Circular Vernacular: Pigeon Towers as Ecological Mediators in Urban–Rural Contexts

Abstract

This paper investigates how pigeon towers may be reimagined as contemporary ecological mediators incorporating environmental circularity and ecological diversity into urban–rural settings. Through archival research, field documentation, and comparative analysis of Iranian and other pigeon towers, the study argues for a dynamic and evolving understanding of these vernacular structures and their capacity for adaptation in contemporary contexts. Framing such vernacular infrastructures as dynamic, environmentally conscious architectures, the research examines how their materiality, tectonics, and spatial logic enable a circular, adaptive system across rural and urban contexts. It reveals how the material (raw earth) and construction logic of Iranian pigeon towers play a role in their deterioration, ultimately proposing a decay-informed construction cycle. The study recovers the vernacular wisdom embedded in traditional craftsmanship as knowledge applicable to contemporary design, research, and practice.