A Comparative Analysis of the Role of Spatial Boundary in Privacy Preservation in Residential Buildings (Case Study: District 1 of Tehran)

Mashhadi, Ali

doi:10.22034/ats.2026.2093937.1050

A Comparative Analysis of the Role of Spatial Boundary in Privacy Preservation in Residential Buildings (Case Study: District 1 of Tehran)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ali Mashhadi

Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22034/ats.2026.2093937.1050

Abstract

The regulation of psychological privacy and the realization of privacy quality in residential architecture are fundamentally intertwined with the structure and tangible nature of physical boundaries, as the quality of spatial demarcation directly influences the control of environmental stimuli and the segregation of public and private domains. However, in the physical transformations of contemporary housing, the excessive dominance of transparency or the irregular arrangement of boundaries has challenged the monitoring of visual and acoustic information, thereby altering traditional patterns of privacy. The primary objective of this study is to provide a comparative analysis of the role of spatial boundary-making mechanisms and degrees of physical solidity on the level and quality of privacy preservation within highly replicated typologies of residential buildings in District 1 of Tehran. This study is qualitative in nature, employing a descriptive-analytical method grounded in logical reasoning. Initially, the indicators for measuring enclosure and privacy regulation were extracted through literature reviews, and subsequently, the research variables were analyzed individually and comparatively across selected spatial cells of the case studies in this district. The results indicate a direct and hierarchical relationship between the solidity coefficient of boundaries and the degree of privacy attainment in spaces. Consequently, deep spaces such as the master bedroom, by relying on solid boundaries, achieved the highest privacy index, while public and common areas such as the parking lot remained at the lowest level. Furthermore, the findings reveal that in addition to the degree of solidity, the geometric configuration of boundaries plays a vital role in mitigating stimuli. If the placement of blurred boundaries or openings lacks a specific order and rule, the space suffers from visual and acoustic crowding, leading to a drop in the privacy index. Conversely, increasing the spatial area in conjunction with reducing the width of thresholds enhances the physical enclosure coefficient. Moreover, utilizing modern semi-solid elements at thresholds considerably elevates privacy stability and quality without inducing spatial contraction.

Keywords

Comparative Analysis

Spatial Boundary

Privacy

Residential Building

District 1 of Tehran

Subjects

Architecture

1- Abbaszadegan, M. (2002). Space syntax method in the urban design process with a focus on the city of Yazd. Journal of Urban and Rural Management, 3(19), 91–108. https://ijurm.imo.org.ir

2- Aeinifar, A., & Aghalatifi, A. (2011). The concept of territoriality in residential complexes: A comparative study of two low-rise and high-rise residential complexes in Tehran. Journal of Fine Arts: Architecture and Urban Planning, 3(47), 17–28. https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.22286020.1390.3.47.2.8

3- Altman, I. (1975). The environment and social behavior: Privacy, personal space, territory, and crowding. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. https://archive.org/details/environmentsocia0000altm

4- Amole, D. (2009). Residential satisfaction in students' housing. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(1), 76–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.05.006

5- Bahrampour, A., & Modiri, A. (2015). The relationship between residents' satisfaction with the living environment and their sense of place attachment in the high-rise residential complex of Kowsar Town, Tehran. Journal of Fine Arts: Architecture and Urban Planning, 20(3), 85–94. https://doi.org/10.22059/jfaup.2015.56880

6- Brown, B. B. (1987). Territoriality. In D. Stokols & I. Altman (Eds.), Handbook of environmental psychology (pp. 505–531). John Wiley & Sons. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254660616_Territoriality_in_Organizations.

7- Evans, R. (2015). Translations from drawing to building and other essays. Architectural Association Publications. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315074368

8- Gifford, R. (2014). Environmental psychology: Principles and practice (5th ed.). Optimal Books. https://archive.org/details/environmentalpsy0000giff

9- Hanson, J. (1998). Decoding homes and houses. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511518294

10- Hillier, B., & Hanson, J. (1984). The social logic of space. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511597237

11- Kim, J., & de Dear, R. (2013). Workspace satisfaction: The privacy-communication trade-off in open-plan offices. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 36, 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.06.007

12- Lang, J. (1987). Creating architectural theory: The role of the behavioral sciences in environmental design. Van Nostrand Reinhold. https://archive.org/details/creatingarchitec0000lang

13- Lawrence, R. J. (1984). Transition spaces: Approach to analysis of domestic architecture. Design Studies, 5(4), 263–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/0142-694X(84)90018-X

14- Marcus, C. C. (1995). House as a mirror of self: Exploring the deeper meaning of home. Conari Press. https://archive.org/details/houseasmirrorof000marc

15- Mashhadi, A. (2025). Explaining the transformation of spatial hierarchy in residential house architecture from the First Pahlavi period to the post-Islamic Revolution era in Tehran. Iranian Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture, 4(7), 183–203. https://doi.org/10.22133/isia.2025.531433.1226

16- Rapoport, A. (1977). Human aspects of urban form: Towards a man-environment approach to urban form and design. Pergamon Press. https://archive.org/details/humanaspectsofur0000rapo

17- Rezaei, A., Pourzargar, M. R., & Shali Amini, V. (2024). Feasibility of territoriality in contemporary housing for residents' privacy (Case study: Low-rise residential apartments in Tehran). Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design, 11(1), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.22061/JSAUD.2023.9335.2091

18- Steadman, P. (2014). Architectural morphology: An introduction to the geometry of building plans. Pion Limited. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315831534