Objective: The purpose of this research is to identify and classify the architectural typologies of traditional and newly constructed residential buildings in the historic city of Masouleh. Out of the 564 existing structures, 119 historical residential buildings were examined through detailed field surveys. To better understand the spatial organization and functional use of these buildings, interviews were conducted with local residents. Additionally, Depthmap Version 10 was utilized to analyze spatial enclosure and hierarchy differences between traditional and newly constructed residential buildings.
Method: The study investigated 119 traditional and new houses in Masouleh using historical sources, library research, and field observations. A descriptive–comparative method was employed alongside visual and spatial network analysis using Depthmap 10 to identify distinct residential architectural typologies.
Results: The findings reveal that in the architecture of newly constructed residential buildings in Masouleh, spaces such as Choghom, Someh, decorated door thresholds, internal niches, fireplaces, Mefrag, storage rooms, Mālband, towers, and the traditional spatial hierarchy from public to private areas have been removed. In contrast, transparency and spatial openness have increased. Structurally, newly built residential buildings primarily use modern materials such as cement, brick, and rebar.
Conclusions: The research demonstrates that traditional Masouleh residential buildings can be categorized into horizontally and vertically expanded types, while newly constructed buildings represent the latest architectural typology within the city’s historic fabric. From a spatial organization standpoint, traditional houses include elements such as entrances, corridors, somue, mālband, storage areas, staircases, mafaragh, towers, halls, telarpish, bariyeh, lon, bedrooms, bathrooms, and subterranean spaces. These elements adhere to a clear public-to-private hierarchy: the ground floor typically houses storage, corridors, bathrooms, and entrances, while upper floors contain choghum, somue, staircases, bathrooms, kitchens, receptions, halls, telarpish, and bedrooms. Conversely, modern buildings lack this hierarchical order—guests enter directly into the reception area on the ground floor with immediate visibility of the kitchen, while upper floors directly connect to the reception, kitchen, and bedrooms. Corridors, storage spaces, mālband, choghum, and somue have been eliminated, resulting in designs that align with contemporary urban architectural patterns. |
