International Journal of

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

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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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The demand for energy has increased all over the world, and the construction industry makes up a high percentage of energy consumption. Different design components, construction, and exploitation regarding the field of construction energy consumption and the drive towards sustainability have been taken into consideration; however, energy conservation with an emphasis on the user's behaviors has been ignored. The purpose of this research is to provide a quantitative definition of the impact of behavior on energy consumption in three residential, institutional, and educational occupancies in one apartment through survey and simulation. In this research, by allocating three different occupancies to one building in Qom, the cooling and heating loads for each occupant have been compared in a one-year interval. First, the building modeling was carried out in Ecotet software and put in Energyplus software. Then by assuming a single building and describing three different patterns of using the space in Energyplus, the outcomes were compared. The results show that the reduction or increase in energy consumption in each occupancy was influenced by the number of users and the patterns of their activities or clothing. Reducing the duration of presence or changing the work hours in warm seasons of the year can significantly help reduce energy consumption in educational and institutional occupancies in hot and dry climates. The residential users' economic motives can be one of the reasons for reduced energy consumption in residential occupancies, compared to institutional occupancies.

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Temporary accommodation is a necessary measure for various purposes that can be used by the homeless after events such as floods, earthquakes, and wars. Depending on the location of the disaster, temporary shelter users may have different groups of people with different attitudes and social, cultural, and climatic conditions. The incompatibility of the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of temporary housing with the conditions leads to the dissatisfaction of the users and increases the psychological consequences of the disaster for them. Hence, the concept of flexibility in such situations is proposed to solve current problems and increase the responsiveness and desirability of temporary housing. The main question of the article is how to design flexible temporary housing with the help of digital tools. This paper seeks to provide a flexible physical model for improving the quality of temporary accommodation and responding to the different needs of different residents through digital tools. To achieve the goal and solve major problems in the design of temporary housing, digital design techniques can be very useful because the subject of the design has many limitations and expectations.
This is a practical study and a review of the literature and its theoretical foundations have been prepared through library documents and research. According to the studies and components obtained from the literature review, a parametric and modular design approach to achieve a flexible physical model through a user-friendly method is proposed. From both design and evaluation perspectives, the Space Syntax Toolkit is used to obtain diagrams and basic information for designing responsive designs in terms of social and cultural components, and the Galapagos and Grasshopper plugins in the Rhinoceros environment for optimization. The minimum and standard dimensions of the Ladybug and Bee plugin are also used in the Grasshopper environment for climatic evaluation of the proposed physical models in the four cities of Tabriz, Tehran, Yazd, and Bandar Abbas.
The results of this article indicate that the rectangular modules with an area of 6 square meters have the maximum ability to provide different patterns for the temporary housing plan according to the needs and tastes of users. Expandable modules are also an effective solution for the optimal use of the minimum dimensions in the plan, which can meet the climate needs according to the climate data of the four cities.
 

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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 advent of modernity in Iran weakened many structures and practices, including social hangouts in cities; therefore, the public was cynical about this space. While hangouts, as a third-place and public space in a city, promote social capital, vibrant centers, and citizenship education, Tehran Daneshjoo Park, as a public space with an urban scale and physical and social features, can also be considered a hangout for various social groups. The present study seeks to identify hangouts and factors affecting their formation, continuity, or fading in this space. Accordingly, documentaries were investigated via a descriptive-survey method. Then, interviews with space users at different times and with observation instruments such as photography and behavioral mapping were employed. The results showed a hangout for artists and art lovers, vendors, and food vendors, students and young women, people with sexual identity disorders, addicts and drug dealers, and the elderly. Also, functional components such as geographical location, urban theater building, and its architectural type, platforms and stair space structure, water pool, urban furniture, enclosure in space, social components such as the presence of social observers, drug distribution, and street peddler are effective in creating and the continuation of these hangouts. Most of these hangouts are formed as part of open space with a trans-regional scale.
 

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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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Urban green spaces provide a context where constant association with these spaces can result in reducing the incidence or diminishing the effect of many diseases. Different studies assessed the relationship between using urban green spaces and health benefits considering influential quantitative aspects. This research tries to look differently at this issue by connecting the urban green spaces qualitative aspects and their influence on encouraging individuals to use green spaces more frequently. For this purpose, the present study employs questionnaire-based interviews (no. 336) in two city parks in Urmia, Iran (The City Park and the Coastal Park) to collect the required information for assessing the interviewees’ physical and psychological health levels. The relationships between the hypotheses are later studied using SPSS analytical software. The results showed that relationships were found between using the parks and having better psychological health conditions, but no relationship was found between the duration of physical activity in the park and having better physiological health. The assessment of the obtained data emphasizes the importance of the park characters and features that lead people to engage with specific activities which cause certain health benefits as a result of that activity. The results highlight the importance of developing green infrastructures in today’s urban areas.
 

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The damages of COVID-19 to people's lives have highlighted the need for the usage of technologies to improve health. For this purpose, the identification of available technologies could facilitate the fight against COVID-19. This manuscript aims to explore the effective technologies existing in the literature on Interactive Architecture because these technologies are embedded in the daily life of individuals to respond to the real-time needs of people. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, with no time and paper type limitations. Selected papers were categorized based on their content. Also, the guidelines for combating COVID-19 (based on the WHO and the national government tips) were reviewed and categorized. Afterward, the papers that shared the same themes by guidelines were selected to extract the technologies introduced in them. Finally, usage has been proposed for each of the technologies. Also, we examined the effectiveness of the technologies in the proposed sectors by asking about the experts' viewpoints. As result, we found that interactive ventilation, flexible walls, and eHealth technologies could be effective for the promotion of physical health during COVID-19. In that vein, interactive installations (such as interactive furniture) could improve mental health during quarantine by extending the space and providing the opportunity to connect with the outside world. Also, the virtual education environment was the most effective technology for education challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

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Small Urban Parks (SUP) are vital parts of cities that can enhance the quality of the public environment. Visual Preferences (VP) in SUPs, which consist of diverse stimuli, are affected by multisensory perception, including the combination of auditory, olfactory, and tactile stimuli. However, the relationship between sensory stimuli integration (sound, smell, touch) and people’s VP has been neglected during the design process, which can influence the assessment of an environmental aesthetic and preferences. The main objective of the present study is to evaluate how multisensory can affect the VP of visitors through textual and photo questionnaires. Structural Equations Model and Regression were studied on 394 participants, chosen from 16 SUPs located in different parts of Tabriz, Iran. Results identified the “Human and Natural sounds, Human-Body and Natural smells” as influential factors on visitors’ VP; however, touch stimuli had no significant impact. In this regard, paying attention to the visitors’ experience of Natural Sound-Smell Stimuli and the Human-body Sound-Smell Stimuli are essential in designing SUPs. The outcomes of the current research provide a guideline for city planners and landscape designers regarding the relationship between senses and their practical implications in SUPs in order to promote people’s VP and visitation.
 

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Urban squares reflect urban planning cultures, and also to some extent even a reflection of overall nations’ cultures. Squares are microcosms of urban life, offering excitement and repose, markets and public ceremonies, a place to meet friends and watch the world go by. They have been shaped by popular whims, by topography and architectural fashion. Some grew piecemeal; others were planned at a stroke, as a symbol of power or the foundation stone of a new development. Here in this study effort is made to compare two selected cases from two different cultures, West vs. East - Savanna, Georgia, USA vs. Hamadan, Iran. In this comparison, the indicators of the biophilic city (pedestrian, nature-friendly, accessible and sociable city) have been considered. Descriptive analytical method was used to collect and classify the indicators and space syntax theory was used to analyze and compare the placing pattern of squares in urban contexts. The method of data collection was library and field survey and data analysis tool were UCL Depthmap software. The study of biophilic city in the two studied cities revealed differences and similarities that are effective in increasing theoretical understanding, recognizing anomalies and understanding how indicators work in these two different urban structures and contexts.

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Neighborhood parks are important as spaces of residential neighborhoods where part of the daily interactions of residents take place. Hence, the study of environmental quality of the behavioral settings in which they are formed can be considered a suitable indicator to measure environmental quality with behavioral patterns. In order to intervene or adopt strategies in the design and planning of neighborhood parks, behavioral settings offer appropriate indicators. The present study has a combined strategy (qualitative and case study) with an analytical-descriptive approach. The paper evaluates the quality of behavioral settings in a selected neighborhood park (SEKONJ of Shiraz) in three steps. In the first step, the basics and conceptual framework are discussed and in the next step, two components, namely physical (welfare, recreational facilities, and site features) and social (social interactions) are introduced to measure the quality of the setting in neighborhood parks. In the third step of the research, two tactics of semi-structured interview (40 participants) and behavioral mapping (using filming and observation techniques) are used together to collect data. In addition, in this stage using the components expressed in the second step, the quality of behavioral settings in the selected neighborhood park is analyzed. The results of the findings indicate that there is some synomorphy between the behavioral pattern of “recreation” and the physical environment, but the behavioral pattern of “children's play” is not consistent with the physical milieu. Finally, planning and design guidelines and strategies to improve the environmental quality of neighborhood parks are proposed.

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This study analyzes the post-globalization reconciliation in architectural ideologies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). UAE experienced an unprecedented boom in urban development starting from the later half of last century mainly due to the unparallel economic growth in their history. This brought in star architects around the world who contributed in designing large scale buildings there. Considered as the globalization in architecture, this trend produced some exceptional stand out buildings boasting of dazzling philosophical back stories. However, after the initial burst, there has been some noticeable evolution in the ideologies. The concept of globalization faced the pressure of localization. There have been a significant number of studies on these new buildings. But they mostly talked either about the philosophies of the star architects or about the mesmerizing architectural and engineering details. Only a few research have been done on the reconciliation and evolution of the ideologies through time. This study attempted to draw attention to certain ideological evolution that have been evident by analyzing certain large scale new buildings. Socio-semiotic theory have been used as the analytic method, by which, hermeneutic interpretation was drawn after investigating the expressive and explicit architectural elements of the buildings. Categorical and purposive sampling have been used to select the precedents. Data was collected through archival records, books, and various electronic resources. After rigorous investigation, this study found several ‘localization’ ideologies significantly reacting to the initial ideology of globalization. This study concludes that though this kind of reaction may not be an unheralded one, however, the grandness of those new buildings has given the ideologies a new dimension. It remains to be an interesting question where this ideological transformation will head to.      
 

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For years, research on daylight in work environments with different climates has been important for researchers to distribute light evenly in the indoor space in order to create a healthy work environment and visual comfort. This study examines the effect of horizontal and vertical shading devices, the depth and distance of louvres on daylight with the aim of increasing DLA (daylight autonomy) for Abrisham tower in Tabriz, Iran. As input parameters the depth of louvres was considered 5 and 15 cm and their distance were considered 150 and 200 cm. Modeling was performed in Rhinoceros software and the Simulation was done in Grasshopper plugin to control the geometric parameters and with the help of ladybug and honeybee plugins. The multi-objective simulation tool, octopus was used to optimizing. Results show that vertical louvers caused more light reduction. Furthermore, the simulation effects of shaders parameter's include depth and distance being examined and analyzed, it seemed that the distance between louvers in this case and in Tabriz is more important variable and moreover, using reflective material or coating on louver’s surface as there are many weeks are overcasting theirs in Tabriz can help and improve internal light autonomy. The optimal cases that were obtained for north façade windows are horizontal louvres with a depth of 5 and a distance of 190 cm and vertical louvres with a depth of 15 cm and a distance 200 cm. In south facade are horizontal louvres with a depth of 13 and a distance of 161 cm and vertical louvres with a depth of 14 cm and a distance of 153 cm.

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In recent years, optimizing the energy consumption of buildings has become one of the important environmental and economic goals in sustainable architecture and urban planning. A group of factors affecting the energy consumption of buildings is their physical characteristics and form. In this regard, in the present research, the effect of volumetric porosity in high-rise buildings on their energy consumption has been investigated. The purpose of this research is to explain the correlation between the volumetric porosity of a building, as an independent variable, and its cooling and heating load, as a dependent variable, in a high-rise residential complex in Tehran. In this regard, first, a modular-generative model has been created in the Grasshopper plugin of Rhino software, which can create a porosity of 0 to 50% parametrically. Then, the cooling and heating load of each of the produced models in the city of Tehran and on the June 21 (summer solstice) and December 21 (winter solstice) were calculated using the Honeybee plugin, with standard settings. The data obtained from the simulation were entered into the SPSS software environment and the correlation test of the percentage of volume porosity and energy consumption was performed on the two aforementioned dates in Tehran. In order to validate the research method, this process was performed in 3 other climatic zones of Iran and the findings were compared with other studies in this field. The results of this research showed that the increase in porosity, assuming the number of modules is kept constant (the total volume of the building remains constant) and the site coverage ratio - as is common and inevitable in high-rise buildings - have a significant positive correlation with increased energy consumption in high-rise residential buildings in Tehran.

 

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In the current study, an endeavor is undertaken to formulate specific recommendations for the design of facades pertaining to infill buildings situated in the proximity of valuable urban Qajar residences within the Mazandaran province. The conspicuous lack of such directives within the regulatory framework of this region is noteworthy. The imposition of guidelines pertaining to façade design is imperative to establish visual congruence between contemporary structures and historical Qajar edifices in the urban landscapes of Mazandaran province. The present investigation employs a comprehensive approach, integrating both the interpretive-historical strategy and the logical argumentation strategy. A scrutiny of 30 valuable urban Qajar residences in Mazandaran province is conducted, wherein their distinctive features are systematically classified under eight discernible categories. Subsequently, a conceptual framework is developed by leveraging Semes' design strategies model and drawing inspiration from Groat's theoretical framework. Concurrently, the practicalities inherent in Mazandaran's urban conservation system are taken into consideration. This conceptual framework serves as the foundation for the articulation of facade design recommendations, delineating acceptable design methodologies for its constituent elements. Within this framework, a concerted effort is exerted to advocate conservative strategies for the macro elements of facade design, juxtaposed with latitude for more abstract approaches when addressing the micro elements. It is noteworthy that the intentional opposition approach is deemed unsuitable. Ultimately, drawing upon typological analyses of the compiled samples and adhering to the established framework, a series of recommendations for facade design is proffered. This study serves as a foundational step toward the formulation of design guidelines tailored to the historic districts of Mazandaran.

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Urban squares are pivotal in 21st-century cities, serving as communal hubs where individuals experience a genuine sense of belonging and community. However, recent redesigns of several squares in Iran have fallen short of expected quality standards. This inadequacy may stem from the prevalent reliance on design ideas shaped by casual observations and designers' personal experiences. While these observations and experiences hold significance, they lack the depth required to comprehend the intricacies of a successful urban square. A profound understanding of the relationship between a space's social and physical aspects and the activities therein necessitates tapping into the community's attitudes toward these spaces. Hence, the central aim of this study is an in-depth exploration of the multi-dimensionality inherent in people/space interaction, considering it as an attitude concept. To accomplish this, a meticulously chosen sample of five urban squares in Tehran serves as the focal point. Employing a 12-item scale, the study seeks to elucidate individuals' interactions with these urban squares and discern the features that resonate most strongly with them. Rigorous testing on a sample of 411 citizens who regularly utilize these Tehran urban squares ensures the scale's reliability and validity. The analysis of the data unveiled three discernible constructs governing individuals' interaction with urban squares, constituting their attitude concept: affective, cognitive, and conative. However, a nuanced hierarchy emerged, with the affective and cognitive constructs assuming higher importance compared to the moderately significant behavioral construct. Additionally, there were moderate correlations observed among these constructs. In the exploration of established psychological models on place, structural equation modeling (SEM) was instrumental. The Higher-Order model emerged as fitting, effectively capturing the intricate interplay between individuals and urban spaces. These findings bear significant implications for the design and management of urban squares. The key takeaway is the necessity of formulating tailored outreach policies and plans that prioritize elements resonating with users on an affective and cognitive level, shifting away from a sole reliance on instrumental responses tied to practical needs

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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.