainable conservation future are the other prominent concerns of this work. Among different Iranian Vernacular constructions, Ice-houses, cisterns, water-mills and wind-catchers are the subject of the main body of this article.

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