Codification of Principles of Architectural Adjacent with the Historic Sacred Buildings in Iran According to the Method of “Reasoning Based on Reasoning”

Case studies are frequently used in research in the field of architecture and urban studies and according to
the research subjects, some cases are evaluated. However, the role of these cases in the research process and
how to extract useful data from them are usually vague and no method is specified in this regard. In fact,
researchers usually analyze the cases personally and without the scientific method. The lack of systematic
method, on the one hand, diminishes the value of scientific research, and on the other hand, increases the
possibility to exercise personal opinion of the researcher on the study, so that two researchers may make
two different conclusions about a single case.
On the other hand, architectural studies that are going to benefit from past experiences are forced to refer to
previous cases and take their positive aspects for further ideas. For this reason, it is essential that proportionate
to the research subject, scientifically codified techniques be identified and used in a systematic framework.
To respond a need, i.e. how to formulate rules of juxtaposition with sacred monuments, the present study
attempts to propose an approach to formulate criteria for future projects through existing cases. The resource
constraints, holistic and non-indigenous laws and documents (international charters and recommendations),
conflicting views of experts on the conservation and new structures, and the implications of study on valuable
historical monuments indicate that among the available methods, a method that analyses the past cases in a
geographic region and extract principles related to that geographic and cultural platform is preferred from
all existing methods. The proposed method, “case-based reasoning”, based on a structured model, helps the
researcher to analyze cases in a specific process and achieve the expected outcomes. This method can be
used for similar researches and makes researchers in the field of architecture and urban planning free from
the different attitudes toward same cases.