Asymmetric Symmetry: An Analytical Framework of Hidden Mathematics in Isfahan’s Valuable Qajar Houses; A Video-ecology Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Postdoctoral Researcher of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Professor of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author).

3 Assistant Professor of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

4 Associate Professor of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.

10.22034/aaud.2023.340811.2662

Abstract

Geometry is one of the physical features of architecture, and the regular pattern of symmetry has a special place in geometric strategies. Symmetry is senseless without such concepts as equilibrium, balance, rhythm and proportions. This study aimed to investigate the principle of symmetry in the process of perceiving Qajar-era houses in Isfahan City, Iran. These houses, although featuring a kind of visual symmetry in the first glance, are considered an asymmetrical set within their own landscapes. This study analyzed symmetry as an evolutionary value in the architectural geometry of Iranian houses, using the descriptive-analytical method and the video-ecology technique, and evaluated the reasons why this value has been violated from axial and formal perspectives. Findings indicated that symmetry is one of the oldest spatial and formal-regulating dimensions in the public spaces of Iranian-Islamic architecture, which manages to link plurality with unity in the center of the space; however, diversity in various residential spaces and dimensions, as well as land forms, have made it impossible for general symmetry to be embedded within space designs, with the designer observing symmetry in façade components. Meanwhile, the focus on the center of the space, along with the establishment of a central courtyard, and the logical location of spaces in the plan and also the use of modules and similar elements for adapting to visual systems have led to the formation of an eye-catching, coherent and seemingly symmetrical image in the mind of the observer. Findings also indicated that although the ground form in the architecture of Iranian houses may make the formation of symmetrical architecture complex and difficult, the building designer creates an in-between geometric space (a central courtyard) and uses the quality of readability by means of locating and spatial proportions to establish a new relation of a stable balance within its latent layers; this impressions involves the user in an active action with the internal concepts of the work and turns him into a part of the perceptual process.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 May 2022
  • Revise Date: 02 January 2023
  • Accept Date: 29 January 2023

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