A Reflection on the Architectural Structures of the Cunning Underground Handcraft

Khabbazi, Roghayeh

doi:10.48301/kssa.2023.390037.2485

A Reflection on the Architectural Structures of the Cunning Underground Handcraft

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Roghayeh Khabbazi

Department of Construction and Architecture, Faculty of Alzahra Tabriz, Technical and Vocational University (TVU), Tehran, Iran.

10.48301/kssa.2023.390037.2485

Abstract

In many historical periods, a special phenomenon of architecture known as Dastkand was formed in Iran, which has a different nature from the embodiment of the word architecture in terms of the quality of space production. Dastkand Hilavar on the slopes of the Sahand volcanic mountain in the south of the city of Esko in East Azarbaijan Province is one of these architectural elements that display a combination of residential body and human behaviour in interaction with nature. However, in library surveys, the weakness of documentary sources in specialized circles is evident in this case. The current research was based on the descriptive-analytical method and the application of field surveys in addition to the use of the space syntax technique to identify the collection, introduce the way of spatial arrangement along with the spatial indicators that are effective, and explain the various structural and species aspects. The present study aimed to answer the following questions: Based on the architectural structure, Dastkand belongs to which types of Dastkand works, and what are its technical features and communication patterns in the field of spatial syntax? The findings indicated the identification of 48 underground boundaries in Dastkand Hilavar, which morphologically are continuous and linear vertical Dastkand works in the natural bed of the earth, and from the typological point of view, they include residential-subsistence use. The priority was animal husbandry activities. The results showed a low depth in the spatial structure with high coherence and proper functional efficiency in the boundaries along with intelligent interaction between human activities and the natural environment in line with the climatic conditions and with the least intervention in the environmental landscape. In this way, reference to the above approach can be put forward in the application of a systematic model for knowledge of the subject to generalize to other examples in the region.

Keywords

Dastkand Architecture

Cunning Historical Habitat Underground Settlement

Native Architecture

Syntax of Space

Subjects

Art and Architecture

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