The Evolution of Privacy Concept in Residential Architecture of Ferdows; From Collective System to Individual Identity

Tabatabaei, Fahimeh; Tabassi, Mohsen

doi:10.22034/ijumes.2026.2106066.1405

The Evolution of Privacy Concept in Residential Architecture of Ferdows; From Collective System to Individual Identity

Document Type : Case Study

Authors

Fahimeh Tabatabaei ¹

Mohsen Tabassi ²

¹ Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran

² Department of Architecture, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

10.22034/ijumes.2026.2106066.1405

Abstract

Privacy in Iranian residential architecture is not merely a physical attribute but a spatial embodiment of cultural, social, and moral systems, historically realized through introversion, enclosed central courtyards, indirect entrances, Andaruni–Biruni separation, and hierarchical access networks. Contemporary socio-political change modernization, urbanization, and the shift from extended to nuclear families has challenged this system, yet its evolution in small historic cities remains understudied, and comparative-historical accounts linking state policy, family change, and privacy decline are rare. This study examines how the concept of privacy has transformed in the houses of Ferdows, South Khorasan, from the Qajar era to the present, and identifies the cultural, social, and political factors driving this change. Using a qualitative, descriptive-analytical design with a comparative-historical strategy, the research combined documentary study with fieldwork on 22 purposively selected dwellings 11 traditional houses registered on the National Heritage List and 11 contemporary houses through architectural surveys, privacy checklists, and semi-structured interviews, analyzed by qualitative content analysis and cross-validated through triangulation. Findings reveal a marked decline in privacy-making elements from traditional to contemporary houses: central courtyards fell from 100% to 63.6%, indirect entrances from 100% to 27.3%, Andaruni– Biruni separation from 81.8% to 9.1%, spatial hierarchy from 100% to 18.2%, and visual control from 100% to 9.1%, while spatial depth contracted from three–five layers to one–two. These changes stem mainly from Pahlavi modernization, the transition to nuclear families, and imported Western patterns. Privacy has thus shifted from a collective, systematic order to an individualistic, symbolic, and fragmented one, demanding intelligent redefinition within the local cultural framework.

Graphical Abstract

The Evolution of Privacy Concept in Residential Architecture of Ferdows; From Collective System to Individual Identity

Highlights

Privacy in Ferdows houses shifted from a collective system to an individual concept.

Traditional Qajar houses realized privacy through a 3–5-layer spatial hierarchy.

Andaruni–Biruni separation fell from 81.8% to 9.1% in contemporary houses.

Pahlavi modernization, nuclear families, and Western models drove privacy decline.

Redefining privacy within local culture is key to identity-oriented housing.

Keywords

Comparative-historical analysis

Contemporary housing

Ferdows

Privacy

Spatial hierarchy

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