International Journal of Architectural Engineering & Urban Planning
Volume:31 Issue: 3, Jul 2021

Since tectonic and stereotomic theories have neither been used systematically nor dealt with simultaneously for the interpretation of architecture, by explaining the theoretical position of critics and their thoughts, the process of their interaction will be more effective. The main questions asked is it possible to interpret architecture through the interaction of tectonic and stereotomical theories precisely? In this regard, research aimed to read and process the physical dimensions and spatial structure of Iranian architectural works in the post-revolutionary period based on the interaction of approaches of tectonic and stereotomical theories. The approach of the present research in terms of epistemology is interpretive with deductive reasoning strategy. Qualitative research was carried out with the help of library documentation and field studies in this paper. The findings of this study indicate that the approaches of tectonic and stereotomical theories, regardless of the architectural style, have affected the materials, elements, structure, and construction of the body and spatial configuration.  Furthermore, the interaction of the approaches of these two theories and, in other words, the non-algebraic sum of the approaches affected by the two theories on these components in both integrated and non-integrative forms can be perceived and received. Also, the maximum interaction in the selected architectural works was on the construction component, including a combination of symbolic body configuration of tectonic theory along with the symbolic configuration of stereotomical theory.

Wind as an atmospheric element has some annoying aspects, therefore, controlling it and reducing its speed is one of the most important matters, which should be examined in landscape engineering. Natural windbreaks such as rows of trees with different gap distances between them are used to decrease wind velocity. The current study numerically investigates the effect of trees with irregular canopy form on wind speed reduction in urban open spaces and green belts. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate airflow through the trees as 3D forms. Quercus sp. is chosen as a typical tree with irregular crown shape. The influence of some criteria such as; 1. Number of tree rows, 2. Gaps between trees, 3. Trees arrangement patterns, and 4. Height levels on wind speed reduction are examined at this study.  According to the results, the best reduction is observed for the heights above 5 meters with 0.50 m gap distance between trees. The results also reveal that rectangular two-row arrangement of trees with irregular forms is more effective than the other arrangements in reducing wind velocity.

Several researches of developmental psychology have emphasized the importance of childhood as one of the most effective periods of life. Play as a tool of acquiring experiences has a wonderful effect on child development. Through the play, children can communicate with the world around them. The child psychologists and environmental psychologists, by focusing on the interaction of humans and the environment, believe that play provides the opportunity for experience and direct interaction with environmental factors for a child. In this review, by using descriptive and analytical methods, descriptions about the concepts and theories of play, motivation and environmental affordances have been surveyed. The proposed approach was based on Gibson’s "Theory of Affordances" (1979) describing an awareness of the environments and their functional significance or meaning. The main question was about the process of kids’ interaction with the environment through the environmental affordances to motivate kids to play. Kids tend to the physical environment to satisfy the play need as an intrinsic motivation. By studying the childchr('39')s interactions in the play environments, the ability of the environment which can be entitled the environmental affordances to motivate kids to play (EAMKP) was achieved. More precisely, the quality of the elements and physical components of environment as extrinsic motivation factor encourages kids to play, so kids are encouraged to play. Individual features, physical and socio-cultural environments were considered as the effective factors on kids’ motivation to play.

Using the concept of passive cooling systems has been utilized as a solution to improve thermal and wind comfort and to decrease energy consumption and environmental pollution, recently. Modern windcatcher, as its name denotes, is an architectural element which is using the concept of Badgir and combined proper devices to create ventilation in buildings using wind energy, but including modern technology. It means that the modern windcatcher is an improved model of traditional windcatchers and the design of modern windcatchers is based on computations and they have been analyzed and improved, unlike the ancient ones. The current investigation focused on the technology of modern windcatchers to face how modern technology uses various methods to foster the windcatchers' performance. The purpose of this manuscript is to summarize previous studies on the technology of modern wind catchers and gives insight into the application of windcatchers as passive cooling systems. different employed methods to foster the windcatchers' performance.

This study investigated the role of different indexes in open spaces of residential buildings in Tabriz, Iran. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the indexes with a higher level of effectiveness. Using a quantitative method, both descriptive and analytical data were entered into  SPSS, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was done using Smart PLS software. The case study included open spaces in Tabriz. The sample included 380 inhabitants of Tabriz residential buildings. The indexes were divided into two groups of central indexes and dispersion indexes. The important factor in central indexes was average; meanwhile, variance and standard deviation were the determinative factors in the peripheral indexes. Cultural anthropology of buildings’ open spaces showed that FA in emotional indexes and culture of open spaces grading had the highest level. Perceptional indexes were in the medium level, and physical indexes had the lowest level. Finally, the common classification of indexes included inspirations, memories, dreams, feelings, failure, thrill, ownership, sense of power, safety and security, and disappointment. A special attention should be paid to different dimensions such as cultural anthropology and issues related to human beings in public spaces, which cannot be solved with a single approach. Further studies are required to confirm the findings of this study in other cities and different cultural and societal levels and contexts.

Nowadays, many urban parks are underutilized due to changes and developments of cities, parks location, inappropriate inner conditions of parks, and other factors. Besat Park in Tehran is located in an urban district where people have fewer recreational choices other than going to parks. So, the issue of underutilization in this park might lead to so many other problems. This research is aimed to identify and prioritize the effective factors which can improve the visitors’ number of Besat Park. Field observations and interviews with Besat Park users were used in this research. During the observation process, three main factors were scrutinized including activity, access, and legibility. Behavioral mapping was applied to observations in 18 parts of the park which occurred at 6 different times in various seasons. Behavior mapping recordings were based on people's age, gender, and activity. Also, a questionnaire was set up covering the three main factors investigated in behavioral mappings. The results show that activity as the main important factor had negatively affected the level of presence in Besat Park. Even on large scale, the incompatible land uses inhibited neighborhood resident’s interaction with the park edges. Inside the park, despite the lack of legibility and impermeability of some routes and districts, only the ones which had other issues in terms of activity, access, and other sub-factors were vulnerable to the mentioned problems. Generally, the factors affecting Besat Park use could be prioritized based on their level of influence respectively as activity, legibility, and access.