نشریه نامه معماری و شهرسازی
سال شانزدهم شماره 40 (پاییز 1402)

Iran is one of top ten CO2 emitting countries in the world and as a signatory of the Paris Agreement, has to reduce 4–8 percent of the overall CO2 emissions by 2030. The building sector is one of the most cost-effective opportunities for CO2 emission reduction. Low-carbon buildings are designed and constructed to emit very little carbon during their lifecycle. This research aims to identify appropriate categories and criteria for assessing low-carbon building in Iran. These criteria were assessed using Delphi technique in multiple rounds. Thus, in this study, 30 Iranian experts were selected based on their experiences in the building construction industry and building sustainability assessment to participate in the Delphi process. The experts were selected from different backgrounds one-third from consultant companies, one-third from government authorities, and the remaining third from institutions and universities. The “interquartile range” and “Standard Deviation” were selected to measure the consensus and “Mean” was used to assess the importance of each criterion. Ninety-four criteria were classified into seven categories which are location and site, architecture, material and construction, energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and renewable energy. The most important criteria are "environmental design" and " improvement of the building envelope". This paper reviews policy, laws, regulations, and standards to understand the implementation platform of important criteria in each category:Location and site: It is recommended that low-carbon criteria be considered in the future national planning and land master plans. Architecture: There are regulations such as Code No. 19 (energy efficiency in buildings) and Code No. 4 (General building requirements) of Iranian national building regulations. It is proposed that in the future editions of Code No. 4, low-carbon building criteria such as "rethinking the form and shape of the building and height of stories" and "rethinking zoning and space planning" should be considered. Material and construction: There is an official policy incentive to the standardization of materials. Code No. 5 of Iranian national building regulations (Materials and building components) has environmental, health, and safety implementation requirements for conventional materials. Energy efficiency: Code No. 19 of Iranian national building regulations represents rules for the design and implementationof important criteria and there are legal incentives and governmental funds for implementation of Code No. 19. Water efficiency: There is an official policy incentive for optimization and monitoring of water consumption in different building types. Indoor environmental quality: It is recommended to compile thermal and visual comfort standards for buildings. Renewable energy: Iran has a great potential for renewable energy, but it is not economically viable. There are regulations and standards for implementing renewable energy. The output of this research is identification of low-carbon building criteria and assessment of the importance of each criterion based on the country's context. It would help architects to deliver the low-carbon design and it is useful for policymakers to direct building industry to a low-carbon future.

One of the issues in architectural education is the gap between knowledge and its application in the design practice by students. So far, this issue has been addressed from different approaches in many research studies and some solutions have been proposed. However, the issue persists and architectural education continues to grapple with it. This research attempted to rethink this issue from a different approach. The approach is based on the embodied cognition. The basics of embodied cognition clarify the role of human body in the cognition. Cognition means perception of the environment. In this paper, we collected these basics from the written resources. The resources that studied are based on the Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of perception. He showed that the human body is both subject and an activist in the environment. He emphasized that the interaction between body and environment is the most important agent in perception. Therfore, the research methodology is logical argumentation. The methodology is underlying on the phenomenology of perception and embodied cognition. Also, some part of the methodology is experiment. In the experiment, we selected naive architecture students from Payame Noor University of Iran, who participated in the “understanding and presenting of environment” course in their first semester. Some of the exercises in the lesson were body-based practice. We surveyed all the exercises of the students and compared them with the basics of the research. The results show that one of the reasons for the gap between the knowledge and its application in the design practice is that the cognitive role of student body in the architectural training is not taken into account. Then, if the architectural knowledge and design practice were both based on the embodied cognition, the cognitive, actionable, and representative role of the student's body, the gap between knowledge and its application in the design practice will be reduce. Finally, the student body has a basic role in the architectural knowledge and design. In the body-based practices, we showed what and how the practice can help the student’s body to become active in the training. However, the training and body practice is not the same as some sports, but the practices that can help students to understand the environment and present their understanding. We present some of these practices and students' responses to them. We showed that the name of that practice is embodied experience and it is helpful for architectural students. Then, we proposed other embodied experiences to have an embodied architectural education and training: the same as geometry understanding by showing the Pahlevani and Zoorkhaneh rituals. The rituals take place in the geometric spaces and all actions are based on that geometry. The other one is understanding the structure by doing the bridge movement in bodybuilding sport. It helps students to understand the bridge structure and bearing forces by bridge building.

Researchers use model and simulation to study mental representations of the environment and gain a precise understanding of the human cognitive system. The complexity of modeling in spatial cognition is, on the one hand, the result of the complexity of the mind and the environment that people understand in different ways, and on the other hand, rooted in the diverse disciplines of cognitive sciences. cognitive-spatial modeling has gotten less attention in architectural studies because of the complexity of the process. Thus, in this field, there is no scientific or comprehensive approach that incorporates the various components of modeling. The purpose of this research is to develop the model of the process of creating two common types of cognitive-spatial models in architecture. The main question is; how to develop a model for the modeling process in spatial cognition that simultaneously relates human, environmental, and time frameworks? The research methodology was logical reasoning, which is accomplished by analyzing the theories of cognitive science and modeling. In the first step, the theoretical and cognitive basics of models are reviewed and two common types of spatial-cognitive modeling are introduced. Then, through logical reasoning and based on temporal, human, and environmental frameworks, a conceptual model for categorizing models is offered to clarify the scientific modeling in spatial cognition studies. Moreover, in the techniques and procedures level, due to the shortcomings of experimental methods in the study of the man-made environment (cost, instrument limitations, social and ethical limitations), behavioral and non-behavioral observation methods are useful measures for the study. Since these approaches cannot directly measure cognition, in order to decrease errors, researchers must employ mixed methods (such as cognitive maps, questionnaires, etc.). These models are made richer by choosing from a wide range of methodological approaches and techniques to cover various aspects of spatial cognition. Finally, a model is introduced for each of the computational and conceptual-hypothetical models, which represents the link between the mentioned frameworks and the modeling process. The findings show that during building cognitive-spatial models, in the choosing theories or the base model and finding the connection between concepts, dealing with temporal, human and mental-environmental components is a priority. Although cognitive studies may support both dynamic and static approaches in this respect, the concept of dynamic systems is more widely recognized in the fields of architecture and urban planning owing to the dynamism of two key variables, i.e., the mind and environment. Additionally, the properties of the individuals and the space under investigation both influences how people know their environment. According to the objectives of the study, the applied model, however, may place greater emphasis on one of the personal or environmental properties when describing how individuals perceive various spaces. Finally, in computational modeling, complex behaviors are simulated through algorithms and the possibility of behavior reproduction is investigated. In conceptual-hypothetical modeling, due to the knowledge of the general public about the environment, deductive-inductive methods that are common in social sciences will be useful.

Practice-based education is a new approach to curriculum planning that emphasizes on the relationship between theory and practice to complete the learning process. The pragmatic pedagogy focuses on the social and occupational performance of graduates after college. Despite the importance of the subject, the bachelor of architecture in Iran has not been very successful in terms of practical training. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of pragmatic pedagogy components on curriculum development in the field of vocational training in Iran. This research is in the category of applied-developmental research with a sequential-exploratory approach. First, in the qualitative section, to identify the components of pragmatic pedagogy, the content analysis method with inductive strategy was used. Qualitative data analysis and coding were performed with NVIVO software. Next, in the quantitative part, a survey-exploratory method was used to measure the effectiveness of the components of pragmatic pedagogy on curriculum development of the bachelor of architecture. In the quantitative part of this research, the Kendall W test and multivariate regression analysis in SPSS software was used for data analysis. The data collection method in the qualitative section includes literature review and semi-structured individual interviews. In the quantitative section, data has been collected using a questionnaire. The statistical population of this research includes university lecturers in architecture. 100 samples were selected based on the minimum sample size required in survey research by a simple random sampling method to complete the questionnaire. Regarding the interview, 35 were selected based on purposeful sampling. The results of the qualitative section show that the components of pragmatic pedagogy include 19 indicators, 4 objectives, and 5 elements. The regression equation between the objectives of pragmatic pedagogy with its constituent indicators shows that despite the positive effect of each of the indicators on their corresponding objectives, their impact is not the same; so corresponding to the 4 objectives of "applied education", "teacher-apprenticeship method", "experiential learning" and "observational learning" respectively; the indicators of "activities and educational strategies based on the realities of the architectural profession", "utilizing master craftsmen and teachers", "education of active and pragmatic graduates" and "the role of skilled masters and master craftsmen as role models" have the greatest effect on the improvement of the curriculum. In ranking the objectives of applied education and its related components from the perspective of architecture teachers, "applied education" with the element of  "usefulness", "teacher-apprenticeship method" with the element of "internship", "experiential learning" with the two elements of "objective experience and experiment" and "observational learning" with the "observation" element, have the greatest effect on improving the curriculum. If the objectives of the curriculum are adapted to the components of pragmatic pedagogy and their realization in the bachelor of architecture, the development of practice-based education in architecture schools will be provided. Finally, it will lead to the promotion of professional education for architecture students at the undergraduate level in Iran.

Lack of attention to the issue of integrated housing education, incompatibility in some academic goals, professional’s established policies, along with the lack of experts in both areas to design the mechanisms of housing quality control and monitoring is increasingly emerging as a big gap. On the other hand, the lack of strategic concerns in the official documents and institutional guidelines and practical regulatory bodies that feel this need and can strengthen the educational infrastructure regarding the design and implementation of housing is also due to the lack of purposeful monitoring and control over housing construction processes. These trends have led to the emergence of low-quality housing, which with its rapid growth has caused a great deal of environmental, economic, social and cultural damage. Another issue is the lack of communication, interaction and consensus between the goals of the academia and the executive policies of the project managers and planners. Even if the educational materials at universities is refined, its practical application is hindered when decision-makers do not implement them. Consequently, students face unemployment after graduation or resort to employ unscientific methods in their practice. The main purpose of this study is to explain the framework of integrated housing curriculum based on contextual indicators. The pathology of housing-related courses in Iran is carried out in comparison with the world in terms of the main goal. Therefore, by using the content analysis method, first, the housing curriculum in 38 international universities is reviewed, then, by finding the procedural and substantial dimensions, the expert opinions in this field are received and a basis for extracting separate quantitative questionnaires is obtained. The validity of the relevant issues was analyzed in SPSS software and then coded. Findings show that the substantial and procedural frameworks of housing education in Iran are formed by economic, socio-cultural, managerial, legal-administrative, physical and environmental components that can be used as tools. As a result, the increasing importance of quality of life in residential areas has led to the need for education and training of experts in the field of housing as one of the main forms of architecture and urban planning in Iranian cities. The existence of an independent field of housing can provide more incentives to fulfill the mission of academic environments in the research-based evaluation of actions and plans and provide a basis for dialogue in theoretical and practical areas between the university and the professional sphere. In this regard, considering international academic experiences provides an effective means of transferring experiences, avoiding possible trials and errors, and finding a more comprehensive view of housing and life. It can also serve as a key tool and guide in the housing curriculum for policy makers, planners, as well as university staff and students.

Local governments are the most important provider of public services and municipalities, as the most important executive body at the local level, are responsible for this within the defined limits of the city. A review of the research background shows that the individual efforts of small municipalities in providing regional public services efficiently have not been successful and will lead to a waste of resources. Therefore, inter-municipal cooperation is adopted by municipalities as the most flexible strategy of regionalism and effective solution to overcome problems resulting from political and functional fragmentation. In addition to protecting the independence and identity of municipalities, this strategy can help to form a cohesive network of collaboration and synergistic win-win relationships between organizations, leading to efficient and effective regional public services delivery and resolving some wicked regional problems by mobilization of resources. In Iran, municipalities are required to provide a small number of regional public services. In the central urban region of Mazandaran province, the inefficiency of regional services delivery is very high in the three fields of waste management, rescue and fire protection, and public transportation intra/inter cities. The individual efforts of municipalities in providing such services in the absence of a codified framework for inter-municipal cooperation in accordance with regional conditions, existing discouraging laws and the country's spatial management system lead to a waste of resources and environmental degradation. All these lead to danger to the health and lives of residents. The method of the present research is applied in nature and it is descriptive based on the objectives. Also, according to the qualitative approach of the research, the data collection method includes two types of secondary data analysis and semi-structured in-depth interview techniques with purposive sampling. Research findings indicate that the organization of regional services delivery in the studied selected services, especially within the municipalities of Amol, Babol, Qaemshahr and Sari as the central urban areas of Mazandaran province can eventually become a regulation leverage in all municipalities in this region. The present study, after reviewing the relevant theoretical and empirical foundations, in answering to the research questions has attempted to identify and analyze the way regional services are provided by municipalities in Mazandaran province in three selected services. Then, by applying the guidance resulting from the study of international best practices in accordance with the conditions of the region, laws and institutions of spatial management in the country and examining the eight key factors resulting from the prescriptive research model, formulate its proposed framework in four phases and twenty steps. The phases of the proposed framework for organizing inter-municipal cooperation in providing regional public services in the central urban region of Mazandaran are as follows: phase zero) pre-planning; phase one) structural organization; phase two) organizing the process; phase three) monitoring and control. The pre-planning phase concerns the feasibility study and initiation of cooperation. The structural organization phase deals with the main components of cooperation formation. The phase of organizing the process seeks to review and implement the most optimal form of cooperation, and the control and monitoring phase seeks to evaluate and refine.