Abstract
Various dimensions and forces tend to transform urban housing morphology over time. These impacting elements do not equally contribute to the formation of dwellings. One of the main va-riables in urban housing is the sociocultural attributes that contribute to the morphological for-mation of different types of human habitats. The study focuses on the relations between sociocul-tural dimension and spatial configuration in terms of design process, transformation, and mor-phological attributes. Grounding a conceptual framework in a case study of vernacular housing in the cities of Ramsar and Tonekabon in Northern parts of Iran, the study explores the housing morphology of a vernacular dwelling. Implementing a qualitative approach, the research methods of the study consist of descriptive-analytical method, case study, and logical reasoning. Firstly, a conceptual framework is generated through desk study and non-participatory observation. Se-condly, housing typology, morphological mapping, and face-to-face interview have been conducted within the field study. Finally, the study explores the spatial configuration and morphology of the vernacular urban housing in relation to the conceptual framework. Findings indicate the complexity of relations between multilayered hierarchies of sociocultural factors and urban housing form in terms of physical form and spatial configuration in the case study of vernacular housing.
Highlights
Based on the extensive body of knowledge on the issue of culture, the sociocultural attributes are among theHow to cite this paper: Kamalipour, H., & Zaroudi, M. (2014)
Considering the extensive growing body of knowledge in sociocultural discourse, the study tends to explore the particular relation between urban housing morphology and sociocultural attributes in terms of the design-level factors
The studies of vernacular architecture need to adopt integrated, critical, and holistic approaches (Vellinga, 2013). Since it has been largely argued within the “space syntax” approach that the spatial configuration of the built environment is closely related to the sociality of space (Hillier, 1996, 1999, 2010; Hillier & Hanson, 1984), the study tends to explore the spatial configuration in relation to the social aspects of human habitats in a case study of vernacular housing
Summary
Based on the extensive body of knowledge on the issue of culture, the sociocultural attributes are among the. The highly extensive sociocultural attributes are categorized and arranged in a conceptual model in order to be adoptable for the analysis of the relations between housing formation and sociocultural factors In this way, the study explores a proposed model through empirical evidences in a case study of vernacular housing. Patterns has been generated from the study of traditional settlements and ways of life (Alexander, 1979) as tradition contribute to the generation and gradual transition of patterns and solutions among different generations (Fathy, 1973) in which materials, methods, and climatic considerations are embedded within the common domain of knowledge (Oliver, 1990) In this way, the study advocates for the study of vernacular settlements in relation to place in terms of sociocultural contexts, ontology, worldviews, ways of livings, and practices of everyday life in relation to spatial configuration, activity patterns, and morphological attributes of housing. Since it has been largely argued within the “space syntax” approach that the spatial configuration of the built environment is closely related to the sociality of space (Hillier, 1996, 1999, 2010; Hillier & Hanson, 1984), the study tends to explore the spatial configuration in relation to the social aspects of human habitats in a case study of vernacular housing
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