Revisiting the Concept of Dwelling in the Vernacular Architecture of Chabahar Based on Cultural Living Patterns and Its Relationship with Contemporary Iranian Architecture

Khallaghi, Yasamin; Akrami, Gholamreza

doi:10.22034/bagh.2026.586930.6081

Revisiting the Concept of Dwelling in the Vernacular Architecture of Chabahar Based on Cultural Living Patterns and Its Relationship with Contemporary Iranian Architecture

https://doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2026.586930.6081

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 26 August 2026

The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

yasamin khallaghi ¹

gholamreza akrami ²

¹ Master&#039;s degree graduate from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran

² Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Dwelling, as a fundamental concept in architecture, extends beyond mere physical shelter and is deeply rooted in cultural patterns and lived experience. In contemporary Iranian architecture, a growing disconnection between spatial organization and cultural ways of living has led to a crisis of architectural identity. This raises the central question of how dwelling, as understood in vernacular contexts, can contribute to redefining identity in contemporary architecture.
The present study aims to reinterpret the concept of dwelling in the vernacular architecture of Chabahar based on cultural lifestyle patterns and to explore its implications for contemporary architectural identity. The research adopts a qualitative approach with an interpretive–analytical method, examining vernacular settlements as cultural texts to extract underlying spatial principles shaped by socio-cultural practices.
The findings reveal that vernacular architecture embodies a coherent spatial logic rooted in cultural patterns of living, including spatial continuity, intermediate spaces, flexible use, and layered privacy. In contrast, contemporary housing often reflects a rupture in this logic, resulting in spatial configurations detached from lived experience.
The study concludes by proposing a conceptual framework that emphasizes the reinterpretation of cultural–spatial relationships, rather than formal imitation, as a basis for reconstructing architectural identity in contemporary contexts.

Keywords

Dwelling Concept

Cultural Patterns

Spatial Organization

Vernacular Logic

Architectural Identity

Contemporary Housing

Subjects