TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Concept of Sustainable Dwelling Epitomized in the Courtyards of
Iranian Houses: A Case Study of Houses in Kashan in the Qajar Period
AU - Hanif, Ehssan AU - Hashemnejad, Hashem AU - Ghafourian, Mitra 
JO  - Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences
VL  - 12
IS  - 6
SP  - 1482
EP  - 1491
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2001/08/19
SN  - 1816-949x
DO  - jeasci.2017.1482.1491
UR  - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=jeasci.2017.1482.1491
KW  - Sustainable dwelling
KW  -courtyard
KW  -borujerdiha house
KW  -tabatabei house
KW  -Saleh house
AB  - Sustainable dwelling is a mental concept, yet it should meet the physical and emotional requirements
of humans for living. Therefore, only those sites in which human needs are satisfied can be regarded as
sustainable dwelling. Iranian traditional houses with their genuine characteristics are still something to be
desired. In these houses the courtyard is the heart of the structure and at the same time it is counted as its
organizing principle. Hence, understanding the function of the courtyard leads us to an understanding of the
purpose of the whole building. This paper argues that the traditional Iranian courtyards are a materialization
of the concept of sustainable dwelling. Moreover, the writer contends that probing into the courtyard for the
concept of sustainable dwelling has the added advantage of shedding light on a solution to palliate life
conditions in contemporary modern houses of Iran. To this aim the courtyards of three famous houses in
Kashan, Iran during the Qajar dynasty, namely Borujerdiha house, Tabatabe’i house and Saleh house are
examined as the closest historical examples to our modern world. This study the writer aims to provide a local
definition for the concept of sustainable dwelling and second to suggest a practical solution by which to reach
an ideal state of life in the contemporary world.
ER  -