Frontiers of Architectural Research最新文献

Vertical greening systems (VGS) are promising green infrastructure (GI) techniques for addressing urban resilience issues, like mitigating high temperatures and air pollution. This research aims to develop a conceptual framework to help designers better understand the VGS' effects on buildings and urban areas, focusing on thermal performance and air quality improvement in hot, humid climates. The framework consists of three steps: (1) Identifying climate problems that hinder the improvement of built environment resilience in hot climates; (2) Selecting VGS as a type of GI that can enhance urban resilience; (3) Identifying the common key factors that impact both thermal performance and air quality while developing VGS at the urban and building scales. The results show that the framework can be customized to suit hot climate conditions. However, when applying VGS in built environment with specified climate conditions, the construction of VGS, greenery coverage ratio, plant species, facade orientation, and VGS formation have the most significant influences on their environmental performance. Additionally, the air gap between VGS and the facade has optimal performance in hot, humid climates. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research and practice on VGSs in hot and humid climates.

In 1951, the Organization of American States established the Centro Interamericano de Vivienda y Planeamiento (CINVA) to provide specialized training to tackle the housing problem. Based on archival documentation examined at the Rockefeller Archive Center and the Central and Historical Archive of the National University of Colombia, this article explores two significant episodes in which the story of one of the Center's most successful outputs connects to the history of the Cold War. It thus contributes to the literature investigating the architecture and related technologies of development aid in the historical context of the Cold War with a precise focus on the role of non-governmental actors. After detailing the history of the CINVA-Ram machine, the pressing machine to produce rammed-earth blocks developed at the Center and later exported to America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, the article explores its deployment in two different fronts of the Cold War: Ghana and South Vietnam. As highlighted in the conclusions, the significance of CINVA-Ram use in these contexts is manyfold. Firstly, its diffusion, although appearing as a successful case of south-to-south cooperation, was in fact possible because of the Rockefeller family-controlled IBEC's involvement. Secondly, it shows the global outreach of the intertwined action of governmental agencies, private companies, and NGOs, when fighting poverty and housing shortage via aided self-help initiatives were complementary strategies to the armed containment of Communism. Finally, it discusses the role played by US governmental and non-governmental actors in advancing US interests through technoscience, highlighting how the battle against poverty in the so-called “Third World” was in this case fought with one of the oldest and simplest construction techniques in the ideological framework of self-help.

The aim of the study is to present a multi-leveled comparative evaluation approach for structural characteristics of historic masonry monuments so that the consciousness in their authentic designs is comprehended, and the optimum structural performance is clarified. A case study approach is preferred by the examination of the Bedesten (15th‒16th centuries) located in Bergama, İzmir, Turkey. The structure is documented through tacheometric techniques. The construction techniques of structural elements are mapped. These documented qualities are compared with similar period and/or function structures in order to rank the frequency of construction details. The geometrical factor of safety state is defined theoretically for domes and arches. Finite element macro model of the Bedesten is generated in ANSYS software and overall structural analysis of the structure is made to evaluate the safety level of historic building by the limit states through self-weight analysis. The presented study shows that the rare structural characteristics can both contribute to structural safety and cause vulnerability. Therefore, total consciousness in structural design cannot be stated for the studied Bedesten, but the structural designs that are often preferred in the monuments built at the same period in the proximity to each other have low vulnerability, yielding to conscious preferences.

This study develops a holistic approach that underlines the effect of spatial, behavioral, and perceptional dimensions on walkability at the neighborhood scale. The study recognizes quantitatively measured tangible factors and qualitatively assessed intangible values to evaluate the level of walkability in Besiktas, Istanbul (Turkey). The research explores the independent and combined effects of physical characteristics, individual perceptions, and walking behavior on walkability. Geographic Information Systems urban analyses, space syntax analysis, and observation to establish an analytical framework for spatial and behavioral dimensions of walkability in Besiktas central district are used as a methodology. Additionally, perceptional data is gathered through an experimental approach, which involves participants walking along pre-determined routes using cartography techniques and employing “shared walks” as a mobile method. The results of study confirmed previous findings from studies that the physical, social, and typological attributes of the built environment have a significant correlation between walking behavior and the physical and social aspects of the built environment. This study provides a comprehensive walkability assessment framework, encompassing quantitative and qualitative dimensions. By incorporating spatial, behavioral, and perceptual dimensions, this approach provides an efficient and integrated analytical methodology for evaluating walkability, distinguishing itself with its originality in the field of walkability research.

Makkah has developed unique architectural vocabularies for centuries. The Roushan, Qalalib, Kharja, and Shwabir responded to topography, climate conditions, and socio-cultural aspects. However, demolishing heritage buildings to expand the Holy Mosque has led to the disappearance of many traditional architectural vocabularies. Then, the imposition of modern architectural elements by modernity increased a feeling of discontinuity with the past. In addition, globalization has branded Makkah as a city of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. Megaprojects have emerged since Saudi Arabia announced its Vision 2030, necessitating creative architectural solutions.

Although the literature on the architecture of Makkah introduced varied approaches to developing traditional architectural vocabularies, the results were far from anticipated. Most studies assumed that traditional elements should shape the future of architecture in Makkah. The field of architecture suggests analyzing physical forms in reality, while the philosophical attempt proposes exploring them in virtuality. Reality and virtuality must be dynamic in space as methods for innovation; this space should be detached from architecture to challenge physical norms and separated from philosophy to promote practicality. This paper maps the literature to evaluate the approaches that examine the architecture of Makkah. It suggests a third space, outside architecture, and philosophy, utilizing AI to generate Makkah's architectural elements. The aim is to employ technology, i.e., AI, not to document but to generate architectural vocabulary based on rising potentials and differentiations, which are the bases of innovation, hence establishing continuity with the past to shape the future.

Cultural landscape is a social natural process under which people actively participate in thinking, feeling, and acting. On this basis, their connection with a certain part of the environment in turn affects people's perception of the world and the products of their actions. Trails is a representative and complex practice of integrating nature into society and transforming it into a mixed entity. However, the dynamic and diverse relationships of cultural landscapes represented by this interactive process have not been well interpreted in landscape research. The research first discusses the conceptualization and value theory of cultural landscape, and develops the methodology of cultural landscape interaction process research combining typology and Network theory. Taking the trails spontaneously formed around the Zhengqi Pavilion of Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing as an example, this paper discusses the interaction process of trails as a cultural landscape. Based on the analysis results, we obtained the dynamic characteristics of cultural landscapes by treating trails as a network, while obtaining the value expression created by typology.

This article proposes a 35D form index system to quantitatively describe the 3D form of urban blocks. Utilizing the T-distributed stochastic neighbor (TSNE) embedding algorithm for cluster analysis, the visually complex and disordered urban 3D texture is translated into distinct form clusters, enabling the recognition of the overall urban form structure from the block perspective. The research methodology includes experiments conducted in the central area of Nanjing and comparative analysis in three neighboring cities: Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. Results demonstrate the efficacy of form parameters and cluster analysis in achieving sound recognition. The four cities differ remarkably in the number and distribution structure of clusters. Shanghai has the fewest types of clusters with a compact distribution, Suzhou has the most types with a dispersed distribution, and Hangzhou and Nanjing exhibit similar characteristics, located between Shanghai and Suzhou. Correlation analysis reveals a negative relationship between the number of cluster types and the level of urban socioeconomic development in similar areas. This research implies that governments and urban planners can exploit neighborhood morphological types to devise customized spatial management and renewal strategies. The overall urban structure can be improved by strategically minimizing the quantity and distribution of neighborhood morphological types, fostering socioeconomic development.

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.

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.

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 externally-induced 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.