Share these talks and lectures with your colleagues
Invite colleaguesResearch paper
Assessing contextual development in historical urban areas : Lessons from the Khatami Cultural-Artistic Complex in Iran
Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal,
18
(3),
263-279
(2025)
Abstract
The challenges posed by urban development to historical landscape conservation are more acute in developing countries. Due to widespread development in urban areas, the cultural heritage of cities may suffer irreparable damage; it is therefore necessary to strike a balance. The Khatami Cultural-Artistic Complex, located in the historical area of Ardakan in the Yazd Province in Iran, was selected as a reliable reference to research how to maintain the equilibrium between urban development and historical landscape conservation. In particular, the study looked at how the structure and historical texture could be preserved as a cultural space and its cultural heritage restored. This paper explores the concept of contextual architecture by first conducting a literature review. The strengths and weaknesses of the study sample were evaluated by stakeholder feedback and finally solutions for future designs were proposed. The results revealed that the best way to improve the quality of cultural architecture in historical urban areas is to apply context-aware designs taking into account the physical, climatic and sociocultural dimensions.
Keywords: contextual architecture; historical urban areas; cultural heritage; best practice
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Sara Soleimani is Assistant Professor in the Architecture Department at the University of Kurdistan, a member of the Iran Elite National Foundation, and received her PhD in architecture from the Iran University of Science and Technology. Her field of research is Iranian traditional architecture, rural architecture and rural tourism. Sara has been the supervisor of many BSc and MSc students in the field of architecture-based tourism research for over 12 years. She has published articles and given lectures at various conferences on local architecture and tourism.
Salahedin Molanaei is Assistant Professor in the Architecture Department of the University of Kurdistan. He has been teaching and researching architecture for nearly 20 years and received his PhD in architecture from the Iran University of Science and Technology. His field of research is local architecture and architecture education. Salahedin has written papers, given presentations at various conferences and undertaken research projects in the field of architecture education.
Nina Ghaslani received her Master’s degree in architecture from the University of Kurdistan and is a PhD candidate in architecture at Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. She has taught architecture theory courses for nearly four years at the Architecture Department of the University of Kurdistan in Sanandaj, Iran. Her research interests include women and children in architecture, urban design, culture, local architecture and environmental effects on children’s education.
Sara Gharibi holds a Master’s degree in Architecture (M.Arch) from the University of Kurdistan in Iran and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Design from the Politecnico di Milano in Italy. During her BSc, she surveyed and designed buildings located in the historical zone in the city of Yazd, Iran, which was recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2017. Her research interests are sustainable development, tracing the historical context in architecture, and crafting impactful designs that resonate with communities.
