International Journal of

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One of the main architectural characteristics in the central area of Iran is the relation between life and climatic conditions; e.g., the four-seasonal house which is a typical kind of the central-yard house. As the climate of Isfahan is more pleasant than other desert regions in the central part of Iran, wind towers are replaced with skylights to ventilate the pool area of hoze-khane. So far, several researches have been carried out to study the stack effect characteristics and to review wind tower performance. In this paper, a case study is carried out to investigate the effect of the skylight of Mosaver-al-Molki house on the flow pattern and natural ventilation. The performance of skylight on the internal air flow patterns as an effective tool in improving the natural ventilation is investigated by using the Ansys Fluent software. Other elements which have been discussed in this paper are the vault and the columns. These elements have a distinguished effect on distribution of inlet streams in different parts of the hoze-khane. Analysis of the simulation results were obtained for wind velocities of 2.5 m/s and 8 m/s. The numerical results show that wind speed of 2.5 m/s has better performance than wind speed of 8 m/s in terms of ventilation.

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Environmental problems caused by fossil fuel consumption, on the one hand, and the upcoming prospect of ending these fuels on the other, attracted much attention towards sustainable architecture. Traditional buildings can be seen as a sample of sustainability; as they have used strategies to cope with the environment, which have been developed over the years, providing users’ comfort conditions for centuries. But before implementing these strategies in today buildings, we need to know the exact effect of their use; something that is regularly performed by an energy simulation software. Thus, first, we should know the ability of the software in modeling different design strategies, and secondly we should be certain of the validation of its results. This research aims to study the ability of DesignBuilder software (as one of the most applied software for building energy simulation) to model and simulate a complex traditional building. The accuracy of DesignBuilder thermal simulation results, in comparison with the experimental data is the main question of this study. To do this, Rasoulian house in Yazd (in hot and arid climate of Iran) was chosen as a case study and after simulating the entire building, the simulation results were compared with experimental measurement data. The results show that in most spaces, the experimental data were only 1–5°C different from the results of the simulation. Finally, the probable causes of these differences were analyzed and some suggestions were proposed to develop DesignBuilder, to be more applicable in simulating buildings of hot and arid climate.

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Wind as an atmospheric element has some annoying aspects, therefore, controlling it and reducing its speed is one of the most important matters, which should be examined in landscape engineering. Natural windbreaks such as rows of trees with different gap distances between them are used to decrease wind velocity. The current study numerically investigates the effect of trees with irregular canopy form on wind speed reduction in urban open spaces and green belts. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate airflow through the trees as 3D forms. Quercus sp. is chosen as a typical tree with irregular crown shape. The influence of some criteria such as; 1. Number of tree rows, 2. Gaps between trees, 3. Trees arrangement patterns, and 4. Height levels on wind speed reduction are examined at this study.  According to the results, the best reduction is observed for the heights above 5 meters with 0.50 m gap distance between trees. The results also reveal that rectangular two-row arrangement of trees with irregular forms is more effective than the other arrangements in reducing wind velocity.

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Nowadays, due to rapid urbanization, People can’t participate in outdoor activities. On the other hand, environmental issues such as climate change and heat stress have caused thermal dissatisfaction for users. In this regard, studying outdoor environments becomes crucial. In the present historical context, lack of responsive urban layout consequences not only morphological problems but also causes thermal dissatisfaction during the passages. The present study aims to find the responsive layout pattern for providing an approximate outdoor thermal comfort based on local criteria and limitations in summer and winter; which requires the minimum intervention in the current context.  In this regard, we intend to represent three basic street patterns (Linear, Grid, and Circular) as alternative designs and attempt to localize them with the current urban layout. For analyzing the prototypes, we used Envi-met Beta software to compare the average amount of climatic factors, orientation, and H/W ratio for the alternatives. In addition, the PMV factor (=Predicted Mean Vote Model) was used as a measurement index of outdoor thermal comfort. According to the outcomes, the Radial pattern with dominant NE-SW oriented passages prepares adequate solar energy in the winter. Also, it could balance the high radiation during the summer, whereby provides optimal thermal satisfaction in both hot and cold seasons.

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Energy-efficient buildings reduce energy demand. The parameters of the building envelope, as an interface between the interior of the building and the outdoor environment, can greatly influence energy consumption. The main objective of this study is to ‎optimize the parameters of buildings’ envelopes for reducing energy consumption while ‎considering‏ ‏the common style of architectural design in cold-dry regions. The case study research methodology is used to investigate the effect of various openings characteristics on the energy performance of the building. This paper studied one of the stories of a high-rise residential building as the case study and component blocks were used for the rest of the stories. To find an ‎energy-efficient model for the buildings’ façade, considering the effective parameters, ‎numerous simulations were performed by the EnergyPlus as an energy simulation engine. The factors analyzed in this article included the type of glazing, the type of window frame, the window-to-wall ratio (WWR), and shading placement. The results show that a combination of Low-E ‎glazing ‎ and Argon gas with a 5.98% reduction, a UPVC window frame with a 0.36% ‎reduction, a WWR of 30% with a 1.57% increase, an overhang shading with 20cm thickness ‎and 15cm depth with a 1.12% reduction in annual energy consumption can cause a total ‎reduction of 2.45% in annual energy consumption compared to the initial model.‎‏ ‏These ‎changes did not compromise the required lighting for the interior spaces while reducing the ‎energy consumption of the building.

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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 recent times, DT technology has emerged to act as a potential facilitator in conceptualizing a sustainable smart city, thereby allowing virtual models to be integrated seamlessly into the physical environment. This paper tends to explore the contribution of DT in urban planning, management, and optimization processes in regards to contemporary trends on sustainability and enhancement of livability within smart city paradigms. DT technology replicates systems, processes, or infrastructures and allows simulation of minute details through extensive analysis and real-time monitoring. DT bridges the gap between virtual and physical spaces, offering data-informed insights to policymakers, urban planners, among other stakeholders, in optimizing urban systems, enhancing resource efficiency, and making better decisions within the paradigm of urban management. The study then enumerates several DT applications; among them are traffic management, environmental monitoring, and emergency response. These represent potential alleviation to urban problems and increasing the quality of life in citizens. On the other hand, DT deployment in urban environments faces challenges related to data privacy and interoperability aspects, which require high infrastructural costs and cooperative solutions. This is further entrenched through the use of case studies and literature reviews that substantiate the potential of DT in guiding cities toward a more sustainable and resilient future by dynamically fostering responsive smart cities that address environmental and social imperatives.
 

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The utilization of natural ventilation in urban canyons plays a substantial role in lessening energy consumption and heat island effects. Determining the appropriate street canyon form is then very influential. In this study, Ansys Fluent was used to numerically measure airflow, heat transfer, and solar radiation in five three-dimensional urban environments with aspect ratios (3, 2, 1, 2/3, 1/3). The 𝑘−𝜀 turbulence model was used for the initial modeling and large eddy simulation of the final one. Three types of materials (gray aluminum composite, gray concrete, and white stone chipping) were considered for buildings and asphalt as ground material. The results showed that increasing the building surface fraction increased the walls’ average temperature and decreased the walls’ net longwave flux for three material types. Moreover, the aspect ratio was directly related to the average wall temperature and inversely related to the net long-wave flux of walls. Furthermore, the results showed that eddy height tracked the street canyon height at different aspect ratios. Comparisons also revealed that the magnitude of the vortices generated next to the buildings is approximately the same for the three materials

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This study explores older adults’ perceptions of open-space landscaping in nursing homes, focusing on the psychological underpinnings of their preferences. A photo-based questionnaire employing the Content Identification Method (CIM) was administered to 277 residents of the Khooban Nursing Home in Tabriz. The instrument included three sections: demographic information, dependent variables, and visual imagery of the facility. Findings indicated that respondents highly valued "viewing green spaces was reported to provide comfort" and, in terms of safety, emphasized the importance of "appropriate flooring". Additionally, "having comfortable seating within green areas" emerged as the top priority. Factor analysis identified four key spatial dimensions—complexity, mystery (α = 0.71), prospect (α = 0.63), and refuge—with complexity receiving the highest mean preference rating (3.96 out of 5). Participants also expressed a strong appreciation for landscapes that evoke a "sense of comfort". In terms of visual quality indicators, preferences were ranked in the order of prospect, mystery, complexity, and refuge. These findings can be of interest to landscape architects and urban designers to create appropriate spaces based on the preferences of older adults in nursing homes.
 

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Landscape architecture confronts multifaceted challenges—from rapid urbanization and climate change to the complexity of managing large-scale ecological data—demanding advanced assessment methods to guide sustainable design and planning. As technological innovations reshape analytical capacities, this systematic review explores how emerging digital tools are enhancing landscape assessment across diverse domains. A comprehensive literature search across multiple databases initially identified 482 articles. Using the PRISMA methodology, a rigorous screening process narrowed this to 92 studies for in-depth analysis. This review categorizes landscape assessment into four key domains: visual, psychological, spatial, and ecological. It further organizes simulation methods into four distinct groups and classifies applied technologies into three primary categories: data management, visual and neuroscience applications, and photogrammetry.
By systematically comparing technological methods, assessment indicators, and software applications across these classifications, this study offers evidence-based guidance for landscape architects in selecting context-appropriate tools. Findings indicate notable advancements in objective assessment technologies—particularly in spatial and ecological domains—while highlighting ongoing challenges in integrating subjective human dimensions, such as psychological perception, into digital frameworks. The proposed taxonomy serves as a practical decision-making roadmap, enabling professionals to align simulation techniques and technological tools with specific evaluation goals—whether addressing visual impacts, social dynamics, ecological processes, or spatial configurations. Beyond mapping current technological trends, this review identifies critical gaps and opportunities at the intersection of landscape architecture and digital innovation, pointing to essential directions for future research and practice.