Moving Beyond the “Structure–Ornament” Binary: Opening the Concept of “Ārāyeh” and a Genealogical Explanation of the Latent Mediating Process in Architecture

Abstract

This study aimed to reconceptualize the relationship between structure and ornament by unfolding the conceptual capacities of ārāyeh and identifying a mediating, processual, and integrative system capable of reconnecting physical identity, meaning, and architectural experience in contemporary architecture. This fundamental and theoretical study adopted a qualitative, interpretive, and exploratory design combining genealogical and comparative-interdisciplinary approaches. Data were obtained through library research involving dictionaries and etymological sources, classical literary and philosophical texts, architectural theoretical writings, and historical documents concerning architectural transformation. First, the concept of ārāyeh was investigated through qualitative content analysis, linguistic etymology, and open and axial coding within Persian and across six major domains of knowledge. Second, the structure–ornament relationship was genealogically examined across three architectural traditions—the West, the Middle East with an emphasis on Iran, and the Far East with an emphasis on Japan—and comparatively assessed through a matrix analysis of six foundational theoretical constructs in architecture. Finally, the linguistic, interdisciplinary, theoretical, and historical findings were integrated to formulate the conceptual system of “Ārāyeh and Ornament.” Inferential synthesis demonstrated that the separation of structure from ornament is neither inherent nor historically universal, but rather contingent upon specific trajectories of architectural development. The Persian concept of ārāyeh intrinsically integrates two inseparable dimensions—“order and arrangement” and “adornment and beauty”—thereby challenging the conception of ornament as an externally applied layer. The convergence of six theoretically independent architectural frameworks further indicated a structural deficiency in contemporary architectural thought: the absence of a dynamic mediating and integrative system connecting material organization, identity, perception, and meaning. This convergence supported the formulation of a five-layer system interconnected through four mediating joints or thresholds. Comparative genealogy additionally revealed that the structure–ornament rupture developed gradually and internally in the West, occurred more abruptly and largely through external imposition in Iran, and essentially did not occur within the Japanese architectural tradition.  “Ārāyeh and Ornament” can be conceptualized as a continuous cognitive and processual system extending from the designer’s intention and internal ordering logic to the user’s perceptual and meaningful experience. This framework provides a theoretical basis for transcending the structure–ornament binary and re-establishing the integration of form, identity, beauty, and meaning in contemporary architecture while preparing the ground for a future operational and measurable model.