Indigenous architecture as a context-oriented architecture, a look at indigenous architecture of shushtar

Abstract

What has become problematic as the achievement of international style and globalization of architecture during the time has been the purely technological look at architecture, and the architecture without belonging to a place. In recent decades, the topic of sustainable architecture and reconsidering indigenous architecture and what has existed before has emerged as a determinant principle to solve this problem. Because, the connection that architecture should make between natural environment, social conditions, economic conditions, etc. has skillfully been reflected in this type of design process. What is primarily important in this approach is context. Context is the background and environment in which architecture is shaped and contains both content and form, and Context-Orientation is an approach in which in addition to merely physical aspects, the human dimensions and cultural, social, and historical aspects are also gradually considered. In this respect, in such a design, the architect and urban planner should at first understand a place, context, and consider this parameter as the fundamental principle in his/her design process. The present article is looking for explaining the role and place of context-orientation at the top of design programs, and by relying on the indigenous architecture of Shushtar, it is trying to explain how this approach has been emerged in the indigenous architecture, and to specify the importance of considering this topic in sustainable development.

Keywords: context-orientation; sustainable architecture; indigenous architecture; shushtar.