International Journal of

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Daylight in classrooms is a critical factor in school design, in terms of its impact on students’ health, learning and visual performance. Providing adequate amount of evenly distributed daylight and glare prevention are important challenges in classroom design. Window configuration significantly affects the intensity and uniformity of daylight. This paper aims to investigate the effect of window configuration on daylight performance through parametric analysis. Different window configurations such as window to wall ratio, incorporating light shelves and roof monitors have been analyzed on a typical south-east facing classroom in Kashan based on results from DesignBuilder Radiance simulation which has first been validated against field measurements. Daylighting credits of green building rating tools; Leed EQ 8.1 and BREEAM HEA1 have been used as indices for evaluating and comparing different window configurations. Results show that by increasing the window-wall-ratio to 35, 40 and 50% and by installing a roof monitor, the daylight credits of the BREEAM and LEED could be achieved respectively. According to the fact that none of these window configurations have reached the standards required by both rating tools, the authors believe that a combination of installing monitor roof and light shelves and increasing window-wall-ratio may result in enhanced daylight levels.

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Due to the superiority of functional requirements of equipment and systems over human requirements in the field of architectural and environmental design of industrial buildings, users have to adapt themselves to the conditions which might be followed by imposed biological and psychological pressures. The present study examines the components and environmental parameters influenced by building features (thermal comfort, lighting quality, office layout, interior decoration, acoustic quality, air quality, cleanliness and maintenance) in typical control building of combined cycle power plants. Using a questionnaire based on Vischer’s model of environmental comfort regarding people’s environmental perception, the level of users’ satisfaction with the environmental factors and their self-estimated performance in relation to these factors at the two levels of physical and functional comforts has been determined. The statistical analysis of the results shows that the lack of consideration of the environmental comfort parameters of workspace in the process of architectural design of industrial buildings influences users’ satisfaction with these factors which is directly related to their self-estimated performance in workplace and consequently their job satisfaction by decreasing them. Taking into account the fact that the amount of impact of various environmental factors on the individuals’ function was evaluated differently, prioritizing the physical factors in the work place for corrective purposes was finally done using affectability of performance in the degree of satisfaction with any factor.

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Informal settlement as a global urban phenomenon encounters different social, physical and economic shortcomings. These fabrics especially in cities of the global south experience an escalating gap with developed urban areas. In this regard, faltering economy plays a major contribution in continuity of poverty and exclusion. In Iran, Empowerment plan could not lead to favorable and stable results which has mainly been related to stereotypic, homogenizing and dehumanizing viewpoints to current empowerment plans. As regards the ultimate effectiveness of place branding becomes true in economic context and these settlements are one of suitable candidates for branding, the main aim of this study is improving economic empowerment plans realization for informal settlements through integration urban planning with place branding process to determine more efficient strategies for falak-e-din informal neighborhood by its identity and discovering how place branding, economic empowerment and place identity have conceptual, practical relations with each other to signify this integration. The method of present study is mainly qualitative which is best to cognition of place complexities. Falak-E-Din settlement, has been selected as the case study because it benefits from place market maker advantages and yet encounters the threat of identity crisis. Surveying practical and theoretical facets of Results show place branding with a focus on marketing view is trying to use all aspects of the place(as a complete identity) to draw the image of economic prosperity through comprehensive branding strategy. The findings from analysis of gathered data from inhabitants(observation, interview and archival data) by SWOT and evaluation through brand creation process in Falak-E-Din quarter by ANP ( Analytic Network Process) based on evaluation criteria- reveal the best alternative for creating Falak-E-Din quarter brand is to provide brand strategies based on the brand identity which is built with an emphasis on quarter human factors. Accordingly brand strategies are codified at four main steps to create chosen brand identity: create direct and indirect job opportunities, physical elicitation of place personality with execution of physical components of the brand identity, physical complementary proceedings, and eventually marketing proceedings which include final actions that lead the place to its economic purposes.

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Power plants with complex technology have various gradations in design process so that this level in the current time by maintaining the goals of sustainability and sustainable development have a critical importance. These buildings require to be sustainable according to their complexity to provide the finance and discrete budgets for functional needs, meanwhile to design solutions to avoid creating pollution and the reduction of energy should be careful and they are in their life cycle which have a social function. These solutions are possible to offer providing a method in design. Focusing on interventional and unique procedures in design can be very efficient. The present research is applicable with the aim to emphasize and recognize the importance of prioritizing in selecting different areas in combined cycle power plants based on the parameters of sustainable development and responds to the question on what priority should be set in the areas of combined cycle power plants,while observing the principles of sustainable development in the direction of control and decrease of economic, social and environmental risks, describes the infrastructures of sustainable development in the areas of combined cycle. Therefore while addressing senior managers, advisors and contractors ,has presented a list with the consultation of the experts and in the second stage through scrolling using questionnaire and survey from experts and AHP software analysis among consulting companies managers, contractors and professionals the criteria were prioritized in hierarchical method. The economic-functional criteria with rank 0.541 have been in the first priority of attention form the experts’ choice and considering the effect of these criteria on the choices, the choice of steam in combined cycle power plants was placed in the first priority with final weight 0.313 and the gas area was determined in the second priority with final weight 0.266. This was also true in the sensitivity test. Thus paying attention to the functional criteria in order to gain economic productivity in the steam area was defined in the priority of attention.

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The present paper focused on architecture students' learning styles based on Kolb's Experiential learning theory (ELT) and evaluated relationships between students' learning styles, degree of their academic achievement, gender, and duration of study in architecture. Based on the results of this research, divergent, accommodating, assimilating and convergent styles were the architecture students' dominant learning styles, respectively. Furthermore, there was an unbalanced distribution of dispersed different learning styles as more than a half of the students' preferred divergent learning styles while divergent and accommodating styles in the half north of scatter plot generally covered more than 85% of the participants. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between the students' mean scores of learning style test at the end of the first to fourth years of study. It was found that there were significant relationships between male students' learning styles and their achievement in architecture education. Accordingly, male students with divergent learning styles had higher academic achievement in terms of their total grade point average, compared to that of assimilating and accommodating groups. Meanwhile, there was a significant relationship between the students' academic performance and gender. In general, female students had better performance in architecture in terms of their total grade point average.

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The green hydroponics walls are among new kinds of building facades, which receive more attention from architects lately. In addition to the positive effect these walls have in maintaining humidity in arid regions, they also have positive thermal performance in both cold and hot weather conditions. Therefore, they are in the center of designers’ focus for public spaces such as schools. In terms of soil-free cultures, these walls are of three general types: wide, horizontal, and vertical. The use of different types of green walls in each zone allows for different thermal performance. This paper aims to investigate the thermal performance of hydroponic green walls in different facades of green school in term of thermal performance. Moreover, the present study only addresses green schools in cold climates. We conducted a simulation by using Energy Plus software with three different types of hydroponic green walls in Shahrekord city of Iran, which were monitored in 20 years" from2000 until2019".The thermal performance of each type was analyzed and compared with other samples. Finally, the best kind of green- hydroponics wall with the best thermal performance was identified for each wall.

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Rest areas have been built on the freeway to avoid traffic accidents and drowsiness so that road travelers can rest. These supplemental rest areas are very small-sized resting facilities located between the larger regular rest areas, which is a unique design. However, the management of rest areas and their accommodations need to be improved by considering the effective factors involved. In this spirit, the purpose of this research is to study the effect of users’ preferences into planning parameters in rest areas. The study examines several rest areas, their roles and services. Customer satisfaction includes check-in time and purchase, type of service for travelers, intention to use the rest areas service, and satisfaction with the rest areas service.
A survey study was carried out among 360 passengers of four rest areas in different locations in Iran. The participants claimed that providing praying room (M= 4.13) is the service most expected from rest areas. They also expected better landscaping of these places in providing shaded spaces (M= 4.13) to mitigate temperatures in hot seasons. The results also show that there is a significant difference between genders in terms of recreational activities (t= 2.81, α= 0.005), landscape amenities (t= 2.01, α= 0.044), welfare services (t= 3.05, α= 0.002), where women prioritized these factors more than men did. The findings of this research can be used in better management, accommodating, and designing of future crossing rest areas according to tourists’ preferences.
 

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Zoning has always been one of the basic tools of land use control available. Zoning is the regulation and restriction of land uses according to a predetermined plan. This paper will present a look at conventional zoning, its origins, the evolution of the zoning, and the scope of zoning types. Regardless of the varieties, most zoning codes can be classified into at least one of the following broad categories: Euclidean zoning, Performance/Impact zoning, Incentive zoning, Form-based zoning and Hybrid Zoning. In this article, a descriptive-analytical method is used to review the existing documents and extract the materials in order to introduce the approach of FBC, its advantages and disadvantages. So, after defining each concept, the Critiques of Euclidean Zoning will be explained and then a new approach of zoning named Form-based Codes will be introduced to develop a better way of zoning in order to select homogenous areas of urban and rural terrain to adopt determined and certain rules of planning.

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The advent of modern planning in the early twentieth century and its failure in practice caused the emergence of planning crisis which theory-practice gap has been its central theme of debate. This gap begot various readings of urban planning theory to make theory and practice much closer. Radical planning, as one of these readings, deprives the power of central government in favour of empowering the citizens and considers the highest level of participation in decision-making processes for them. Nevertheless, it failed to address the planning crisis and theorists continued theory making to address the crisis. Hence, the current study aims to investigate radical planning with a critical perspective by using a deep-seated research method and referring to related topics. Results ended in finding reasons led to the failure of radical planning to address planning crisis. The uncertainty of radical planning process, the idealistic looks of theorists and radical planning mismatch with the current forms of state planning are three main reasons which hindered it from addressing planning crisis despite being the turning point of urban planning theories. 

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Abu Hamed Mohammad al-Ghazālī was a mystic, jurist, and theologian who lived in the fifth century AH and significantly influenced Iranian culture. His most significant work is Iḥyaʾ ʿŪlum al-Dīnʾ, written in his seclusion period to revive religious knowledge, with the subject being applied knowledge. Therefore, it can be regarded as an architectural information reference. This research is dedicated to understanding al-Ghazālī’s principles for architecture and its status in Iḥyaʾ. It was done by the Historical-Interpretation approach, reading and interpreting the original text of Iḥyaʾ, and that is why just for mentioning the evidence and having an improved perception of Iḥyaʾ, other al-Ḡhazālī’s books and references were used.
The outcome of this research is two architectural categories from Iḥyaʾ. These are form and content and the rules of architecture. In al-Ghazali’s opinion, the craftsmen, along with other people, can also make the spiritual journey based on their crafts. He has to do his crafts with the ḏhekr (God’s Remembrance), Seek the real contents from the world's forms, construct as an implication to the most beloved, God, and construct the world to construct his hereafter.

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The purpose of this research is to investigate the travelers' visual preference criteria in caravanserai hotels’ interior design to enhance human’s social, historical and cultural interactions. Using 356 questionnaires and Quantitative Research approach, the travelers' visual preferences of three hotels in Tabriz city are assessed. Photo questionnaires are prepared according to the Information Processing Analysis theory and were examined by SPSS software. The results indicate that preferred caravanserai hotels are mysterically related to physical factors like medium intensity of light, warm and neutral colors, modern and traditional furniture integration, green space and wooden decoration. Interior architects can increase peoples’ interest for using Caravanserai Hotels by considering this results and its application in their design methods.

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Nowadays, urbanization is growing increasingly and cities are going to be more complicated than ever including local-global duality. On one hand, Cities are not limited to their geographical boundaries. Neoliberal globalization, which has been rapidly expanding since the late 1980s in the economic circle, places the world into a money game and cities into competition with each other. On the other hand, there are some influential forces on a local scale that determine the urban evolutions. Regarding these two global-local factors, non-powerful groups are neglected increasingly from urban transformation and main projects. This article reviews the “everyday life” concept in spaces through Lefebvre’s writings and draws its dimensions and criteria through descriptive- analytical study. How could everyday life be explained in the current architectural and urban transformation? Surely, Urban evolutions could affect everyday life. After that, it reviews the transformation of Valiasr intersection through historical- interpretation study. Valiasr intersection is the most important intersection in Tehran. It is considered as the spatial gap of Tehran, separating the “high status” and the “low status. Recently, an underpass project for pedestrians was built in this intersection. The results show that this urban transformation is mainly defined by administrational- status forces in the absence of social ones which mainly consider the economic- ideological aspects. It reduces social inclusion and social participation. Following that, this important project could not improve the everyday life of Tehran.

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The importance of using visual social media as the digital learning and inspiration resources in architecture is blatantly obvious. On the contrary, there are still gaps in the position of those platforms in the elements of creativity and performance within design studios. The major research question is how does the architecture students' use of architectural content on Instagram relate to their creativity and design studio performance? The paper aims to determine the relations of defined Instagram usage parameters with creativity indicators and students' grades in studios. After crafting the theoretical framework, the correlational research method was used to define the correlations between variables by Spearman’s correlation coefficient. All 72 students of the Design Studio III course during 2018-2020 at Tabriz Islamic Art University reported their Instagram usage parameters and design grades. Their creativity was measured by Abedi’s version of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, and the data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results revealed significant and positive correlations between the students’ performance and the overall score of creativity, fluency, and originality; but, no correlation was found in elaboration and flexibility. Also, there is a significant and positive correlation between Instagram use and flexibility of creativity. However, no significant correlations were reported between Instagram use and their studio performance. Hence, despite enhancing the flexibility, students cannot consider Instagram as a tool to achieve success in studios. Furthermore, the assessment system of the studios in Iran doesn’t cover all aspects of creativity, and it’s crucial to construct a new architecture-oriented creativity test.

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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

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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.
 

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One of the most famous historical squares of Iran is the Naghsh-e Jahan Complex, of which many studies have been done about its features and its effects on the urban space of Isfahan. The measurement of the geometric system governing the physical structure of this complex is considered an important part, of which no comprehensive research has ever been conducted. Accordingly, this study, aiming at analyzing the impact of the geometric organization and its order on the structure of the Square, and in particular on the location of its multiple accesses, seeks to evaluate this topic by using the relative measuring system based on the geometric rules as a process for the regularization of the space. The relative measurement system is one of the first ones, resulting in the application of geometry to the physical structure of the city and architecture. Its valuable benefits can be the application of dimensions and sizes with the identified coefficients in the cited plan. The present study is classified in the category of historical research, and descriptive and exploratory methods have been used in the historical research. Also, research on library data has provided the basis for analyzing the geometric structure of the Square and its dependent buildings. The research question can be formulated as follows: What is the relationship between the location of multiple entrances to the Naghsh-e Jahan square and its geometric system? The research findings indicate that the structure of the Naghsh-e Jahan Complex is following a geometric system with relative lengths based on the square shape, so the accesses location and the organization of the peripheral elements have all been subject to the mentioned system. Also, the results emphasize the benefit of a continuous process in planning the structure of the recent urban space, including its components, and considering it based on rational and inferential thinking, which, according to the geometric rules, is forming the hidden and revealed relations between the elements of the Safavid city.
 

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The physical-geometric characteristics of buildings have a very important role in the regulation of microclimate conditions and the thermal situation of interior and exterior spaces of buildings. This research aims to investigate the amount of received direct radiation energy of vertical surfaces in buildings and determine the appropriate form, aspect ratio, and orientation of buildings in the cities of Ardabil, Tabriz, Sanandaj, and Hamedan in the Northwest of Iran with cold climate. For this purpose, six polygonal forms (with the same floor area and height) including square, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, hexadecagon (16-sided), and triacontadigon (32-sided) were selected to be examined. Afterward, the specified optimal form(rectangle) was surveyed with the aspect ratios of 1:1.2, 1:1.4, 1:1.6, 1:1.8, 1:2 and in the orientations of 180º, 165º, 150º, 135º, 120º, 105º SE and SW. Using the “Law of Cosines” computational method, the amount of received direct energy on vertical surfaces has been calculated and processed, for different months and during the cold and hot periods of the year. The results of the research show that the appropriate form of the buildings in the studied cities is a rectangle with an east-west orientation. The most suitable aspect ratio for the rectangular form with east-west orientation in the cities of Ardabil, Tabriz, Sanandaj, and Hamedan is 1:1.2. The appropriate orientation for the determined aspect ratio in the studied cities is 165° Southeast.
 

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This paper delves into the reciprocal relationship between Geographic Information System (GIS) and landscape architecture, with a specific focus on the utilization of digital landscape models and visualization for the acquisition of planning knowledge. Rooted in the seminal contributions of Ian McHarg and Jack Dangermond, who were instrumental in pioneering GIS and layer planning in architecture, the study aspires to formulate a novel procedural theory for knowledge acquisition in landscape architecture. The research methodology adopts a theoretical and developmental approach, employing a qualitative systematic review analysis method. The study proposes an innovative approach to planning knowledge acquisition for landscape architects through the utilization of GIS, placing particular emphasis on visual presentations facilitated by digital landscape models and visualization models. The establishment of theoretical foundations is achieved by introducing the hierarchy of data, information, and knowledge, with a specific emphasis on the crucial role of knowledge management systems and decision support systems in the context of landscape architecture. The paper introduces a conceptual model that delineates the subsystems of knowledge management and decision support within the architectural information system. The findings and subsequent discussions underscore the significance of GIS in the acquisition of planning knowledge, emphasizing the cyclic nature of the process involving the creation, development, and experimentation with diverse options to achieve novel landscape architecture compositions. The paper introduces the Digital Visualization Model (DVM) and Digital Landscape Model (DLM) within the GIS framework, elucidating their respective roles in the landscape architecture composition cycle. In conclusion, the paper highlights the potency of GIS in environmental recognition and knowledge acquisition for landscape architects. It identifies three distinct approaches – GIS modeling, GIS analysis, and GIS visual presentation – and elucidates their seamless integration into the landscape planning process. GIS is acknowledged as a transformative force, enriching the formal interpretation of landscape architecture and paving the way for interdisciplinary exploration.
 

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In recent years, increasing attention has been given to improving the energy efficiency of buildings in order to reduce their environmental impact and operational costs. As a result, multi-objective optimization methods have become an important tool for optimizing building energy performance. This research reviews building performance analysis approaches in a comparative method and results in a systematic overview of the existing multi-objective optimization methods used in the field of building energy performance. This review covers a wide range of optimization techniques, including genetic algorithms (NSGA-II), evolutionary algorithms, particle swarm intelligence algorithms, and other metaheuristic approaches. Furthermore, the review provides a comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each method in different fields such as daylight, ventilation, and thermal performance analysis. In order to achieve the aims of the research alongside reviewing the Scopus scientific database, various relevant studies were investigated. Eventually, this study provides. Eventually, this review identifies gaps in the literature potential in research directions and proposes multiple ways for future research.

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In contemporary contexts, optimizing energy consumption and ensuring thermal comfort for occupants in hot and arid climates necessitates prioritizing the shielding of buildings from solar radiation and heat. This study employed simulation techniques utilizing Rhino software, Grasshopper plugin, and Climate Studio plugin to determine the most suitable facade design in terms of energy efficiency, considering the thermal performance of office building facades in Tehran. The investigation evaluated the thermal performance of four facade systems: three variations of double-skin facade (Buffer system, Extract-air system, Twin-face system), and a kinetic facade. Detailed calculations were conducted for heating, cooling, and electrical energy consumption, with results compared using monthly and annual charts. Simulation outcomes indicate that, under constant conditions, the kinetic facade exhibits superior energy efficiency by dynamically adjusting its components, including rotation direction and opening/closing mechanisms, resulting in a 42.3% reduction in energy consumption compared to conventional double-skin facades. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that annual energy consumption, encompassing cooling, heating, and electric lighting, is lower on the southern facade than on the northern facade. Notably, the kinetic facade, with its adaptable design, demonstrates significant performance in energy reduction compared to other facade types, establishing it as the preferred option in this study. Employing intelligent self-adaptive systems, a portion of the facade is configured as a canopy, effectively mitigating building cooling and heating loads by regulating solar radiation, thus enhancing environmental comfort for occupants while minimizing energy loss.