Explaining the basic components of the structure of Vernacular Houses Case Study: Ardebil Vernacular Houses

The House as a social- cultural unit is the product of the interaction between housing patterns and patterns of human habitation, is expressed in the form of behavioral patterns and physical spatial patterns. The present study seeks to explore how these patterns are embedded in the structure of vernacular houses. Therefore, 15 middle class houses in Ardabil who were left from the late Qajar and early Pahlavi era were selected as case studies. Then, by referring to them and interviewing their residents, the cases were investigated. The purpose of the study is to present a model for introducing the effective factors in shaping the structure of vernacular houses and explaining the dimensions and relationships between the concepts and components involved in the structure of these houses. The research process was carried out in three stages: First, theoretical studies were collected and the theoretical framework of research was extracted. In the second step, to test the theoretical framework, data analysis was performed based on the analysis of spatial and physical patterns as well as patterns of current behavior at three macro, mid and micro levels and then, the process of formation of the structure of the houses was drawn based on the theoretical framework and the underlying factors were extracted. In the third step, the final model of the research was drawn based on the obtained data. According to the results of the research, culture, society, climate, and economy are the four factors that influence the formation of the structure of vernacular houses. Also, the factor of choice has produced contextual meanings related to housing and housing. From the interaction of meanings, the basic spatial-physical components of Ardebil vernacular houses structure, namely “physical and functional flexibility”, “climatic considerations in the houses”, “structural similarity of the houses” and “non-differentiation of the houses” are revealed.