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Axiomatically, urban fabric is the result of civilizations and ideas overlapping rather than being bound to a single civilization or culture. Benghazi, like many other Arab cities in developing countries, retains relics of its past in the old city core. This urban fabric’s visual character is created by reflecting the underlying cultural background, practices, beliefs, and climatic conditions in its content. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the concepts that have been used to develop Italian urbanism before trying to rebuild the damaged urban fabric. This study presents the urban pattern of old Benghazi in order to understand the values inherited from the past and the impact of the Italian urban expansion. A second part of the research provides an overview of the extension of the urban fabric, starting from the Italian square, located within the old city. As a final point, the discussion and conclusion presented the concept and relationship of formations in Italian architecture that achieve a unique transition by experiencing architectural principles, their basic components, and their comfortable surroundings at the moment.

Since ancient times, courtyards have played a vital role in architecture, particularly in domestic architecture. Over time, the existence of vernacular architecture has made beauty and harmony; these have always been important components of traditional Libyan architecture. Studying traditional vernacular architecture is key to maintaining vernacular architecture knowledge; this is because these principles, such as modular design, geometry, and proportions, are detectable characteristics of the tradition. Architecturally, proportion is an aspiration of the implementation of design grammar that encloses shapes of structure. A good impression upon the beholders builds in relation to different elements of space, such as a scale of geometric shapes, patterns, organisation, and the hierarchy of space relationships, to achieve aesthetic dimensions, in part and as a whole. In this article, the study searches for a modular, or proportion, that rules the geometric design of traditional houses in Libya. This is conducted through examining the geometry of typical traditional houses and the golden section method to find if a certain proportional relationship existed. From this perspective, the vision relied on studying the form suitability; in addition, it involved an analysis of the elevation as well as the interior courtyard proportion in relation to the building area. The outcome of this research is to find the aesthetic values that could generate a good design of domestic architecture; and to prove whether they are a perfect match with the proportion system and modular design used in traditional houses. The study employs the quantitative method, which includes archival documents, direct observation, and on-site documentation. The study involved an in-depth examination of the proportioning and geometrical principles used in traditional houses and courtyards. Their respective roles in creating harmony and beauty are discussed in this paper.