Role of the Blending Concepts and Ideas of Courtyard and Garden in the Formation of Certain Important Works of Contemporary Iranian Architecture

Soltanzadeh, Hossein; Soltanzadeh, Ehsan

doi:10.22034/aaud.2025.464285.2896

Role of the Blending Concepts and Ideas of Courtyard and Garden in the Formation of Certain Important Works of Contemporary Iranian Architecture

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hossein Soltanzadeh ¹

Ehsan Soltanzadeh ²

¹ Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author).

² M.A. Student of Architecture, Farabi International Campus, University of Art, Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/aaud.2025.464285.2896

Abstract

Architectural spaces are designed based on more or less recognized processes, which may sometimes rely on patterns, elements, and formal ideas, and at other times on specific concepts and notions associated with them. It appears that, based on a form of Western traditionalism—founded by René Guénon and prominently represented by Titus Burckhardt—the concepts of the courtyard and the garden became intertwined, a phenomenon that has influenced some contemporary architects and their works. This research aims to examine how the concepts and definitions of the courtyard and garden in historical Iranian architecture have influenced contemporary architecture. The research question is: How has the perception and understanding of historical Iranian architectural concepts played a role in the design of certain contemporary buildings? This study employs an interpretive-historical research method. Some of the notions related to Iranian architecture serve as independent variables, while specific contemporary designs and buildings are considered dependent variables. The statistical population of the study includes several architectural works by Nader Ardalan and Kamran Diba. The findings indicate that the definitions of the garden and courtyard in the writings of these two architects are intertwined. This interconnection has influenced the design of some of their works, such as the Management Center building by Ardalan and the Humanities Faculty at the University of Isfahan by Kamran Diba. For instance, in the design of the Management Center building, a combination of a school courtyard with the conception of a garden featuring a single pavilion shaped the design idea. In contrast, contemporary educational spaces with modern teaching methods cannot be accommodated within a spatial structure belonging to a pedagogical model of the past. This is likely one of the reasons for functional and spatial changes in the school (Imam Sadegh University). Similarly, in Kamran Diba’s design of the Humanities Faculty, multiple central courtyards differ from the conventional university design patterns in Iran and worldwide. This can be interpreted as an emphasis on the central courtyard as a key identity-forming element in contemporary architecture.

Keywords

Garden

Courtyard

Central Courtyard

Contemporary Iranian Architecture

Nader Ardalan

Kamran Diba

Abdibeig, Khawaje Zain al-Abedin Ali. 1974. By the efforts of Abulfazl Hashem Oghli Rahimov. Moscow: Knowledge. [in Persian]
Aldomedo, Harry. 2010. Traditionalism, religion in the light of eternal philosophy. Translated by Reza Kurang Beheshti. Tehran: Hekmat. [in Persian]
Allen, Graham. 2015. Intertextuality. Translation of Yazdanjo’s message. Tehran: Center Publishing. Ch2. [in Persian]
Ardalan, Nader, and Laleh Bakhtiar. 2001. The sense of unity. Translated by Hamid Shahrokh. Isfahan: Khak. [in Persian]
Asadpour, Ali. 2018. The buildings of Bagh Nazar in Shiraz and their physical-functional transformations. Iranian Architectural Studies Journal 8(16).
Blair, Sheila S., and Jonathan Bloom. (ed.s). 2021. Images of heaven in Islamic art. Translated by Mohsen Sarbannejad. Tehran: Zarnoosht. [in Persian]
Burckhardt, Titus. 1986. Sacred art, principles and methods. Translated by Jalal SattaSoroush. Tehran: rsian. [in Perisian]
Burckhardt, Titus. 1991. Heavenly Jerusalem. In Symboles. Translated by Jalal Sattari. Tehran: Soroush. [in Persian]
Burckhardt, Titus. 2010. Fez, City of Islam. Translated by Mehrdad Vahdati Daneshmand. Tehran. Hekmat. [in Persian]
Burckhardt, Titus. 1986. Islamic art, language and expression. Translated by Masoud Rajabnia. Tehran: Soroush. [in Persian]
Cold, Brigit. 1995. Tree of the sketch. In Educating Architects. Academy Editions.
Diba, Kamran. 2012. Buildings and projects. Translated by Vandad Jalili. Tehran: The science of architecture. [in Persian]
Ebrahimi, Sima, and others. 2014. Native patterns in the gardens of Islamic countries. under the supervision of Hossein Sultanzadeh, Qazvin, Islamic Azad University. [in Persian]
Ebrahimzadeh, Seyyed Vahid, Hossein Sultanzadeh, and Jamaluddin Sohaili. 2021. The spatial structure of the courtyard and the chapel in the architecture of mosques on the coast of the Caspian Sea in the Safavid and Qajar periods. History and Culture Journal 53(106): 55-86. https://doi.org/10.22067/jhistory.2022.72029.1070. [in Persian]
Effendi, Jafar. 1997. Risalei Mimariyye. Translated by Mehrdad Qayyumi Bid Handi. Tehran: Cultural Spaces Development Company. [in Persian]
Eilouti, B. 2018. Concept evolution in architectural design: an octonary framework. Frontiers of architectural research 7(2): 180-196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2018.01.003
Hillenbrand, Robert. 2001. Islamic architecture. Translated by Baqer Ayatollah Zadeh Shirazi. Tehran: hole. [in Persian]
Ibn Khaldoun, Abdul Rahman. 1974. Introduction. second edition. Translated by Mohammad Parvin Gonabadi. Tehran: Book Translation and Publishing Company. [in Persian]
Lara, F. 2023. Landscape Urbanism between esthetics and design: redefining key concepts for an ethics of designing. In Ethics and Esthetics of Landscape.
Le Bone, Gustave. 1974. The Word of Islamic Civilization. Barcelona: Tudor Publishing Company.
Mc Ginty, Tim. 1979. Design and the design process. In Introduction to Architecture, edited by Mc Graw-Hill, pp.152-163.
Mustafa Khan. 1358. A document about property ownership and women ownership in the 19th century. In The calamity of cholera and the calamity of government. Through the efforts of Homa Natiq. Tehran. Area. [in Persian]
Naqsh Consulting Engineers. 2017. Critique of works of contemporary Iranian architecture, Iran, Tehran. Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Architecture and Urban Design. [in Persian]
Qabadiani, Nasser Khosrow. 1979. Nasser Khosrow’s travel book. Nader Wezinpour’s effort. Tehran: Amir Kabir. [in Persian]
Poroshani, Iraj. 1994. Garden. In the encyclopedia of the Islamic world, 573-574. (Letter B. Fourth pamphlet). Tehran. Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation. [in Persian]
Samarghndy, Abotaher. 1964. Samarieh. Iraj Afshar. Tehran: FarhangIranzamin Publication. [in Persian]
Soltanzadeh, Hossein. 2014. Some reasons for the importance of finding geometric shapes and their reflection in the architecture and historical urban planning of Iran. Letter of architecture and urban planning. Art university. [in Persian]
Soltanzadeh, Hossein. 2015. Notes on Titus Burkhardt’s view on Islamic arts. Tehran: Cultural Research Bureau. [in Persian]
Soltanzadeh, Hossein. 2016. House in Iranian culture. Tehran: Cultural Research Office. [in Persian]
Soltanzadeh, Hossein. 2021. Iranian Architecture in Islamic Period (Concepts ,Patterns and Works). Tehran: Islamic Azad University (Qazvin Branch). [in Persian]
Soltanzadeh, Hossein, Hora Motamed Amini, and Mahdokht Kiaee. 2022. The family and complex of the mansion and the Hosseinieh of Amini. Tehran: Iranian Studies Foundation. [in Persian]
Soltanzadeh, H. 2011. The Role of Geography on Formation Courtyards in Traditional Houses in Iran. Human Geography Research 43(1): 69-86. https://jhgr.ut.ac.ir/article_24487.html?lang=en
Soltanzadeh, H. 2016. Reasons for Creation of Important and Sacred Numbers and Their Reflections in Architectural and Urban Spaces. Armanshahr Architecture & Urban Development 9(16): 59-68. https://www.armanshahrjournal.com/article_33256.html?lang=en
Soltanzadeh, Hossein. 2000. Takht Jamshid (Persepolis). Tehran: Cultural Research Office. [in Persian]
Soltanzadeh, Hossein. 2022. Architectural concepts and ideas in the designs and buildings of Andre Godard in Iran. Space Ontology International Journal 1: 15-32. https://doi.org/10.22094/soij.2022.1941431.1445
Stirlen, Henry. 1998. Isfahan, the image of heaven. Translated by Jamshid Arjamand. Tehran: Soroush. [in Persian]
Vendidad. 1982. Translated by Seyyed Muhammad Ali Hosni Da’i al-Islam. Ch2. Tehran: Knowledge. [in Persian]