Cultural design

1. Effect Of Culture
On Design
Dr. Ladan Abouali

2. What Is Culture?
• "Culture" originates from the term "cultivation," implying that one has
"grown" through knowledge or experience.
• The Encyclopedia of Philosophy definition which reads, "the whole
way of life, material, intellectual, and spiritual, of a given society.“
Webster's New International Dictionary defines culture as "the
complex of distinctive attainments, beliefs, traditions [which constitute]
the background of [a] racial, religious, or social group.

3. T.S. Eliot, a writer says
• A culture can be analyzed in terms of
the individual, the group or class, and
the whole society. Each culture will grow
differently depending upon the degree
of development each aspect of the
culture has undergone

4. Now you tell
In group of 2 to 3 Discusee the followings:
Talk about your home interior design and see if there is/ are
similarities: where does these similarities come from?
if there is/ are differences: why do you think there is difference?
What you can think of ( ONLY SUGGESTION) people who live in
the house: age, sex, education, where they come from, ….

5. • • Design is a manifestation of the cultural context in which it resides. The form
and relationships of buildings and spaces act as a kind of "cultural marker" that
can be read, similar to the way one might read a newspaper or road map for
information, to describe the way of life and social status of its inhabitants.
• "Buildings are, in fact, matrices for social structure.“ Several anthropologists
believe that design can be read to describe the "whole way of life" of a society.

6. Aspect Of Culture Influence The
Design
• Amos Rapoport proposed five aspects of culture he
describes as most likely to influence the design.
They are :
• 1. Introversion
• 2. the family structure and hierarchy
• 3. the varied role of women within society
• 4. attitudes toward privacy
• 5. and social interaction with nature.

7. Introversion
• The introversion has a deep root in philosophical and social concepts because
in culture and architecture, the main value is attributed to the essence and inner
core
• Introversion is in search of maintaining the environmental privacy that is
supported by thoughts, and beliefs in order to help man evolve and reach
perfectionism. Paying attention to internal issues according to culture, lifestyle
and customs can clarify the meaning of culture.

8. The Family Structure And Hierarchy
• In eastern cultures usually designs are made
with paying great attention to family structure as
that almost all of houses are built with reception
room which called “majles” ( what do you call it
in Chinese?) at the front façade of the house
,and usually build toilets for them, because of
the eastern culture which respects the privacy of
males and females

9. The Varied Role Of
Women Within
Society
• In traditional Japan, for example, the kitchen is one
of the very few areas of the house that are
considered to be the "woman's domain," and is
specifically designed for her use in terms of scale of
the space and arrangement of equipment. In a sense,
the room becomes a cultural space because human
concerns, in addition to functional requirements, are
considered in its conception

10. Attitudes Toward Privacy
In Persian houses Door opener was two metal handles:
one ring shaped and another hammerlike. If a person was a
female uses a ring shaped and if a male the hammer-like
handle was used, therefore the owners easily realized who
is referring to them. This strategy was used to respect the
privacy of males and females and could protect them in
their social relationship and avoid unnecessary commuting
because a male usually indented to meet a man and
obviously a female was going to see a female.

11. Social Interaction
With Nature
• there is a friendly coexistence among man,
architecture and nature. In the Muslims’ holy book,
many references about plants, lightings and natural
part and metaphor of paradise produce the scene
of nature in Muslim worlds’ culture and spaces
beside each other based on a special hierarchy
prove that nature has a sacred position. Social
activities, culture and religious commands are in
harmony and adjacent with nature and due to this
feature, nature is involved with architecture in
different forms and users benefit from this
relationship

12. Conclusion
• To conclude, cultures are highly complex systems with many
qualitative relationships. Societies should be understood as systems
of interconnected values which form the entire "way of life" of all
people.
In architectural design, this approach allows for a much more
meaningful explanation of past building forms.
• Present design can also benefit from this approach by create more
informed and appropriate design responses to various problems.

13. Now your class assignement for this afternoon
based on cultural aspects
• Talk to yor paranets and ask questions about the interior design they used
to live when living with their parents:
• Rooms of home
• Female and male different space needs and designs
• If hierarchy was a point in the way they used different rooms
• Use of nature and light
Gather the info and compare with your living style now make a 5 minutes
presentation. ( Only share your findings, if have pictures that is also great)