A study of the lighting behaviour of Moshabak in Kashan's houses with emphasis on the notion of transparency

Abstract

This research studies the optical behaviour of Moshabaks in Kashan's houses, with emphasis on the concept of transparency. The topic of this study is important not only because it allows for a better understanding of the different types and purposes of these Moshabaks, but also because through calculating the veiling and revealing factor of each type, one can regenerate the use of Moshabak in the architecture of hot and arid regions. This study is an analytical-descriptive research and its information has been gathered from documents and fieldwork. After examining different examples, seven residential buildings were chosen in the hot and arid climate of Kashan. The tools used to gather the data were cameras for photography and video recording and a photometer for measuring light levels. The analysis of the information gathered indicates that the different characteristics of Moshabak all in their own way affect the level of veiling/revealing or shading/lighting that the Moshabak provides. By better understanding the effects of these characteristics, it is possible to design modern Moshabaks that are better suited to contemporary tasks.

Keywords:

• Kashan
• lighting
• lighting performance
• Moshabak
• revealing
• shading
• traditional architecture
• transparency
• veiling

Notes

^†This paper is extracted from Mr Babaei's Masters of Architecture Thesis project at the Islamic Azad University of Qazvin with the title “The Wall that Wasn't There.”

Note: Changes in the photometre graph in the morning and afternoon of the same place and distance. Dark grey lines represent morning and lighter grey represents the afternoon.