Design Strategies in the City of Rasht; Using the Historical Architectural Principles

Introduction: 
Identity, continuity of architectural ideas, and beauty of buildings and urban textures can come from the connection between the past and the present. Whereas failure to pay attention to the past, in addition to heterogeneity and the gradual loss of the identity of the cities, will also result in cultural incompatibility.
Historical and vernacular architecture in any place has developed in lockstep with the natural and constructed environment around it over time. New constructions without proper planning in any region and especially in the historical context can cause serious damage to the existing architectural values. The use of historical architectural elements and features in the design and construction of contemporary architectural buildings in a new way can lead to proper cohesion and continuity in the urban context. The purpose of this research is to develop and present design strategies in Rasht city using historical architecture principles. The research questions can be formulated as follows: How are design strategies developed and presented for a specific region - in this study, the city of Rasht? When formulating and codification design strategies, it must be noted that architectural buildings are not universal or generic subjects, but rather are dependent on their environment. Consequently, to scientifically derive architectural principles and develop corresponding design solutions, a specific region must be studied - in this research, the city of Rasht in Guilan Province serves as the study context.
Methodology: In the theoretical section (literature review), this research employs an analytical-descriptive method to develop its conceptual framework. By examining key study concepts—including architectural strategies, historical architecture, and design principles—along with an analysis of relevant regulations and guidelines, it identifies the critical factors influencing the formulation of design strategies. In the second phase, the identified factors were utilized to develop research strategies within the Rasht city as the study.
Architectural principles were systematically extracted from the examined cases (Rasht’s historical buildings). This research investigates 15 public-use historical buildings constructed during both the Qajar and early Pahlavi periods. In historical building studies, the classification and identification of recurrent components coupled with systematic analysis of physical components enable the derivation of historical architectural principles and patterns. The enumeration of these shared characteristics plays a pivotal role in extracting the architectural patterns of Rasht's historic urban fabric. In the third phase, design strategies in Rasht are presented based on architectural principles derived from the study of the historical architecture. 
Results:
To collect research data through a survey and field study, in the first phase of the research, 15 historical buildings were examined, and their physical components were evaluated. At this stage, the architectural features of the buildings, as well as the facades of the historical structures, were analyzed in two sections.
Based on the principles and rules derived from the historical architecture of Rasht, in the second phase of the research, design strategies for the city of Rasht were presented in two sections:

a) Structure and general architectural features of the building, including:

Overall form of the building
Building placement on the site
Size
Roof

b) Architectural building facades, including:

Veranda (Iwan)
Entrance
Openings (windows and doors)
Wall surface (façade)
Decorations
Based on the aggregated data, the architectural features of Rasht's historic buildings can be summarized as follows:

Site-planning relationship between building placement and historical urban context
Predominant elongated cuboid form
Typical two-story height (occasionally three stories)
Exterior cladding materials including wood and metal

The proposed strategies address:

Visual impact through historically informed design interventions
Exterior envelope treatments prioritizing heritage legibility

Conclusion: The findings showed that Rasht's historical buildings have specific physical components in size, height and location in site. The use of semi-open spaces (porches) as one of the main characteristics of the building with various shapes and styles and different functions plays an important role in the formation of the exterior façade of the building. The variety of surfaces to create visual richness, various openings and ornaments are façade’s distinctive features. These principles were used in design strategies in the city of Rasht.