International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development
Volume:11 Issue: 1, Winter 2021

This study reviewed the effectiveness of architectural space design for healing and humanization in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, (LUTH), Nigeria. The study adopted a semi-structured interview and physical appraisal of the selected major departments within the study area. Also, a literature review of past studies on hospital buildings was done to buttress and advocate for the importance of architectural spaces design for healing and humanization of the users in the hospital environment. Factors of architectural space design in hospital buildings were identified and classified through the literature of past studies and a conceptual framework was developed through it. These factors were categorized under the following headings. This includes functional design factors (FDF), aesthesis design factors (ADF), environmental design factors (EDF), security & safety design factors (SSDF), and Physiological & Psychosocial design factors (PPDF). The study provides information on the importance of architectural space design on overall hospital performance. This study contributes to methods of evaluating architectural space design quality in hospital buildings in Nigeria and a similar context.

The target bridges in this study were constructed during the Safavid era in Isfahan city and are considered as one of the most important components of the urban structure; during history. They have shown various functions in addition to their role as a connecting route, which has varied from individual scale to collective spaces over time. This research study is trying to find out the architectural components affecting the public presence in these urban buildings, specifically in two bridges called, Allahverdi Khan (Si-o-se-pol) and Khajoo bridge in the contemporary era, to see if they would correspond the needs of today’s urban residents.To get this aim, the qualitative research approach was adopted based on an interview framework. To answer the questions was arranged based on three functional, physical, and structural aspects of these bridges, and a significant result was achieved by applying qualitative content analysis. The architectural components influencing the public presence were included eight general components and sub-components. These items were either in line with or opposite to each other, including the social functions and the contemporary space of bridges, the bridges’ cultural and physical structure, the shaping context of the bridges and the memorability of them, the environmental psychology and the related aesthetics aspects. According to the content analysis outcomes, a functional review of the space of these bridges in the future can lead to the qualitative improvement of architecture and space of them.

This study aims to research the origin and development of temporary landscapes, combining the research progress of temporary landscapes in China and other regions in the world, and propose the development trend of temporary landscapes in the future. As a unique form of open space, the temporary landscape has the characteristics of "time limit," guidance, flexibility, and functionality. It is a spatial strategy for the temporary occupation of land in urban construction. This article first introduces the temporary landscape background, combs the temporary landscape's development and connotation, and puts forward the temporary landscape concept based on summing up previous studies. Then, starting from three aspects: the type mechanism, design practice, and comprehensive functional benefits of temporary landscapes, this paper focuses on the research progress of the phenomenon of temporary landscapes in China and abroad in recent years. Finally, it makes a comparative analysis of the research, summarizes the differences in the study of temporary landscapes between China and other regions, and proposes prospects for future research trends combined with the international development situation.

Phenomenology is one of the outstanding theoretical paradigms in contemporary studies in architecture and urban planning. However, the phenomenology of place in artworks, especially painting and drawings (visual arts), through architectural modalities could be a substantial attempt and a new subject that needs more studies. The purpose of current research is to achieve a method based on which the phenomenon of place in the visual arts could interpret and explained more accurately. For this aim, a qualitative and descriptive method is applied. In this study, based on the theories of Martin Heidegger and Edward Ralph on the one hand and the ideas of Christian Norberg-Schultz, on the other hand, a framework for the phenomenological study of the place has been proposed in three stages of description, analysis, and explanation. Besides, the drawings of Sohrab Sepehri, one of the famous contemporary artists of Iran, have been studied as an example by applying this framework to show the efficiency of the proposed framework and method. The results of this study show that the interpretation of artworks based on these three stages consistent with the stage of phenomenological reduction and constitution which is common in phenomenology. Sohrab Sepehri's drawings were well in line with the phenomenological concepts of place and its components and variables introduced in this research. The challenges of applying this framework discussed and enhancing its validity by further studies in the works of other artists, recommended.

Empirical studies in the field of the design process started in the 60s. Protocol analysis is among the empirical research methods that have been developed simultaneously with the growth of empirical studies. Concurrent with the use of protocol analysis for researching in the field of the design process, analysis methods have been presented by some researchers, which can be used with the protocol analysis method in order to analyze the structure of the design process. Among these analysis methods, problem behavior graph, decision tree, linkography, and extended linkography could be mentioned. The problem behavior graph is based on problem-solving theories. In the decision tree method, the extracted data from protocol analysis is used for the perception of decision-making processes. Linkography is another method for analyzing the structure of the design process. In this method, the design process of a designer is unfolding by drawing a graph, which is called linkograph. This paper considers making a study and comparison of these different analysis methods by the use of systematic review. By comparison of diverse analysis methods, two approaches could be recognized, formal and informal ones. In the formal approach, the design is mentioned as a logical research process of solving the design problem. The second approach is informal. In this one, the design process is mentioned as a reflective conversation with the situation. In this approach, which is based on Donald Schon’s theories, the design process is referred as an argumentative process.

The Islamic era is the period of new styles and beyond its own time. Shamsa, Muqarnas, Star, geometric motifs, and decorative elements have fractal nature, which was used as a tool to express the architect’s idea by repeating the same components in a spatial dimension. We will reach the effect of Islamic impacts on fractal architecture and semantic cognition, and by finding the roots of theories about fractal with an analytical-descriptive approach, we will understand the relationship between fractals and how they are used by architects. Our focus is on comprehensive study and calculation, not only in ornaments but also in structure, to find patterns of fractal form, to represent coordination between components. First, we proved and extracted the fractal properties and patterns between the constituent elements, including self-similarity, repeatability, small-scale, and non-integer dimension, using visual analysis, and then we set up the Box-counting analysis technique with two purposes of calculating fractal dimension and finding their relationship. Aware of the mathematical proportions and relationships between the components of nature, the architect of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque has displayed the geometric sequence limit with an ascending equation in the interior ornaments of the dome. His goal is both to create the world of spirituality on a micro-scale and make it understandable for an observer. Thus, in this way, he has sometimes expressed his concept through mathematics, proportions, and sometimes by showing beliefs in concepts such as unity in diversity, all of which in their essence have concepts consistent with fractal forms.