Parametrising Historical Islamkoy Courtyard-Dwellings: Spatial Quality Parameters and Examination Based on AHP Method

Throughout the historical process humans have shaped the environment that they lived in and developed it according to their needs. The living culture has been formed with various spatial setups in dwellings which are the most basic habitats of humankind. Today, functionality comes into prominence in this living culture which is referred to as traditional dwellings. This shows that the continuity is ensured by presenting mass and cultural harmony between spatial setups and the garden and neighboring dwelling relations. Amongst the traditional dwellings, Turkish house is also considered as an important example, which provides continuity with its diverse plan organizations and spatial characteristic. The courtyard character in traditional dwellings is the space that is effective in the organization of spatial which sheds light on present day with various parameters. This is because the dwelling is located in the courtyard. Moreover, the courtyard, which starts with the entrance and where the households carry out their daily lives, is very significant for the Turkish dwelling as it contains both natural and cultural characteristics. The traditional dwellings of the village of Islamköy, which is located in the Atabey district in Isparta province of Turkey, are discussed within the scope of the study, which examines how the concept of courtyard that contains the functional and aesthetic values of the Turkish dwelling, forms various plan organizations and spatial characters in many cultures, affects the spatial quality. Spatial quality parameters were examined on five second-degree registered traditional dwellings located on Okul Street in the Islamköy village. Three basic principles have been determined which are functional, aesthetic and ecological and the sub-parameters of these determined principles have been introduced with the information and documents obtained from the literature. The AHP method was used to determine the priorities of the parameters in this direction. Thus, taking into account the spatial quality parameters, the priority parameters of the courtyard character in the traditional dwellings of Islamköy were determined

Building Energy Codes: Reviewing the Status of Implementation Strategies in the Global South

The public understanding of climate change, methods, mitigation, adaptation and the reason behind it have been investigated in developed countries. The current knowledge levels in the Global South remains limited, this while countries forming part of the Global South are more vulnerable to resultant effects of global warming. This requires the urgent attention by both citizens, who lack relevant information as well as decision makers lacking environmental literacy to establish long-term sustainable strategies. With just 9 years left, the probability of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is unlikely and will require the complete redevelopment of the building sector. Focusing on the built environment, this paper uses contemporary definitions of the Global South to establish the contribution, significance and lack of energy efficiency mechanisms in the face of climate change. A combination of literature, desk research and data gathering from various sources are employed to establish the contribution of the Global South built environment to climate change. Using Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions, 2050 urban population figures and distinctive climatic regions as basis, this study selected the largest role players to establish the status, extent and efficacy of building energy codes. The review point towards a built environment lacking the necessary building energy codes, with approximately 47% of selected Global South countries not implementing any form of building energy efficiency regulations or related policies. As part of the recommendations, Global South countries lacking the necessary regulations are encouraged to revise, update or adopt possible best practice standards from relevant countries that implement mandatory building energy codes. This study aims to address the gap in knowledge, establish a way forward and facilitate a larger implementation of building energy codes and strategies in the Global South

Biomimetic Architecture Towards Bio Inspired Adaptive Envelopes: In Case of Plant Inspired Concept Generation

In recent decades, the value of architecture become more due to its importance for reducing detrimental effects on the environment and natural capital. To minimize the building's impact on the environment, architectural designs should be highly incorporated into the environment rather than behaving as a separate element focused on a single issue. To address this problem, different methods and design approaches have been introduced. However, exploring the natural solutions for survival can provide invaluable data which can address the human-caused problems. Throughout decades, nature has been survived and evolved. Biological solutions due to their adaptability and multi-functionality are great source of inspiration. This article with help of content analysis method aims to review the concept of biomimetic design in architecture. And proposes plant-inspired solutions for envelope design which can play significant role on buildings’ energy efficiency. Thus, the plant-inspired concepts to be integrated on adaptive envelopes were studied. And a framework for concept generation introduced. Furthermore, a case study on an existing building envelope in the Mediterranean climate region presented and two plant-inspired techniques proposed and conceptually applied.

A Study On Inter- Relationship Of Open Space And Social Cohesion For Wellbeing Of Elderly: A Systematic Literature Review

Social cohesion in public open spaces has been recommended as one of the key elements for improving the wellbeing of the elderly. Social cohesion includes relational elements and individuals' feeling of association. Over the past few decades, increasing social interaction in the neighbourhood is part of larger urban areas and has been regarded as one of the social sustainability initiatives and plays an important role in megacities sustainability. Comprehending place attachment is necessary to enhance elderly people's interactions to make them self-reliant. The study aims to identify the characteristics of open spaces with their major influential factors for enhancing social cohesion for the well-being of the elderly in an urban residential environment through a systematic literature review. The study focuses on addressing three research questions and analysing its results from primary literature studies in the review process. Ten electronic databases were searched for relevant work from papers written in English between 2011 and 2021. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies were included. A narrative synthesis was carried out of published works to address the research questions after identifying the various characteristics. The review, which includes 57 published papers, found that the Open spaces are ideally characterized by accessibility, walkability, reduced fear and security, built environment characteristics, landscape elements, climate, best practices, and New Urbanism principles. On the other hand, social cohesion is influenced by activities, safety and security, public places, accessibility, natural elements, noise levels, vehicular interruptions, dimensions and geometry, climate, and physical amenities. A conceptual framework relating to open space attributes and social cohesion is proposed as the finding of the research. Prioritizing the attributes based on the physical, behavioural, and psychological needs of the elderly to keep them active in their aging process could be the further scope of research in this direction.

Personality and Walkability: Predicting Walking Behaviour in Urban Settings using the Higher Order Factors of the Big Five amongst Malaysian Adults

Walkability has now been a popular policy to be adopted in the city centre as traffic congestion and inefficient public transportation have affected the mobility of the urban users prior to the pandemic. The pandemic has paved more efforts to improve the design of urban spaces to increase walkability in the cities. In the attempt to predict walking activity amongst Malaysian adults psychologically, a personality test using Big Five Aspect Scales (BFAS) was conducted in relation to individual walking frequency in urban settings. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the predicting capacity of personality constructs control by general intelligence in relation to walking behaviour. The results show that the higher order meta-traits of the big five personality traits which are Stability (Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) and Plasticity (Extraversion and Openness to Experience) can be used as a reliable predictor for individual walking behaviour. As hypothesized, walking behaviour amongst Malaysians was characterized by reversed Stability (r = -.58) and high Plasticity (r = .76). The implication suggested the necessity of cognitive navigability and design predictability metrics of urban design cognitive performance in influencing the psychological factor of walking behaviour

Public Perception on Attributes of Walking Avenues in Urban Areas of Sri Lanka

Currently, the urban areas become more congested; numerous health concerns such as obesity are becoming more prevalent among urban dwellers followed by lack of exercise. With this situation, provision of adequate areas for exercising to the satisfaction of all is critical with limited space in urban areas. Hence, an ideal solution emerges as ‘walking ways’ where a strip of land is only needed. The interest of walking ways is also developed in Sri Lanka very recently. However, there is no evidence on a research to identify the attributes, should developed along with the walkway to increase the attraction of the users. The main aim of this study is to examine the public perception on attributes of walking avenues in urban areas of Sri Lanka. Data was acquired by a personal-administered questionnaire from a convenience sample of 150 walking trail users on three settings. The descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, hoc multiple comparisons and homogeneous subsets technique were used as methodological analysis. The findings disclose ‘safety’ as the preferred attribute while shading and natural settings significant. An income variation presents that user with above the income level of LKR 65,000 preferred cafeterias providing herbal drinks while the users with below that income level are less interest with the attributes of changing rooms and street vendors. This article fills the gap of identifying user perceptions particular to a novel design concept of walking trail in Sri Lanka with interesting attributes getting more benefits.

BIM Education in Higher Learning Institutions: A Scientometric Review and the Malaysia Perspective

Over the last decade, digital applications and Building Information Modelling (BIM) have been introduced in the construction industry to realize a smart construction ecosystem. However, the construction industry has not completely accepted BIM as a standard, and the concept of using BIM applications in universities has not been thoroughly researched. This paper addresses the first scientometric study of BIM education in universities, identifying the state of BIM education practices, skillsets, and the level of BIM education in universities. The paper used scientometric analysis and the VOSviewer mapping technique to assess the most impactful publication sources with the most important impact on BIM education by searching “BIM Education” and using 250 bibliographic data extracted from the Scopus database from 2011-2020 to identify the existing research gaps and research direction. Second, a structured questionnaire was distributed to 343 Year 2 and Year 3 students from two public and two private Malaysian universities that use BIM in their learning. Descriptive data analysis using cross-tabulation in SPSS and relative importance index (RII) were used to analyze the data. The paper revealed two stages of BIM education research; and identified research gaps in the fields of BIM education, architectural education, e-learning, curriculum and information management. The paper also revealed Revit, Cost X and the Glodon Cubicost software as the most used applications, while the common skillsets are design authoring, modelling, and cost estimation. However, both public and private university students mainly design 3D models at BIM Stage 1. The study recommends that institutions and other stakeholders provide continuous BIM training, purchase BIM software, and integrate BIM into the curriculum of Built Environment higher learning institutions for the next generation to be the generation that uses virtual collaborative platforms

How to Reveal the Meaning of Space in Vernacular Architecture?

Vernacular architecture is a modest style of building used to maintain the balance of human relations with nature. This architectural style is specific to a region and passed down from one generation to another to embody cultural values. However, its development is currently facing globalization and modernization challenges, thereby leading to a gradual shift of this ancestral heritage to modern buildings. Change is unavoidable due to continuous evolution, however, the meaning inherent architecture buildings need to be maintained because it contains the cultural and social values of the associated local community. Furthermore, vernacular building space is a place for social activities and contains historical meaning applicable to modern buildings. Its functionality responds to changes and the needs of times while maintaining the local essence. Therefore, this research aims to determine the suitable method needed to reveal the meaning of vernacular architectural space. Data were collected from the conscious mind of space users through in-depth interviews by applying epoche, which were further reduced, categorized, and integrated to determine its meaning. The data collected through a literature review were analyzed using the content analysis method. The results showed that transcendental phenomenology is the right method to determine the meaning of vernacular architectural space. Based on the results, it is concluded that the meaning passed down from one generation to another could be expressed through the conscious experience of space users. Furthermore, transcendental phenomenology helped reveal the meaning without the intervention of the author’s knowledge, therefore it is unbiased and applicable in modern buildings.

Assessing The Thermal Comfort Conditions In Open Spaces: A Transversal Field Survey On The University Campus In India

Outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) promotes the usage frequency of public places, recreational activities, and people's wellbeing. Despite the increased interest in OTC research in the past decade, less attention has been paid to OTC research in cold weather, especially in arid regions. The present study investigates the OTC conditions in open spaces at the campus area in the arid region. The study was conducted by using subjective surveys(questionnaire) and onsite monitoring (microclimate parameters). The study was conducted at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Haryana-India campus during the cold season of 2019. The timings of surveys were between 9:00 and 17:00 hours. The authors processed the 185 valid questionnaire responses of the respondents to analyze OTC conditions. Only 8.6% of the respondents marked their perceived sensation "Neutral." Regression analysis was applied between respondents' thermal sensations and microclimate parameters to develop the empirical thermal sensation model. The air temperature was the most dominant parameter affecting the sensations of the respondents. The empirical model indicated that by increasing air temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation, the thermal sensations also increased while wind speed had an opposite effect. Physiological equivalent temperature (PET) was applied for assessing the OTC conditions; the neutral PET range was found to be 18.42-25.37°C with a neutral temperature of 21.89°C. The preferred temperature was 21.99 °C by applying Probit analysis. The study's findings could provide valuable information in designing and planning outdoor spaces for educational institutions in India's arid regions

Performance Measures of a Built Environment Multidisciplinary Research Journal: IJBES Metrics in a Review

An assessment of IJBES's performance since 2015 was presented in this communication using metrics data from Clarivate and the OJS Report Generator. Raw data were analyzed for the purpose of reporting to readers on the journal's performance using performance metrics available to the editor. Key performance metrics such as submissions, acceptance and rejection rates, and citation trends over time were reported and presented to the reader. It has been observed that ensuring balanced content and continuously working on a niche are among the priorities of the journal. It is also necessary to attract relevant and quality manuscripts among the authors to increase citations in other publications. Despite everything, the journal, which is relatively young, was able to withstand the initial test of time and improve its visibility in the scientific community.