Examining Variance, Flexibility, and Centrality in the Spatial Configurations of Yazd Schools: A Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract

Past historical research on Iranian educational architecture has highlighted three socio-spatial characteristics: (i) the topological variance of spatial properties, (ii) the flexibility of spatial configuration, and (ii) the centrality of outdoor spaces, which remain under scrutiny. This paper aims to quantitatively examine the topological changes in the spatial configurations of Yazd schools over time. The study entails the application of a Justified Plan Graph (JPG) method to quantify and compare the morphological properties of three historical sets of 20 Yazd schools (traditional, transitional and modern, and contemporary). The results confirm the historical changes in the Yazd schools’ flexibility and their outdoor spaces’ centrality, although the variance of spatial properties over time is not clearly observed. In particular, due to the relatively higher centrality values of outdoor spaces, the traditional schools, regardless of their rigid spatial logics, developed more integrated and interactive spatial configurations. As a first historical study on the socio-spatial configuration of Yazd schools, this paper precisely demonstrates the JPG method for this longitudinal spatial analysis.