Objective: houses, as the primary spaces of contemporary human life, must respond adequately to the needs, beliefs and values of their inhabitants. The structure and spatial configuration of houses play a decisive role in shaping human behaviour and lifestyle. As houses possess diverse physical and functional characteristics, analysing their spatial structure can provide a deeper understanding of the complex social and cultural relationships embedded in residential architecture. In contemporary Tehran, unregulated and unprofessional construction practices have led to a decline in quality of life, as well as the emergence of social and cultural issues within residential spaces. These changes reflect broader transformations brought about by modernity, including shifts in lifestyle, gender roles and family structures.
Method: This research explores gender-based differences and their impact on spatial perception and needs, establishing a connection between gender studies and architectural design. The study focuses on the lived experiences of women and men, asserting that overlooking these experiences results in the creation of inefficient and unfamiliar spaces. Therefore, a more accurate understanding of these needs could lead to the design of more human-centered, higher-quality residential environments. Adopting an analytical approach based on the theory of Space Syntax, the study examines the spatial structure of contemporary houses in Tehran to reveal hidden social and cultural dimensions in their design. The research seeks to analyze and extract changes in spatial organization and structure from 1961 to 2024. To this end, a selection of house plans from this period were drawn and categorized using the 'A graph' software, and their spatial structures analyzed. Additionally, the 'Depth map' software was used to analyze indicators such as total spatial depth, relative asymmetry, connectivity, the relative depth of spaces, visibility and isovists for each decade.
Results: The findings indicate a significant relationship between social structures and the spatial arrangement of houses. Social indicators prevalent in society, such as human interaction, spatial hierarchy and privacy, were observable in the architecture of houses in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. However, fundamental changes occurred in housing design in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s due to a dominant focus on the physical aspects of architecture and a lack of sufficient understanding of inhabitants' needs.
Conclusions: These changes ultimately led to residents developing a weaker sense of belonging to their homes.