https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/ Journal of Fine Arts: Architecture & Urban Planning en daily 1 Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_107300.html The twenty-first century has become the century of cities. This transformation more evident in developing countries, where rapid urbanization, demographic growth, environmental pressures, technological change, and socio-economic inequalities are reshaping urban landscapes at unprecedented rates. Developing countries encounter a unique set of urban challenges: Informal settlements, aging infrastructure, deteriorated urban fabrics, housing shortages, inadequate public services, environmental degradation, and increasing vulnerability to natural hazards. In many cities, the impacts of these challenges are disproportionately borne by vulnerable populations, highlighting the importance of equitable and inclusive planning approaches. At the same time, developing countries present remarkable opportunities for innovation. Traditional knowledge systems, community-based practices, compact urban forms, mixed-use development patterns, and strong social networks often provide valuable foundations for sustainable urban development. Contemporary planning and architectural practice can benefit greatly from integrating local knowledge with advanced analytical methods, digital technologies, and evidence-based policymaking. While cities continue to serve as engines of economic development, innovation, and cultural exchange, they simultaneously face mounting challenges that test the capacity of planners, architects, policymakers, and communities to create sustainable and resilient urban environments. Architecture and urban planning occupy a central position in addressing these challenges. The built environment is not merely a physical manifestation of economic and social processes; it is also an active determinant of human well-being, environmental sustainability, social cohesion, and disaster resilience. Consequently, the disciplines of architecture and urban planning must continuously evolve to respond to emerging urban realities. This journal seeks to contribute to these discussions by providing a platform for rigorous scientific inquiry, critical reflection, and practical innovation. The Journal encourages submissions that bridge disciplinary boundaries and connect theory with practice. Quantitative analyses, qualitative investigations, mixed-methods research, comparative studies, policy evaluations, and design-based research all have important roles to play in advancing knowledge and informing decision-making in the fields of architecture and planning. It is hoped that the contributions presented in this issue will stimulate scholarly debate, inspire innovative solutions, and support the development of more livable and equitable cities. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_107269.html Mimar Ali Tabrizi, also known as Alâeddin Ali Bey Ibn Abdülkerim or Acem Ali (d. 945 AH / 1539 CE), was one of the most prominent Iranian architects who, following his migration to the Ottoman empire in the 10th century AH / 16th century CE, served as the chief architect (Mimarbaşı) of the Imperial Corps of Architects and exerted a profound influence on architectural realm of the empire. Despite his significance, the role of Ali Tabrizi in shaping Ottoman architecture has rarely been examined in detail within studies of Islamic, Perso-Islamic, or Ottoman architectural history. Most previous scholarship has presented him merely as an architect from Tabriz active in the Ottoman court, without highlighting his direct contribution to the development of spatial patterns, formal language, and decorative systems in Ottoman architecture. This study investigates the architectural style of Ali Tabrizi and analyzes his role in transmitting and adapting features of Timurid and Turkmen architecture to the Ottoman context, as well as the modifications he introduced in the design and construction processes compared to pre-existing Ottoman structures. Based on historical documents—including records of the Battle of Chaldiran, the Topkapı Palace archives, and architectural works attributed to him during the reigns of Selim I and Suleiman the Magnificent—this research demonstrates that Ali Tabrizi was among the few Iranian architects to occupy a verifiable leadership position within the Ottoman architectural hierarchy, functioning as the chief architect of the state. To examine his architectural style, a comparative analytical approach was employed, juxtaposing his attributed works with Timurid, Turkmen, and earlier Ottoman buildings. The study traces the process through which Iranian architectural concepts were integrated into Ottoman structures and clarifies Ali Tabrizi’s pivotal role in the evolution of Ottoman architecture prior to the emergence of Mimar Sinan’s classical period. The findings indicate that Tabrizi redefined the prevalent T-shaped plan, facilitating the stabilization of domed spaces without central supporting columns—a transformation that paved the way for the gradual transition to centralized plans with encompassing domes. This spatial innovation is particularly evident in the Sultan Selim I Mosque and the Pirî Mehmed Pasha Mosque. In terms of decoration, he extensively utilized tiles produced in İznik workshops, emphasizing blue, turquoise, and green hues, while incorporating gold and precious stones in key interior spaces. These decorative features reflect a continuation of Turkmen and Timurid aesthetic traditions from the early modern period, elements that had previously been largely absent in Ottoman architecture and were subsequently adopted in subsequent constructions. Overall, this research argues that Ali Tabrizi’s impact extended well beyond the mere transmission of forms or construction techniques. His position as chief architect enabled the embedding of Iranian spatial and decorative concepts at the highest level of architectural decision-making within the Ottoman court. By critically re-examining his contributions, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of cultural and professional exchanges between Iran and the Ottoman Empire and revises conventional narratives in Ottoman architectural history. In conclusion, the analysis demonstrates that Ali Tabrizi acted not only as a master architect but also as a cultural agent, introducing Iranian architectural ideas, techniques, and aesthetics into the Ottoman context. His work highlights the dynamic interplay between migration, professional expertise, and cross-cultural transmission, emphasizing how individual architects could shape the evolution of architectural styles and the visual identity of an empire during periods of political and ideological tension. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_106171.html The ancient city of Shushtar, with its 243 hectares of historical fabric, is a living and successful example of architectural experience in the hot and semi-humid climate of Iran; a type of architecture that is in harmony with the climate, in which the use of brick and brick facades has played a fundamental role. "Khavun-chini" is the art of Shushtari architects; a type of prominent brickwork decoration executed in a checkered pattern that, in addition to being beautiful, also has a thermal function. The main issue in this research is to investigate the effectiveness of Shushtar Khavun-chinis in shading the southern facade of the building and its thermal capability. This research, using a quantitative approach and descriptive-analytical method, has investigated the shading ability of 66 patterns from the brick facades of historical buildings in Shushtar (decorations of the main entrances of houses and courtyard walls), which mostly date back to the late Qajar and the first Pahlavi period. Information on various motifs was mostly obtained through field surveys. After drawing the Khavun-chinis map, in order to determine the most optimal angle of the building, the shading of three examples of brick facades was studied in the field by constructing a 1:1 model. The study showed that the largest area of shadows produced by these motifs during different hours of the day occurs when the Khavuns is rotated 10 degrees (northeast to southwest) against the sunlight, and the smallest shading occurs when the Khavun-chinis is rotated 40 degrees. After finding the optimal angle, simulation of the selected samples was performed using EcoTect software. By comparing field and simulation results, the validity of this software for research in the Shushtar climate was confirmed and the shading of the entire Khavuns was simulated. A comparison of Shushtar brick facades in terms of shading showed that pattern number 42, with a value of 6.86, has the highest efficiency, and pattern number 39, with a value of 3.34, has the lowest efficiency in shading the southern facade of the building. Comparing the degree of protrusion of Shushtar Khavun-chini motifs with their efficiency shows that although the shadow is produced by the protruding part of these motifs, the main factor in the difference between the efficiency of these motifs in shading is not the variable of protrusion of the motif. As a result of this research, the effectiveness of brick facades in shading the southern facade of the building was identified, and through field and software analysis, the best angle for the building's placement in the city of Shushtar to produce maximum shade by the sunshades was determined. Considering the study conducted on the effect of the amount (area) of protrusion of patterns on the shading efficiency of Khavun-chinis and the lack of scientific evidence based on a direct relationship between this variable and shading efficiency; It seems that investigating the effect of the variables "dispersion" and "orientation" of the role on the shading efficiency of Shushtar bloodsuckers could be a suitable field for future research. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_107129.html This research aims to analyze the process of spatial alteration, through which a mere physical entity (Site) is transformed into a meaningful, lived structure imbued with environmental values (Place). This is achieved by investigating the interactive relationship between the spatial capacities of a site and the environmental affordances of a place, thereby redefining its functions, perceptions, and identities. Conceptually, this alteration is a synthesis of environmental renewal, reconstruction, and retrofitting. The necessity for this inquiry stems from a critical observation: without a coherent framework, interventions in architecture and urbanism often degrade a site into a mere physical form that subjugates environmental capacities to human demands.Methodologically, this qualitative study employs a bricolage approach, leveraging its flexibility to synthesize theories and resources from architecture, urban planning, philosophy, geography, and ecology. Utilizing MAXQDA software for a library-based data analysis, the study deconstructs multifaceted concepts such as 'site', 'place', 'environmental affordance', and 'alteration' through systematic coding and conceptual analysis of scholarly texts. The research process began by identifying a discursive context, followed by the formulation of a constructivist model to map the core concepts. This was followed by a stakeholder analysis of key actors, identifying their power dynamics and objectives. The identification of unexpected findings or ‘surprises’ challenged initial assumptions and led to the creation of a scenario portfolio. This portfolio models alternative futures for the spatial alteration of place, allowing for a multifaceted, dynamic, and non-linear exploration of the phenomenon. This constructivist and reflective process culminates in a conceptual model that illustrates the feedback loop between a site’s capacities and a place’s affordances, framing their synergy as the core of the alteration process.The findings yielded four distinct scenarios for spatial alteration: "Algorithmic Smart Places," "Community-Based Eco-Compatible Places," "Consumptive and Fragmented Places," and "Dynamic and Synergistic Places through Adaptation". Furthermore, the study confirmed four research hypotheses, revealing that spatial alteration is a dynamic, multi-faceted process shaped by the interplay of technological, economic, social, ecological, and political forces. The quality of the resultant place is intrinsically dependent on the management of these interactions and the prioritization of values such as justice, sustainability, and meaning. The final analytical model provides a framework for understanding this complexity, guiding the alteration process toward the creation of places that are rich not only physically but also socially, culturally, and experientially. Analysis of current trends suggests a trajectory toward consumptive or algorithmically controlled places, yet growing socio-ecological awareness could bolster the potential for more eco-compatible and dynamic scenarios.In conclusion, this research presents a conceptual framework and practical strategies for the regeneration of urban spaces and the enhancement of their identity, function, and perceived quality. The proposed scenarios serve as heuristic tools for theoretical exploration across different contexts and as practical instruments for participatory planning workshops, aiding in the formulation of flexible and adaptive urban policies. This study contributes to theoretical knowledge and professional practice in architecture and urbanism, aspiring to foster the creation of places that are not merely spaces for living, but environments for collective well-being. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_107107.html In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to the role of architecture in promoting physical, psychological, and socio-cultural dimensions of healing, alongside the growing complexity of healthcare systems and a fundamental shift in contemporary understandings of health and care. Despite this awareness, many healthcare environments continue to be dominated by technical, functional, and efficiency-driven criteria, while perceptual, experiential, and socio-cultural qualities of interior space remain fragmented or insufficiently theorized. This condition reveals a theoretical gap concerning the quality of interior spaces in healing architecture and the spatial mechanisms through which healing is experienced. The aim of this research is to develop a multidimensional explanatory framework for analyzing interior spatial quality in healing architecture through the integration of physiological, phenomenological, and socio-cultural dimensions. The study adopts a qualitative and interpretive research methodology. In the first phase, key conceptual themes were identified through a critical review of theoretical literature and refined through the coding and analysis of semi-structured interviews with experts in architecture, healthcare design, and environmental psychology. In the second phase, the analytical capacity of the proposed framework was examined through a comparative analysis of four significant case studies representing landmark healing environments developed over the past century. The physiological dimension focuses on environmental variables such as natural light, ventilation, acoustic comfort, spatial organization, and materiality, which directly influence bodily processes and health-related outcomes. Rather than treating these factors as purely technical parameters, the study interprets them as spatial conditions that shape embodied experience. The phenomenological dimension addresses healing as an embodied and multisensory process, emphasizing perception, movement, tactility, sound, smell, and atmosphere as integral components of interior space. Drawing on phenomenological theories articulated by thinkers such as Merleau-Ponty, Pallasmaa, and Norberg-Schulz, this dimension conceptualizes healing as a lived and experiential process rather than a solely functional outcome. The socio-cultural dimension examines healing architecture as a socially embedded phenomenon shaped by cultural meanings, social practices, collective values, and place identity, highlighting the role of architecture in fostering dignity, trust, belonging, and social interaction within healthcare environments. The findings indicate that healing architecture achieves its highest effectiveness when these three dimensions are activated simultaneously and interactively within the design process. Rather than operating as discrete or hierarchical layers, physiological, phenomenological, and socio-cultural factors overlap and reinforce one another in shaping the overall healing experience. Spatial qualities such as light, nature, and materiality function not only as determinants of physiological comfort but also as carriers of cultural meaning and mediators of sensory perception and social behavior. The primary contribution of this research lies not in proposing a new dimension of healing architecture, but in articulating the dynamic, non-linear, and integrative relationships among existing dimensions. The proposed tripartite explanatory framework conceptualizes healing as a multisensory, embodied, and socio-culturally embedded experience within interior spaces and offers both an analytical tool and a design-oriented guideline for evaluating and enhancing healthcare interiors across diverse cultural contexts, particularly where healthcare architecture has been shaped predominantly by technical and imported models. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_106770.html The Tomb of Khayyam is among the most significant and emblematic monuments erected in honor of Iran’s cultural luminaries. It was constructed in the 1960s (1340s SH) within the historical setting of the Imamzadeh Mahruq Garden in Nishapur. Prior to this intervention, the site consisted of a modest grave located adjacent to the Imamzadeh buq’a. However, as Khayyam’s status gradually became more prominent within Iran’s cultural discourse—partly influenced by Western scholarly and literary attention—his tomb progressively emerged from the semantic and physical shadow of the Imamzadeh and was ultimately transformed into an independent and symbolic structure within the spatial organization of the garden. This study seeks to identify the transformations of this place and analyze the ways in which the spatial organization and its associated meanings have been reconfigured following the increasing emphasis on the role of Khayyam. To achieve this goal, the subject is examined at several levels. First, the historical site of the Imamzadeh and the prominent figures buried there are introduced. Second, the transformations of this complex are examined based on historical sources. In the third stage, the role of different actors in these changes is examined to determine which individuals or institutions were involved in the interventions. Finally, the collected evidence is combined to construct a coherent narrative of the physical transformations that have profoundly affected the spatial redefinition of the place and its symbolic meanings, drawing on Lefebvre’s theory. The findings indicate that Western interest in Khayyam began in the early Qajar period, and that this external attention gradually led Iranians to recognize his tomb as part of their cultural heritage and national identity. Efforts undertaken after the Constitutional Revolution to organize and reconstruct Khayyam’s grave can be understood within this framework, although adverse political and economic conditions hindered the realization of large-scale projects. With the establishment of the Pahlavi state, the conditions for major development projects were created, leading to the construction of a commemorative structure for Khayyam—one that was nevertheless regarded from the outset as unworthy of his stature. This critical assessment, roughly two decades later, gave rise to calls for a new tomb, with the National Heritage Society assuming responsibility for its execution. The outcome of the extensive interventions of the National Heritage Society in the garden and the Khayyam funerary complex was the division of the complex into two distinct parts: one associated with Khayyam and the other with Imamzadeh Mahruq. This division was not merely physical but also symbolic, articulating a boundary between the discourses of tradition and modernity. Thus, the Imamzadeh came to represent tradition and the Endowments Organization, while the new tomb of Khayyam was presented as a symbol of the modern, progressive movement. Relying on its powerful institutional position, the National Heritage Society was able to implement a comprehensive plan that included the restoration of the Imamzadeh shrine and the tomb of Attar, the construction of the tombs of Khayyam and Kamal al-Molk, and the creation of an urban axis linking these complexes. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_107108.html The continuous growth of energy demand in Iran’s residential sector has made excessive building energy consumption one of the most serious national challenges, drawing attention to the urgent need for improving the thermal efficiency of building envelopes. This study conducts a comprehensive comparative analysis of internal and external wall insulation systems in residential buildings located in the cold and dry climate of Tabriz. The main purpose is to identify the most effective insulation configuration that minimizes heating and cooling energy consumption while achieving a balance between thermal comfort, environmental sustainability, and cost efficiency. Five insulation materials rock wool, mineral wool, wood fiber, expanded polystyrene (EPS), and sisal fiber were analyzed in combination with five commonly used façade materials, namely clay brick, fire brick, cement plaster, travertine, and granite. Energy performance simulations were performed using DesignBuilder software coupled with the EnergyPlus simulation engine to evaluate several critical indicators, including total energy demand, heating and cooling energy consumption, embodied carbon emissions, material and construction costs, and the number of annual thermal discomfort hours experienced by occupants. The analysis aimed to determine how both the insulation material and its position within the wall structure influence overall building performance under real climatic conditions.To identify the optimal configuration, a multi-objective optimization framework was employed, combining the Pareto Front algorithm and the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method. The Pareto approach was used to generate non-dominated solution sets that represent the best trade-offs between conflicting objectives, while TOPSIS was applied to rank each alternative based on its proximity to the ideal solution. In total, seventy-five wall configurations were modeled, covering various insulation types, positions (internal or external), and façade combinations. The results showed that the configuration employing external expanded polystyrene insulation with a clay brick façade provided the highest overall performance among all tested cases. This system reduced heating energy consumption by approximately 6.8%, decreased total annual energy demand by 17%, and improved thermal comfort by 18% compared to the non-insulated baseline model. In contrast, internal insulation systems exhibited weaker performance due to thermal bridging and reduced use of the wall’s thermal mass. Additionally, while materials such as mineral wool and sisal fiber had lower embodied carbon emissions, their overall insulation effectiveness under Tabriz’s climatic conditions was moderate. The findings highlight the importance of selecting insulation materials and placements that are compatible with local climate conditions and construction practices. Integrating energy simulation with multi-criteria decision-making provides a robust and repeatable framework for optimizing building energy performance. This approach can guide architects, engineers, and policymakers in designing sustainable, energy-efficient, and environmentally responsible residential buildings.In conclusion, adopting external insulation systems combined with high thermal inertia façade materials represents an effective and sustainable strategy for reducing operational energy use, lowering carbon emissions, and enhancing indoor thermal comfort in cold-climate regions. The proposed methodology supports the development of resilient, energy-conscious building envelopes aligned with long-term national goals for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_107945.html Despite numerous studies, unauthorized urban construction in Iran has not yet been analyzed from the perspective of nomotropism, a concept that focuses on acting in light of rules—a condition in which actors move beyond the conventional legal–illegal dichotomy. Rather than simply ignoring the law or engaging in outright lawbreaking, they make calculated decisions regarding the law and orient their actions in its shadow or in relation to it. The manifestations of such nomotropic behavior can be explained through a fivefold typology: hidden construction (e.g., using plants or high walls to conceal violations), overnight construction (completing structures rapidly to complicate legal removal), unfinished construction (intentionally slowing work to avoid proportional fines), non-compliant construction (obtaining permits but deviating from approved plans), and unpermitted construction (building without permits but expecting future legalization). To these must be added speculative land subdivision and the expectation of amnesty for violations. The case study is Ahmadieh Town, located in Zone 3 of District 19 of Tehran, where construction violations became particularly prominent following a fatal incident, known as Khalazir. The research was conducted through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 17 urban planning experts, academics, residents, and informed individuals, selected via purposive snowball sampling.The findings indicate that the municipality’s failure to intervene promptly is the most significant factor perpetuating construction violations. This situation precisely exemplifies nomotropic behavior: violators act not out of ignorance or poverty, but based on subjective and objective acquired rights in the shadow of a possible future halt, amnesty, or legalization. Accordingly, unauthorized urban construction is a multi-causal phenomenon resulting from the complex interaction among laws, institutions, economic interests, and actors’ opportunistic behavior. Untimely decision-making, endowment lands with illegal lot splitting, procedural flaws in the Article 5 Commission, information leakage before plan approval, lack of enforcement guarantees in Article 100 of the Municipal Law, the municipality’s financial dependence on construction, and overly stringent standards together create a fertile ground for nomotropic behavior of rent-seekers. Besides, this study expands nomotropism to the institutional level, showing that not only individuals but also institutions such as the municipality (through omission or inaction), the Provincial Security Council (through demolition-ban resolutions), the Article 5 Commission (through incomplete and non-transparent approvals), and endowments (through illegal subdivisions and creating false tenure security) can exhibit nomotropic behavior.The following solutions are proposed based on the findings: 1. formulating laws with a nomotropic impact assessment; 2. reforming Article 5 Commission procedures and ensuring referral of approvals to the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture; 3. amending Article 100 of the Municipality Law to change “may prevent” to “is obliged to prevent immediately”; 4. managing municipal revenue dependency on construction to reduce “amnesty-with-fine” incentives; 5. reforming and expediting bureaucratic procedures; 6. revising unrealistic minimum construction area standards; 7. prohibiting utility connections to unauthorized constructions; 8. voiding any promissory note transactions on properties without permits or non-compliant with permits; 9. preventing illegal subdivisions by endowments through requiring official permits from the municipality. Future research should conduct comparative studies, analyze acquired rights and amnesty expectations, and explore nomotropism in other urban planning domains. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_107946.html Evaluation is not a new phenomenon; humans have always engaged in judging and assessing their actions. Over the past six decades, significant attention has been paid to the theoretical foundations of evaluation in urban and regional planning, leading to the development of a wide array of concepts, theories, approaches, and methodologies. However, this diversity has led to significant theoretical and practical ambiguities. In response, various studies have emerged to classify and analyze the evolution of evaluation in urban and regional planning. The purpose of these studies is to identify the boundaries of evaluation knowledge in urban and regional planning and to identify the challenges facing evaluation. These classifications are typically based on the timing of evaluation, underlying planning theories, and the mechanisms of evaluation methods. Given this complexity, a systematic review of research in the field of urban and regional planning evaluation is essential for identifying strengths, existing challenges, and future research directions. Despite the global academic engagement with this topic, there has been a noticeable lack of systematic investigation within the national context. This article, therefore, seeks to fill that gap through a systematic quantitative and qualitative review of academic literature to address two main questions: which evaluation approaches have been most frequently employed by researchers, and what challenges does the field currently face. The study analyzes 86 selected scholarly articles using a systematic review approach. The research methodology is based on the model proposed by Xiao and Watson, which includes three main phases—planning the review, conducting the review, and reporting the findings—structured into eight steps —formulates the problem, develop the review protocol, search the literature, screen for inclusion, assess quality, extract data, analyze and synthesize data and reporting findings— and adapted specifically for the field of urban and regional planning. The Findings indicate that evaluation is often treated merely as a technical tool rather than as a topic of critical inquiry. Most evaluation methods applied in the reviewed articles are repetitive and lack theoretical grounding. Furthermore, Evaluation in urban and regional planning is predominantly quantitative in nature, physical oriented, subject-driven (focused on specific plans and programs), and heavily reliant on statistical analysis. The main weaknesses of urban and regional planning evaluation in Iran are: (1) Weakness in theoretical foundations and qualitative-oriented methodology and performance-oriented approach; (2) Weakness in the theoretical foundations and methodology of ongoing evaluation and quality measurement; (3) Weakness in the theoretical foundations of the conformance-oriented approach; (4) Weakness in spatial, social and political dimensions;(5) Weakness in establishing a relationship between planning theory and evaluation and, as a result, weakness in process-oriented evaluation; and (6) Quantitativeness and excessive focus on statistical methods. As a suggestion to strengthen the evaluation step in the theoretical foundations of urban and regional planning, evaluation itself should be recognized as a problem and challenge. Therefore, the view of the nature of evaluation should change from a methodological and instrumental perspective to a process-oriented, theory-oriented perspective, to provide an opportunity to develop methodologies appropriate to the country's planning system. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_108132.html Private’s documents, as linguistic representations, embody part of people’s lived experience and also contain elements of historical concepts. These documents have received far less attention from scholars of Iranian architectural history than official, royal, chancery, and similar documentary sources, largely because documents of everyday life seldom refer to monumental buildings or enduring urban complexes. Moreover, historical documents are most often consulted in architectural studies for the purpose of constructing historical narratives, whereas their linguistic features contain forms of architectural knowledge that are not narrative in nature. Overall, the aim of previous studies has not been to understand the process through which a mental concept is transformed into a linguistic reality, nor have these studies considered language in terms of its units and structures as part of their research process. None of these studies has sought to examine how architectural categories are understood, organized, and constructed in documents, or to demonstrate how such conceptual structures can represent part of society's understanding of architectural categories. The present study aims to identify the linguistic structure underlying the understanding and representation of the category of architecture in Qājār-period documents. To this end, it employs concepts from structural semantics and subsequently interprets the findings in light of conceptual history. The study addresses two questions: How do these documents approach the category of architecture from the perspective of structural semantics? What new insights do they provide into the popular understanding of the category of architecture during the Qājār period? The research adopts a qualitative approach with content analysis method. A corpus of seventy-six private documents related to Shiraz during the Qājār period was examined in the archives of the National Library and Archives of Iran and the Women's Worlds in Qājār Irān Digital Archives. In the first stage, all documents were examined in their entirety. The words related to the category of architecture were then extracted from the content component of each document as the primary data. Since the objective was to identify the relationships among words, their frequency of occurrence was not considered a criterion for analysis. In the next stage, five principal categories were identified within the documents. By determining the position of the elements of each category along the syntagmatic axis and their alternatives along the associative axis, it became possible to examine the relationships among these elements on the basis of concepts drawn from structural semantics. To reconstruct the concept of the category of architecture, this study draws upon a network of concepts and lexical items that appear in the documents around the subject of the building. This network is the product of syntagmatic and associative (paradigmatic) axes arising from the positions occupied by these concepts and lexical items. This section is referred to as the synchronic reconstruction of the conceptual structure of the category of architecture, which serves as a substitute for the semantic field in conventional approaches to conceptual history. Since the majority of the documents examined in this study date from the final decades of the Qājār period, the saddle period, understood here as the interval between the Qājār period and the present, serves as the temporal horizon. This section of the study adopts a diachronic approach. The analysis revealed a process of the establishment and determination of the category of architecture, comprising: (1) establishment, (2) individuation, (3) attribution, (4) determination, and the identification of associated attributes. These findings were interpreted through two dimensions—establishment and determination—which demonstrate: the primacy of space over the building; the construction of the category of house on the basis of divided and undivided property (shaped by exchange value and the divisibility of the building); the definition of a building's limits through adjacent properties and a site-oriented perspective (based on an individual's position within the building); the attribution of buildings to persons and to the city; and the naming of buildings according to their attributes or characteristics. The status of space vis-à-vis the building, as reflected in the tripartite distinction among “land,” “building,” and “space” in Qājār architectural knowledge, no longer exists today. The determination of a building's boundaries through adjacency, based on a topological understanding that takes the individual's position within the building as its point of departure and relies on the sun's movement and the direction of the qibla for orientation, represents another conception of the determinative domain of the architectural category. Thus, understanding the architectural category through the documents reveals complex layers involving people, the city, and other buildings, which differ from the contemporary understanding of the building as a whole or as a legal and artistic entity. This study focuses exclusively on Shiraz and the Qājār period. It is hoped that future researchers will examine the category of architecture in documents from other periods and geographical regions of Iran, thereby contributing to a fuller understanding of what is referred to as Iranian architecture and its history. https://jfaup.ut.ac.ir/article_108234.html The experience of architecture almost inevitably leads to aesthetic evaluation, yet the mechanisms underlying this process remain theoretically fragmented across philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Although taste has long been used to explain architectural evaluation, it has variously been understood as an individual disposition, a universal aesthetic faculty, or a socially conditioned preference. Consequently, no integrated conceptual framework adequately explains how architectural experience becomes aesthetic judgment through the interaction of individual agency, architectural objects, and social structures. This study therefore employs taste not as its primary object of inquiry, but as a theoretical concept for explaining this evaluative process. The study therefore aims to reconceptualize the notion of architectural taste by integrating philosophical, psychological, and sociological perspectives into a coherent conceptual model. More specifically, it addresses the following question: How does the experience of encountering architecture become transformed into aesthetic evaluation through the interaction among individual agency, architectural objects, and social structures? Answering this question requires moving beyond disciplinary boundaries and reconsidering taste not as an isolated mental property but as a multidimensional aesthetic practice emerging within lived experience. Methodologically, this study adopts a qualitative, interdisciplinary approach based on conceptual analysis and comparative review of theoretical literature. It synthesizes classical and contemporary scholarship in philosophical aesthetics, empirical aesthetics, environmental psychology, cognitive psychology, sociology of taste, and cultural theory. Philosophical perspectives are examined through debates on aesthetic judgment, psychological studies through perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and embodied processes, and sociological theories from Bourdieu's concept of social distinction to contemporary approaches emphasizing agency, practice, and embodiment. Particular attention is given to Arsel and Bean's Foucauldian concept of taste regimes as a framework for explaining the social production and reproduction of aesthetic norms. The analysis demonstrates that architectural taste cannot adequately be understood from any single disciplinary perspective. Philosophically, taste provides the conceptual conditions through which architecture becomes meaningful and aesthetically judged. Competing architectural theories and aesthetic traditions shape different criteria for evaluating architectural works and therefore influence the intellectual framework within which judgments are formed. Psychologically, taste is not merely a subjective preference but an embodied cognitive process involving perception, emotion, memory, prior experience, cultural background, and learned aesthetic competencies. Architectural evaluation emerges through the interaction between the perceiving individual, the physical environment, and contextual factors rather than from the architectural object alone. From a sociological perspective, the study argues that taste functions simultaneously as an aesthetic practice and as a social process. Earlier sociological theories, particularly Bourdieu's, interpreted taste primarily as a marker of social distinction and class position. Contemporary scholarship, however, increasingly shifts attention from asking what taste signifies toward examining how taste is socially produced and reproduced. Within this perspective, architectural taste develops through continuous interaction between individual agency and broader cultural structures rather than being determined exclusively by either. Individuals actively cultivate aesthetic competencies, while institutions, educational systems, media, markets, brands, digital platforms, and professional discourses collectively organize the conditions under which architectural judgments become possible. Drawing upon Arsel and Bean's interpretation of Foucauldian theory, the study further conceptualizes architectural taste through the notion of taste regimes. Taste regimes are understood as discursive, normative, and structural networks that organize aesthetic practice by defining desirable forms of perception, evaluation, and engagement with architectural objects. These regimes operate through interrelated mechanisms of problematization, ritualization, and instrumentalization, thereby transforming dispersed individual preferences into socially meaningful aesthetic practices. Rather than directly determining individual choices, taste regimes establish the conditions within which aesthetic agency is exercised. Consequently, architectural taste emerges through an ongoing reciprocal relationship among social structures, individual actors, and architectural objects, each continuously shaping and reshaping the others. The principal contribution of this study is the development of an integrated conceptual model that reconstructs architectural taste as a dynamic process rather than a fixed attribute of either individuals or buildings. The proposed framework identifies three inseparable dimensions of architectural experience: individual agency, architectural objects, and social structures. Architectural evaluation is interpreted as the outcome of the continuous interaction among these three dimensions, rather than the product of any single one of them. This reconceptualization expands the theoretical scope of architectural taste beyond traditional debates concerning beauty, preference, or social distinction by emphasizing aesthetic practice, embodied experience, and the social production of evaluation. The study concludes that architectural taste should not be understood simply as an individual's preference, a property of architecture, or a direct reflection of social class. Instead, it represents the aesthetic process through which architectural experience acquires meaning and value within specific social and cultural contexts. By integrating philosophical, psychological, and sociological approaches into a unified conceptual framework, the study provides a theoretical foundation for future empirical investigations of architectural taste and offers a broader understanding of contemporary architectural experience, particularly regarding the interaction between agency, materiality, and the social organization of aesthetic judgment.