The Capability of Mosul's Traditional Dwellings to Satisfy Contemporary Housing Standards

Momtaz H. Dawood Aldewachi Assistant Professor Miqdam A. Majeed Alkurukchi Lecturer

Dept. Architecture, College of Engineering , Mosul university, Mosul, Iraq Abstract :

This paper deals with the possibilities of modifying the traditional dwelling units in Mosul in order to accommodate the recent needs of their now a day occupants . The aim of the study could be achieved through a quantitative analysis of traditional dwelling units components areas in order to determine amount and ratio of each functional area .Then comparing results from previous step with contemporary housing standards requirements to assess the demanded areas both quantitatively and qualitatively .The environmental properties of various available spaces are defined and compared with standards requirements .Finally, proposals for rehabilitation and remodeling which satisfy both standards needs and conservation fulfillments are suggested . Key words : Domestic architecture , Housing , Rehabilitation , Traditional dwellings , Mosul's architecture .

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Introduction
In a fast changing world of limited resources , it is crucial to bridge the gap between tradition and modern in creative approaches , which capitalize on the best out of the two . Today , as the current era of globalization , there are , in return , internationally rising authoritative calls for studies to assess the attributes of domestic architectural structures in order to establish concepts and to develop techniques for adaptive architecture. From this perspective , research paper about the capability of traditional dwelling units within the city of Mosul , which is the third largest city in today's Iraq is conducted . Most Iraqi cities have a rapid growth in their urban areas with explosive population increase during the last five decades . This growth is accompanied with many housing problems which are related to the availability of resources in the course of providing the dwelling units . The quantitative side of the problem results from the growth of the population and the obsolescence of some of the existing dwelling units . While the other side of the problem results from the inappropriateness of the existing ones . Traditional dwelling unit is a long term residential pattern for its successful interaction with occupants' domestic experience . Both the external and potential characteristics of this unit prove the materialistic and intellectual developments of environment and society . However , the rapid urban growth had affected the pattern of this traditional unit altering its functional performance . Previous studies illustrated that majority of the occupants of these traditional dwelling units preferred the existing layout of their residences and only 8% accepted the complete demolishing and redesigning of their houses , in return , 60% of the whole residents emphasized on the necessity of these units to be rehabilitated . ( Saeed ,1989 )

Traditional Dwellings in Mosul Introduction :

Mosul or Al Mawosil with a population of about 1,034,000, is located on the Tigris River in northern Iraq, opposite the ruins of Nineveh (the last Assyrian capital )and 225 miles north of Baghdad. The largest city in northern Iraq and the countrys third largest one. Mosul is fairly representative of medium-sized cities of the Middle East with a long urban tradition playing a considerable part in the region of which they are a part of. Mosul creates its architectural and urban identity which is characterized by the compact urban fabric with narrow and tortuous alleys and the prevalence of the inner courts as response to climatic , social, and cultural circumstances. The main characteristics of traditional dwellings in Mosul could be summarized as follows: 1 The compact urban form of residential areas which succeeded in supporting the Islamic principles of social interaction and strong neighborly relations . This was demonstrated in attached houses and close clusters and the result was an environment of a solid built volume in which hollows and lanes had been excavated .This urban compactness enables distances between various facilities to be kept short ,and it also has a significant role in achieving a thermal comfort .(Murtada,2003)

2 The external walls facades were usually plain with few and small openings at their lower level ( except the entrance gateway ) and more and larger ones at their upper level . 3 Houses were inward-looking towards the inner courtyard (Hoash) .This courtyard is an enclosed space open to the sky and surrounded by rooms accommodating the various activities of the dwellings and it has almost total dependence for natural light and air circulation . 4 Large houses may have had a series of courtyards interlinked by passageways .Each courtyard would serve a particular function .First ,there is Hoash al-Tola (the courtyard of the stable),then ,Hoash al-Diwan-khana (the courtyard of the guests),later,Hoash al-Hareem (the courtyard of the family quarters) and finally Hoash al-Matbakh (the kitchen courtyard). (Memarian,2006:35) 5 The planning of the dwelling entrance was carefully considered to insure the maximum privacy and prevent direct sight of the interior .This was achieved by the widespread use of the bent-pattern entrances . 6 The intensive use of semi-opened spaces such as Iwan (a vaulted hall walled on three sides with one end entirely open to the courtyard) which surrounds one or more sides of the courtyard ,and Riwaq (a colonnaded galleries) which surround the rest of sides of the courtyard . 7 The existence of multi-types of underground spaces ,such as Sirdab , a basement under the courtyard and some other ground-level rooms with horizontal windows opened in the courtyard ground and it is usually used as a storage especially for food provisions ,the other type is Rahra ,a half-level underground space usually 1-1.5 meter beneath the main ground level with vertical windows opened to the courtyard and it is used for summer afternoon siesta.

The Occupation Pattern of Traditional Dwellings :

Mosul lies in the hot-arid zone , where relative humidity is low with cold winter and very hot summer . The diurnal temperature range is also very large . Such extreme conditions affected the pattern of occupation in someway with the following characteristics 1 The seasonal movement between living spaces on different sides of the courtyard . In winter , spaces which faced south-east or south-west were accommodated , while spaces which faced north-west or north-east where used in summer . This movement occurs horizontally. 2 The daily movement between Rahra (basement) which was used during the day time as a living space particularly for afternoon siesta and the courtyard which became the main living space during the evening and finally the roof which was the main space for night sleeping . This movement occurs vertically in summer .

Ground Floor Plan Rahra Riwaq Iwan Hoash Under-Ground Floor Plan Sirdab

Riwaq Iwan Hoash Rahra

Section A-A

Sirdab

Fig.(1): Typical Traditional Dwelling in Mosul ( The Field Study )

Air Circulation

Heat Gain At Day

Heat Loss At Night

Fig.(2): The Daily Heat Gain and Loss and Air Circulation During Summer (The Authours)

The Field Study Introduction :

In order to achieve the aim of the study, a quantitative analysis of traditional dwelling units components areas must be taken up so as to determine the amount and ratio of each functional ( living , utilities , outdoor facilities ) and non functional ( circulation , structural) areas . The model adopted here is based on the areal analysis as shown in fig.3

Fig.(3) : Building Areas - Classification Diagram and Mutual Relations (Polservice,1983:109) Where items descriptions are as follows : Built-up Area : This is a total of the building's plan measured along the ground floor perimeter or the perimeter of the upper floor when it exceeds that of the ground floor . Total Building Floor Area : This consists of areas of all floors of a building / ground, underground and upper /. Total Net Floor Area : This is composed of surfaces of all rooms and spaces of a building Construction Area : This is the sum of plans of vertical structural parts . Useful Floor Area : This is composed of all spaces (enclosed, semi-open and open) .

Common Service Floor Area : This area is meant to serve technical functions of a building . Common Circulation Area : This includes all access areas within a building(entrances, corridors, galleries, staircases,etc.) Indoor Useful Floor Area : This is composed of all rooms and other enclosed spaces . Outdoor Useful Floor Area : This is a part of useful floor area /open or semi-open / for living or other activities ( sleeping terraces and roofs , loggias, galleries and balconies ). Basic Floor Area / Living Floor Area / : This comprises the whole area intended to satisfy the basic function a building has been designed for ( bedrooms, living rooms, etc.) Auxiliary Floor Area /Service Floor Area / : This is area which satisfies auxiliary functions a building has been designed for ( kitchen , bathroom , etc.)(Polservice , 1983 :109 ). To perform this task , taking in consideration , the limited availability of resources and time restrictions for this paper , a proposed sample according to some criteria containing 100 traditional dwelling units is selected for this study (The total amount of dwellings in the old part of Mosul is about 15000 units which 3700 of them satisfied the selection criteria and thus the sample is about 2.7% of the study population ) . The criteria for selecting sample units are : 1 The unit should be within the borders of the old part of Mosul. 2 The age of the unit should be 75 years at least . 3 The layout of the unit should be an internal courtyard system . 4 The unit should not have any significant modifications that may affect its original layout 5 Units should cover all parts of the old city with fine distribution and they should be as various as possible in their attributes .Fig.(4) shows ground floor plans of some sample cases. Current Iraqi housing standards recommend plot areas of one-family houses for the courtyard house pattern as shown in table (1) , besides , a frontage of the plot between 10-15 meter length is recommended for each courtyard house (Polservice , 1983).

Fig.(4) : Ground Floor Plans of Some Sample Cases.( The Field Study )

Table(1) : Recommend Plot Areas for the Courtyard House Pattern(Polservice,1983:144)

These standards also require areas for various purposes within dwelling as shown in table (2) regarding the category of the dwelling .A bathroom is obligatory in all dwellings . large and extra large dwellings should be provided with a second bathroom . In small dwellings placing of a W.C. in a bathroom is allowed . However, in medium and large dwellings separate toilet room is obligatory . In large and extra large dwellings a second W.C. should be placed in a bathroom . The obligatory minimum floor area of a main bathroom is 3.5 sq.m. and that of a second bathroom is 3 sq.m. The minimum floor area of a toilet is 1.5 sq.m. Recommended floor area of a bathroom combined with a W.C. should be 4.5 sq.m. Table(2) : Required Areas for Various Purposes within Dwelling (.Polservice,1983)

Data Gathering and Criteria of Calculation :

Data describing the various spaces properties in each unit is recorded using a special data sheet designed for this purpose which contains : 1 Data referring to areas of various functional components ( living, kitchen , .. ,etc.). 2 Data describing environmental situation ( daylight, ventilation ) 3 Data expressing spatial configuration (accessibility, connectivity) . For each space to be regarded as a habitable one , it must be exposed to daylight adequately and a proper natural ventlation for undergruond spaces should be existed - this is achieved successfully by vertical closed shafts (badghir) as mentioned previously in fig.2 - .For bedrooms ,besides these requirements ,a clear and direct access must be exist for privacy considerations .Spaces without such qualities are not calculated as inhabitable even they may be utilized for such functions.

Statistical Results of the Sample Cases :

These results could be summarized as follow: 1 Plot Areas : 46% of the cases are out of standards (less than 150 sq.m.) , 30% of the cases are within small units category (150 - 210 sq.m.) , 10% of the cases are within medium units category (170 - 240 sq.m.) , 2% of the cases are within large units category (190 - 270 sq.m.) , and finally 12% of the cases are within extra large units category (210 - 300 sq.m.) .Fig (5) explains this .
50

45

40

35

Dwelling Units

30

46 30 12 2

25

20

15

10

10
Large (L) Medium (M) Small (S) Out of standards (O)

0 Extra large (E)

Category of Dwellings

Fig.(5) :Statistical Distribution of Dwellings Plot Areas (The Authours) 2 Shortage in various floor areas : This is summarized for each category as follow : 2 1 Small units : 28 cases out of 30 (93.33%) are fulfill standards requirements for habitable floor areas and number of rooms ( living and bedrooms) , 6 cases out of 30 (20%) are fulfill standards requirements for kitchen floor areas , 30 cases out of 30 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for storage floor areas which 16 cases of them have a noticeable surplus , 16 cases out of 30 (53.33%) are fulfill standards requirements for bathroom and toilet floor areas ,and

finally 30 cases out of 30 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for external spaces floor areas .See fig.(6) 2 2 Medium units : 10 cases out of 10 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for habitable floor areas and number of rooms ( living and bedrooms) which 5 cases of them have a noticeable surplus , 4 cases out of 10 (40%) are fulfill standards requirements for kitchen floor areas , 10 cases out of 10 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for storage floor areas which 2 cases of them have a noticeable surplus , 6 cases out of 10 (60%) are fulfill standards requirements for bathroom and toilet floor areas ,and finally 10 cases out of 10 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for external spaces floor areas . See fig.(6) 2 3 Large units : 2 cases out of 2 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for habitable floor areas and number of rooms ( living and bedrooms), 2 cases out of 2 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for kitchen floor areas , 2 cases out of 2 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for storage floor areas , 2 cases out of 2 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for bathroom and toilet floor areas ,and finally 2 cases out of 2 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for external spaces floor areas . 2 4 Extra large units : 8 cases out of 12 (66.67%) are fulfill standards requirements for habitable floor areas and number of rooms ( living and bedrooms) which 3 cases of them have a noticeable surplus , 4 cases out of 12 (33.33%) are fulfill standards requirements for kitchen floor areas , 10 cases out of 12 (83.33%) are fulfill standards requirements for storage floor areas which 9 cases of them have a noticeable surplus , 8 cases out of 12 (66.67%) are fulfill standards requirements for bathroom and toilet floor areas ,and finally 12 cases out of 12 (100%) are fulfill standards requirements for external spaces floor areas . See fig.(6)

Small Dwellings

Medium Dwellings

Extra Large Dwellings

Fig.(6) :Statistical Distribution of Dwellings Which Fulfill Standards Requirements (The Authours) In other words, shortage occurs first in kitchen floor area , this is represented by 24 cases out of 30 (80%) in small dwellings , 6 cases out of 10 (60%) in medium dwellings , and 8 cases out of 12 (66.67%) in extra large dwellings , bathroom and toilet floor area comes second with 14 cases out of 30 (46.67%) in small dwellings , 4 cases out of 10 (40%) in medium dwellings , and

8 cases out of 12 (66.67%) in extra large dwellings (See fig.7), habitable floor area comes third with 2 cases out of 30 (6.67%) in small dwellings , no cases in medium dwellings , and 4 cases out of 12 (33.33%) in extra large dwellings , finally , storage floor area comes with just 2 cases out of 12 (16.67%) in extra large dwellings . No shortage was recorded in external space area , also no shortage was recorded in dwellings within large category at all .
10
9 9

7
5,8 5,7

6 5
4,1 3,5

6,8

6,5 6,4

7 6
5,2 5,2 5 4,8 4 3,6 3,6 3,5 3,3 3,2 3 3 3 3 3 3

Shortage in sq.m.

4
3,3 3,2 3,1 3 3 2,8 2,7 2,7

5 4
2,8 2,6 2,5 2,3

2,5 2,5

3
2,3 2,1 2 2 1,8 1,7

3
2 2 1,8 1,8 1,6 1,6 1,5 1,4 1,3 1,3

1,5 1,5 1 1 0,9 0,5

2 1 0

2
1 0,8

1 0

37 35 33 31 29 27 25 23 21 19 17 15 13 11

26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cases

Cases

All Categoriess of Dwellings

10
9 9
3,3 3,2

All Categoriess of Dwellings

3,5
3,1 3 3 2,8 2,7 2,7 2,5 2,3 2,1

9 8

3 2,5 2
1,5

7
5,2 5,2 5 4,8

6 5
3,3 3,2 3

Shortage in sq.m.

4
3 3 3 2,6 2,3

1,5
0,9 0,5

3
2 2 1,8 1,8 1,6 1,6 1,5 1,4 1,3 1,3

1 0,5 0

2 1 0

24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9

Cases

6 5

4 3

2 1

14

13

12

11

10

Cases

Small Dwellings
6,5 6,4

Small Dwellings
7 6 5
2

2,5

Shortage in sq.m.

1,8

3,6

3,5 3 2,8

4 3 2 1 0

1,5
1 1

0,5

0 4 3

Cases

Cases

Medium Dwellings
Shortage in sq.m.
8
7 6,8

Medium Dwellings
7 6 5
5,8 5,7

6 5
4,1 3,5 2,5 2 1,7 1,5

4 3,6 3 2,5

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2
1 0,8

1 0

Cases

Cases

Extra Large Dwellings

Extra Large Dwellings

Shortage in Kitchen Floor Area

Shortage in Bath & Toilet Floor Area

Fig.(7) :Statistical Distribution of Shortage in Kitchen and Bath & Toilet Floor Area (The Authours)

Shortage in sq.m.

Shortage in sq.m.

Shortage in sq.m.

Shortage in sq.m.

Conclusions and Suggestions

The numerical comparision between Mosul's traditional dwellings components areas and Iraqi contemporary housing standards requirements in a proposed sample of (100) cases which is selected according to some specific criteria and represents about (2.7%) of the study population illustrates that : 1 About half (46%) of dwellings plots areas are less than minimum requirments of the standards 2 The shortage in floor area occurs mainly in kitchens with (38%) of the cases , next in bathroom and w.c. with (26%) of the cases . Shortage in habitable floor area is limited to (6%) of the cases and in storage floor area to (2%) of the cases .No shrtage in external spaces floor area was recorded . 3 The surplus in floor area is too rare and occurs mainly in external spaces due to availablity of spaces like Iwans and Riwaqs besides the courtyards .This surplus occurs also in storage floor area due to the existence of underground floors (Sirdabs) . 4 86.67% of small dwellings category does not fulfill standards requirements and 13.33% does , 40% of medium dwellings category does not fulfill standards requirements and 40% does , 0% of large dwellings category does not fulfill standards requirements and 100% does , finally 83.33% of extra large dwellings category does not fulfill standards requirements and 16.67% does . 5 The possibilities of modyfying the surplus floor area of some components (storage in particular) in order to compensate the shortage in kitchen and bathroom is too limited because of the particularity of the latters besides most of this surplus is within underground floors . Tables 3,4 and 5 illustrate these possibilities which are restricted to the surplus in ground floors only .Fig.7 illustrates some cases that fulfill this possibility. Table (3):Possibility of Compensation in Extra Large Dwellings (The Authours)

Table (4):Possibility of Compensation in Medium Dwellings (The Authours)

Table (5):Possibility of Compensation in Small Dwellings (The Authours)

Fig.(8) :Possibilities of Compensate Shortage in Kitchen and Bath & Toilet Floor Area from Surplus in Storage Floor Area -Shaded Zones in the Plans- (The Authours)

References:
1 -Aldewachi , Momtaz et al,2007, "Areal Analysis of the Traditional Residential Units Components in Mosul City, its Relationship with their Design Attributes", Al- Raffidain Engineering Journal 15 ,1 (Mosul University,Mosul,Iraq)96-110 2 Cantacuzino, Sherban ,1975 New Uses for Old Buildings( The Architectural Press, London) 3 - Franklin, Bridget,2006,Housing Transformations, Shaping the space of twenty-first century living (Routledge , Oxfordshire) 4 Ghannam, Farha, 2002,Remaking the Modern ,Space, Relocation, and the Politics of Identity in a Global Cairo ( University of California Press ,Berkeley ) 5 Hydran, Rabee,2001," The Effect of Spatial Configuration on the Current Functional Performance of Traditional Houses in the Old City of Mosul , M.Sc. thesis , Mosul University, Mosul,Iraq. 6 Kincaid, David,2002, Adapting Buildings for Changing Uses ( Spon Press , London)

7 - Memarian ,Cholamhossein & Brown, Frank,2006,"The Shared Characteristics of Iranian and Arab Courtyard Houses"in Courtyard Housing , Past, Present and Future Ed.Brian Edwards ( Taylor & Francis group , Oxon)27-40. 8 Mortada, Hisham,2003,Traditional Islamic Principles of Built Environment( Routledge Curzon , London) 9 - Polservice , 1982 Housing Technical Standards & Codes of Practice( Warsaw) 10 Saeed, Esam,1989"The Restoration of Heritage Houses in Iraq", M.Sc. thesis , Baghdad University, Baghdad,Iraq.