International Journal of Architectural Engineering & Urban Planning
Volume:32 Issue: 3, Jul 2022

Given the different climate conditions worldwide, the need for climate zone-based architectural designs is evident. This need is more felt, particularly in critical thermal conditions, and is the most important challenge for an architect. One of the main sub-climates that require a special design is the humid subtropical climate in which winters are cold and rainy, and usually, the ambient temperature is lower than the comfort zone, with hot and humid summers that demand a temperature drop to achieve a comfort zone. The most fundamental problem is thus to provide cooling and heating systems in such environments. Accordingly, the present work aims at providing critical climate conditions with potential solutions. Here, Sari, with a humid subtropical climate, was selected as a case study, and its thermal conditions were investigated utilizing Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) indices, and the Rayman model. The results of our first study question revealed that the percentage of days with thermal comfort was 16.9%. Also, 16.3% and 17% of the days had slight and mild cold stress, respectively. Subsequently, the results from data analysis indicated that the ventilation and dehumidification cooling systems can be considered the most appropriate passive methods. In addition, the elements of the indigenous architecture including Iwan, Talaar, upstairs house, and sloping roof, which all are rooted in the vernacular architecture of the city of Sari can be introduced as the most effective architectural solutions. Our findings are of great importance for architects and designers because such findings will guide the design of complex site conditions and even the building construction by considering the thermal comfort factor.

‘Privacy’ in Islamic culture is considered one of the concepts related to the existential dimensions of human beings and one of the most important spiritual needs for self-improvement and a sincere connection with Allah. In this regard, mosques, as places for the Muslims’ collective worship ceremonies, are not only a place for social interaction but also a privacy-focused gathering, they are optimal places for thinking and enjoying some private moments with Allah. Two questions arise that what are the components of creating the privacy in the Architecture of mosques? How do these components result in the creation of this privacy in the mosques? The present study is basic and qualitative research in terms of purpose, which uses both comparative and meta-analysis methods. In this study, while analyzing documentary studies as well as in-depth and open interviews, mosques from Isfahan were selected as a case study. The NVivo software was used to analyze qualitative data. Based upon the conceptual model obtained from the research findings, three types of privacy have been proposed. The first mode is ‘having private moments with oneself’ which is made by the components such as ‘introspection and remembrance’. The second mode is ‘having private moments with Allah’ which is formed via components such as the companionship of light and darkness and the vacuity. Finally, the third mode is ‘the privacy in the public’ which is created due to components such as verbal and non-verbal communication.

Energy saving is one of significant issues in achieving sustainable development. This study compares the energy consumption of rural houses using local materials and new ones in Gilan province, in order to investigate the effects of using local materials and techniques on reducing the amount of energy consumption. The present research method is quantitative, in which the means of study, observation and computer simulation is used. In this regard, the features of vernacular and new rural houses of sub-mountainous areas of Gilan are investigated. Case study focuses on two houses located in foothills of Gilan. Design builder software is used to compare the amount of energy consumption of vernacular housing methods and the newer ones. The results of this study clarify that the amount of energy required for heating is much higher than the energy needed for cooling in this region, so the main focus should be on reducing the amount of required energy for heating. Based on the results of simulation, walls and roof are more sensitive to heat exchange. Galipoosh roof have reasonable function in terms of energy consumption, while Darvarchin wall wastes more energy than new materials.

In this study, the importance of decisions of industrial designers in the primary stage of the design of products in terms of reducing environmental impacts was evaluated. In this descriptive research, the relationship between designers’ awareness and design quality in terms of waste reduction considerations was assessed. Then, 56 industrial designers as the research participants filled out the questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed by SPSSWin 23. Statistical analysis of the results based on the Spearman rank test showed that there was a significant relationship between choosing a sustainable approach to design and reducing product waste after its life cycle. Moreover, the level of responsibility of industrial designers for the environment is effective in reducing product waste. Questionnaire analysis showed that designers who cared about the fate of their designed products after the end of the life cycle frequently used sustainable approach. The results showed that designers who took a sustainable approach to design and cared about the fate of the products after the end of their life cycle designed products in such a way that they could be reused. There was also a significant relationship between the choice of a sustainable approach by designers and the use of recycled materials in new products. It seems that more awareness should be raised and further studies should be conducted to improve benefiting of designers’ sustainable approaches as well as to raise their awareness about the necessity of observing the sustainable development objectives.

Transportation is one of the most important issues in today's cities. Urban trips and their spatial and temporal patterns influence and are influenced by other components and functions of the city. Information and communication technology have evolved rapidly over the last few decades and have influenced urban travel patterns in many ways. Numerous studies have attempted to study the effects of these technologies on transportation and urban travel and to explain the relationship between them. However, due to the lack of sufficient information and the complicated nature of the connection between ICT and travel, there is still speculation about how it will affect the urban travel patterns, and many researchers believe that we can not simply comment on these effects conclusively. Hence, understanding the interaction of ICT and urban transportation is necessary for the planning and management of urban transportation. This study tries to answer the question of what is the relationship between IC and urban travel through a systematic literature review of empirical studies? For this review, 77 empirical published articles were selected and after describing their important features, the main findings of the articles were extracted and categorized into 6 topics based on the effects that ICT can have on urban travels and the relationship between them. The findings showed that the relationship between ICT and urban travel can be in four different modes: a) substitution-reduction, b) synergy-complementary, c) modification, and d) neutrality. ICT can also influence the urban travel pattern and its quantity and quality by providing fragmentation of activities and optimizing the use of the existing transportation systems. The type and severity of effects can vary at different times and places and under the influence of socio-economic factors. The results also indicate that due to the significant increase in ICT use after the Covid-19 pandemic, the severity of its effects on the urban travel pattern has also increased and it is expected that even after returning to normal and in the post-Covid-19 period, the relationship between ICT and the travel patterns will become even more pronounced.

Today constructing high-rise buildings which consist of a great amount of surface area and also openings is prevalent and is continuing to rise. Therefore, the building’s envelope is among the most important elements that has a great effect on energy consumption and wastage. As a result, Responsive Architecture focuses on the design of the external skin of buildings which can change their physical properties in order to respond to various environmental conditions. These facades can play a significant role in reducing energy consumption produced by fossil fuels and maximizing the use of natural energies. This study aims to simply review and categorize the various solutions provided by responsive architecture in order to reduce energy consumption in contemporary high-rise building skins. To achieve this goal there has to be a clear image presented of the impact of these responsive systems on energy consumption and how they actually function. In this regard, comparative studies on some of the most basic studies concentrated on the subject, and also a few case studies well-known in this area of matter were precisely reviewed with a descriptive-analytical approach. Accordingly, a general assortment of responsive architecture solutions and performance in high-rises were attained and gathered which can be classified into two groups; those applicable for vertical facades including “Kinetic Facades”, “Double-Skin Facades”, “Smart Materials and Windows”, and those for horizontal facades including “Kinetic Roof” and a new type of “Ventilation Stacks and Exhaust Ducts”. These solutions can be operated in combination with each other or for the better performance of another system, depending on environmental conditions. moreover, they can be applied for either new buildings during their construction or even the old ones by installing them separately from the main facade. They can control the energy consumption of the building and minimize the use of mechanical systems by increasing the amount of received solar energy, reducing internal energy wastage, receiving optimum natural daylight, creating natural ventilation, controlling the amount of excess received heat, regulating temperature through energy storage and generating electricity. Responsive architecture solutions show that they can not only make it possible in getting the maximum advantage of renewable sources, but can also extend the useful life of buildings, and produce a quality of experience that reconnects people to the environment and provides delight in their lives.

The present study aimed to align the applied approaches to the concept of visual literacy to provide a new list of abilities needed to promote visual literacy. Visual literacy is a cognitive concept that can be promoted using Bloom's revised classification of the cognitive area that has targeted the mastery learning stages. The method of this study is descriptive-analytical conducted in a purposeful logical course using interpretive strategies and logical reasoning based on documentary studies and valid libraries. In this study, Bloom's cognitive classification was examined and four categories of the most important competencies and existing and valid visual literacy standards were analyzed separately. Finally, a new list of abilities needed for individual mastery of visual literacy was presented. Since most visual literacy researchers have described its nature as ability or set of abilities, a new list was called the classification of visual literacy abilities. The results showed that since each of the previous lists has a specific specialized view on visual literacy, they do not cover all levels of the cognitive process and Bloom's knowledge dimensions. Thus, by adopting a comprehensive approach, a list of abilities was proposed that includes six levels of cognitive process (remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating) and each level includes four levels of knowledge (factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive). This list can be used in the educational planning of disciplines that their main goal is visual communication. Finally, the topic of one of the architecture courses was examined as an example of the way of applying this classification.

The performance-based design (PBSD) begins with defining performance goals. Performance-based seismic design accurately predicts the structure's performance during an earthquake. Recognizing and analyzing the structure's performance capacity is critical in performance-based design. This project was to do a PBSD on a (G+10) RCC construction. The building is first studied and built in STAAD PRO. Then, it was imported into the ETABS 2019 program to do a more detailed analysis of the displacement-controlled pushover analysis. The ETABS yields the structure's performance point, story displacement, capacity spectrum, Story drift, and demand spectrum. After the original design, a nonlinear pushover analysis is done to find out how well the building can withstand earthquakes and whether or not the goal was met, as well. In this research, we looked at the seismic code IS 1893 (Part 1) and the concrete design code IS 456: 2000 in order to make sure the building was safe. After obtaining all of the results, the structure's performance was compared for the various scenarios investigated and the optimal combination was determined.