Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient

Beyond an Earthly Garden: Iranian Garden Architecture and Its Potential Influence on Urban Green Space Design

https://doi.org/10.22034/jaco.2022.327953.1231
Volume 10, Issue 35
Spring 2022
Pages 57-70
Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Reza Javadi 1
Behzad Vasigh 2

1 M. A. in Architecture, Department of Architecture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Jundi-Shapur University of Technology, Dezful, Iran.

Abstract
With the increase of the world’s population and the densification of urban spaces, urban residents are getting disconnected from natural green spaces. Association with natural and green spaces, one of the basic needs of people, is directly related to health benefits (e.g. physiological and mental). However, health researchers argue that the health benefits of urban green spaces are associated with people’s constant exposure to such spaces. Therefore, designers must identify and employ the factors that encourage people to use these places more frequently. Hence, traditional garden architecture, which is a legacy reflecting the cultural values of each country in organizing the natural environment, can be a good source for extracting the types of designs that create the context for individuals’ constant communication with such places. In this regard, to answer the question of “whether the architecture of Iranian gardens can serve as a guide for designing urban green space or not”, we used aesthetic analysis and identified the factors that create a sense of beauty in Iranian gardens. Semiotic analysis assisted us in evaluating the used symbols and signs in the garden architecture. To understand the concept of garden architecture, which makes the Iranian garden a distinct place, we used a phenomenological analysis method.

Keywords

Urban green space
Iranian garden
Garden aesthetics
Garden semiotics
Garden Phenomenology
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