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  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Di Guo, Yishan Shi, Ruiqi Chen
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 411-422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.11.003

    With rapid urbanization in China, an increasing building density has squeezed the urban public space. Community streets are occupied by motor vehicles or other functions, and can no longer sufficiently support children to carry out safe and independent activities. As an important space for children’s daily natural contact and social activities, the lack of the spatial function of streets results in a decline in children’s subjective initiative and social abilities. The United Nations has stressed the importance of community as the basic unit of space for children’s daily activities in building child friendly cities. It is urgent to reshape child-friendly community streets and support children’s healthy growth.

    Integrating previous research results on affordance theory and design, children’s growth and environment, and street-game spaces, this study focuses on investigating 23 community streets in four residential communities in Nanjing through questionnaires, interviews, observations, and other methods. Then, from the perspective of cognitive affordance, functional affordance, and social affordance, it analyzes the behavioral possibilities provided by the environment and the needs of the children-user group. Finally, from the perspectives of openness and security, preference and diversity, positive and negative, and reality and potential, it proposes a method to assess the existing environment.

    This study aims to extract the significant characteristics of the built environment that effectively support and promote children’s outdoors activities, and explore the design strategy of improving street space sharing through optimizing space elements and structure at the medium and micro levels, so as to respond to multiple goals including livable city development from the perspective of child friendliness. This study also tries to change the logical way of design thinking and provide an eco-psychological perspective on how to build a child-friendly community.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Nabeeha Amatullah Azmi, Azhaili Baharun, Müslüm Arıcı, Siti Halipah Ibrahim
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 361-385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.07.001

    Mosques have intermittent operational schedules with short-term occupancy during the five daily prayers. The occupancy level of the daily prayers is a fraction compared to the mandatory Friday prayers with full occupancy. Usually, the same thermal control mechanism is operated within the same large prayer hall to maintain the thermal comfort of the occupants. Yet, the comfort requirements are often not met due to the short span of operation during prayer times. Nevertheless, mosques have a very high energy usage as the same energy-intensive system is operated even during minimal occupancy profiles. The current research aims at using a passive approach towards design to achieve the comfort conditions during the low occupancy daily prayer times without employing mechanical intervention. Numerical simulations are carried out on a validated model of the case study building to investigate the impact of the west-facing Qiblah wall as the congregation stands in proximity to this wall. The design alternatives are tested in conjunction with ventilation strategies to holistically assess the thermal comfort of the occupants. Results show that as much as 4–6°C reduction in indoor wall surface temperature can be achieved with a suitable Qiblah wall design, which reduces the mean radiant temperature of the occupants by 2–4°C. Combined with ventilation strategies, thermal comfort can be significantly improved by at least 40% for the prayers during the hottest times of the day, and as much as 80% for night-time prayers. Results suggest that suitable comfort conditions can be achieved without the need for air-conditioning for at least two or three of the five daily prayers.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Paolo Stracchi, Luciano Cardellicchio, Paolo Tombesi
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 242-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.10.005

    For the past 50 years, the Sydney Opera House has been the subject of a prodigious hagiography of the personalities involved in its realization and their legendary querelles. Yet it remains paradoxically unexplored when it comes to its operative construction decisions, particularly those that relate to the erection of its renowned superstructure. Through the analysis of a newly discovered set of shop drawings prepared for the innovative formwork system of the iconic roof sails, the paper contributes to the construction history of the building whilst shedding light on the hitherto unacknowledged role of the general contractor in the design process. In doing so, it questions the validity of conventional assumptions about the technical division of labour in complex projects, where construction and project management tend to be kept separate from architectural and structural design, furthermore suggesting the need for broader design exegeses, combining project-based and production-based concerns. In reflecting on its import for contemporary practice, the study suggests that the revealing picture of the Sydney Opera House project, as it emerged from the cumbersome archive-based cross-analysis of the manual documentation produced for it, is in principle much easier and perhaps important to obtain today. This is due, on the one side, to availability and diffusion of digital project collaborative platforms; on the other side, to the merging and the blurring of professional and non-professional design contributions.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Yan He, Xiao Wu, Linjin Wang
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 291-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.10.002

    Commuting zone research is critical to the understanding of the operational rules of the metropolitan spatial structure and improving spatial performance. This study aims to identify the main commuting centers and zones by using cellular data with Nanjing City as the example. This study analyzes the operational features of the internal spatial structures of the city from two dimensions by merging multi-source data, namely, commuting centers and zones, thus achieving an understanding of the existing problems with the urban spatial structures and their internal causes. Results showed that the commuting zones of Nanjing are distributed in a pattern of “multiple commuting centers”, with Xinjiekou–Hunan Road and Hongwu Road–Chaotiangong–Shuangtang as the core, Mochou Lake as the main commuting area, and Dongshan and Jiangpu as the secondary commuting zones. Significant differences and similarities are discovered in our comparisons along the two dimensions of commuting zones and centers in terms of spatial structural factors, such as land use, transportation, and commuting in the city. The similarity is shown as a common declining trend in the values of all our indicators with the increase in the distance of commuting zones from the city center. However, the differences are significant in terms of the clustering features of the various parameters concerning commuting centers and zones. Specifically, four clustering patterns are discovered, namely, “monocentric clustering”, “circular monocentric clustering”, “polycentric clustering”, and “sparsely dotted distribution”. This study sheds light on the existing problems with the city’s spatial structure and proposes some overall suggestions toward urban spatial structure improvement on the basis of these findings.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Melis Yazici, Serap Durmus Ozturk
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 222-241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.08.003

    This paper explores the networks of thoughts behind words by reading architectural texts in the context of linguistics. Using a corpus-based model, our main interest is what the collocational data contribute at an architectural level. The notion of “collocation identification in architecture” was drawn from an analysis of the use of the data for Rem Koolhaas. The data for this study were collected from Rem Koolhaas’s articles from 1977 to 2014. An analysis of Koolhaas’s ideas about architecture and urban planning was conducted using the AntConc 3.4.4.0 corpus analysis toolkit. The corpus-based model reduced selected articles to words and lexical bundles using the corpus analysis toolkit. This paper explores Koolhaas’s thoughts on understanding architecture and the metaphors he uses by analyzing articles using the corpus-based analysis model. The discourse codes in the texts of Koolhaas are examined. A corpus-based model proposal tested on architectural texts has the potential to create new areas of knowledge for architectural discourse. Deciphering the texts and analyzing the codes contribute to the development of new models.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Guillermo Lockhart Milan
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 266-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.11.001

    This article will discuss a false dichotomy between two models, the modern art studio and the post-studio, which oppose the private and the public, the individual and the collective, hiding and the revealing. We will begin by analysing Daniel Buren’s position in his canonical text “Fonction de l’Atelier” and his practice, where the artist defines the foundations of post-studio work. As the text also describes a New York studio type that must be left behind, we will analyse Jackson Pollock’s and Andy Warhol’s workspaces through drawing reconstructions to demonstrate that these meet the defining characteristics of both models. It will be shown that the artists have used design strategies to retain certain aspects of studio culture while exploring others of the post-studio. This turning point reveals that the current belief about the obsolescence of the studio in a global era defined by communication, networking and mobility ignores its emerging post-studio qualities. This work aims to acknowledge this shift, obtaining a critical vision that will allow us to design contemporary workspaces avoiding stereotypical and reductionist approaches.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    JiaLu Gao, In-Sung Kim
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 277-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.12.002

    The study examines traditional design approaches for intermediate spaces of residential buildings to support environmentally driven design strategies of current practices. For the evaluation of the potential of traditional design strategies, traditional houses of Korea and Turkey are explored by making a detailed comparison of maru and sofa according to theoretical considerations on intermediate spaces. After examining the concept of the intermediate space and the general characteristics of Korean and Turkish traditional housing, 10 cases from 17th to 19th centuries are selected and compared to clarify the features of maru and sofa as intermediate spaces. Based on the results, the arrangement of maru shows characteristics of contradiction between interior rooms and intermediate spaces in a monotonous structural repetition, while sofa presents an apparently hierarchical spatial composition. Sofa has the placeness quality, while maru has the quality of plurality, actively mixing both inside and outside environments. While maru allows various free access with clear spatial continuity, sofa produces a sequential spatial experience with the pleasure of different architectural qualities. Finally, the study suggests opened type and closed type of intermediate space as two possible strategies for modern houses based on the results of comparative analyses. Recent environmental studies in architecture should consider intermediate spaces of various traditional houses due to the insights and possibilities these spatial elements may potentially provide to both architectural practice and theory, especially in a pandemic era.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Patrick Nzivugira Duhirwe, Jack Ngarambe, Geun Young Yun
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 394-409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.10.003

    High concentrations of indoor CO2 pose severe health risks to building occupants. Often, mechanical equipment is used to provide sufficient ventilation as a remedy to high indoor CO2 concentrations. However, such equipment consumes large amounts of energy, substantially increasing building energy consumption. In the end, the issue becomes an optimization problem that revolves around maintaining CO2 levels below a certain threshold while utilizing the minimum amount of energy possible. To that end, we propose an intelligent approach that consists of a supervised learning-based virtual sensor that interacts with a deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based control to efficiently control indoor CO2 while utilizing the minimum amount of energy possible. The data used to train and test the DRL agent is based on a 3-month field experiment conducted at a kindergarten equipped with a heat recovery ventilator. The results show that, unlike the manual control initially employed at the kindergarten, the DRL agent could always maintain the CO2 concentrations below sufficient levels. Furthermore, a 58% reduction in the energy consumption of the ventilator under the DRL control compared to the manual control was estimated. The demonstrated approach illustrates the potential leveraging of Internet of Things and machine learning algorithms to create comfortable and healthy indoor environments with minimal energy requirements.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Jeeun Lee, Sohyun Park
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 423-443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.11.002

    This study explores how recent design guidelines have focused on the visual variety of streetscapes making them more attractive. To date, this topic has been one of the most challenging parts of constructing walkable streets. We evaluated the streetscape features of Sejong City, recently constructed as Republic of Korea’s new capital city, and investigated their relationships with design guidelines. Consequently, we identified three principal reasons related to the design guidelines for the visual monotony in the street produced by the most up-to-date design guidelines compared with an ordinary street. First, the design guidelines cannot restrict the construction of large-scale buildings on the street, hindering visual changes caused by the zoning ordinance regulations because zoning regulations took priority when it comes to urban planning and regulatory governance. Second, design standards intending for a consistent street wall of buildings, which were used only in regard to the street enclosure standard, produced less spatial diversity and indistinct building bases, presenting weak vertical articulation. Third, applying the uniform standards for each building created repetitive architecture despite design standards for visual variety, such as recessed top floors, arcades, and retail uses for the ground floors facing a street.

  • REVIEW
    João Teixeira, Cecília Ogliari Schaefer, Bárbara Rangel, Lino Maia, Jorge Lino Alves
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 337-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.10.001

    Recent years are showing a rapid adoption of digital manufacturing techniques to the construction industry, with a focus on additive manufacturing. Although 3D printing for construction (3DPC) has notably advanced in recent years, publications on the subject are recent and date a growth in 2019, indicating that it is a promising technology as it enables greater efficiency with fair consumption of material, minimization of waste generation, encouraging the construction industrialization and enhancing and accelerating the constructive process. This new building system not only gives an optimization of the building process but provides a new approach to the building design materiality. The direct connection between design and manufacturing allows the reduction in the number of the various construction phases needed. It is opening a new and wide range of options both formal and chromatic in customization, avoiding complex formworks, reducing costs and manufacturing time. The creative process has a strict and direct link with the constructive process, straightening design with its materiality. Cement-based materials lead the way, but new alternatives are being explored to further reduce its carbon footprint. In order to leverage its sustainability and enhance the system capacity, initiatives are being pursued to allow the reduction of the use of PC. Geopolimers are taking the first steps in 3DPC. Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) materials are used to substitute natural aggregates. Even soil is being explored has a structural and aesthetic material. These research trends are opening a wider range of possibilities for architecture and design, broadening the spectrum of color, texture, and formal variations. The concern about textures and colours is not yet evident in many the structures already printed, opening the opportunity for future research. More can be done in the mixture and formal design of this building system, “discovering” other raw materials in others waste. This article aims to make a critical review of technologies, materials and methodologies to support the development of new sustainable materials to be used as a plastic element in the printed structure. A roadmap of 3D printing for construction is presented, and an approach on mix design, properties in the fresh and hardened state, highlighting the possibilities for obtaining alternative materials are pointed. With this review possible directions are presented to find solutions to enhance the sustainability of this system discovering “new” materiality for architecture and design.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Anica Dragutinovic, Wido Quist, Uta Pottgiesser
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 444-457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.11.004

    The article examines the existing infrastructure of open common spaces within two New Belgrade mass housing blocks (Blocks 23 and 70a) through a typo-morphological analysis. These spaces between the buildings, although the most neglected, underused, and deteriorated components of mass housing neighbourhoods, are at the same time crucial to the quality, vitality and integrated governance of these neighbourhoods. They represent the primary tangible commons in cities and neighbourhoods. The question of urban commons is increasingly present in scientific literature, urban and architectural discourse. Nevertheless, approaches exploring the spatiality of the urban commons are scarce, leading to insufficient understanding of the spatial aspect and potentials of the already existing commons. Therefore, this study includes (1) identification, typological decoding and classification of the common spaces, focusing on the case of New Belgrade blocks, followed by (2) analysis of the spatial patterns and integration of the identified spaces within the blocks. The study confirms the complexity and diverse typology of the common spaces. It finds that the in-between, common spaces contribute to higher integration of different segments of the blocks. The open common spaces have an essential role in humanisation of the blocks, and thus the quality of life in the blocks as integrated neighbourhoods. The findings indicate that the spatial setting of the open common spaces in New Belgrade blocks allows for (re)emergence of collective practices, leading to inclusive and integrated rehabilitation of the neighbourhoods.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Wenfang He, Zhenying Wu, Ran Jin, Jiaping Liu
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 556-574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.12.003

    Under the global crisis of energy shortage and environmental pollution, the climate responsive strategies used in vernacular buildings have attracted much attention for their potential to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. However, the relationships between these traditional climatic strategies were not precisely perceived, which may cause the inapplicability of these strategies for contemporary rural houses. In this paper, taking the Turpan vernacular buildings in arid region of China, the climate responsive strategies of buildings in the most significant periods such as the Gaochang period (before 1318), the Khanate and Republican period (1318–1949), the Modern period (1949–2010), and the Contemporary period (2011–present) were summarized. In addition, two different types of climatic strategies organizations, namely multilayer spaces and integrated building envelopes, were identified based on the temperature difference measurement and comparative analysis. The assessment of thermal performance of the organizations was conducted by the methodology of software simulation. Furthermore, the applicability of the organizations in rural areas was discussed, and a new combined organization was proposed. Consequently, this study can contribute to provide the main approaches for climatically responsive rural houses.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Ignacio-Javier Gil-Crespo, Concetta Cusano, Claudia Cennamo
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 308-318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.07.003

    The paper investigates the territorial layout of the fortified system of Naples that developed during the Spanish Vice Kingdom in the 16th-17th centuries.

    Both existing castles and towers, and constructions built for the purpose, were included in the system. The Tower of Nisida is one of the existing ancient towers that became part of the impressive 17th century defense system of Naples.

    The study focus is on the strategic importance acquired by Nisida and its Tower in those years, when it became a key location in the fortified system, both evidencing its cruciality through the study of the field of vision that widens from the location and dealing the issue with the point of view landscape and territorial defense, recalling the concept that the defense architecture is part of architectural heritage.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Chao Liu, Jian Tang
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 386-393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.08.002

    Existing studies on horizontal sunshade systems mainly focus on the influence of the sunshade on the room under or inside the sunshade systems. Meanwhile, the top surface of horizontal sunshade, especially those with mirror surface or made of metal, reflects solar radiation into the indoor and surroundings, resulting in “secondary reflection”. This paper mainly focuses on the influence of secondary reflection on the room above the sunshade, using Design-Builder software to conduct numerical simulation analysis and building architectural model for field measurement. Results from simulation and field measurement both prove that mirror materials increase secondary reflection reflected into the indoor. Moreover, results from experiments show that retroreflective materials decrease secondary reflection reflected into the indoor. At low latitude, the application of retroreflective materials on the top surface of horizontal sunshade effectively reduces the adverse influence of secondary reflection on the room above the sunshade.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Yuyang Wang, Andrew Crompton, Asterios Agkathidis
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 458-476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.12.004

    Hutong neighbourhoods, composed of Chinese courtyard dwellings (Siheyuan), are historically and socially significant urban spaces that embody the traditional Chinese way of life and philosophy. As part of the national heritage, there is an increasing research interest in Hutong neighbourhoods, many of which are facing oblivion. This study presents a formal grammar for Hutong neighbourhood generation. This research investigates traditional principles of urban planning of ancient Beijing, based on examples on the historical map Qianlong Jingcheng Quantu, to derive the lost design rules. These rules are used to build up a procedural modelling framework, which reveals the development of Beijing’s urban structure from the Yuan (1271–1368) to the Qing (1644–1911) dynasty. Our findings present a grammar incorporated into the procedural modelling framework to parametrically generate Hutong neighbourhoods, which replicates the morphological characteristics of historic cases. It contributes to the understanding of the generation of Hutong neighbourhoods. In support of heritage sustainability, this grammar can be implemented in a computational environment by visual scripting that enables the generation of new instances of Hutong neighbourhoods, both real and virtual.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Lina Sun
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(2): 319-336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.09.001

    This article investigates one of the earliest attempts to systematically construct a building tradition and incorporate it into modern Chinese architectural design. These efforts were put forth by Liang Sicheng (1901–1972), one of the most distinguished Chinese architects and architectural historians, in the 1920s and 1930s in China, informed by the strong collective intention to honour the Chinese past. This article provides a historical and critical reflection on this collective intention that is still shared nowadays by architects and architectural theorists.

    This article examines in depth the evolution of the different ways Liang used the building past and constructed the Chinese architectural traditions in different crucial stages of his architectural career in the 1920s and 1930s. It uses architectural drawing as both the research subject and the research method. Three of Liang’s representative drawings from these crucial professional stages are juxtaposed and investigated to reveal this evolution using the iconography and iconology method.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Ahlam Ammar Sharif
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 496-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.02.002

    New walking studies have been concerned with the multiplicity of pedestrian experiences. Some consider walking as an activity that unfolds as part of social life, allowing people to create relationships with others, where multiple walking types can be identified depending on these relations. Some contributions, inspired by actor-network theory (ANT), suggest understanding this activity through a networked perspective that associates human and non-human actors, with a focus on their various and dynamic relations between them. The focus on stabilized networks, which emphasizes the recurrence of these relations, helps in identifying and extending themultiplicity of walking activity experience and emerging types. Despite this potential, ANT contributions are still limited. This paper aims to present the ANT potential in unpacking the multiplicity of the walking activity. It utilizes the case of Dahiyat Al Hussain park in Jordan and applies an ANT-inspired ethnographic approach to unpackwalking. It uses desk research, in-depth interviews, go-along interviews, and observations to engage with participants’ views and experiences. By tracing the recurring relational patterns, the paper identifies three instances when walking practice can be considered as stabilized during network shaping, transformation, and interrelations. These stabilizations provide a nuanced perspective into the multiplicity of walking practices.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Antonio Jesús de-los-Aires-Solís, Francisco Gonzalez-Quintial
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 523-540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.12.005

    This paper describes a wood-wood spatial joining system adapted to digital fabrication which has been designated the “Spatial Masterkey”. The wood stereotomy of the joints between the different pieces that make up this joining system is inspired by a three-dimensional puzzle called “snowflake”. The production process used in the masterkey system can be carried out using only a 3-axis CNC milling machine—a relatively affordable and easily accessible tool. By using digital manufacturing for the execution of wood-wood joints, several benefits are obtained including faster machining and greater cutting precision and uniformity in the products produced. These advantages make this joining system both economically competitive and environmentally friendly. Additionally, the versatility of this joining system means that its configuration can be adapted to a wide range of casuistry of encounters between members, which means that it can be used for a number of spatial assemblies. This includes, but is not limited to, the spatial module presented in this document.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Benshuo Wang, Gamze Dane, Theo Arentze
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 509-522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.02.001

    Dedicated multi media platforms have the potential to enhance experiences and increase people’s awareness of cultural heritage. It is, however, not clear to what extent and by which functions these platforms accomplish this. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the influence of functionalities offered by a well-designed multi-media web-platform on the awareness and experience of cultural heritage. The multi media platform used is focused on Strijp-S, an industrial cultural heritage in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The platform was created as a prototype based on a study of users’ preferences for contents and media types offered. To collect data, a sample of 302 respondents used the platform to explore and view Strijp-S. To test assumed relationships between different functionalities, awareness and experience in an integrated fashion, the data are analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that information-collection funtionality plays a significant role in improving awareness of cultural heritage, whereas auxiliary functions are particularly helpful for enhancing experiences. The perceived helpfulness of these two sets of functions differ however between users depending on theitr level of prior knowledge. Policymakers and urban planners can use these results to create their own platform based on local heritage to increase the citizens’ awareness of cultural heritage.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Deniz Avci-Hosanli, Cansu Degirmencioglu
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.09.006

    This article examines Block A, the first block-style building in Heybeliada Sanatorium in Istanbul. The purpose of this research is to understand its architectural and spatial development and discuss how in fact it was a “prototype” of Turkish sanatoria. Approached with a three-step methodology (documentation/evaluation/results) this research conducts architectural and spatial analysis on Block A. Primary sources like architectural documentation and restitution drawings, the writings of the institution’s head doctor Tevfik Ismail Gökçe, periodicals on tuberculosis (TB), as well as pertinent literature are utilized. The findings demonstrate that Block A’s development (1924—1945) was the result of knowledge transfer that introduced the universal sanatorium design principles, spatial experiments, adaptation to sociocultural norms, and trial-and-error processes. Not only it had a major impact on shaping of the second block-type building in the complex, the “model” Block B, but it also became exemplary of the subsequent Turkish sanatoria. The originality of this article is its exploration of the changing and evolving Block A in its resonation with the cultural tensions of Turkey’s modernization process. This was established via the assessment of budgetary issues, medical developments and climatic experiments, the social issue of scarcity of TB beds in the country, spatial practices to separate the sexes as reflections of local traditions and culture in the shaping of spaces.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Raimundo Bambó Naya, Pablo de la Cal Nicolás, Carmen Díez Medina, Isabel Ezquerra, Sergio García-Pérez, Javier Monclús
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 477-495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.01.002

    The starting point of this research is the urban model promoted by the United Nations through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The importance of public spaces is especially highlighted in Goal 11.7: “provide universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible, green, and public spaces.” The quality of public spaces can be properly assessed by reconsidering the quality indicators and investigating their development potential, which is the main focus of our research. This study is based on a theoretical and methodological reflection on the quality of public space, considering the contributions of some contemporary urban traditions and a few recent experiences. From this perspective, a variety of public space projects developed in the European sphere have been selected and analyzed. The quality parameters identified in this initial analysis were then applied to the analysis of nine representative case studies in three Spanish cities (Madrid, Barcelona, and Zaragoza). The main goal is to propose a methodology that helps to evaluate the quality of those public spaces and determine its relationship with the safety, accessibility, and inclusiveness conditions they offer.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Nasim Eslamirad, Francesco De Luca, Kimmo Sakari Lylykangas, Sadok Ben Yahia
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2023, 12(3): 541-555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.12.001

    Predicting comfort levels in cities is challenging due to the many metric assessment. To overcome these challenges, much research is being done in the computing community to develop methods capable of generating outdoor comfort data. Machine Learning (ML) provides many opportunities to discover patterns in large datasets such as urban data. This paper proposes a data-driven approach to build a predictive and data-generative model to assess outdoor thermal comfort. The model benefits from the results of a study, which analyses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) urban simulation to determine the thermal and wind comfort in Tallinn, Estonia. The ML model was built based on classification, and it uses an opaque ML model. The results were evaluated by applying different metrics and show us that the approach allows the implementation of a data-generative ML model to generate reliable data on outdoor comfort that can be used by urban stakeholders, planners, and researchers.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Lizeth Félix, Mariel Organista
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 21-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.10.001

    This study reflects on the impact that the neighborhoods’ in-between spaces have on: spatial perception, social interaction, and security. These sites, characterized by their abandonment and deterioration, can also be seen as crucial spaces of opportunity for cities, in the architectural, urban and landscape research. This paper aims to analyze the sociospatial relationships in the neighborhoods’ in-between spaces and examine the impact of inbetween space configuration on urban habitability. The investigation draws on a survey of perception to residents about the requirements for a suitable social interaction in these spaces. This study was developed in a neighborhood in the city periphery, characterized by their social dynamics and location in a nature conservation area. The findings indicate that the appropriation process, activities, and collective practices are dependent on the spatial legibility, in this case when this increases, gives rise to improve the habitability and the rehabilitation of the in-between space. Furthermore, the lack of design on in-between spaces substantially affects the use of these spaces and the social interaction among residents.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Yongming Yang, Heejoon Whang
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 112-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.11.002

    The Republic of Korea has the highest suicide rate of older population among OECD countries, and depression is the prevailing factor. While it is well-known that the urban physical environment affects mental health, research on the physical characteristics of spaces remains limited. This study aims to explore relationship-oriented space characteristics that can form social networks and reduce depressive symptoms in older adults. After analyzing the differences in social interaction spaces between high-density and low-density areas for older adults in Seoul, we identified social interaction spaces (parks and traditional markets) that are frequently used based on on-site interview results. Two areas were selected for the questionnaire surveys. The main findings revealed that older adults living in areas with diverse spatial planning and close physical relationships between parks and traditional markets, convenient pedestrian environments, and lower population density of older adults had better social networks and lower depressive symptoms. More significantly, the physical characteristics of parks and traditional markets (convenient accessibility, maximized visibility, connectivity, and territoriality) significantly facilitate social interactions. Those engaging in social interactions within these spaces exhibited significantly better social networks and lower depressive symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of considering relationship-oriented space characteristics in spatial and urban planning.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    María J. Andrade, Eduardo Jiménez-Morales, Rachel Rodríguez-Ramos, Pablo Martínez-Ramírez
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 164-183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.09.005

    The progressive deindustrialisation of many western cities since the 1980s has led to many industrial zones linked to port activities being abandoned or falling into disuse. Cities such as Barcelona, Naples, Lisbon, Amsterdam, and Hamburg have port industrial complexes of high tangible and intangible heritage value that could totally or partially disappear, resulting in an irreparable loss of their scientific, architectural, social, technological, and historical values. With that in mind, Adaptive Reuse (AR) of the built heritage allows the industrial memory of the ports to be preserved by turning them into new functional centres within the existing urban structure. That occurs in the context of the contemporary challenges of those cities, such as touristification, the circular economy and climate change, while guaranteeing the life cycle of those buildings. This article analyses two case studies—the Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (NDSM) and the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) shipyards, both in the Netherlands—in order to contribute to the knowledge of AR of Port Industrial Heritage. They are two examples of good practices in port industrial heritage interventions, where the factors behind their acclaim can be easily highlighted. A multi-scale methodology is therefore used and tailored to the case of port industrial heritage, based on analysing previous studies of the heritage in different spheres and on different scales. A relationship matrix tool is thus defined. It enables a comparative study to be conducted, using key variables and indicators, and considering qualitative and quantitative data. That provides extensive output information for each case study, which is summarised in the most favourable factors for the success of the AR of this port industrial heritage.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Narmin Ariannia, Negar Naseri, Mansour Yeganeh
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 37-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.10.002

    The present research studies the relationship between place attachment and the perception of form’s visual quality in fifteen outstanding contemporary Iranian architectural cultural buildings. This study puts forward the hypothesis that there is a correlation between the quality of building form and the sense of place attachment, in the sense that creating high visual quality through enhancing the quality of building form increases citizens’ initial satisfaction with and subsequent attachment to the building. High visual quality influences people’s experience of the environment and improves the quality of life. Place attachment highlights how people, on a personal level, recreate a sense of place for themselves. The present study adopts the descriptive-analytical method as its theoretical framework and the survey as the empirical methodology. Questionnaires were developed using the Likert scale and distributed among experts and ordinary citizens. Data analysis using SPSS and the adoption of descriptive-analytical statistics, correlation analysis, and regression showed the relationship among the characteristics of indicators. The results show a positive correlation between form and place attachment mediated through visual quality, and they are causal conditions for one another. In addition, only some of the buildings under study evoke the same level of place attachment.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    G.R. Madhavan, Dorairaj Kannamma
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 184-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.10.004

    Urban agglomeration is a serious concern due to its high energy usage and impact on the local climate. Developing countries strive to determine the development path to optimize energy usage. The present study aims to examine the local climatic zones (LCZs) performance in warm and humid climate through a multi-objective approach for the residential sector. The performance is assessed by evaluating the urban microclimate and cooling load consumption for both summer and winter months using binomial logistic regression. The study concludes that LCZ 23 (compact mid-rise with open low-rise) and LCZ 6B (open low-rise with scattered trees) perform better for 80% and 50% of total hours in warm and humid climate. It also proves the presence of significant performance differences between mid-rise and low-rise zones. The intra-zonal differences between the climatic variables are higher than the inter-zonal differences due to the impact of land surface temperature (LST). The high aspect ratio and low sky view factor of LCZ 23 help the residents in that morphology in enhancing better thermal comfort and reducing cooling load consumption. The present study contributes to building regulation policymakers by providing information on the suitable morphology for warm and humid climate.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Raziyeh Rezadoost Dezfuli, Mohammad Mehrakizadeh, Behnaz Safar Ali Najar, Hassan Bazazzadeh, Mohammadjavad Mahdavinejad
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 57-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.09.007

    Due to the importance of the historical context of Dezful City, investigating historic buildings is necessary. But unfortunately, a large part of it is being destroyed. For this reason, it is essential to discover the guidelines and logic behind the architectural design of these buildings to help their reconstruction or restoration. Regrettably, there is no logical information about the components of this context and the reconstructions are usually done according to taste and based on architecture tested or personal preference. Therefore, it is necessary to find a logic behind these critical components that support the whole plan or parts of it in a particular style. The purpose of this research is to discover and find the logic behind the design of this building in the historical context of Dezful. Finding geometrical proportions can significantly help to reconstruct buildings better and more accurately. For this purpose, 30 historical houses of Dezful were randomly selected, and their input information was drawn in 2D form in AutoCAD. Then, the length, width, and height proportions were measured, and the obtained ratios were compared with the golden proportions and dynamic rectangles. This paper studies entrance based on ratios of $\sqrt 2$, $\sqrt 3$, $\sqrt 4$, $\sqrt 5$, $\sqrt {1.25}$ and φ (the golden section). The results show that golden proportions and proportions derived from dynamic rectangles are present in the wording of all cases. Moreover, the range of ratios in the plan is from 1.34 to 2, and the content of changes in the section is from 1.22 to 2. The results can help architects, and particularly building owners, to reconstruct based on existing logic by discovering the proportions of the entrances of the houses. It is possible to administer a part of the damaged tissue and estimate its dimensions and sizes because the proportions’ completeness can help revive half-destroyed historical buildings.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Zakaria Djebbara, Juliet King, Amir Ebadi, Yoshio Nakamura, Julio Bermudez
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 97-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.10.005

    This paper takes initial steps towards developing a theoretical framework of contemplative neuroaesthetics through sensorimotor dynamics. We first argue that this new area has been largely omitted from the contemporary research agenda in neuroaesthetics and thus remains a domain of untapped potential. We seek to define this domain to foster a clear and focused investigation of the capacity of the arts and architecture to induce phenomenological states of a contemplative kind. By proposing a sensorimotor account of the experience of architecture, we operationalize how being attuned to architecture can lead to contemplative states. In contrasting the externally-induced methods with internally-induced methods for eliciting a contemplative state of mind, we argue that architecture may spontaneously and effortlessly lead to such states as certain built features naturally resonate with our sensorimotor system. We suggest that becoming sensible of the resonance and attunement process between internal and external states is what creates an occasion for an externallyinduced contemplative state. Finally, we review neuroscientific studies of architecture, elaborate on the brain regions involved in such aesthetic contemplative responses, provide architectural examples, and point at the contributions that this new area of inquiry may have in fields such as the evidence-based design movement in architecture.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Duy Thinh Do, Duy Thao Do
    Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2024, 13(1): 144-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.10.003

    Human activities on street spaces are affected by both physical and non-physical settings on streets. These two aspects are primarily impacted by land use which results in the uneven distribution of different activities on streets. This research investigates land use patterns and their characteristics in association to user’s behaviors. By using mixed qualitative and quantitative research methods, e.g., place-centered behavioral map, observation, visual encounter surveys, machine learning, the relationship between user’s behavior and land use characteristics along the street is unveiled. All user behaviors along both types of streets were classified into six main categories, with 26 subcategories. The observation results show that the residential use of land along the street was transformed into the commercial use for various types of shophouses based on the resident’s ideas. There is a great correlation between land use and user’s activities. These findings give support to authorities to manage urban streets and develop a sustainable policy for improving street spaces. Further, this research contributes useful information to urban designers and planners in creating a successful street space that is appropriate for the Vietnam Community.