Iran Nezam Architecture Design Exam key terms

A Persian garden layout divided by two crossing axes into four quadrants, usually with a central pool or pavilion. It symbolizes paradise and organizes water, planting, and paths into a clear geometric order.

A plan type based on an eight-part radial arrangement around a central domed or vaulted space. Common in Safavid pavilions and gardens, it produces symmetrical views and cross-ventilation in all directions.

A vaulted hall open on one side to a courtyard or facade, framed by a large arch. It is a core element of Iranian mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, marking entrances and directing movement.

A monumental arched portal projecting from a building facade, often decorated with tilework and muqarnas. It announces entrances to mosques, shrines, and madrasas and is a signature of Iranian Islamic architecture.

A three-dimensional decorative vaulting made of stacked, corbelled cells that transition between square and circular forms. It appears in portals, domes, and cornices and is executed in plaster, stone, or tile.

A courtyard layout with a vaulted hall (iwan) centered on each of the four sides, typical of Iranian mosques and madrasas. It creates strong axial symmetry and separates different functional zones around a central court.

A small arched or corbelled structure at the corners of a square room that carries the transition to an octagon and then to a dome. It is a common alternative to the pendentive in Iranian construction.

A curved roof structure spanning a central space, often built as a double shell in Iranian architecture. Double shells improve thermal performance, reduce weight, and create a tall exterior profile above the prayer hall.

A tall tower with vertical openings that captures prevailing breezes and exhausts warm air, providing passive cooling and ventilation. Common in hot-arid Iranian cities, it is often paired with qanats and basements.

A gently sloping underground channel that conveys groundwater from an aquifer to settlements and fields without pumping. It supplies irrigation and cooling water and is a central example of traditional water management in Iran.

A central pool or water basin in a courtyard that humidifies and cools incoming air through evaporation. It also provides a visual focus and reflects light into surrounding rooms.

The capacity of a material to absorb, store, and later release heat, moderating indoor temperature swings. Adobe, brick, and stone walls in Iranian buildings use this property to delay peak heat gain.

Sun-dried earth blocks used for walls and vaults, often finished with mud plaster. Adobe has high thermal mass and low embodied energy but needs protection from rain and rising damp.

An arched ceiling or roof structure, commonly built of brick in Iranian architecture, that spans space and transfers loads to walls or piers. Forms include barrel, groin, and ribbed vaults.

The continuous route by which gravity and lateral forces travel from a structure's point of application to the ground. Clear load paths are essential for stability and are checked in structural design.

A vertical structural wall designed to resist in-plane lateral forces such as wind and earthquakes. In concrete or masonry buildings it stiffens the structure and limits drift.

A frame whose beam-column joints resist rotation, providing lateral stiffness without diagonal bracing. Its ductility makes it common in seismic regions, but it requires careful detailing.

A system of flexible bearings placed between a building and its foundation to reduce earthquake forces transmitted to the superstructure. It is used for critical buildings and heritage structures.

The overall rate of heat transfer through a building assembly per unit area and temperature difference, expressed in W/m2K. Lower values indicate better insulation and reduced heating and cooling demand.

A localized path of high heat flow through an assembly, such as a concrete slab edge or balcony connection. It lowers effective insulation and can cause condensation and mold.

Dividing a building into separately controlled thermal zones based on orientation, occupancy, and use. Good zoning improves comfort and energy efficiency by matching supply to actual demand.

The ratio of indoor illuminance at a point to simultaneous outdoor illuminance under an overcast sky, expressed as a percentage. It is used to predict daylight availability independent of time and season.

Heat entering a building from solar radiation through glazing, walls, and roofs. It can reduce heating demand in winter but causes overheating and cooling loads without shading and control.

Dividing a building into fire-resisting zones with rated walls, floors, and doors to limit fire and smoke spread. It protects escape routes and allows occupants time to evacuate safely.

The continuous and unobstructed path of travel from any point in a building to a public way, including exits and exit access. It must meet width, travel distance, and door requirements.

The time in minutes or hours that a building element maintains its load-bearing capacity, integrity, and insulation under standardized fire exposure. It is assigned to walls, floors, and doors.

The ratio of a building's total floor area to the area of its site, used in zoning to control density. Higher FAR allows more built area while limiting open space and infrastructure load.

The required distance between a building and a property line, street, or other reference line. Setbacks protect light, air, privacy, and fire safety and shape the street edge.

The three-dimensional volume within which a building may be constructed, defined by height limits, setbacks, and floor area controls. It guides massing and protects neighboring amenity.

The ease with which people can move through an urban area, measured by the number and connectivity of routes and entrances. High permeability supports walkability and social interaction.

The pattern and scale of blocks, plots, streets, and buildings in a settlement. Fine grain supports diversity and walkability, while coarse grain reflects large-scale redevelopment.

A linear, roofed commercial street or network in Iranian cities, often with caravanserais and workshops. It organizes trade, movement, and social life and links to the Friday mosque and main square.

A roadside or urban inn for merchants and travelers, typically with a courtyard, stables, and storerooms. It supported long-distance trade networks and often used a four-iwan plan.

A large open urban space used for commerce, ceremony, and public gathering. In Iranian cities it often links the bazaar, mosque, and palace and forms the civic heart of the settlement.

A cursive Persian calligraphic script with flowing, slanted forms, widely used in manuscripts and architectural inscriptions. Its proportions and rhythm influenced tilework and decorative panels.

An enclosed, irrigated garden organized by geometry, water channels, and shade trees, often walled to create a protected microclimate. It combines utility, symbolism, and passive cooling and influenced later Islamic garden design.

A twentieth-century architectural movement emphasizing volume, regularity, and the expression of structure, often using reinforced concrete, steel, and glass. It rejected ornament and historic styles in favor of function and abstraction.

A post-war movement using exposed concrete and bold massing to express structure and material honestly. It is associated with monumental civic buildings and often with controversial urban renewal.

An approach that studies how people experience space through the senses, memory, and bodily movement. It emphasizes materiality, light, and atmosphere over abstract formal rules.

A digital process that produces a shared, data-rich model of a building's geometry, components, and properties. It supports coordination, quantity takeoff, clash detection, and facility management across the project lifecycle.

The automated comparison of building models to find physical conflicts between systems, such as ducts intersecting beams. Resolving clashes early reduces change orders and site delays.

A design method in which geometry is generated from rules and parameters, so changes to inputs update the model automatically. It enables rapid exploration of alternatives and performance-driven form.

A method of drawing objects with parallel lines of sight, producing plans, elevations, and sections at a constant scale. It avoids perspective distortion and is standard for construction documents.

A cut view through a building or site showing interior heights, structure, and spatial relationships. It is essential for conveying vertical dimensions and construction assemblies.