Proceedings of the international conference of contemporary affairs in architecture and urbanism-ICCAUA
Proceedings of the International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism-ICCAUA published by Alanya University. This journal aimed to publish full papers of the articles resulting from the annual ICCAUA conferences which take place annually in Turkey. Therefore, the journal is scheduled for annual publication in the month of December. The journal brings together all the theories, manifestos and methodologies on contemporary architecture and urban spaces to raise the understanding of the future of architecture and urban planning. Overall, the journal aimed to establish a bridge between theory and practice in the built environment.
RE-USE MAP: A Computational Evaluation and Decision Support Model for Adaptive Reuse of Existing Buildings
This study proposes a model that supports designers’ decision-making in the adaptive reuse process of existing buildings. The model, called “RE-USE MAP,” aims to extract data from the existing building through its generated Revit model (such as spatial area data and structural span information, etc.) and to classify transformation scenarios of the building according to an adaptive reuse score. The adaptive reuse score is calculated as the average of the values from four scoring tables: the Reversible Transformation Index, the Intervention Intensity Score, the Circularity Impact Score, and the Function Fit Score. The building’s transformation scenarios are compared based on these indicators, thereby aiming to generate concrete data that helps determine whether adaptive reuse is a rational option compared to other scenarios. The findings indicate that different transformation scenarios can be systematically compared through the collected data, and that adaptive reuse decisions can be strengthened with concrete evidence.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ömer Ruhlukürkçü, Meryem Birgül Çolakoğlu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Negotiating Multicultural Identity: From Structural Authenticity to Ornamental Representation in Medan's Architecture
In multicultural cities, architecture visually amplifies or marginalizes competing cultural identities. Medan - defined by Malay, Batak, Chinese, Tamil, and colonial influences - exemplifies how vernacular elements are selectively integrated into urban space. Design literature often overlooks how cultural priorities shift across building typologies, and no unified analytical framework has previously been applied to systematically distinguish authentic structural vernacular engagement from ornamental commodification across Medan's multi-ethnic built environment. This study analyzes twelve buildings (1884–2023) spanning religious, governmental, and hospitality functions using the Authenticity-Commodification Analytical Framework (ACAF), a novel five-type typological instrument developed and validated through this research. Field observations reveal a critical dichotomy: religious buildings preserve authentic structural vernacular to assert cultural legitimacy, whereas hospitality and civic projects adopt surface ornamentation as branding tools. The study advances three theoretical contributions: (1) the ACAF as a replicable classification instrument for multicultural urban built environments; (2) empirical demonstration that owner identity, not building function or era, is the primary predictor of vernacular engagement mode; and (3) evidence that vernacular tradition is an evolutionary continuum persisting across 139 years and multiple structural technologies. The framework enables authentic representation in Medan's urban heritage and is transferable to other postcolonial multicultural cities in Southeast Asia.
Copyright (c) 2026 Aulia Muflih Nasution, Yunita Syafitri Rambe, Weldy Eka Saputra https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Typological Traces as An Identity Element in the Urban Form: the Case of Kunduracılar Street in Trabzon
Commercial streets in historic city centers play essential roles in their economic activities and spatial structures on urban identity. Nevertheless, the main elements of their identity are generally explained in terms of their socio-cultural values or visible design criteria, while their typological continuity is another element. This study aims to conduct a typological analysis of Kunduracılar Street, located in the historic city center of Trabzon. Within the research, the street and plot system, building types, and facade arrangements were analyzed by using old and current maps, field studies, and photographs. The research showed that the street is characterized by a commercial building typology developed on narrow-fronted and deep plots. The commercial use in ground floors and repetitive facade elements also has a significant effect on strengthening the characteristics of the street. The study highlights the contribution of the typological continuity of historic axes in the formation of urban identity.
Copyright (c) 2026 Esra Turan, Beliz Büşra Şişman https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Impacts of Ecotourism Discourse on Cultural Landscape: An Evaluation in the Context of Ambar Valley
The term ecotourism is associated with concepts such as harmony with the environment and integration with nature. The concept of ecotourism is open to generating new tensions in the field of cultural landscape, in addition to the preservation of cultural heritage. This study discusses the effects of ecotourism on the cultural landscape through the example of the Ambar Valley in Diyarbakir. Throughout its history, the valley has been an area of agricultural production and human interaction. Shaped by the Ambar River, the valley was designated an ecotourism area in 2017. The valley occupies a contextual status between landscape, tourism, and conservation. Historically, agricultural influence, the living landscape, and productivity have been prominent. However, current conservation and planning approaches focus more on aesthetic values. This study aims to critically evaluate the impact of ecotourism on the cultural landscape. A qualitative research framework is used in the study. This study, conducted within the context of the Ambar Valley, aims to contribute to a form of conservation that considers the area, rather than ignoring its historical continuity and the relationship it establishes with daily usage practices.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dilan Kakdaş Ateş https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Relationship Between Spatial Organization and the Semantic Configuration of Inscriptions in Safavid Period Mosques
This study investigates the relationship between spatial organization and the semantic configuration of inscriptions in Safavid mosques through the cases of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Imam Mosque, and Hakim Mosque in Isfahan. Adopting a qualitative research framework, it combines comparative case study analysis with plan-based spatial reading. The locations of inscriptions, their textual content, language preferences, and script characteristics are mapped onto architectural plans, while the ritual movement from entrance to mihrab is reconstructed to examine how inscriptions guide perception and structure meaning. The findings suggest that inscriptions are not merely decorative elements but active components of spatial hierarchy and religious experience. Their placement, content, and visual emphasis correspond to different stages of movement and perception within the mosque. The study argues that Safavid mosque architecture should be interpreted as an integrated semantic environment in which space, text, and ritual movement operate together. This study, prepared at the Graduate School of Istanbul Gelişim University, examines ‘The Relationship Between Spatial Organization And The Semantic Structure Of Inscriptions In Mosques Of The Safavid Period: A Spatial Analysis of the Sheik Lütfullah, Imam, and Hakim Mosques’.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nazila Salemialherd, İlke Ciritci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Spatial Traces of the Cotton Industry in Ceyhan: The Case of the Ceyhan Cotton Gin Factory
This study examines the spatial traces of the cotton industry in Ceyhan through the Ceyhan Ginning Factory, focusing on how cotton-based production shaped urban memory in the Çukurova region. In the late Ottoman and early Republican periods, ginning, pressing, storage and railway-linked transport operated as an integrated network. The research reads this network through architectural form and spatial organization rather than treating the factory as a standalone building. Methodologically, it combines on-site architectural survey with spatial mapping and a contextual reading of the factory’s relations to nearby industrial premises, storage areas and the railway station. The findings suggest that the ginning factory functioned as a spatial node that organized material flows and contributed to the city’s industrial identity. By evidencing continuity and rupture within this network, the study offers a region-specific framework for documenting and conserving cotton-related industrial heritage in Çukurova.
Copyright (c) 2026 Türker Kayaalp, Derya Sökmen Kök https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Manifestations of Indigenous Culture in the Traditional Residential Architecture of the Tay Ethnic Group in the Northeastern of Vietnam
The traditional housing architecture of the Tay ethnic group in Northeast Vietnam is an important heritage, reflecting the diversity of indigenous architectural and cultural values. However, the development of the tourism economy, the gradual indifference in the context of modern society, and the increase in cultural exchange have negatively impacted and led to the disappearance of this type of heritage. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the indigenous cultural expressions embedded within the architectural space of traditional Tay houses. The research methods employed include field surveys, historical and documentary analysis, synthesis and statistical methods, analytical and evaluative approaches, comparative techniques, and expert consultation. The new contributions and uniqueness of this research lie in its identification of the tangible and intangible cultural expressions contained within the architectural space of traditional Tay ethnic houses in the Northeast region.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dinh Thi Nguyen, Thanh Ngoc Nguyen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Speaking Facades of Puducherry: Hybrid French–Tamil Architecture and the Spreadability of Heritage on Social Media
The architectural language of the facades of Puducherry remains twofold: French and Tamil. This dichotomy appears congenial to the hyper-consumerist condition described by Lipovetsky (2005), in which codes and references continually shift while being nourished by comparison. These hybridisations are enriched by colour and by the presence of murals appreciated by visitors, which invite photography and video and thus engage social media. This paper aims to reconstruct the “spreadability” of this content notion more nuanced than the generic idea of “virality” by tracing it primarily in the dialogue between physical reality and the shifting meanings of imagery, identity and perception. Methodologically, study combines on-site chromatic survey of the White Town with qualitative analysis of the platform’s aesthetic and algorithmic logic. The originality of the contribution lies in connecting a measurable architectural variable with the media dynamics of heritage circulation, showing how layered intertextual references of social networks redefine idea of heritage and of “objects of memory”. The findings indicate that Puducherry is progressively re-coded as an aesthetic destination governed by globalised visual codes rather than by its Franco-Tamil specificity, and they clarify the stakes of this re-coding for heritage studies and for the management of historic urban environments.
Copyright (c) 2026 Alessio Patalocco, Giacomo Nencioni https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Parallel Heritage in the Interior Design of Traditional Environments Between Familiarity and Innovation
Parallel heritage is the return to the original ideas and principles and the generation of contemporary ideas from them that take an evolutionary path other than the one taken by historically recognized ideas, and thus the heritage is a “dynamic” variable consisting of sensory aspects, and the concept of “Authenticity" is in a state of expansion and change, and it is possible for many interpretations. The idea of parallel architectural heritage is based on the theory of the emergence, development and extinction of architectural forms throughout history, the beginnings of the generation of modified forms from them and the development of hybrid forms, understanding the behaviour of architectural forms and the possibility of creating original architectural designs that do not copy historical architecture, provided that it takes an evolutionary path other than the one taken by the historically recognized forms.
Copyright (c) 2026 Zeinab Lotfy Abd Elhakeem Khalifa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
From Landscape As Collective Asset To The Ecomuseum As Instrument Of Territorial Valorisation Comparative Experiences Of Diffuse Cultural Heritage Regeneration
The European Landscape Convention (Florence, 2000) marked an epistemological change shift in the concept of heritage, redefining it as a collective asset and a site for identity-forming practices. Despite growing scholarly interest in ecomuseums as participatory heritage tools, the literature lacks integrated frameworks capable of assessing their contribution to urban and territorial regeneration across structurally different contexts. This paper addresses this gap by developing and applying an original four-dimensional analytical framework — encompassing typological spatial relations, participatory governance, urban planning instruments, and impact assessment — to two contrasting Italian case studies: : the Casilino Ecomuseum, in the south-eastern periphery of Rome, which recovers traces of peri-urban rurality embedded in multicultural housing practices; the Freidano Ecomuseum in Settimo Torinese, which valorises the industrial and riverine landscape by intertwining working-class identity and local biodiversity. The comparative analysis demonstrates that, despite their structural differences, both ecomuseums function as effective devices for implementing the Convention's principles through bottom-up processes of heritage recognition, civic participation and territorial regeneration. The study contributes a replicable interpretative and operational model. for ecomuseum-based landscape governance, with direct implications for urban planning policy and diffuse cultural heritage management.
Copyright (c) 2026 Paola Nicoletta Imbesi, Francesca Perrone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Port-City Identity in the Context of Architectural Heritage: Iskenderun
In port cities, the natural relationship between sea and land, coupled with the addition of commercial networks, elevates settlements beyond the status of ordinary coastal cities, manifesting its impact on urban and structural morphology. This study examines Iskenderun's identity as a port city through the historical transformation and spatial traces of its trade-related industrial heritage. While studies on Iskenderun exist, the relationship between port, trade, city, and architecture has mostly been addressed through fragmented approaches, lacking a comprehensive assessment. This research approaches this relationship from a holistic perspective, progressing from the whole to the individual. The process, extending from Ottoman-era caravanserais to Levantine commercial structures and the modern architectural examples of the Republic, is analyzed along with its surroundings, including the port and train station area. Findings based on archival research, literature review, and field work demonstrate that Iskenderun, historically a port city focused on maritime trade, has transformed into an industrial city with a port today. The study argues that registered buildings should be protected within the scope of industrial heritage through a holistic approach that includes the port and train station area.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fatma Tuba Yıldırım, Derya Sökmen Kök https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Urban Public Policies in Annaba: Between Continuity and Urban Déjà-Vu
For several decades, the medina of Annaba (Algeria's fourth-largest city), located in the heart of the city, has been a focus of the country's urban policies. Our specific interest in this part of the city—the oldest—allows us to shed light on the identity constructions associated with it, which are still emerging, and to understand the dynamics at play in its relationship to the city and its inhabitants. Our work analyzes the effects of urban public policies, as well as interviews with representatives of public authorities, residents, and heritage preservation associations. Our findings will help to highlight the pitfalls and repetitions inherent in these top-down approaches. Our objective is to initiate a genuine appreciation of the heritage space and a true urban renewal.
Copyright (c) 2026 Anissa Boutemedjet https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Complicit Space: Architecture, Coloniality and the Engineering of Belonging
The colonised encounter is never an innocent event. It is always a trauma, a form of violence, a permanent shock that leaves traces (Fanon, 1963). As the primary constructors of spatial development, coloniality and apartheid have actively embedded their ideologies throughout the South African postcolonial landscape. Architecture and spatial planning were instruments of state apparatuses, embodying their ideals and intentions in their physical built form. Existing scholarship on apartheid and postcolonial spatial theory has extensively examined urban segregation, township planning, and domestic housing as separate fields of inquiry. However, these spatial categories are rarely analysed as interdependent components of a unified system of governance. This paper contributes to architectural and urban scholarship by developing a multi-scalar reading of architecture as a continuous system of governance, examining how spatial planning extends beyond functional requirements to shape identity, memory, and social hierarchies, thereby reframing architecture as an active system of socio-spatial governance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Tasmiya Chandlay https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Industrial Heritage and Adaptive Reuse in Corfu: Reinterpreting Industrial Buildings
This paper examines the industrial building stock of Corfu as an underexplored component of the island’s cultural heritage, with a focus on adaptive reuse potential. Despite Corfu’s well documented monumental and defensive architecture, its industrial heritage remains insufficiently studied and lacks systematic spatial and typological documentation. Grounded in industrial archaeology (Tagil, 2003; Slotta, 1992), the study integrates archival research, spatial analysis, and architectural interpretation to analyse selected industrial sites. The findings reveal a strong coastal concentration of industrial buildings, a dominance of agro industrial typologies, and a critical condition characterised by abandonment, partial loss, and limited reuse. The research addresses a significant empirical gap by providing the first structured spatial and typological dataset of Corfu’s industrial heritage. It contributes to broader debates on industrial archaeology and adaptive reuse by proposing a framework for understanding industrial landscapes in Mediterranean island contexts and highlighting their potential role in sustainable urban development and cultural continuity.
Copyright (c) 2026 Symela Iliadou https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Restoring Kirkuk Citadel: Unearthing A Ghost Heritage
Historic urban centres are struggling to survive in the rapidly emerging globalization process. Many significant historical districts were demolished to make ways for modern urban environments, other significantly dilapidated, such as the case of Kirkuk citadel, due to its negligence by public authorities. The citadel is being a victim in two ways: firstly, by the past regime and secondly by the post gulf-war administrative rulers. This paper analyses and discusses the physical condition of the architectural features and citadel’s urbanism, while challenging the traditional conservation approach currently employed by Iraqi authorities. The paper advocated for the adoption of Internationally consolidated approaches and principles in the field of heritage conservation. Through historical documentation review, field surveys, and discussions involving parties, this research explores the physical status of the citadel’s buildings. It further defines six different building typologies on the site with its urban morphological pattern, delivering an architectural framework to guide future restoration efforts. The paper reviews previous restoration attempts and proposes a roadmap for the citadel’s restoration.
Copyright (c) 2026 Azad Hama Ahmed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Continuity, Transformation, and Disruption of Urban Memory: A Reading on Three Republican-Era Buildings in Giresun
The aim of this study is to examine how urban memory is reproduced in the face of spatial interventions, through an analysis of the changes over time in three Republican-era buildings in Giresun. The study is structured around theoretical approaches that address urban memory through the lenses of continuity, transformation, and rupture. The buildings were analyzed using archival documents, historical and contemporary photographs, and on-site observations; they were comparatively evaluated based on criteria such as functional continuity, the level of physical intervention, duration of use, and public perception. These indicators were interpreted through timelines that allow for tracking period-specific changes. The findings indicate that the uninterrupted use of the City Hall has produced continuity in memory; the functional transformation of the Vakıf Hamam and Hotel has created an intermediate state between physical preservation and a shift in meaning; and the demolition of the City Cinema has led to a distinct rupture in urban memory. The conceptual insights derived from the Giresun case demonstrate that urban memory is a dynamic process reproduced not only through the physical presence of structures but also through their functional and symbolic continuity, and that it offers an analytical framework for broader-scale interpretations.
Copyright (c) 2026 Selin Karaibrahimoğlu, Özgür Demirkan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Necessity of Applying Contemporary Practices in the Reconstruction and Revitalization Of National Monuments in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Accordance With the Energy Efficiency Directive Using Geodatabases
This research paper investigates the sustainable revitalization of national monuments in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina employing advanced restoration methodologies that integrate energy efficiency, cultural authenticity, and material sustainability. Utilizing the ETH Zurich retrofit framework, aligned with the European Green Deal and EU Energy Efficiency Directives, a context-specific methodological approach is developed.The study conducts spatial geodatabase analysis and comparative scenario modeling Business as Usual (BAU) versus Green Certified Retrofit (GCR) across case studies comprising three national monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The retrofit strategy emphasizes reversible, minimally invasive interior insulation with vapor-permeable, bio-based materials (wood fiber, lime plaster), ensuring heritage conservation compliance. Results indicate that GCR scenarios significantly reduce energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and life-cycle costs, while maintaining historic and architectural integrity. This research proposes a replicable model integrating geospatial tools and sustainable retrofit techniques to advance climate-adaptive cultural heritage management in the Western Balkans and comparable regions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Vanja Bošnjak, Sanela Klarić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Post-Disaster Development through the ‘Creative City’ Concept: Case Study of the City of Adıyaman, Turkey
This study explores the creative city approach as a transformative framework for post-disaster urban development. While traditional strategies prioritize physical reconstruction, this research theoretically argues that cultural heritage and creative potential are critical drivers for sustainable recovery. Utilizing a qualitative methodology that integrates a comprehensive literature review on cultural resilience with spatial observations from the earthquake-stricken city of Adiyaman, the study examines how urban identity serves as leverage in rebuilding processes. The principal result is the conceptualisation of a multilayered creative city model focusing on cultural continuity, adaptive reuse, and community participation. Ultimately, the study contributes to urban planning by proposing a strategic framework to create resilient, inclusive, and innovative urban environments in post-disaster contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Özlem Hanol, Müge Riza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Military Architecture of Early Modern Algeria: The Lost Fort of Burg al-Jazira (Cherchell)
This study examines the vanished early modern coastal fort of Burg al-Jazira (Fort Joinville) in Cherchell, Algeria, a fortification demolished during the French colonial period. Based on archival research, travellers’ accounts, and historical architectural surveys, the study analyses the fort’s architectural configuration, defensive features, and construction techniques through critical architectural reading and analytical redrawing. The study situates Burg al-Jazira within Cherchell’s broader maritime defence system and compares it with the nearby Ottoman fort of Burg Cherchell, highlighting significant divergences in defensive logic and architectural design. The analysis identifies a pre-Ottoman early modern coastal fortification designed for maritime artillery defence that reflects the Western Mediterranean geopolitical context and the adaptation to artillery warfare, suggesting a circulation of military building knowledge. The research provides a systematic architectural interpretation of Burg al-Jazira and contributes to knowledge of early modern coastal fortifications in the central Maghreb.
Copyright (c) 2026 Roufeida Amrine, Samia Chergui, Safia Benselama-Messikh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Urban Memory in Future Cities: Cinematic Interpretations of Heritage and Identity
The character of urban landscapes is shaped by the layers of history, memory, and cultural identity that cities possess. Contemporary cinema often reinterprets these layers, presenting visions of cities where heritage and collective memory are shaped by technological and environmental changes. This paper examines how movies set in the future reconfigure urban heritage and identity, and what these worlds reveal about our contemporary concerns with urban development and cultural continuity. Through the analysis of Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and The Kitchen (2023), the paper explains how architecture in those movies shows the disappearance or transformation of cultural landscapes and urban heritage. Cinematic futures often illustrate the contemporary anxieties about urban development, spatial inequality, and the collapse of authentic urban identity. Through the examples and analyses provided, this paper highlights that cinematic universes offer critical assessments of cultural heritage preservation and the cultural continuity of cities, demonstrating how architectural and urban discourses change within urban spaces.
Copyright (c) 2026 Umay Çınar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Gardens, Parks and Landscapes of Interwar Poland – Current Issues of Identification, Conservation and Identity of The Place
This study investigates contemporary challenges related to the adaptation and conservation of historic green spaces created during the interwar period in Poland. The research focuses on two main aspects: the relationship between greenery, tradition, and local identity, and the adaptation of historic green spaces to climate change, including their restoration and public accessibility. The methodology combines historical and spatial data collection, fieldwork, and comparative analysis, followed by evaluation and the development of conservation guidelines. The study covers Polish cities renowned for their modernist heritage: Warsaw, Kraków, Katowice, Gdynia, and Wrocław. The results systematize knowledge and expand the state of research. They demonstrate the significant diversity of modernist parks and gardens, shaped by local context, location, and function. They also point to the individuality of green space solutions and characteristic forms in each city. As a result of the research, a multidimensional framework of action was developed, aimed at potentially eliminating the identified problems and based on the relationship between understanding the value of these places, shaping local identity, adopting appropriate conservation approaches and supporting sustainable development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Katarzyna Łakomy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Palimpsest City and the World Expo: A Framework for Representing Layered Urban Identity
This paper examines how cities whose identities are characterised by deep historical complexity can be represented within the World Expo format, using Istanbul as the analytical subject. The Bureau International des Expositions regulatory framework structurally favours concentrated, singular national narratives, placing palimpsest cities at a representational disadvantage that existing scholarship has not addressed systematically. The paper develops the Narrative Spatial Framework, an integrated analytical apparatus combining six theoretical pillars: Ricoeur's narrative mimesis (1984), Zumthor's architectural atmosphere (2006), Tschumi's event-space (1994), Frampton's critical regionalism (1983), Said's representational politics (1978) and Lefebvre's social production of space (1991). Applied to Istanbul, the framework produces six representational principles demonstrated through two analytical scenarios. Istanbul's palimpsest complexity is not a representational liability but its most analytically honest and generative condition. The framework offers a replicable apparatus for other cities of analogous historical complexity.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hauwa Sani, Aykut Karaman https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Role of Ottoman Settlement Policy in Urban Space and Identity Production: The Settlement Process of the Amasya Community in Trabzon
Ottoman settlement policy has largely been evaluated as a demographic and administrative strategy, whereas its role in the production of urban space and identity has remained relatively overlooked. Transfer of population, but also foundational intervention that reshaped urban morphology. This However, post-conquest settlement was not merely study examines the role of Ottoman settlement policy in the production of identity and space in newly conquered cities through the cases of Amasya and Trabzon, with particular emphasis on colonization and population transfer policies. The study focuses on the demographic outcomes of the settlement policies implemented in Trabzon following the Ottoman conquest, as reflected in the fifteenth and sixteenth century Tahrir (tax) registers (1486, 1523, 1553 and 1583). Using these registers as primary sources, the study demonstrates that among the nineteen communities recorded under the heading of exiled communities, only the Amasya Community exhibited continuity. In the 1523 register, this community was recorded as the “Amasya Mosque Quarter,” indicating its transformation into a mosque-centered quarter structure. In this context, the study analyzes the plan of the Amasya Mosque, its location within the urban fabric, and the neighborhood structure that developed around it, thereby revealing the spatial boundaries and organizational character of the community.
Copyright (c) 2026 Elif Arslan, Fulya Üstün Demirkaya https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Soundscape Assessment of Cultural Heritage within the Urban Fabric of Mardin
İşitsel peyzaj, tarihî kentsel çevrelerde kültürel mirasın önemli ancak çoğu zaman ihmal edilen bir bileşenidir. Mardin’in tarihî kent dokusunda işitsel unsurlar; çok katmanlı tarih, inanç sistemleri ve gündelik toplumsal pratikler tarafından şekillenen kültürel değerleri yansıtmaktadır. Bu çalışma, işitsel peyzaj unsurlarının yerel kültürün ayrılmaz bir parçası olduğu ve günümüzde kaybolma riski taşıdığı hipotezine dayanmaktadır. Aynı zamanda, işitsel peyzajın korunmasının yerel kimlik algısını güçlendireceği varsayımı da ele alınmaktadır. Araştırma kapsamında Ulu Camii, Kırklar Kilisesi ve Bakırcılar Çarşısı’nda farklı zaman dilimlerinde ses kayıtları gerçekleştirilmiş; elde edilen veriler nitel ve nicel yöntemlerle analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, geleneksel ve dini seslerin kentsel kimliğin temel bileşenleri olduğunu; ancak turizm, trafik ve modern kentsel seslerin bu işitsel yapıyı zayıflattığını göstermektedir. Bu nedenle işitsel peyzajın somut olmayan kültürel miras kapsamında değerlendirilmesi büyük önem taşımaktadır.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rabia Coyrat, Yalçın Yıldırım https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Evaluating the Contributions of Adaptive Reuse to Urban Design
This study aims to examine the integration of a reused building with the city. To this aim, this study evaluates adaptive reuse ideas in a chosen historical building, Şehbenderler Mansion Library, in İbrahimpaşa Neighborhood, Bursa. This study is based on case study analysis and evaluation methodology by scrutinizing reused architectural spaces with respect to their relationship to the built environment. Drawing upon relevant literature, evaluation parameters are developed in a local framework to explore how adaptive reuse can contribute to the city. This study covers two stages: (1) constructing the theoretical background based on the relationships between adaptive reuse and urban design; and (2) evaluating the chosen building to understand their adaptive reuse principles with respect to their contributions to the city. This study demonstrated that adaptive reuse of the chosen building contributed to the city, regarding the atmosphere of urban spaces, accessibility, and sustainability of cultural, historical, and architectural aspects.
Copyright (c) 2026 Saliha Aslan, Alper Gönül https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Former Industrial Spaces as Drivers of City Resilience
The aim of this paper is to examine former industrial spaces as a strategic resource for urban regeneration and city resilience. The research is based on a systematic review and analysis of domestic and international literature addressing former industrial spaces, industrial heritage, and industrial brownfields. The methodology includes a comparative analysis of terminology, spatial scales, values, constraints, and regeneration models. The results reveal terminological inconsistency and conceptual overlap, while highlighting the potential of former industrial spaces to support cultural continuity, sustainable land use, social cohesion and urban development. The findings indicate that the activation and reuse of these spaces enhance city resilience by enabling multifunctionality, reducing land consumption, and supporting responses to economic, social, and environmental change. The paper concludes that interdisciplinary approaches, stakeholder participation, and context-sensitive regeneration strategies are essential for urban regeneration. This study contributes by synthesizing knowledge and positioning former industrial spaces as key assets in resilient urban planning and architectural practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Lucija Kraus, Sanja Lončar-Vicković https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Documenting Kirman Ceiling Ornamentation in Traditional Bayburt Houses: The Case of Akbulut House
Located between the Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia regions of Türkiye, Bayburt possesses a distinctive rural architectural heritage shaped by its historical and cultural setting. A significant part of this heritage survives in traditional houses that remain largely unregistered and insufficiently protected. Among their notable features are locally defined spatial elements and Kirman ceiling ornamentations, which represent an important expression of vernacular craftsmanship. This study aims to document the construction principles, decorative characteristics, and heritage value of Kirman ceilings through on-site survey and architectural recording. By focusing on a rapidly disappearing component of rural domestic architecture, the research contributes to the identification and preservation of Bayburt’s local building culture. It argues that systematic documentation is essential for developing holistic conservation strategies and ensuring the transmission of this cultural legacy to future generations.
Copyright (c) 2026 Seval Akbulut, İlke Ciritci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Architectural Envelope and Uncertainty: A Conceptual Reading in the Context of Space and City
In contemporary architecture, the envelope is no longer a line separating inside from outside; it has become a permeable, multilayered interface that mediates between space and the city. This study places the envelope at the center to examine architectural uncertainty through spatial (internal) and urban (external) factors that shape it. Uncertainty is discussed not as a deliberate aesthetic effect, but as a condition emerging where space–envelope and city envelope relations intersect. Using photographs of selected recent buildings, the research conducts conceptual readings and evaluates them through tables based on defined criteria. The results show that in uncertain conditions, the envelope is not a passive divider; it actively negotiates and redraws spatial and urban boundaries. Accordingly, the study proposes an envelope-centered framework for interpreting architectural uncertainty.
Copyright (c) 2026 Goncagül Altunışık, Hande Düzgün Bekdaş https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Revalorisation of Heritage Cultural Landscapes Through an Approach Based on Intangible Atmospheres
This research examines fragmented heritage approach, which often overlooks intangible dimensions and resident involvement. It introduces the theory of atmospheres as a conceptual framework to improve rehabilitation of historic urban fabrics by focusing on inhabitants. The empirical study, conducted in a fragment of the Casbah of Algiers, combines semi-structured interviews with 70 professionals and a qualitative investigation of 28 residents through guided walks, mental mapping, and photo-elicitation. The findings highlight that heritage atmospheres are manifested through their appropriation by residents, which is conditioned by the dynamic interaction of four dimensions: social, symbolic, sensory, and spatial. A significant divergence is observed: while professionals emphasise the spatial dimension, residents place greater importance on the social and symbolic aspects. Historical richness promotes attachment, whereas significant spatial changes lead to disappropriation. This research validates the inclusion of a symbolic dimension in atmosphere theory and proposes innovative cartographic tools to guide inclusive rehabilitation efforts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hadjer Djedi, Azeddine Belakehal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Beyond Material Preservation: Urban Vitality in the Historic Center of Cochabamba
This study examines the historic center of Cochabamba to reassess its heritage value beyond material conservation frameworks. Although its urban-architectural ensemble has been significantly altered in recent decades, the research aims to demonstrate that such transformations do not necessarily imply decline. Methodologically, the study combines a theoretical recomposition with an analysis of the relationship between heritage condition and social mixture in public space as an indicator of urban health. The results show that physical alteration has not led to abandonment but reflects adaptive social rhythms responding to new territorial dynamics. The study concludes that heritage must be understood as inseparable from dwelling, conceived as the dialectical synthesis of society and space. In Latin America, there has not been studies carried on about Historic Centers from the perspective of urban vitality, so by reframing heritage as lived and relational rather than merely material or symbolic, this research contributes a multidimensional and process-oriented perspective to contemporary urban heritage studies in Latin America.
Copyright (c) 2026 Marcelo Pérez-Mercado https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
AI‑Enhanced Conceptual Framework for Evaluating Indoor Environmental Quality in Contemporary Architectural Practice
This study presents an AI-assisted hybrid computational framework for evaluating Indoor Lighting Quality (ILQ) as a core component of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) during early design stages. The framework combines a simplified daylight-feasibility proxy with climate-based parametric simulations (Ladybug and Honeybee) and machine-learning prediction to reduce computational cost while maintaining accuracy. ILQ is emphasized because visual comfort and daylight provision critically influence occupant performance, learning outcomes, and energy consumption in educational spaces. Applied to a drawing hall at Jazan University (hot-humid climate), the framework achieved a calibrated Daylight Feasibility Factor (DF = 0.31), Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA = 0.70), and UDI coverage of 85–95% of the floor area. These results validate the hybrid approach’s reliability and demonstrate its potential to support evidence-based, resource-efficient design decisions in educational buildings, contributing directly to the sustainability goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
Copyright (c) 2026 Asmaa Ahmed Khder https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
From Hypogeum to Empyrean. Architecture of the Palimpsest and Phenomenology of Light on the Via Appia
The project interprets the archaeological heritage of the Via Appia Antica, in the suburban area of Rome, as a dynamic cultural landscape and an active palimpsest. By intervening in the area adjacent to the hypogea of the Hunters and of Vibia, the objective is to redefine the hypogeal identity of the territory, inverting it into a spatial experience of ascension towards the light, inspired by Dante's Paradiso. The methodology combines a morpho-typological investigation of the historical fabric with the architectural translation of the spiritual journey, employing pure volumes that reject stylistic mimesis. The results materialize in a path structured in three lots: six introductory pavilions, a tower as a metaphor for the Seventh Heaven, and a swirling ramp culminating in the Empyrean. In conclusion, the contemporary insertion, engaging in a dialectical dialogue with history, generates a new phenomenology of the landscape, transforming stratified memory into a lived and identity-defining space.
Copyright (c) 2026 Concetta Tavoletta, Francesca Morelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Ordinary, Original, Modern Representation; Buildings by Architect Baycan Kancı, In Giresun
The study aims to interpret the buildings designed by architect Baycan Kancı in Giresun by situating them within national and local developments, viewing them as ordinary yet original and collective representations of modernism. Working in Giresun in the 1970s—primarily within Fiskobirlik—Kancı produced numerous significant residential buildings for the city. As a provincial architect in the architectural milieu of the period, he created modest but carefully crafted structures and emerged as one of the city’s early modernists. His unique apartment buildings, located in key residential areas, stand out as pioneering and high-quality examples at the urban scale. Accordingly, the study focuses on what it meant to be a modernist in the provincial architectural context of the 1970s. Primary sources include Kancı’s personal archive and interviews with architects and Fiskobirlik employees, while secondary sources consist of retrospective research. Through these materials, the study seeks to present a cross-section of Giresun’s modern architectural production via Kancı’s residential works.
Copyright (c) 2026 Özgür Demirkan, Selin Karaibrahimoğlu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Alarming State of Tebessa’s Archaeological Heritage in Algeria: Between Marginalisation and Preservation
Historic cities in Algeria face intense urban pressures that often marginalise archaeological heritage in public policy, despite its cultural significance. This paper aims to expose the dete riorated state of Tebessa's archaeological heritage and to highlight the urgent need for a coher ent preservation strategy. Tebessa, known since Antiquity as Theveste, contains an exceptional legacy shaped by Berber, Roman, Byzantine, Arab and French periods, yet this heritage is now in critical condition. The study adopts a qualitative diagnostic approach based on direct field observation, documentary review, and interviews with local authorities, focusing on the Gate of Caracalla and the Byzantine wall. Findings reveal multiple forms of degradation, including pollution, neglect, misuse, and inappropriate restoration that have compromised authenticity. Deterioration results not from ageing alone but from weak governance and unscientific inter ventions. Effective preservation requires a scientific, interdisciplinary and preventive approach rooted in international principles. Safeguarding Tebessa's heritage is an urban and societal re sponsibility demanding immediate institutional action.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hana Medaregnarou Boubir https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Folk Architecture in Northern Luzon: Rare and Surviving Examples of Fil-Hispanic Houses in the Philippines
This study examines the evolution of the folk architecture of the Itawit community in the Northern Philippines by analysing how carpentry practices have shaped the transformation of their traditional dwellings around the 1930s. Using comparative analysis on samples of heritage houses, including field observation, architectural documentation, historical review, interviews with elders, local carpenters, and shamans, this examines the transition from traditional Itawit construction practices toward a merger with external influences, often referred to as Arquitectura Mestiza – a combination of indigenous and foreign influences. Findings indicate that while traditional Itawit practices remain present, modern tools and materials have gradually altered façade architecture, structural forms, spatial organization, and building technology. The research concludes that carpentry has played a major role in the transition from purely indigenous Itawit houses to a more hybrid form, where traditional culture remains combined with modern practices, which should be continued to be recorded, recognized, and preserved.
Copyright (c) 2026 Michael T Tabao , Angelica C Mamba https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Assessing Indigenous Cultural Heritage Knowledge as a Foundation for Indigenous Tourism Development among the Bajau Community in Mabul and Larapan Islands, Sabah
This study examines indigenous cultural heritage knowledge as a foundation for indigenous tourism development among the Bajau community in Mabul and Larapan Islands, Sabah, Malaysia. Indigenous tourism has gained increasing attention as a pathway for cultural preservation and tourism diversification, particularly in communities with rich traditional heritage. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected through structured questionnaires involving 30 Bajau respondents from the two island communities. The study assessed knowledge across key cultural heritage dimensions, including traditional food, crafts, performing arts, festivals, attire, and ceremonial customs. The findings reveal strong indigenous cultural knowledge in both communities, with respondents from Mabul generally demonstrating higher levels of cultural knowledge retention compared to those from Larapan. The results highlight the potential of Bajau cultural heritage as a valuable resource for developing authentic indigenous tourism experiences that complement existing marine-based tourism in Sabah. This study contributes to the growing discourse on indigenous tourism by providing empirical insights into the role of cultural heritage knowledge in supporting culturally grounded tourism development within island-based indigenous communities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mohamad Pirdaus Yusoh, Normah Abdul Latip, Haziqah Nursyahirah Joshep, Muhammad Fuad Abdullah https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Seismic Vulnerability of Masonry School Buildings: The Case of Algiers and Blida, Algeria
School architecture, which emerged in the early 19th century, developed to structure education within environments specifically suited to learning, becoming one of the most widespread public building types worldwide. In northern Algeria, particularly in Algiers and Blida—high seismicity regions—numerous schools were constructed in unreinforced masonry between the 19th and early 20th centuries, prior to the introduction of seismic design codes, making them highly vulnerable. This study identifies and geolocates these buildings, classifies them according to geometric and morphological configurations, and assesses their seismic vulnerability using nonlinear static (pushover) analysis with TREMURI software. Results highlight seismic response across diverse typologies, identify critical structural zones, and demonstrate the influence of architectural form on seismic performance. The study provides an evaluation framework to guide retrofit interventions and inform conservation and seismic risk mitigation strategies for masonry school heritage in earthquake-prone regions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Abderrahmen Souleymen Henni Chebra, Mustapha Cheikh-Zouaoui, Amina Abdessemed-Foufa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Reliability of Rapid Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Italian Architectural Heritage: the case of Churches
Historical buildings play an important role in the cultural heritage conservation. The frequent occurrence of seismic events in Italy involves either the culture of preservation or the civil protection action aimed to reduce the risk to people and assets. Most of the Italian architectural heritage can suffer severe injuries during an earthquake. According to the ancient techniques, these masonry buildings withstand mainly gravity loads and are intrinsically vulnerable to stresses induced by the earthquakes. Italian Churches are a significant example of these typical buildings. They are vulnerable mainly due to their typical planovolumetric configuration in combination with specific local factors. One of the main technical activities carried out by the Italian Civil Protection after an earthquake is to assess the damage in Churches and to evaluate their own vulnerability. To this end, qualified technicians perform a visual inspection. They then fill out ad hoc synthetic forms based on the collapse mechanisms that can be activated during an earthquake. This study uses artificial intelligence techniques to evaluate the reliability of vulnerability assessments obtained using this rapid procedure.
Copyright (c) 2026 Lucio Nobile, Mario Bonagura https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Conflicts of Adapting Cultural Heritage Preservation Technologies in Architecture Field
The increasing use of technologies such as 3D scanning, photogrammetry, IoT-based monitoring, and digital twins has brought new approaches to the preservation of architectural heritage. However, concerns regarding authenticity, technological sustainability, and social acceptance persist. This research focuses on the impact of digital protection technologies on perceptions of authenticity and public trust, while also addressing the ethical and social issues arising from the implementation of these technologies. To examine these issues, the study combined a thematic analysis of the literature with data collected through a Likert-scale survey (n=18). The findings show that although digital tools improve accessibility and documentation, they are not perceived as adequate alternatives to physical heritage. Most participants emphasized the importance of sensory experience and found digital reproductions insufficient for preserving cultural value. Concerns about authenticity, misrepresentation, and data security were also found to affect trust in digital heritage practices. The findings highlight a continuing gap between technological progress and public acceptance, underscoring the need for more transparent, participatory, and ethically based conservation practices.
Copyright (c) 2026 Cansen Soytürk https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Seismic Resilience of Vernacular Rural Architecture: Analytical Insights from the Bursa Case
Earthquakes are among the major natural hazards shaping settlement patterns and construction practices in Türkiye. However, discussions on seismic resistance are largely framed within engineering solutions, while the experiential knowledge embedded in local building traditions remains underexplored. This study examines rural architectural examples in and around Bursa to identify spatial and structural characteristics associated with the seismic performance of traditional construction practices. The research analyzes the structural organization, material use, and local construction techniques of surviving rural buildings through field observations and typological analysis. The findings indicate that the resilience of these structures is closely related to specific structural configurations and locally developed construction practices. These results suggest that earthquake risk should be addressed not only as a technical problem but also through the integration of local knowledge, building culture, and planning processes. In this context, structural strategies observed in rural architecture may inform contemporary discussions on seismic resilience.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurhilal Burak, Süheyla Koç https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Residual Income Based Housing Affordability and Green Community Interventions among Low Income Households in Greater Kuala Lumpur
This study examines housing affordability among low income (B40) households in Greater Kuala Lumpur using a residual income framework that reflects essential household needs and cost-of-living realities. The research pursues two objectives: (1) to assess residual income based affordability levels among B40 households, and (2) to evaluate how community gardens in low-cost housing areas function as a green intervention that enhances food security and reduces expenditure pressures. By integrating primary household survey data with secondary socio-economic and environmental indicators, the analysis investigates spending patterns across food, transport, healthcare, education, and energy, while assessing the contribution of community gardening to household resilience. Findings reveal significant residual income deficits, yet households engaged in community gardening report modest savings on food purchases and improved access to fresh produce. The study contributes to sustainable housing research by presenting a multidimensional affordability framework aligned with SDG 1, 10, 11, and 13.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nor Suzylah Sohaimi, Faizal Md Hanafiah, Wahida Ayob, Mohd Syahril Said, Aidanajwa Sabri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Sustainable Design for Emerging Micro Housing Trends: Architectural Quality and Livability Challenges in Riyadh’s Rapid Housing Shift
The growing Riyadh’s housing market is being significantly shifting from traditionally large family housing units to compact, affordable micro-units. Clearly, due to the influence of Vision 2030-related job growth with high demand for single independent living spaces for expat both genders. Accordingly, converting many two/three-bedroom apartments subdivided into multiple studios. The research aims to highlight the housing challenges of inadequate architectural quality and propose evidence-based recommendations for sustainable occupant centered design interventions. The research method adopted a qualitative approach. Case study analysis investigating field observation, spatial analysis, and comparative rental data in Riyadh Qairawan district. The discussion reveals concerns in these converted units (poor natural lighting, insufficient ventilation, compromised thermal comfort, and layouts prioritizing profit over livability). The study concludes its findings that unregulated conversions compromise occupant health, well-being, and affordability. Recommendations include design guidelines for the proposed micro-units, considering policies for purpose-built micro-housing developments that balance economic sustainability with architectural quality.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dalia Abdelfattah, Mahasen Alkahwaji, Abdullah Elshafie https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Enhancing Crop Yield Prediction Using Machine Learning and Geospatial Data
This study presents a geospatially informed machine learning approach to improve crop yield prediction in Zambia, where agriculture underpins rural livelihoods and national food security. The research integrates satellite-derived vegetation indices, principally the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), with meteorological indicators including seasonal rainfall distribution and temperature trends, across a 25-year wheat yield record (1999 to 2024) for a commercial farm in Chongwe District, Zambia. Datasets were harmonised through spatial standardisation, feature engineering, and temporal aggregation to produce a coherent input structure for a Random Forest regression model benchmarked against Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). Rainfall frequency, seasonal thermal accumulation, and vegetation vigour emerged as the most influential predictors of yield variability. Random Forest achieved a stable coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.389), while XGBoost exhibited apparent superiority (R2 = 0.950) attributable to overfitting on a small, spatially homogeneous dataset. The findings demonstrate that model selection is critical in small-sample agricultural prediction contexts and contribute an interactive, field-ready decision-support dashboard for precision agriculture in Zambia.
Copyright (c) 2026 Izukanji Muuka, Kasongo Changwe, Musoka Nyongolo, Penjani Hopkins Nyimbili, Masauso Sakala, Erastus M Mwanaumo, Wellington D Thwala https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Haven Hood: Adaptive Portable Architecture for Post Displacement Recovery – A Resilient Design Approach
This study explores the potential of adaptive modular architectural systems to support post conflict recovery processes for Syrian returnees following prolonged displacement. The research focuses on portable container-based systems as transitional urban recovery infrastructure capable of bridging the gap between immediate humanitarian response and long term reconstruction efforts. A case-study and design-based methodology was adopted to examine post-conflict urban conditions, infrastructure limitations, and recovery challenges within Northern Syria. The study contributes to the emerging literature on post-conflict urban recovery by extending the application of modular architecture beyond emergency shelter provision and positioning it as transitional urban recovery infrastructure. Unlike previous studies that primarily focused on refugee camps and short-term humanitarian responses, the proposed framework integrates modular housing, healthcare, educational facilities, and off grid infrastructure within damaged urban neighbourhoods. The findings suggest that modular tactical urbanism can support neighbourhood stabilization, service accessibility, and medium term recovery processes while permanent reconstruction efforts continue.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nour Ksaiby, Doaa Ibrahim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Domestic Infrastructures of Intimacy: Kitchens and Hygiene Spaces in Premodern Houses of Sucre - Bolivia (’50 ’60 ’70)
This study asks how kitchens and hygiene spaces in premodern houses of Sucre (’50-‘70) shaped everyday domestic practices and cultural notions of intimacy before the rationalization of modern housing. It investigates how these environments negotiated boundaries between private and communal life, gender, and ritual. The research applies architectural surveys and qualitative interviews with elderly residents, using typological and phenomenological analysis to interpret spatial configurations and meanings. Results reveal the coexistence of hybrid infrastructures—where cooking, washing, and everyday activities overlap—reflecting both material scarcity and symbolic richness. These findings highlight how domestic space functioned as a living archive of social order and memory. The study concludes that the premodern dwelling anticipated contemporary tensions between efficiency, affection, and cultural continuity, offering critical insights for architectural design and the understanding of dwelling practices in Latin America.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ximena Marcela Romero Baldivieso https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Anti-Architecture: When the Relationship Between Sculpture and Architecture Goes Wrong
Art as a generator of social change has become synonymous with community-centred urban regeneration initiatives, an art form that tackles socio-economic, political, and environmental issues, with the aim of creating a collective conscience, and which may seek to influence policymaking. These initiatives can be generalised into two main groups: one which tries to redefine the aesthetics of poverty by applying cosmetic improvements to existing structures to highlight their sculptural properties and to create an image of safety and prosperity, and a second one where the artists use socially informed methodologies to try to subvert the underlying social frameworks to alter them and produce new models which could generate progress. This paper proposes a critical reflection on the former, highlighting the shortcomings of cosmetic approaches to complex urban situations and the risk they pose of perpetuating their condition, in the context of sculpture practice and governmentally and privately funded interventions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Cesar Cornejo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Determining Universal Risks in the Sustainability of Post-Earthquake Temporary Housing
Post-earthquake temporary housing (PETH) is critical to disaster recovery but is prone to sustainability threats. This study systematically identifies and categorizes 24 universal risks of PETH, based on a PRISMA-guided systematic literature analysis (n = 23) of peer reviewed articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS). The emerging risks are grouped into four thematic sets: environmental, economic, social, and operational. Results show that economic risks, e.g., Lack of Cost-Effectiveness (EC4), Low Potential for Reuse of Temporary Structures (EC5), are the most widely reported in 12 countries, indicating their relevance worldwide. This study presents a new cross-national risk-matrix conceptualization that integrates diverse findings. It serves as a reminder to move from short-term technical fixes to long-term strategic and sustainability-oriented post-disaster housing solutions. The presented framework may enable policymakers, designers, and disaster response actors to successfully reduce long-term vulnerabilities and increase the resilience of housing responses to future disasters. In the end, it offers a framework that can be used globally to aid evidence-based planning and policy-making in disaster-prone areas.
Copyright (c) 2026 Merve Serter, Gülden Gümüşburun Ayalp https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
An Empirical Study on Residential Users' Preferences in Home Purchasing
Housing, in addition to fulfilling a basic need like shelter, is a multifaceted phenomenon that directly affects the quality of life of individuals through its economic, social, and spatial dimensions. In Turkey, rising housing prices, accessibility issues, earthquake risk, and changing lifestyles have made housing purchase decisions more complex and multifaceted. This study examines, from a user perspective, the criteria that participants living in the Yenimahalle district of Ankara prioritize in the housing purchase process, through questions posed via an online survey. The results reveal that earthquake safety and structural integrity, location, price/budget suitability, and security criteria are the primary determinants in housing purchase decisions for housing users. It is believed that these findings will contribute to the development of user-oriented housing production processes for housing producers, planners, and policymakers.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yusuf Sinan Akyol, Mesut Dural, Muzaffer Tolga Akbulut https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Sustainability Study on Proposed Traditional Stilt House in Munshiganj as a Prefabricated Modular Housing Design
Bangladesh, highly susceptible to climate change, confronts significant housing difficulties stemming from disasters and rising urbanization, while traditional construction methods are expensive and rigid. In erosion-prone areas like as Munshiganj, conventional modular stilt houses constructed with timber, CI sheets, and elevated foundations provide a native adaptable solution. Their substantial prefabricated façade sections diminish efficiency and transportability. This study investigates a standardized 4′ × 8′ modular panel system that incorporates façade, window, and door elements to enhance material economy, cost effectiveness, and scalability. Traditional and proposed systems were assessed by literature analysis, field surveys, material estimation, and cost comparison. Research demonstrates that an 8′ × 12′ unit necessitates just 10 panels, each utilizing 1.33 cubic feet of wood and one galvanized sheet, so decreasing panel weight by 50% and overall expenses by 18–24%. The compact, modular design improves mobility, durability, and sustainability for disaster-affected and economically disadvantaged housing situations.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rumana Rashid, Asma Siddika, Mehnaz Tabassum, Shahrin Sultana Sinthia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Design and Needs Analysis of Off-Grid Portable Mini-Houses After Earthquake
This study examines the design criteria of off-grid portable tiny houses, which aim to provide rapid, sustainable, and long-term solutions for shelter, energy, and water needs that arise after earthquakes. In current disaster management practices, temporary housing solutions such as tents and containers limit post-disaster quality of life due to inadequate insulation, short lifespan, high costs, and dependence on infrastructure. The study reviews the concept of disasters, disaster management processes, and housing problems, and evaluates the technical components of off-grid systems, including solar energy, wind turbines, hybrid energy solutions, water supply, greywater management, toilet systems, and heating-cooling technologies. Through a survey, user expectations were identified, and findings indicate that these systems can serve as a significant alternative in the post-disaster period. In conclusion, the study proposes a sustainable, mobile, and infrastructure-independent housing model that can be implemented in Turkey’s earthquake-prone regions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Celal Faruk Ayvaz, Özlem Çiçek Ünal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Analysing the Causes of Delays in Residential Construction Projects in Algeria: A Case Study Using DMAIC Methodology
Timely project completion is a key indicator of efficiency. However, the construction process is often influenced by numerous unpredictable variables and factors, making it rare for projects to be completed within the planned timeframe. This study investigates the key causes of delays in residential construction projects in Algeria, focusing on the construction of 228 housing units in Ali Mendjeli-Extension Ouest, Constantine. The study employs the D.M.A.I.C methodology to systematically analyze project delays. Structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders to identify the most critical delay factors among 24 causes, categorized into seven major groups. The severity and frequency of these causes were assessed to develop effective mitigation strategies. The analysis identified three primary causes of project delays: low work rate, poor management and supervision, and adverse weather conditions. Based on these findings, a corrective/preventive action plan and a comprehensive Project Management Plan were proposed to enhance project efficiency and performance. The findings provide construction professionals, policymakers, and project managers with data-driven insights into the primary causes of project delays. and propose practical solutions to minimize them, ensuring the successful completion of future construction projects.
Copyright (c) 2026 Lyna Rahma Gherab, Bani Feriel Brahmi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Urban Integration of Post-Disaster Modular Systems: An Analysis Through Disassembly and Circularity
The increasing frequency of natural disasters poses a threat to urban resilience, requiring a comprehensive re-evaluation of post-crisis housing strategies. The short lifespan of existing post-disaster structures leads to problems with environmental waste and urban integration. This study aims to evaluate the urban integration potential of disaster-focused temporary modular systems through the perspectives of design for disassembly and circular economy principles. For this purpose, a comparative case study methodology is employed to analyze six prototypes based on parameters including disassembly potential, circularity, installation speed and logistics, spatial adaptability, and urban integration. The findings indicate that modular systems with a high capacity for disassembly not only accelerate logistical and deployment processes but also exhibit the adaptability requisite for diverse crisis scenarios. Furthermore, their integration into the existing urban fabric significantly mitigates resource efficiency. Consequently, this research reveals that reconfiguring post-disaster spatial requirements through modular and circular strategies plays a fundamental role in cultivating urban resilience.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sinan Çelik, Betül Alankuş https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Assessing Galala City as Infra Habitation: Gaps, Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Human Settlements
This study evaluates Galala City as a contemporary example of Infra Habitation, focusing on how its infrastructure supports sustainable and resilient human settlement. Using established assessment tools—including the InVEST Habitat Quality Model, Habitat Suitability Modelling, the Habitat Hectare Method, rapid assessment protocols, and the Disaster Habitation Model—the research develops a tailored Infra Habitation framework for Galala. Findings show that while the city exhibits strong engineered infrastructure, including highways, tunnels, and a desalination-based water system, significant gaps persist in ecological integration, mixed-use development, public transit, and social services. The analysis highlights weaknesses in walkability, housing diversity, vegetation cover, and long term livability. A preliminary Infra Habitation scorecard identifies priority areas for improvement, particularly in environmental restoration, neighborhood planning, and mobility systems. The study concludes by proposing strategic actions to guide Galala’s evolution into a more inclusive, ecologically responsive, and human-centered city aligned with UN-Habitat principles.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yasser Mahgoub https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
From Living Room to Workstation: Daylighting Performance Optimization in the Hybrid Domestic Space of Algerian Collective Housing — A Parametric Study in Bejaia
Post-COVID Algeria has seen the collective housing living room emerge as the primary telework space and, simultaneously, as an informal setting for collaborative work among peers embodying a new hybrid live-work habitat typology. Yet existing housing stock was never designed for such use, generating critical visual comfort deficiencies for computer-based workers. This study examines the living room of a representative Algerian collective housing unit in Bejaïa, a coastal Mediterranean city, across eight building orientations. Using Rhinoceros and Grasshopper with a Radiance-based engine, spatial Daylight Autonomy, Useful Daylight Illuminance, Annual Sunlight Exposure, and Daylight Glare Probability are simulated at workstation level. Results show orientation and workstation placement are decisive for visual comfort, with northern orientations proving most favorable. For critical southern and western orientations, a dual-layer strategy combining exterior shading with an interior translucent blind achieves full metric compliance, providing directly actionable retrofit guidelines for Algeria’s existing hybrid housing stock.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rayane Bitout, Selma Saraoui https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Assessing the Adequacy of Territorial Indicators for Rural Sustainability: A Typological Approach in Romania
This study examines the adequacy of territorial indicators in assessing rural sustainability at the local level, addressing the limitations of standardised monitoring frameworks in capturing spatial and functional diversity. Recognising the heterogeneity of rural areas, the research adopts a typological approach based on three rural contexts (peri-urban, intermediate, and deep rural). A set of demographic, social, and infrastructural indicators is applied to three case studies in Southern Romania, each representing a distinct spatial configuration. The analysis moves beyond measuring development outcomes by evaluating how effectively indicators reflect context-specific dynamics. The results reveal significant variations in indicator adequacy across rural typologies. While certain indicators perform well in peri-urban areas, their explanatory value decreases in more remote contexts, where structural constraints and informal dynamics are not adequately captured. These findings highlight the need for a context-sensitive, territorially grounded approach to sustainability assessment and contribute to improving indicator-based monitoring frameworks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Simona-Rodica Șoldan, Alexandru-Ionuț Petrișor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Designing for the Unfinished: PREVI Lima and the Architecture of Incremental Growth
Incremental housing reconceptualizes the dwelling as open-ended process rather than a finished object. This paper theorizes the seed dwelling as spatial and structural framework that embeds the capacity for growth within its original form, distinguishing it from housing that merely tolerates informal extension. Through cross-case analysis of eight proposals from the PREVI Lima Experimental Housing Project (1967–1976), the study identifies three principles enabling resident-driven growth: the interior courtyard as spatial reserve; load bearing party walls oriented perpendicular to the street; and fixed service core that anchors infrastructure while maximizing flexibility. By applying tri-scalar interpretive framework derived from open building theory to systematic comparative analysis of PREVI proposals, the paper makes two original contributions. First, it proposes design taxonomy that operationalizes the theoretical distinction between housing that tolerates growth and housing that structures it. Second, it recovers underexamined cases from the PREVI archive, notably the Colombian and Peruvian proposals, which enrich and test the robustness of this taxonomy across different architectural genealogies. Comparative analysis with Belapur and Elemental Chile confirms cross-cultural transferability: well-designed seed dwellings reduce expansion costs and generate household equity. By framing housing as temporal infrastructure, the model offers practical spatial grammar for affordable housing in rapidly urbanizing regions.
Copyright (c) 2026 María González-Aranguren https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Full-Field Deformation Measurement and Debonding Analysis in Masonry-Infilled RC Frames Under Lateral Loading
This study investigates the in-plane lateral behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) frames with masonry infill walls, addressing their critical yet frequently overlooked role in seismic design. Four half-scale specimens, two bare frames and two with double-leaf masonry infills, were subjected to lateral cyclic and monotonic loading. High-resolution Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was utilized to precisely monitor strain, displacement, and interface slip. Results show that infills significantly increase maximum lateral strength (2.6-2.7 times) and initial stiffness (4.4-5.3 times) compared to bare frames, but reduce displacement ductility and exacerbate stiffness degradation. Crucially, DIC revealed that initial gaps from construction sequencing trigger early interface debonding at roughly 75% of peak load, initiating a diagonal strut mechanism that imposes severe shear demands on beam-column joints. This research uniquely links local construction practice to structural resilience and validates DIC as an advanced diagnostic tool for mapping complex frame-wall interactions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ismail Layadi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Finite Element Analysis of Thermal Bridges in Mediterranean Residential Building Using Iot-Based Temperature Monitoring
Thermal bridges are localized regions of increased heat transfer that reduce the thermal efficiency of building envelopes and contribute to higher energy consumption. This study presents a three-dimensional finite element model (FEM) to investigate the thermal performance of a representative Mediterranean residential building using realistic boundary conditions obtained from in-situ monitoring. An IoT-based sensing system continuously recorded indoor, outdoor, and surface temperatures over a seven-day period, and the measured data were incorporated into the numerical model. The FEM simulations evaluated temperature and heat flux distributions across the multilayer wall assembly, with particular attention to the wall-to-wall, wall-to-floor, wall-to-partition, and partition-to-floor junctions. The results revealed significant heat flux concentrations at structural junctions, confirming their role as critical thermal bridges responsible for increased heat losses. The proposed methodology demonstrates the effectiveness of combining IoT monitoring with high-resolution FEM simulations to identify thermal weak points and support the design of energy-efficient retrofit strategies for existing Mediterranean buildings.
Copyright (c) 2026 Behnam Mobaraki, Abdollah Mobaraki, Mojdeh Nikoofam, Laia Mendoza Gordi, Mohammad Baghe Ahmadi, Frederic Vilà Martí https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Dual Functionality of Silica Fume in Very-High-Strength Heat-Resistant Concrete
Very-high strength heat-resistant concrete (VHSHRC) is intended to withstand high temperatures without significantly degrading its characteristics. This research highlights the effect of silica fume on the properties of VHSHRC, and it was employed as a partial substitute for Portland cement at various ratios of 11.5%, 12%, 12.5%, and 13%. The properties, such as compressive and split tensile strength, bulk dry density, and water absorption, were measured under normal and different heating temperatures and durations. 165 cubes were used to determine compressive strength, and 150 specimens were examined for split tensile strength, bulk dry density, and water absorption. The results show that the optimal silica fume replacement ratio in VHSHRC was 12.5%, resulting in a 3.72% increase in compressive strength at 125°C and a 32.18% reduction in water absorption due to the improvement in pozzolanic reaction by silica fume and its ability to reduce the number and size of micro-pores.
Copyright (c) 2026 Zhwan Anwar Noori, Ferhad Rahim Karim, Hardy Kamal Karim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Architecture Pedagogy for Tomorrow: Speculative Practices in Design Studios
Architecture holds a long-standing history, encompassing language, typology, scale, materiality and meaning, and evolving across geographies and timelines. The parameters shaping the built world are redefined with every shift in the social-political, cultural, technological and environmental realities. Architectural practice is at the cusp of operating beyond the built environment. With this continuous shift in practice, architectural education has an important role in shaping architects as future-ready. The time demands that architecture education embrace this ambiguity. The fluid nature of the future of architectural practice can be answered by speculative pedagogical approaches to ensure that an imaginative, iterative and experimental process of thinking and evolving a design intent is cultivated. This paper assesses the studio exercises from architectural studios conducted by the author within a theoretical framework and analyses the learning outcomes in this context.
Copyright (c) 2026 Neha Nair https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Repositioning Artificial Intelligence in Architectural Conceptual Design: An Experimental Comparative Model for Data-Driven Spatial Decision-Making
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the built environment has greatly improved building automation and performance optimization. However, the potential of AI to inform early spatial configuration, user-oriented planning, and its role in shaping architectural decisions at the conceptual design stage have not been well studied. This study aims to compare traditional architectural design processes with AI-informed design approaches at the conceptual stage. An experimental comparative design model is employed in which two parallel design scenarios are developed for the same prototype: a conventional, architect-led concept design and an AI informed concept design. The comparative evaluation framework is structured around five multidimensional criteria: Space Utilization Efficiency, Daylight Performance, Circulation Optimization, User Scenario Compatibility, and Spatial Adaptation Capacity. This study examines whether AI-informed conceptual design generates spatial configurations that differ measurably from conventional approaches. The findings will contribute to the development of data-driven, adaptive, and user-centered architectural methodologies.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sanam Rezaeifam, Seyed Babak Ehsani Oskouei, Gökçen Firdevs Yücel Caymaz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Contemporary Architecture in Southeast Asia: A Case Study of Spine Architects in Myanmar
Southeast Asia’s contemporary architecture has been evolving alongside the region’s recent developments. However, the contexts of some Southeast Asian countries, for instance, Myanmar, were often overlooked in the analyses of the region’s contemporary architecture. By examining the works of one of the country's leading local firms, Spine Architects, this paper investigates how Myanmar’s contemporary architecture was shaped between 2000 and 2010. The paper analyses Spine Architect’s selected works together with relevant literature reviews and a relation with political, economic, and social issues of Myanmar within the selected time frame. The study reveals that a leading local architect firm’s contemporary design considerations can flourish alongside its peers at the international level, and keep pace with regional contemporary architecture developments, even under the challenges and limitations of a nation. The paper also fills a gap in contemporary Asian architecture discourse and shows the architectural profession’s simultaneous intermingling with and detachment from political, economic, and social contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Kyaw San Nyunt, Chomchon Fusinpaiboon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Between Shores: Reimagining Spatial Experience On Istanbul Ferries
Ferries are not merely transportation vehicles but significant public spaces that establish strong ties between Istanbul’s cultural identity and collective memory. This study focuses on the interior of Paşabahçe Ferry, aiming to adapt its spaces to contemporary user needs while preserving its historical identity. The study proposes a research-based design following a methodology that consists of literature review, on-site observations, and user surveys. Analysis indicates that while the vessel maintains a strong visual connection with the sea, there are deficiencies in acoustic comfort, seating ergonomics, accessibility, and digital infrastructure. The resulting design proposal redefines the ferry as a functional public interior that bridges maritime heritage with 21st-century urban requirements. The space is organized into functional zones to support diverse scenarios, balancing social interaction areas with quiet spaces for individual use. By prioritizing technological integration and ergonomics, the project revitalizes the ferry as a high-quality public space within the urban fabric.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sevgi Orak, Seniye Banu Garip https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rethinking the Diagram: From Mechanism to Affective Surfaces
In architectural history, the diagram is framed as a productive mechanism enabling the spatial formation of thought. Deleuze’s reading of the diagram as a fluid, operational surface and Vidler’s definition of it as a temporal, abstract machine expand the concept beyond conventional representation. Today’s architectural landscape and contemporary urban issues emphasize the affective components of urban experiences within this theoretical framework, such as intensity, tension, and memory. This paper introduces the concept of affective diagrammatic surfaces, arguing that the diagram evolves beyond organizing formal relations into a critical surface that reveals the affective registers embedded in spatial encounters. The evolving role of the diagram is discussed in this paper in line with key theoretical precedents within architectural discourse. The methodology is based on a critical literature review and theoretical analysis. Ultimately, the paper proposes a contemporary theoretical framework that repositions diagram theory within an affective context and highlights its relevance for interpreting spatial experience.
Copyright (c) 2026 Çiğdem Karabağ, İlke Tekin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Courtyard as a Spatial Negotiator: Socio-Spatial Transformation of Domestic Life in Traditional and Contemporary Indian Houses
This paper examines how changing socio-spatial configurations influence patterns of negotiated domesticity in traditional and contemporary courtyard houses within India's composite climate. A comparative case study approach is adopted, analyzing traditional houses from Ayodhya, Barabanki, and Varanasi, and contemporary houses from the NCR (National Capital Region). Methods include field surveys, photographic mapping, secondary data collection, and space syntax analysis using convex maps, step depth, and visual graph analysis (VGA) to assess spatial hierarchy, accessibility, and visibility. Findings reveal that traditional courtyard houses exhibit layered spatial hierarchies, in which courtyards serve as active socio-spatial mediators that support interaction and cultural continuity. In contrast, contemporary houses demonstrate spatial homogenization, reducing courtyards to symbolic elements with limited integrative function. The study concludes that adaptive reinterpretation of courtyards is essential, emphasizing their role as dynamic socio-spatial architectural elements to sustain negotiated domesticity within evolving Indian housing contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Lalit Akash Verma, Farheen Bano, Pragati Verma https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Procedural Uncertainty in Earth Building Production: Post-2010 Approval Processes in Türkiye
Earth buildings in Türkiye are constructed using contemporary methods similar to global practices. However, since 2010, legislation has limited how this material can be used in construction. This study aims to identify the uncertainties and challenges faced during the approval process for both public and private earth buildings built in Türkiye after 2010. A sample of earth buildings completed after 2010 and officially approved was selected for this research. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with designers and representatives of approval institutions and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that uncertainty mainly arises from vague definitions of earth buildings in standards and regulations. Consequently, technical evaluation criteria are often unclear and applied inconsistently across different institutions. This leads to longer project timelines, approval delays, and less predictability in production. Therefore, this study emphasizes the need for more standardized procedures and clearer evaluation criteria in the earth-building approval process.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ece Sultan Karacık, Buket Metin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Transition Gap Between Academic Preparation and Professional Practice in Saudi Arabia
The study aims to identify and analyze the gaps between educational outputs and market needs in Saudi Arabia. It identifies the technical and social skills required in the early years of practice, assesses their provision, and compares how graduates and professionals view graduate preparedness to recommend curriculum adjustments. The study employs a convergent mixed-method design. Two surveys were conducted to measure the same variables: one for graduates, the other for professionals. Findings show that graduate and professional perceptions converge on the extent to which architecture programs align with the needs of practice. The lowest-reported area of graduate preparedness was multidisciplinary coordination. The most challenging professional transition area was working within project deadlines. When it came to skill gaps, the largest reported skill gap was aligning conceptual designs with project constraints. The professionals identified six challenges for new graduates entering professional practice: role confusion, regulatory knowledge, coordination difficulties, project management, communication barriers, and market disconnect. The findings indicate that Saudi architecture programs require reforms to align educational outputs with market needs by incorporating more realistic, practice-based projects and courses.
Copyright (c) 2026 Abdullah Elshafie, Sara Alansary, Moada Abdelaziz, Sara Bakalka, Lama Sultan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Identifying and Prioritizing Barriers to Construction 4.0 Adoption
The transition to Construction 4.0 has the potential to transform productivity, sustainability, and decision-making across the construction industry; however, its adoption remains low in Turkey. This study aims to systematically determine and rank the key challenges hindering the implementation of Construction 4.0. A systematic literature review identifies technological, organizational, financial, regulatory, and human-related barriers to the adoption of Construction 4.0. A mixed research approach is adopted, and reliability and relative importance index (RII) are employed to evaluate the relative importance of these challenges and to reveal their interdependencies. The findings indicate that skills and training deficiencies, high initial investment costs, data interoperability, and organizational resistance to change are perceived as the most critical obstacles. By prioritizing these challenges, the study provides a clearer understanding of where policymakers, practitioners, and educators should focus their efforts. The results contribute to ongoing debates on digital transformation in construction and offer practical guidance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gulden Gumusburun Ayalp, Esra Gökçe Pekmezci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Towards a Sustainable Museum: Integrating Scenography and Technology in the Museum Experience
The rapid advancement in digital technologies has fundamentally transformed contemporary museum design. Museums have evolved beyond static display venues into dynamic, interactive environments that demands rethinking both spatial organization and visitor experience quality. Despite this evolution, significant gap persists in the literature: few studies have systematically examined how sustainability principles and scenographic design strategies can be integrated. This study addresses that gap by proposing comprehensive design framework the Sustainable Scenography Index (SSI) that synthesizes sustainable design principles and scenographic strategies to improve environmental performance and elevate visitor experience. The study employs qualitative comparative methodology applied to six internationally recognized museums. Data drawn from documentary sources, analysed across four thematic dimensions: energy and material efficiency, circular scenographic design, visitor eco-literacy, and institutional governance. The findings demonstrate that integrating digital and immersive technologies with sustainable design practices contributes to improved thermal comfort, enhanced educational efficiency, and reduced environmental impact. The study makes original contribution by introducing the SSI as replicable, context evaluation framework applicable to diverse institutional contexts, including global mega museums. The study results show that integrating digital and experimental technologies with sustainable design practices contributes to improving thermal comfort, increasing the efficiency of the educational process, reducing negative environmental impacts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Donia Kamal Hosny, Hadeer Helal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
An Algorithmic Approach for Spatial Design of Post-Disaster Settlements Considering Prolonged Stays
Post-disaster settlement designs often prioritize urgent needs while overlooking the frequently observed reality of prolonged occupancy. The neglect of diverse long-term needs and expectations commonly leads residents to undertake costly and uncoordinated modifications. This study proposes the creation of spatial variety within the parcels of individual dwelling units in order to enrich and support future modification possibilities. Spatial variety is achieved through the combination of two spatial properties—open/semi-open space and hard/soft ground conditions—resulting in four spatial configurations within each parcel. This approach is developed in relation to the principles of incremental design and long-term experiential quality that is livability. Employing a research-by-design methodology, the study develops a generative algorithm capable of generating spatial configurations of post-disaster settlements while respecting the widely-accepted dimensional standards. The model is tested through a pilot settlement scenario. The findings demonstrate that generative algorithmic approach can support diverse user expectations in post-disaster settlements.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mertcan Yürekli, Ahmet Gün https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Developing Construction Knowledge and Technical Representation Through Experiential Learning in Architectural Education: A Pedagogical Approach Using 3D-Printed Building Kits
Construction courses in architectural education aim to help students understand the relationships between building systems and enable them to express this knowledge through technical representations. However, observations conducted in the Department of Architecture at Yeditepe University indicate that students experience difficulties in translating three dimensional building assemblies into two-dimensional technical representations, particularly through section drawings. In response, an experience-based pedagogical approach has been developed within the scope of construction courses through an action research methodology. Based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, the study is conducted through the use of reconfigurable building kits produced with 3D printing. This paper focuses on the methodological framework developed for the evaluation of section drawings within this ongoing research. In the study, section drawing is approached as a practice that makes students’ relational thinking processes regarding building systems visible, and a multi-layered evaluation approach integrating process-based, representational, and conceptual data is proposed.
Copyright (c) 2026 Esra Karahan, Bahar Aktuna, Sude Acarbay https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Mathematics in Interior Architecture Education in Türkiye: Curricular Positioning and Design Integration
This study examines the presence, content, and pedagogical positioning of “Mathematics” courses in undergraduate interior architecture programmes in Türkiye. As an interdisciplinary field, interior architecture relies on mathematics to shape both physical and perceptual aspects of space. A document analysis was conducted across 90 departments. The analysis followed three frameworks: Curricular Position Lens (GMC, DOM, POM), Conceptual Design Lens (MfD, MiD, MoD), and Thematic & Operative Lens. The findings identified 40 mathematics related courses, evenly divided between compulsory and elective offerings. These courses are generally separated from design studios, with compulsory courses concentrated in early semesters and electives distributed across later years. Results show that mathematics is predominantly positioned as an instrumental and supportive element within curricula, while its role as a constitutive part of design thinking remains limited. The study argues that the key issue is not the presence of mathematics courses, but their epistemological positioning within design education.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nisa Nur Göksel, Burçin Cem Arabacıoğlu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Passive Thermal Comfort and Energy Performance of Residential Morphologies in a Hot–Arid Climate: a Simulation-Based Assessment for Post-War Housing Reconstruction in Aleppo
Post-war housing reconstruction in Aleppo faces the dual challenge of delivering thermal comfort and improving thermal and energy performance under a hot-dry climate with constrained infrastructure. This study evaluates 24 residential morphologies across four plan families (L, U, Courtyard (box), and II) through dynamic free-running simulations in DesignBuilder, using current-climate weather data from Meteonorm for Aleppo. Annual mean operative temperature, PMV, PPD, discomfort hours, and heating and cooling energy demand were integrated through a Multi‑Criteria Decision Selection (MCDS) weighted-sum model, prioritising operative temperature and discomfort hours (weight 0.25 each) alongside PMV, PPD, air temperature, heating demand, and cooling demand. L-type layouts demonstrated the strongest overall performance, with L27 ranked first overall, followed by L22, L18, and L13, while II27 ranked last (MCDS = 0.095). The study introduces a morphology-based decision support framework integrating A/V ratio analysis, thermal comfort, energy performance, and MCDS ranking for post-war housing reconstruction in hot–arid climates.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mariam Altaema, Sertaç Oruç https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Impact of Biophilic Design on Virtual Reality Learning Environments: A Narrative Review
Biophilic design is recognized for improving well-being, cognitive performance, and learning outcomes in educational spaces. However, its potential within immersive learning environments remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate how integrating biophilic principles in the design of Virtual Reality environments can influence learning experiences and performance. The paper presents a narrative literature review on the use of biophilic design in VR learning environments, analysing studies from major academic databases to identify key themes, design strategies, and outcomes related to biophilic elements in digital spaces. Findings indicate that incorporating natural patterns, daylight simulation, vegetation, and biomorphic forms in VR environments may support attention restoration, reduce cognitive fatigue, and enhance learners’ sense of presence and emotional comfort. These results highlight the potential of biophilic VR design as a strategy to support healthier and more effective immersive learning environments, contributing to emerging research at the intersection of architecture, digital environments, and educational design.
Copyright (c) 2026 Laura Cormio https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Hybrid Material Use in Architectural Hardware: Glass Bonding Technology and Surface Analysis in Aluminum Door Handles
The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of glass bonding technology on the mechanical and aesthetic performance of aluminum door handles. The methodology includes integrating glass onto a curved aluminum body using bonding technology and examining the resulting hybrid structure's corrosion resistance and ergonomics. A significant aspect is the rarity of this technology in the hardware sector, which facilitates total surface integrity. Main findings show that bonding technology significantly increases product durability while creating a continuous visual language with the door surface. Ultimately, this research offers an alternative solution for architectural hardware designs by demonstrating that material innovation can enhance structural resilience while presenting a minimal and contemporary aesthetic.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nisa Nur Çam, Ahmet İnci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
A Phenomenological Critique of Normative Design Standards in Healthcare Architecture: An Evaluation through the Concept of Genius Loci
This study critically examines national and international normative design standards used in the architectural planning of healthcare facilities within the framework of architectural theory. Healthcare buildings require a specialized planning approach due to their high technical requirements and complex operational structures. In this context, the design process is largely guided by normative documents that define spatial organization and technical requirements. However, these documents predominantly describe space through technical and functional criteria, while qualitative aspects such as user experience, spatial meaning, and contextual identity remain limited. The research is grounded in Christian Norberg-Schulz’s phenomenological approach and the concept of genius loci. Healthcare design guidelines from different countries are analyzed comparatively. The findings reveal that while normative standards successfully meet functional requirements, they are limited in terms of spatial meaning and user experience. The study emphasizes the need for more holistic and place oriented design approaches in healthcare architecture.
Copyright (c) 2026 Aylin Yıldız, Hasan Ünver https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Transforming Sustainable Architecture through Extended Reality (XR): A Cognitive and Decision-Support Framework for Sustainable Architectural Design
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector significantly impacts worldwide energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating sustainable and data-driven design practices. Extended Reality (XR), comprising Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), has surfaced as a revolutionary digital technology that enhances sustainability-focused architectural decision-making. Nonetheless, current research has mostly concentrated on visualization capabilities, offering limited empirical information concerning XR's cognitive and behavioral effect on achieving sustainability results. This research fills gap by employing mixed-method research strategy that combines PRISMA-based systematic literature review with quantitative empirical investigation utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). Total of 214 valid replies were obtained from professionals and academics in architecture, engineering, construction in the MENA area. The results indicate that XR usability markedly improves sustainability understanding (β = 0.65, p < .001) , user engagement (β = 0.68, p < .001), both of which positively affect decision-making efficiency. The SEM model demonstrated robust fit indices (CFI = 0.948; RMSEA = 0.052), validating suggested conceptual framework. This study contributes conceptually by integrating experiential learning theory, embodied cognition, human-centered decision-making into field of XR research. The findings demonstrate XR as a cognitive and decision-support system that enhances sustainable design outputs throughout the building's lifetime.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hebatallah Hamdy Mohamed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Beyond Direction and Control: Irrational Grids as Architectural Design Method
This paper proposes the possibility of the grid system to operate irrationally in producing architectural space. This proposition challenges the rational-functionalist paradigm that has dominated the use of grid in modern architecture. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of détournement, the study conducts a qualitative comparative analysis of three architectural case studies: Hejduk’s Bye House, Tschumi’s Parc de la Villette, and MVRDV’s Pavilion at Expo 2000. The study identifies criterias of irrationality, comprising of ambiguity, separation, non predetermined function, and diversity. Based on such criteria, the research demonstrates how irrational grid systems do not constitute as design failure but represent a productive alternative design methodology. These findings suggest that there are some transformations that occur when the grid is détourned. Such transformations exist when the design purpose shifts from control to disruption, when uselessness is reframed as a generative spatial strategy, and when architectural meaning shifts from functional prescription to human interpretation. Thus, the paper contributes by expanding the understanding and application of grid as the basis of design method, moving beyond functionalist perspectives of architecture.
Copyright (c) 2026 Christeven Cohen, Kristanti Paramita, Yandi Andri Yatmo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Biofeedback-Based Adaptive Furniture Design: Sensor Technologies for Therapeutic Interiors
Sensors, integrated with biofeedback systems, AI, and IoT technologies, provide adaptive features to furniture by offering real-time feedback to users' needs. In this context, using sensors in adaptive furniture has emerged as a contemporary research area, as it may influence not only physical requirements but also psychological well-being. This study asks: "Do sensors in adaptive furniture create therapeutic effects that support psychological well-being, and how do these effects differ by sensor type?" User interaction-oriented sensors (pressure, force, touch, motion), identified through purposive sampling, were evaluated using visual and printed secondary data sources. Data were analyzed under the themes of data type collected, furniture response, and therapeutic effect. Results indicate that pressure sensors contribute to postural awareness; force sensors to physical comfort; touch sensors to the sense of security; and motion sensors to the perception of safety and support for independent living.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fatma Zişan Yolcu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Representation of Architectural Utopia: A Critical Reading of Spatial Narrative
Utopias historically present ideals and critiques of the future, while their representational forms shape these ideals and critiques within specific spatial narratives. In the 21st century, utopian narratives, which have reemerged in the face of technological, environmental, and post-humanist crises, have sparked new debates in architecture. Do contemporary architectural utopian representations offer a critical and ideal solution to social problems, or are they evolving into a new form of dystopia through technological illusions? This study examines architecture's spatial narrative power by questioning the concepts of architectural representation and utopia. In this context, drawing on Ruth Levitas' understanding of “utopia as method,” the study evaluates utopia not merely as content but as a spatial imagination constructed through representation. Assuming that representation is not merely a means of transmission but also a tool that constructs and limits utopia, it critically examines spatial narratives of the future, ranging from historical examples to contemporary projects.
Copyright (c) 2026 İlayda Güzelküçük, Melek Pınar Uz Baki https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Variable Seriality: Surfaces and Additive Manufacturing as Design Research
This paper investigates the role of variable seriality in the design of modular surfaces produced through additive manufacturing, interpreting the surface as a project-based system rather than a finishing element. The aim is to explore how modular repetition, combined with controlled variation of morphological and production parameters, can generate surface configurations capable of producing differentiated spatial and perceptual effects. The study adopts a design research methodology, integrating parametric digital design, additive manufacturing, and critical observation of prototypes. The experimentation resulted in a repertoire of modular surfaces developed through systematic variations in geometry, depth, and density. The results show how additive manufacturing enables strong continuity between digital models and physical artifacts, transforming seriality into an open design strategy. The paper proposes modular surfaces as flexible systems for the built environment, contributing to the debate on architecture and technology by reinforcing design as a knowledge-producing practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Alessandro Spennato, Gianpiero Alfarano, Paolo Di Nardo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Decoding the ‘Spirit of Place’: A Large Language Modeling (LLM) Approach to Formulating Perceived Pedestrian Accessibility in Space-Time Prisms
Morphological discontinuities in urban fabric cause discrepancies between physical and perceived accessibility. In response, this research explores how personal preferences and user perception can be mathematically parameterized to bridge this gap, thereby improving the representation of user accessibility in morphologically distinct urban environments. The study proposes a novel methodology using large language modeling (LLM) to formulate how phenomenological variables and "spirit of place" reshape pedestrian accessibility within space time prisms (STPs) through AI-based simulations. A comparative analysis is conducted between the morphologically continuous Amsterdam Centre Station Square and the spatially fragmented Istanbul Beşiktaş Barbaros Square to decode decision-making strategies in these contrasting environments. By utilizing LLMs to process qualitative preferences and narratives, the research identifies how these experiences can be integrated as specific STP components. This approach establishes a foundational AI-driven framework for bridging environmental phenomenology with technical spatial modeling, creating a simulated environment for subsequent quantitative applications and further research developed through real-user interviews.
Copyright (c) 2026 Beyza Kurtulmus, Selin Yıldız https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Parasitic Architecture in Defining Space and Place
A parasitic building can attach to its host from the outside, via its facades and roofs, or it can coexist within the host. Just as parasitic infections maintain their continuity by infecting another living organism, a parasitic building also infects another host through Co-evolutionary Interaction. At this stage, a process occurs in which the parasitic building, the host building, and the spaces and places in the urban fabric in which it is located are continuously defined. This study aims to reveal the findings related to the dynamic structure of the Co-evolutionary Interaction project process in defining spaces and places. The originality of this study lies in its integration of parasitic architecture, co-evolutionary interaction processes, and AI-based co evolutionary interaction processes within a holistic framework. The study is expected to contribute to the literature and practical applications in this field.
Copyright (c) 2026 Havva Özdoğan, Evşen Yetim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Elite Residences of the Ottoman Provinces at the Boundary of Private and Public Space: An Evaluation of Several Mansions Belonging to the Hazinedarzade Family of the Eastern Black Sea
Beginning in the sixteenth century, when the central authority of the Ottoman State started to weaken, notable provincial families (ayan) significantly increased their influence and initiated a period often referred to as the “age of the ayans” by gaining administrative, military, and economic power in many cities of Anatolia. One of the regions where these families were particularly influential was the Black Sea region, where the Hazinedarzade family established a strong dominance in the area they governed for nearly half a century from the late eighteenth century onward. In addition to the waqf-based public services they provided, the family also displayed their power through the magnificent mansions they commissioned or purchased. Sometimes used as government residences, these buildings are noteworthy for the ways in which, through their scale, architectural language, and location, they projected representation toward both the private and public spheres. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate such representational strategies embodied in residences built by Ottoman provincial elites through several mansions belonging to the Hazinedarzade family.
Copyright (c) 2026 Merve Yavru https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Enhancing Environmental Awareness through Media Storytelling in Built Environment Education
This study presents a pedagogical case from a fourth-year course, Theory of Built Environment Interaction, in which students developed community awareness campaigns addressing water issues, climate change, and environmental justice. Using video storytelling and child-friendly animation, students translated theoretical concepts into accessible narratives for both adults and children. The project combined environmental education, community engagement, and digital media production, including the application of AI-based tools. The evaluation included post-screening surveys with community members and reflective surveys with students. Results indicate increased environmental awareness among participants, particularly children, and demonstrate the effectiveness of storytelling as a medium for environmental communication. Student reflections highlight enhanced learning outcomes in systems thinking, collaboration, ethical responsibility, and public engagement. The findings suggest that universities can serve as mediators between environmental knowledge and society, positioning design education as a catalyst for awareness, agency, and sustainable action beyond the classroom.
Copyright (c) 2026 Pakinam Hassan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Dynamic Simulation Approach for Estimating Solar Energy Potential of the Building Environment in the Macedonian Context
This research develops an integrated methodological framework for assessing solar energy potential within the built environment through dynamic simulation. The approach combines LiDAR-derived spatial data, GIS-based analysis, and time-dependent solar radiation modelling to evaluate both geometric and energy-related characteristics of roof surfaces. The methodology incorporates detailed roof documentation alongside dynamic solar simulation to quantify spatial parameters and corresponding solar energy capacity at building level. The results demonstrate that solar potential is strongly influenced by roof geometry, orientation, and local climatic conditions, and that dynamic simulation provides a reliable basis for identifying suitable surfaces for photovoltaic (PV) integration. The study further highlights the role of geospatial data in enabling precise energy assessments and supporting data-driven decision-making. By linking spatial analysis with energy modelling, this research contributes to the development of a solar cadastre applicable to urban and national scales. The findings underline the importance of dynamic, GIS-based approaches in advancing renewable energy strategies and facilitating the transition toward sustainable and decentralized energy systems within the built environment.
Copyright (c) 2026 Kire Stavrov, Strahinja Trpevski, Natasha Malijanska Andreevska https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Effect of Light on the Formation of A Space Atmosphere: A Reading Through Experience Spaces
This study investigates the atmospheric potential of light by drawing on the concept of light space interaction within Gernot Böhme’s theory of architectural atmospheres. The relationship between light and space, and the influence of changing lighting conditions on spatial perception, are examined through a design proposal developed for the Kılıç Ali Paşa Hammam in Istanbul. The hammam was selected due to its historical character, clear spatial hierarchy, and its capacity to reveal perceptual changes under varying lighting conditions. Within the proposal, multiple lighting scenarios were developed by manipulating the qualities of light, including color, intensity, and direction. These scenarios explore how different lighting conditions transform human–space interaction. The proposed light–space environments were experienced by users in a virtual reality (VR) setting, and user experiences were evaluated through a survey to analyze how changing lighting conditions influence spatial perception and atmospheric experience.
Copyright (c) 2026 Esra Aksu, Demet Arslan Dinçay https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
A Creative Inquiry Attempt in Architecture Education: Producing an “...ism”
This study examines the pedagogical boundaries of freedom in architectural education through a student-centred and critical classroom experience. In the process structured on researcher student collaboration, students were positioned not merely as receivers of knowledge but as actors who generate value. The discussion, conducted around the question “What would postmodernism criticize if it emerged today?”, encompassed critiques ranging from class inequality to the urban skyline. The students’ proposals were compiled within the framework of problem definition, supporting arguments, and counterarguments. These proposals were evaluated in relation to the positioning of creativity against institutional, political, and technological boundaries; the relationship between spatial justice and design; and the balance between individual freedom and collective responsibility. The findings reveal the creative potential of free thought in architecture and demonstrate education as a field of polyphonic production. It is anticipated that the participating students’ recognition of architecture’s potential to transform the social and physical environment, as well as its intellectual dimensions, will have a lasting impact in helping them position their own roles within this transformation.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sena Işıklar Bengi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Biopolitics, Space, and the Critical Position of the Architect-Subject
Space is a heterogeneous construction involving interplay between social actors and physical components that is produced and consumed through everyday experiences and bodily practices. The fact that space is not merely a physical expression but also an embodiment of sociality is the basis of the complex relationship between humans and space. While it defines the movements, expressions, and boundaries, it also reveals the power relations that mold the body. The aim of this research is to examine biopolitics as mechanism of power that regulates biological life and spatiality of bodies. By adopting a historical perspective, the research demonstrates how space has been biopolitically instrumentalized as an apparatus, while questioning the position of architecture and the influence of the architect-subject. The research offers current perspectives by providing recent critiques about the architect-subject’s position within the creative process.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nazlı Yıldız, Özlem Arıtan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Spatial Configuration Transformation and Physical–Functional Resilience in Traditional and Contemporary Mosques: A Comparative Space Syntax Study of Iran and Qatar
This paper investigates how spatial configuration influences physical–functional resilience in mosque architecture through a comparative analysis of traditional and contemporary mosques in Iran and Qatar. While mosque typologies have been widely studied, limited research examines the relationship between spatial layout and resilience across different cultural contexts. Drawing on space syntax theory, one traditional and one contemporary mosque from each country were analysed using Depthmap software through axial and visual graph analyses. Key syntactic indices (integration, control, choice, depth, and connectivity) were used to evaluate spatial performance. Findings reveal that traditional Iranian mosques exhibit hierarchical depth and strong spatial control, supporting configurational resilience through morphological redundancy, while contemporary examples demonstrate increased network complexity and adaptability. In contrast, Qatari mosques, organized through radial and centralized layouts with limited depth, show high spatial transparency and strong integration but reduced substitution capacity. The study suggests integrating hierarchical depth with distributed networks to enhance adaptability in contemporary mosque design.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sherin Karawia, Ghazal Farjami, Safoora Mokhtarzadeh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
From Story to Space: Narrative as a Generator of Architectural Design
Concept generation is one of the most challenging stages of architectural design, as translating abstract ideas into coherent spatial concepts is often difficult for students and designers. This research investigates storytelling as a conceptual generator in architectural design by examining how narrative structures influence concept development and spatial organization. A comparative experimental study was conducted with eighty first-year architecture students. The students were distributed into two groups with balanced academic performance based on GPA. The control group followed a conventional concept development approach, while the experimental group applied a narrative-driven design method in which stories were translated into spatial compositions through stages of interpretation, abstraction, and spatial transformation. Student projects were evaluated through a multi-jury review system and analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests. The results show that narrative-driven design significantly improved conceptual clarity, spatial composition, and creativity, highlighting storytelling as a structured framework for generating architectural concepts. The study contributes empirical evidence to architectural design education by demonstrating the effectiveness of narrative-driven approaches in supporting concept generation and spatial design development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Shden Abusafieh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Impact of Architectural Organization on Emergency Evacuation Routes in Airport Terminals
Mega-scale airport terminals are complex public structures where multi-layered spatial organization, transfer-based circulation, and heterogeneous user profiles are intertwined. This study examines the position of the relationship between architectural organization, wayfinding in times of crisis, and disaster/emergency evacuation in these structures in the literature through a conceptual-bibliometric design. Two complementary Boolean strings, extended (n = 176) and focused (n = 76), were run on the Web of Science Core Collection (2019–2026); datasets were analyzed through VOSviewer at the scientific mapping level. Findings show that the field concentrates within engineering categories; architectural organization, spatial readability, and decision-point concepts do not form an independent thematic cluster. The three-level research gap identified (disciplinary visibility, thematic clustering, contextual intersection) documents the fragmented representation of architecture in this literature. The study's original conceptual contribution is the proposal of a dual-mode performance framework read through wayfinding, decision points, and visual access thresholds. Keywords: mega-scale airport terminal; architectural organization; wayfinding in crisis; disaster and emergency evacuation; spatial legibility; bibliometric analysis.
Copyright (c) 2026 Buse Yalpı, Aslı Er Akan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Building the Fundamentals with a Plastic Water Bottle: A Methodology for Architectural Design Education
During the semester-long Fundamentals of Design studio discussed in this paper, students were introduced to principles of scale, spatial organization strategies, environmental responsibility, and teamwork through an upcycling project that used the discarded plastic water bottle as a building block. The outcome was a built spatial condition on campus that symbolized the need to address plastic waste and was the product of student learning by doing. Active engagement is at the core of the methodology for architectural design education presented in this paper, which focuses on the application of various professional and design skills.
Copyright (c) 2026 Asil Zureigat https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Optimizing Daylight and Occupant Comfort: A Simulation-Based Analysis of Building Performance in Famagusta, Cyprus
Although much literature has examined daylighting and energy performance, few studies combine daylight, thermal comfort and occupant-centred performance under a single simulation-based framework for Mediterranean environments. This paper proposes an organised simulation-based approach to assess and optimise the performance of a building in Famagusta, Cyprus, using quantitative climatic data analysis and digital simulation with Climate Consultant 6.0, Autodesk Forma and EnergyPlus. Daylight autonomy, spatial daylight autonomy, useful daylight illuminance, thermal comfort indicators (PMV, PPD), building orientation, façade layout, material selection and adaptive shading are evaluated systematically. Findings indicate occupant comfort improvements of between 25% and 70%, with reduced cooling energy achievable through context-sensitive design, yielding a repeatable framework integrating comfort and environmental performance.
Copyright (c) 2026 James Bruno Ochieng, Halil Zafer Alibaba https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Reclaiming Childhood: A School for Growth After Displacement
This study explores the capacity of space to facilitate resilience for post-displaced children in Bangladesh. This resilience is designed to result from two main strategies: Recovery and Long term Growth. With the rapid increase in internal migration, the current education system and spaces must adapt to accommodate internally displaced (IDP) children. Through literature review, field surveys, workshops, migration pattern mapping, curriculum analysis, context analysis, pedagogical spatial characteristic analysis, and learning behavior analysis, eight design principles have been derived to make space act as “The Third Teacher” in the context of Bangladesh. Despite rural-to-urban migration being the majority among IDP children, there is a gap in understanding their needs in educational and public spaces. This study gathers demographic data, needs, and aspirations, translating them into guidelines for Recovery and Long-term growth in educational spaces for IDP and host community children who have their whole lives ahead of them after displacement.
Copyright (c) 2026 Aniqa Ibnat, Mohammed Zakiul Islam, Mizanur Rahman https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Time Management Strategies in Graduation Projects: Systematic Scheduling vs. “All-Nighter” Culture
Time management plays a critical role in students’ success and their readiness for professional practice. This study examines the impact of structured planning compared to all-nighter work habits among Architecture, Industrial Engineering, and Software Engineering students in Saudi universities during their graduation projects. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted across 212 students. The findings indicate that frequent all-nighters are associated with higher academic stress, while structured scheduling is linked to improved perceptions of time control. Although students who slept less than three hours during intensive work periods reported higher subjective satisfaction, this appeared to reflect the perceived effort intensity rather than the quality of work or overall well-being. The study further identifies a gap between students’ intended planning strategies and their actual work behaviours. In alignment with Saudi Vision 2030, the study recommends structured scheduling practices to better equip students with the skills required to meet evolving industry demands.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mahasen AlKahwaji, Sara Alansary, Sara AlSakkaf, Gadi Saad, Sara AlHammadi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rule-Based Design and Semantic Modeling: BIM and Procedural Modeling Integration for Digital Twin Architecture
Increasing architectural complexity necessitates the adoption of integrated methods. Convergence of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Procedural Modeling (PM), within contemporary architecture is analyzed in this study. The limitations and potentials encountered during this convergence are discussed within an integrated framework. Digital Twin concept, as a data-driven cyber–physical simulation and optimization system, is examined as key point of the integration between BIM’s rich semantic data environment and the rule-based, dynamic operational logic of PM. Therefore, contributions of integrating PM and BIM to efficiency and automation in Digital Twin production are investigated. The requirements for aligning architectural design and construction workflows with contemporary demands and for integrating them with Industry 4.0 concepts and tools are discussed through conceptual analysis, cases, and relevant literature. Open data environments, user-friendly interfaces, standardization, training and legal frameworks are proposed to facilitate the integration and widespread adoption of BIM and PM in contemporary architecture.
Copyright (c) 2026 Tuba Kaya https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Reading and Analysing Alan Kadıköy as a Kinetic Performance Space
Kinetic architecture views architectural space not as a fixed form, but as a dynamic system that can adapt to changing uses and user interactions through movable elements and transformable spatial configurations. In performance spaces, this approach questions the traditional concept of a fixed stage by allowing for different staging formats, flexible audience actor relationships, and multi-purpose use. This study examines Alan Kadıköy as an example of a contemporary kinetic performance space. The building incorporates adaptable stage design, modular spatial components, telescopic seating systems, and flexible halls supporting different performance scenarios. Its spatial organization creates a transformable performance environment by allowing for the re-imagining of stage, audience, and backstage relationships. While existing studies examine kinetic architecture in specific contexts, this study aims to reveal the spatial and experiential contributions of kinetic architecture to performance spaces through the example of Alan Kadıköy and to offer a guiding framework for future performance structures.
Copyright (c) 2026 Helin Bağcıvan, Yenal Akgün https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Representation and Limits of Sustainable Architecture in the Urban Regeneration: A Reading Through Düsseldorf / Kö-Bogen II Project
Sustainable architecture has become a powerful formal and symbolic tool for urban regeneration. This study examines transformation of urban regeneration process as a remedial intervention addressing adverse conditions created by Düsseldorf’s 19th-century industrialisation. Kö-Bogen II building, a product of this transformation from Düsseldorf’s automobile-oriented planning paradigm to a nature-centred one, is case study for this research. Adopting qualitative research methodologies, study was conducted through literature review and analysis of Kö-Bogen II’s sustainable design parameters. Findings indicate that it possesses quality of a ‘living organism’ that meets sustainable design paradigms and actively participates in environmental cycles. However, study highlights that, despite the building’s strong representation of sustainable architecture, it also possesses potential for ‘Green Gentrification’ triggered by the value appreciation it generates. This situation opens a discussion on the critical point where the representational power of sustainable architecture encounters urban boundaries such as social accessibility and socio-spatial stratification. Consequently, true success lies beyond technical excellence and requires inclusive urban policies as well.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ayşe Sirel, Pınar Tabak https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Digitalization and Visitor Interaction in Exhibition Spaces: A Conceptual Model Proposal
This study investigates how digital exhibition techniques, commonly used in exhibition spaces, can be integrated with social interaction. Technological tools and virtual environments make the exhibition experience multilayered and interactive for visitors, but they are mostly used in a visitor and system-oriented way. However, exhibition spaces are public meeting places, and visitor experience models state that the experience develops within a social context. Within this framework, the research follows a method based on literature analysis and proposes a conceptual interface model. This exhibition space proposal aims to create a collective urban memory in Istanbul that brings together artists and visitors through the use of an interface. The proposed interface model aims to create an interactive base where visitors can engage with each other's experiences in addition to the content. Therefore, the exhibition space is reconsidered as an integrated structure that supports participatory and collective experience.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ecem Naz Duva, Seniye Banu Garip https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Towards Breathable Building Envelopes for a Synergy between Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency
Over the past few decades, architectural practice has taken a new direction, giving rise to a remarkable trend in the design of modern building envelopes. These envelopes, often adaptive and inspired by nature, have emerged through innovative manufacturing techniques based on advanced technologies and novel materials. They represent a new generation of building envelopes capable of breathing, adapting, and reacting to external factors in real time, symbolizing a shift from static architecture to kinetic architecture. With this in mind, this paper outlines the various aspects of breathable envelopes designed using a biomimicry approach. It highlights the transformation of knowledge derived from nature into architectural solutions that introduce innovative techniques in the construction field through the use of smart materials. These breathable envelopes aim to achieve indoor thermal comfort while reducing energy consumption to enhance overall energy efficiency
Copyright (c) 2026 Khaoula Fekkous, Yasmina Bouchahm, Nadia Fekkous https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
System-Level Conditions Shaping the Deployment of Wood Fibre Insulation in European Residential Construction
This study examines the deployment of wood fibre insulation (WFI) in residential construction through a comparative system-level analysis of Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It explores how regulatory frameworks, construction systems, housing structures, and broader industrial contexts jointly shape the feasible application of WFI. The analysis combines documentary sources with expert insights to identify key structural conditions influencing WFI deployment. The results show that WFI deployment is primarily constrained by the alignment of regulatory requirements and dominant construction systems, particularly regarding building height and fire safety classifications. Although low-rise construction offers more permissive conditions, established masonry and concrete-based practices limit broader adoption. Overall, the study demonstrates that WFI deployment is shaped by the interaction of multiple structural conditions and contributes to the literature by providing a comparative system-level perspective on the adoption of bio-based insulation materials.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jami Järvinen, Hüseyin Emre Ilgın, Markku Karjalainen, Henrik Heräjärvi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Adaptive Ecological Urbanism: a Data-Driven Design Methodology for a Conceptual Prototype in Gokturk,Istanbul
This study proposes adaptive, data-driven urban design methodology that integrates artificial intelligence with ecological performance to address contemporary environmental challenges. While smart city technologies enable advanced monitoring and optimization, they often prioritize operational efficiency over ecological quality. Conversely, ecological urban design approaches frequently remain static and insufficiently connected to real-time environmental data. This research argues that integrating these domains is essential for developing more responsive, resilient, environmentally informed urban environments. The originality of the study lies in the development of unified methodological framework that positions artificial intelligence as an active design partner capable of interpreting environmental data, generating adaptive scenarios, and informing spatial decision-making processes. Through a comparative analysis of Copenhagen’s Cloudburst Management Plan, Singapore’s Digital Urban Twin, and Barcelona’s Sentilo platform, the research identifies transferable principles, including adaptive feedback loops, environmental monitoring systems, and measurable performance indicators. These principles are subsequently applied through a conceptual design prototype developed for the Göktürk district of Istanbul, utilizing satellite-derived environmental data and hypothetical IoT sensor networks to generate adaptive spatial strategies. The findings demonstrate how AI-supported design methodologies can enhance ecological performance, strengthen urban resilience, and contribute to the advancement of adaptive ecological urbanism as an emerging framework for sustainable urban design.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rumeysa Hilal Aydemir, Nesip Ömer Erem https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Balancing Architectural Expression and Climatic Responsiveness in Tropical Climate: A Case-Study Evaluation of Glazed Office Façades in Lagos, Nigeria
The issue of finding balance between architectural expression and effective climatic performance in tropical high-rise buildings continues to be problematic. The paper presents a comparative analysis of two LEED Gold certified office towers (Heritage Place and Kings Tower) in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. Drawing on architectural phenomenology, the research the research aims at identifying the influence of facade design and spatial organization on environmental performance and users' perception. Through physical observation over one week and content analysis of the building, the study found that while high façade transparency delivers excellent daylight, it causes unpleasant glare and thermal conditions unless moderated by deliberate passive strategies. In comparison with Heritage Place and its curtain wall facade, the perforated aluminum screen and curvilinear shape of Kings Tower that was inspired by sails of the boats in the Lagos Lagoon proved to be much more climate-responsive and provided a comfortable internal environment. The results show that successful tropical facade design is the result of the combination of material expression, spatial logic and climatic responsiveness. Practical recommendations for architects and policymakers working in Lagos are suggested.
Copyright (c) 2026 Saudat O Ajijola, Oluwatosin Akomolede, Immanuella C Uchenna, Esosa U Osawemwenze https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
% Arabica Bangkok: A Case Study on Spatial Design and User Interaction
This research investigates how architectural design shapes user experience and interaction within % Arabica cafés in Bangkok, Thailand. As part of the global third-wave coffee movement, these cafés emphasize transparency, craftsmanship, and minimalist spatial expression, positioning coffee preparation as a visible and performative act. The study aims to examine how specific design elements—such as counter configuration, spatial layout, materiality, lighting, and visual openness—influence barista–customer interaction and multisensory experience. Adopting a design ethnography approach by Galen Cranz and sensory methodologies developed by Sarah Pink, the research employs on-site observation, Behavioural observation, Spatial Photo documentation. The focus on a single, globally recognized café brand allows for an in-depth analysis of how consistent design principles are adapted within a specific urban context. The study aims to contribute to architectural knowledge by identifying how spatial design strategies can enhance interaction, support educational engagement through a carefully curated sensory environment.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ativiseth Phin, Pat Seeumpornroj https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Evaluation of the Natural Lighting Performance of Skylights in the Circulation Areas of Building V at Istanbul Aydın University: A Digital Twin-Based Study
Natural lighting plays a fundamental role in enhancing visual comfort, reducing energy consumption, and supporting user well-being in sustainable architectural design. This study aims to evaluate the daylight performance of circulation areas beneath skylights in Building V at Istanbul Aydın University through a digital twin-based approach. A parametric digital twin model of the building was developed, and climate-based daylight simulations were conducted using Ladybug and Honeybee tools. Within the scope of the study, both the existing skylight configuration and a newly proposed alternative geometry were analyzed with two different glazing materials. A reference illuminance level of 100 lx, in accordance with TS EN 12464 1:2011 and EN 17037:2018 standards, was adopted as the baseline criterion. The simulation results indicate that both glazing properties and skylight geometry have a significant impact on daylight distribution, illuminance levels, and spatial uniformity. The study provides a quantitative framework for optimizing skylight design in educational buildings and contributes to reducing dependence on artificial lighting systems. The findings highlight the importance of integrating digital twin methodologies with daylight performance metrics in sustainable building design processes.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ezgi Yılmaz, Ayberk Paşaoğlu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
AI and Its Role in Architectural Education
The developing technologies shape and lead various domains; they have started to be used in fields such as education and architecture. This issue presents the amalgamations of those two fields. Employing AI is significant since architecture is a profession that involves technology as its integrative part. The study directs attention to the importance of the developing digital technologies, which in this case underscores the potential and role of AI. The study highlights the critical relation between architectural education system and the integration of AI. There are multiple studies focused on the usage of AI in architectural education. Comparative literature analysis based on those studies is limited; therefore, a shared analysis framework is used for comparison. The findings reveal the shared characteristics and differences among them, which can act as a guidance for future studies. Accordingly, the study aims to contribute to the architecture students and lecturers in architectural education.
Copyright (c) 2026 Şerife Hikmet, Nazife Özay https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Climate-Responsive Vernacular Architecture: A Measured Study of Limboo Houses in Eastern Sikkim, India
This paper presents one of the rare remaining typologies of traditional vernacular architecture found in the fragile, cold-climate terrains of the Eastern Himalayas. In this context, houses serve not only as shelters for humans but also as spaces for accommodating cattle and supporting livelihood practices, thereby establishing domestic architecture as a vital element of the socio-ecological system. Constructed primarily from locally sourced natural materials, these buildings demonstrate a construction logic that is inherently sustainable, climate-responsive, and resource-efficient. This research documents traditional vernacular construction practices through measured drawings, offering a detailed architectural record of a mud house that is increasingly at risk of disappearing, especially in the eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim. The study emphasizes the relationships among levels, plinths, retaining walls, and internal spatial organization, illustrating how the house adapts to sloped terrain and contributes to its stabilization. The drawings also highlight the integration of living, working, and storage spaces, reflecting seasonal cycles and the daily practices of the inhabitants. Collectively, the drawings present the mud house as a resilient architectural system that embodies continuity among humans, habitat, and land, and provides insights into sustainable construction practices grounded in vernacular knowledge.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nishant Kansagra, Tithi Soladhara, Alberto Estévez, Marcelo Fraile Narváez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Architecture and Nation-Building in Post-Independent Burma: The Case Study of the Tripitaka Library
The Tripitaka Library in Yangon, Myanmar (then Burma), designed by the American architect Benjamin Polk and commissioned during the early modernisation period of independent Burma in 1954 under Prime Minister U Nu, represents an understudied example of post independence architecture in Myanmar. This study demonstrates how the building reflects the relationship between global architectural modernism and local Burmese Buddhist symbolic traditions during the early period of nation-building in independent Burma. The research investigates archival materials, government records, and regional architectural scholarship to analyse the commissioning history and architectural design strategies. The study finds that modern spatial planning and reinforced concrete construction incorporated elements of Buddhist cosmology. The paper argues that the Tripitaka Library illustrates how architectural modernisation in post-colonial Southeast Asia was conceptualised and designed to express religious meaning, national identity, and political ambitions, contributing to broader discussions on architectural modernism and cultural construction while also reviving knowledge of early modernisation in Myanmar.
Copyright (c) 2026 Lwin Myat Swe, Chomchon Fusinpaiboon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Within the Triangle of Body, Image, and Space: Fashion’s Role in Urban Identity
Fashion is a practice that makes visible the relationship between the individual and the social structure through the body, image, and identity within urban space. This study aims to redefine fashion and to explore its potential as an input for urban design. The research focuses on the boulevards and passages of 19th-century Paris to reveal the role of fashion in shaping urban identity and originality. Although fashion has been discussed in the literature through urban movements and architectural form, its potential to transform and redefine space at the urban design scale has been largely overlooked. This study addresses this conceptual gap. The research method is based on a literature review of studies published in the last five years, filtered using Scopus AI and keyword-based concept mapping. The findings show that fashion is a tool for reading spatial identity and urban experience and should be reconsidered from an urban design perspective.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dide Berfin Hasar, Esin Özlem Aktuğlu Aktan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Hydrological Performance of Green Roofs in Urban Areas Exposed to Extreme Rainfall Events
How do green roofs influence stormwater runoff in urban areas exposed to increasingly extreme rainfall events? This paper evaluates hydrological performance of green roofs under changing climatic conditions characterized by more frequent short-duration, high-intensity precipitation. The study focuses on Central European urban environments, where rainfall extremes increasingly challenge conventional drainage systems. The methodological approach combines analysis of long-term precipitation time series with synthesis of theoretical knowledge and experimental data on green roof hydrological responses to different rainfall types. Results demonstrate that green roofs enhance rainfall retention and delay runoff peaks during common and moderately intense precipitation events, reducing instantaneous loads on urban drainage infrastructure. However, during extreme, rapidly occurring rainfall events, retention capacity becomes limited, revealing functional thresholds. From an urban planning and architectural perspective, these findings highlight the need for systematic implementation of green roofs as an integral component of climate adaptation strategies reducing urban vulnerability to rainfall extremes.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jozef Olašák, Milan Palko https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Exploring Architectural Design Philosophies and Planning Strategies to Enhance User-Driven Spatial Customization and Responsive Building Envelopes
Over the recent decades, standardization of residential floor plans in urban housing has prioritized construction efficiency and cost optimization at the expense of spatial personalization. This leads to a reduction of user satisfaction and limited responsiveness to diverse occupant needs. However, customization within floorplans to enhance spatial usability and user comfort results in façade inconsistencies, ad-hoc external solutions. The study investigates the connection between user-driven floorplan customization and standardized façade optimization by exploring established design philosophies, and principles, systematically comparing the architectural case studies, examining how the integrated planning strategies can translate the interior configurability without compromising the façade’s compositional coherence. Employing a qualitative analytical framework, the study identifies design strategies, discusses the regulatory constraints, and procedures that conciliate the interior flexibility with façade comprehensibility, and the findings presents a transferable design solutions applicable to contemporary mass-housing, contributing to the discourse on user-centric personalization in urban residential architecture.
Copyright (c) 2026 B Selva-Rani, A Madhumathi, Hourakhsh Ahmad Nia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Innovation in Architectural Harware: Design of Flush-Integrated Linear Motion Door Handle for Smart Doors
This study addresses the integration of aesthetics and functionality in modern architectural hardware by evaluating a flush-integrated door handle design that approaches the user via linear motion. The methodology focuses on a system that remains embedded in the door body when inactive, integrated with smart locking systems and motion sensors. A key aspect is maintaining surface integrity through a minimalist design language compared to traditional handles. Key findings indicate that the use of aluminum ensures high structural durability and sustainability while the sensor support prevents hand entrapment, enhancing user safety. In conclusion, this project combines mechanical innovation with user experience, offering a new perspective for contemporary architectural product designs by prioritizing aesthetics and functionality.
The Impact of Large Language Models on Functional Diagram Generation: An Extended Cognition-Based Investigation of First-Year Architecture Students
This study investigates the impact of Large Language Models (LLMs) on the functional diagram generation process of novice architecture students within the framework of extended cognition theory. Through a quasi-experimental design involving 41 first-year students, the research compares topological networks generated through traditional sketching with those produced through GenAI interaction for a weekend house project. Quantitative analyses of spatial nodes and edges reveal a significant cognitive expansion: LLM assistance increased the number of spaces by 11.4% and connections by 17.9%. However, the findings also indicate a qualitative shift toward instrumental dominance. Students made statistically insignificant curatorial reductions to the AI-generated complex networks, acting more as passive editors than active co-creators. Furthermore, extended dialogue loops resulted in additive topological expansion rather than hierarchical refinement. The study concludes that while AI offers substantial capacity enhancement, architectural pedagogy must cultivate spatial critical thinking to filter the hyper-productive nature of AI.
Copyright (c) 2026 Adil Yirmibeş, Arzu Ispalar Çahantimur, Gözde Kırlı Özer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Climate Change Impacts on Urban Environmental Systems: A Review-Based Analysis with Emphasis on Sustainable Urban Resilience
Climate change intensifies interconnected risks to urban environmental systems, threatening ecological integrity, infrastructure performance, and human well-being. This study examines climate change impacts on urban environmental systems and identifies resilience strategies supporting urban adaptation. A semi-systematic review of peer-reviewed literature from Scopus and Web of Science (2020–2025) was conducted using predefined inclusion criteria and thematic analysis. The findings identify four dominant urban climate risks-heat stress, flooding, air pollution, and water scarcity-affecting critical environmental subsystems including green spaces, water infrastructure, and air quality regulation. three major resilience pathways are highlighted: integrated governance and planning, nature-based solutions, and adaptive infrastructure systems. By synthesizing fragmented research through a socio ecological resilience framework, this study provides a reproducible analytical approach to support evidence-based urban climate adaptation and planning.
Copyright (c) 2026 Shahrzad Amirsarvari https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Biophilic Learning Environments and Cognitive Performance in Egyptian Primary Schools
Despite extensive historical, philosophical, and psychological acknowledgement of nature's positive influence on children's learning, no standardized, empirically validated framework currently exists for measuring how biophilic learning environments affect the creative and cognitive abilities of primary school children — particularly within Egyptian educational architecture. This study makes two original contributions to the field. First, it introduces the Biophilic Classroom Assessment Tool (BCAT) the first standardized instrument designed specifically to evaluate the environmental qualities of primary school classrooms in relation to cognitive performance, filling a gap that existing tools have not addressed within non-Western educational contexts. it implements a mixed-method quasi-experimental design that integrates environmental measurements, validated creativity assessments, and systematic behavior mapping — moving beyond the predominantly qualitative or perception-based methodologies that dominate current biophilic design research Together, these contributions advance the evidence base for environment-behavior research in educational settings and offer a replicable, context-sensitive model applicable to school design policy and practice in Egypt and comparable Global South contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yasser Mahgoub, Zeinab Tahoun https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Re-design of the Quality Control System in the Lighting Industry
Nowadays, manufacturing companies face the challenge to maintain low prices, products with customised quality, and a low scrap rate. The case study is focused on one of the global enterprises in the lighting industry. This study has aimed to analyse and minimize scrap using re-designing the quality control system transferring the end-of-line to an in-process quality approach (in-process inspection). The quality inspector only checks the finished products; thus, certain components must be discarded. The goal is to minimize the discarding of components in the final step, after they have gone through all processes, by stopping them as early in the process as possible. After all the implementation was done, in a month of production the decreasing of the scrap has led to an economic reduction in total with 4.661 euro cumulated in different parts of assembly (aluminium, metal and polymer) and the other areas (surface treatment, die casting, mould injection).
Copyright (c) 2026 Laura-Maria Scutaru, Irina Severin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Parallel Spaces Mechanisms Analysis of Harry Potter Fictional Narratives
This study explores the operational mechanism of parallel spaces in the Harry Potter series— how these spaces coexist simultaneously with the Muggle world within the same spatial coordinates without colliding, and how this coexistence functions as a narrative engine. It defines parallel space as a layer of reality superimposed on a physical location identical to the primary world, governed by its own lawscape: the tautology between law and space that determines visibility, accessibility, and the possibility of events (Philippopoulos Mihalopoulos). Through analysis of three key spaces—the Ministry of Magic, 12 Grimmauld Place, and the Room of Requirement—this study identifies four operational mechanisms: invisibilisation/visibilisation, interpenetration, threshold, and superimposition. Findings show that parallel spaces function as narrative engines actively shaping plot through rules of access and spatial folding. This study contributes to the understanding of fictional architecture and raises the question of whether architecture is inherently always parallel.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ranita Hanin Salsabila Agustine, Paramita Atmodiwirjo, Kristanti Dewi Paramita https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Urban Experience in the Age of Supermodernity: The Tension Between Space and Non-Space
This study examines the ontological and experiential transformation of space in modern cities by focusing on the loss of the street's quality as a place. The objective is to analyze the tension between 'place' and 'non-place' in the built environment, considering the changing spatial and sociological implications of the city. Methodologically, the research follows a holistic approach, synthesizing Marc Augé’s 'non-place' theory with an analysis of changing urban morphology and social practices. The study reveals how the physical and semantic disconnection created by modern planning practices erodes urban space and alienates the individual. In this context, the street and public space lose their experiential dimension and become socially dysfunctional, even if they physically exist. In conclusion, the spatial alienation presented in this study emphasizes the need to reframe urban design priorities in the context of human scale and social practices.
Copyright (c) 2026 Aslı Berre Öztürk, Cemal Cenk Hamamcıoğlu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Why Architectural History Struggles to Integrate with the Design Studio
The architectural design studio is located at the centre of the learning expected in the Bachelor of Architecture course. It is expected that all other subjects must inform and enrich the learning in the design studio. Architectural history is a mandatory core course in the B Arch curriculum in India. However, as the literature suggests, the lessons from history rarely reach the design studio, let alone enrich it. The paper identifies issues and barriers to integrating architectural history into the design studio and presents a literature-based examination of them. Drawing on relevant studies, the paper identifies persistent issues, including teaching methodologies, the notion of history, students' psychological issues (e.g., hesitation toward new learning), skill related issues, language barriers, curriculum-related issues (e.g., limited pedagogical alignment), and teacher-driven issues. The literature also highlights gaps in teaching strategies that meaningfully translate historical knowledge into design thinking. By synthesising the findings, the study underscores the need for integrative pedagogical frameworks that position architectural history as an active, interpretative resource within the design studio. The authors insist that integrating architectural history into the architectural design studio will enrich the studio, especially its conceptual narratives in the design process.
Copyright (c) 2026 Shalini Sheoran, Manoj Panwar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Playful Smart Environments: Interactive Public Installations as Child-Centred Urban Learning Spaces
This paper examines how interactive architectural installations can enhance children’s engagement, learning, and social development in public space. The aim is to establish a design framework that integrates responsive technologies within child-centred urban environments. The study combines comparative case analysis, behavioural observation, and prototype-based spatial simulation to evaluate how sensor systems, adaptive lighting, and kinetic elements influence children’s movement, collaboration, and creativity. Results show that spatial responsiveness increases physical activity, peer interaction, and exploratory behaviour when guided by safety, inclusivity, and developmental principles. The findings demonstrate that technology is most effective when embedded within clear architectural strategies rather than treated as add-on features. The study concludes that interactive installations can transform static playgrounds into adaptive learning landscapes. Its contribution lies in proposing a structured, research-based approach to designing developmentally supportive public architecture for children.
Copyright (c) 2026 Vigisha Gopalakrishnan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Low-Carbon Lifestyles: Residential Interventions to Reduce Urban Carbon Emissions
Urbanization is a major contributor to the global carbon footprint, with the building sector alone responsible for a significant share of emissions. In developing countries like India, the residential sector ranks just behind industry in carbon emissions. This paper focuses on the role of individual households in addressing this issue by adopting simple, affordable, and practical strategies to reduce emissions. It discusses common lifestyle-based activities, such as water and electricity usage, transportation, and daily household practices, and introduces ways to modify them to lower carbon output. Techniques like grey water reuse, use of passive design, roof gardens, and the adoption of solar energy are also explored. The paper emphasizes that change at the household level, though small in scale, can collectively make a meaningful difference. These solutions aim to be cost-effective, easy to implement, and suitable for everyday homes, promoting a shift toward sustainable living from the ground up.
Copyright (c) 2026 Deeksha Sharma, Dipanshu Sharma https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Impact of Architectural Design on Fire Risk in Hotel Buildings: A Design Error Taxonomy for Turkey
This study investigates the impact of architectural design decisions on fire risk in hotel buildings in Türkiye. While fire safety is often addressed through active systems and regulatory compliance, the role of spatial configuration such as plan typologies, atrium design, corridor depths, and means of egress in exacerbating fire and smoke spread is frequently overlooked. This research employs a multi stage method including literature review, analysis of the Turkish Fire Safety Regulation (BYKHY), and spatial analysis of case studies. Using FMEA and L Matrix methods, the study aims to systematically identify and classify recurring architectural design errors that elevate fire risk. The primary outcome is the development of a novel design error taxonomy for hotels, providing an analytical framework to integrate fire safety into the early stages of architectural design, thereby bridging a critical gap in national literature and practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Meryem Öztürk, Aslı Er Akan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Incorporation of Phase Change Materials for Thermal Comfort in Buildings: A Case of Warm and Humid Climate
Thermal comfort in warm–humid climates remains challenging due to persistently high temperatures, elevated humidity, and limited night-time cooling. Conventional mechanical cooling increases energy demand, highlighting the need for passive, climate-responsive alternatives. This research investigates the potential of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and, more specifically, Phase Change Humidity Control Materials (PCHCMs) as an integrated hygrothermal regulation strategy for buildings in warm–humid Indian conditions. PCHCMs uniquely moderate both temperature and relative humidity by simultaneously exchanging sensible and latent heat, thereby influencing building energy loads. The study compares conventional wall assembly to PCHCM infused wall assembly with diatomite , gypsum and hempcrete as hygroscopic matrices within the PCHCM. The study also looks forward to identifying an optimal composite of PCHCM infused wall assembly by microencapsulation , macroencapsulation or shape-stabilized PCMs . Using Künzel’s HAMT (Heat–Air–Moisture Transport) model, the research simulates the behavior of the developed composite within the building envelope through DesignBuilder. The findings aim to advance passive material technologies that improve indoor comfort while reducing cooling energy consumption in warm–humid climates.
Copyright (c) 2026 Paras Jain, Abhijeet Pal, Prabhleen Kaur, Reetwik Mukherji https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Biophilic Attribute Mapping Across Green Rating Systems for Delhi Housing Adaptation
Biophilic design is associated with restorative and well-being benefits; however, its integration into building rating systems remains uneven. This study aims to map biophilic attributes across 27 international and 2 national rating systems and assess their relevance to Delhi housing, using Kellert’s 72 attributes as a benchmark. It employs a PRISMA-guided systematic review and credit-attribute mapping of official rating-system documents to code explicit and implicit biophilic credits. LBC leads with mandatory "Biophilic Environments" (83 credits, 92% coverage); WELL v2 follows (43 credits, 71% with explicit thresholds), while LEED v4/v5 trails (32% coverage, despite v5's "Connecting Nature" credit). BREEAM-NL HEA 10 offers residential-specific indicators. IGBC India achieves 22% biophilic credits. Environmental Features and Place-based Relationships are most consistently represented, evolved Human Nature Relationships and Natural Patterns and Processes are rare. The findings reveal a gap between global benchmarks and Delhi’s density-stressed housing context, supporting the need for a climate-responsive biophilic adaptation framework.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sushmita Singh Parmar, Kshetrimayum Bangkim Singh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Effect of Minimalism on User Experience and Spirituality in Mosques: A Case of Bahrain
Mosque architecture has continuously evolved over time; contemporary mosque designs incorporate modern trends including minimalism. This research explores the effect of minimalist architectural design on user’s spiritual experience in contemporary mosques in Bahrain. The aim of this research is to study the impact of minimalism on worshippers' emotional, cognitive and spiritual engagement. The study adopts a Mixed-Methods approach supported by a theoretical framework drawing on architectural phenomenology, spirituality, minimalism in architecture, Islamic concept of humility and cognitive load theory. The theoretical framework highlights that simplified spaces reduce mental effort, enhance focus, and facilitate contemplation. The methodology includes a phenomenological analysis of three selected mosques in Bahrain, along with user survey assessing concentration and spiritual experience of worshippers. The results indicate that minimalist mosque architecture promote spirituality by lowering cognitive load, reducing sensory distractions and fostering humility, indicating it as an effective approach to contemporary mosque design in Bahrain.
Copyright (c) 2026 Zakiya Mohammed, Haifa Al-Khalifa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Biyofilik Tasarım İlkelerinin İç Mimarlıkta Psikolojik Göstergeler Üzerindeki Etkileri: Literatür İncelemesi
The psychological effects of interior spaces on users have become increasingly important in the fields of interior architecture and environmental psychology. The decline in human interaction with nature may negatively affect individuals' psychological well-being. In this context, biophilic design aims to strengthen the innate connection between humans and nature through the built environment. This study examines the effects of biophilic design principles on users' psychological indicators using a literature review methodology. Within the scope of the research, studies published between 1992 and 2025 in the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were reviewed, with a particular focus on indicators such as stress, attention restoration, psychological well-being, and spatial satisfaction. The findings indicate that biophilic design elements, including natural daylight, vegetation, water features, and natural materials, positively influence users' psychological states by reducing stress and enhancing spatial satisfaction. However, the reviewed studies were found to be predominantly based on short-term investigations with limited sample sizes. Consequently, biophilic design is considered an important approach for enhancing user experience in interior spaces, while future research should focus on more comprehensive and long-term investigations.
Copyright (c) 2026 Cemile Yüsra Şahin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
University Science and Technology Innovation Parks as Catalysts for Smart and Sustainable Cities: A Systematic Review of Global Models
University Science and Technology Innovation Parks (USTIPs) play a crucial role in shaping knowledge-based economies and advancing the transformation towards smart and sustainable cities. This paper systematically reviews global studies to examine how USTIPs function as important hubs for urban innovation, sustainable development, and design transformation. The review synthesizes key findings from global models, focusing on architectural strategies, spatial organization, digital infrastructures, sustainability practices, and policy frameworks that influence the performance of USTIPs. The findings indicate that well-designed USTIPs help facilitate the development of smart city by promoting technology transfer, enhancing university–industry–government collaboration, and utilizing IoT and AI technologies to achieve a sustainable urban environment. In urban design, USTIPs help promote compact city growth, urban walkability, climate-resilient planning, and low-carbon city development. The study concludes by highlighting key design and policy implications aimed at strengthening USTIPs as strategic catalysts for future urban innovation and sustainable city development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Faisal Koko Auwalu, Yue Wu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Kentsel Dönüşüm Sürecinde Halkin Rolü; Fikirtepe Örneği
Socio-economic changes in the world have made it necessary to evaluate cities within the concept of transformation. Starting from the 1950s, urban transformation projects, including those in Turkey, are discussed within the scope of this article. The rapid increase in transformation projects compared to the past and the importance of the steps taken in these projects and the role of the public can be observed through conducted studies. In transformation projects where elements such as profit, without public participation, come to the fore, it has been demonstrated that the principle of public benefit, which is the main principle of planning, is not applied. Potential errors in transformation projects directly affect the public economically and socially. The basis of the mistakes made in transformation projects lies in not involving the public, who have to borrow for a lifetime or are forced to live in different places, in the process. Therefore, the participation of directly affected elements in the process will help ensure that the public benefit is at the highest level in all the work to be done.
Copyright (c) 2026 Şeymanur Berber, Tuğçe Şanlı https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Walkability Analysis in the City Centre of Çanakkale
Walkability has attracted growing attention in recent years, particularly since the pandemic. In Turkey, this shift has mainly been visible in metropolitan cities through SUMP-related policies. In this context, this study focuses on the city centre of Çanakkale, and it proposes an approach that can both support the development of rapid walkability assessment tools for SUMP-related planning and help analyse walking potential in mid-sized settlements. The study examines seven neighbourhoods in the city centre. Using the AHP technique, four experts working on urban design defined a parameter hierarchy based on land use, accessibility, street network, pedestrian comfort, safety, aesthetics, and environmental quality. These dimensions were then integrated with GIS, space syntax, and field-based observation to generate street-level walkability scores. For each street, land-use diversity, accessibility, connectivity, local integration, slope, night-light conditions, derelict buildings, blue views, historic streetscape elements, landmarks, green density, and noise level were quantitatively calculated. The findings reveal clear spatial disparities between neighbourhoods and identify four hierarchical categories ranging from low to moderately high walkability.
Copyright (c) 2026 Araf Öykü Türken, Cenk Hamamcıoğlu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Age-Friendly Urbanism in Malaysia: Rethinking Policy for Active Ageing
Malaysia’s rapid demographic transition towards an ageing society highlights the urgent need to embed age-friendly principles into urban policy. While existing strategies emphasise healthcare and welfare, less attention has been given to urban design and the built environment that enable independence, mobility, and social participation for older adults. This paper rethinks Malaysian urban policies through the lens of age-friendly urbanism, drawing upon secondary data from WHO frameworks, national policies, and selected international case studies. The analysis reveals gaps in accessibility, housing, and transport planning, while identifying opportunities through smart city initiatives and community-based urban design. A conceptual model is proposed that integrates inclusive physical environments, social participation, and policy alignment to support active ageing. The study contributes by positioning age-friendly urbanism as a critical pathway for Malaysia to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities in the face of demographic change.
Copyright (c) 2026 Aidanajwa Sabri, Ahmad Martadha Mohamed, Muhammad Hafiz Abd Razak, Mariah Darus Mat Junus, Nor Suzylah Sohaimi, Mohd Rizal Safar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Urban Public Art and Spatial Identity in Algerian Cities: Insights from Laghouat
This article examines urban public art as a key component of Algerian cities, considering public space as a platform for both formal initiatives led by local authorities and associations and informal, citizen-driven interventions. Using a field-based methodology, the city of Laghouat was selected as a case study to analyze artistic practices across different neighborhoods. A hybrid research approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods was applied, drawing on multiple data sources and supported by the production of location maps and detailed records of public artworks. The findings reveal a significant presence of public art that can be classified through a typology based on legal status, artistic nature, spatial location, and construction materials. The study concludes that effective urban, architectural, and technical supervision is essential to limit the ephemeral and informal character of public art interventions and to enhance their long-term contribution to urban quality and cultural identity.
Copyright (c) 2026 Harzallah Korkaz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Vernacular Domed Harran Houses In The Context Of Kenneth Frampton’s Critical Regionalism Approach
The mechanisation that emerged with the Industrial Revolution led to changes in the production methods of building materials. Within this changing process, regional elements were abandoned, and culturally, socially, and economically specific local elements were disregarded, leading to the production of characterless buildings with similar materials and plan typologies. In this context, Kenneth Frampton introduced the concept of critical regionalism as a response to the standardisation of “modernism” and the approaches of “regionalism” that disregarded technological elements. According to Frampton's critical regionalism approach, he defined a hybrid system in the construction sector that emphasises the necessity of preserving local tectonic, climatic, and regional elements while incorporating technological developments into the process. The study examines the traditional domed Harran Houses in Şanlıurfa and evaluates them using qualitative research methods based on Frampton's concept of critical regionalism. The original value of the study is demonstrated by showing that the traditional design parameters and material utilization of Harran houses are not merely design inputs of the past, but concrete data that shed light on contemporary sustainable design through theories of critical regionalism. The study concludes that the Harran houses, by preserving local architectural elements, provide important references for contemporary architecture.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sevilay Akalp, Emel Kaya Özer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Transmodern Urban Cartographies: A Speculative Inquiry
This study aims to critically examine the impacts and reflections of transmodern approaches in the field of urban design and planning through a speculative approach. By discussing the inadequacies of modernism’s rational and universalist planning paradigm and postmodernism’s fragmented, contextual, and critical approach in addressing contemporary ecological, social, and cultural crises, the study addresses transmodernism within a conceptual framework. The research adopts a qualitative methodology based on a literature review and theoretically examines the transmodern approach in relation to design and planning tools, governance and power structures, and ethical principles such as social justice, equality, inclusivity, and ecological sensitivity. Concepts that influence urban design within the framework of transmodernity are explored through speculative representations. The analysis suggests at a conceptual level that while the transmodern approach proposes a more holistic and ethically grounded framework, it remains open to critique due to conceptual ambiguities, limited engagement with institutional structures, critiques related to power relations, and difficulties in translating theory into practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hasan Görkem Toprak, Esen Gökçe Özdamar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Landscape Scenario Archetypes for Desertification-Prone Oases: A Resilience Framework for the Drâa Valley
Oasis regions in southern Morocco face intensifying desertification, water scarcity, and socio economic pressures that erode long-term resilience. This paper examines how landscape scenario design can inform future-oriented strategies for the Drâa Valley. Integrating STEEP trend analysis, landscape assessment, and two rounds of participatory survey. The study identifies key drivers and community preferences and constructs four plausible socio ecological scenarios, Oasis Minimisation, Oasis Emancipation, Rural Abandonment, and Rural Refuge, translating each into spatial design principles for the Drâa Valley's desertification-prone oases. Its principal contribution is a landscape scenario building-block framework that establishes an operational link between identified drivers and spatial interventions, moving scenarios from narrative to implementable design. Findings indicate that combining traditional oasification practices with contemporary landscape strategies can strengthen ecological functioning, water management, and adaptive capacity. The results suggest that landscape scenario archetypes offer an effective means of exploring alternative futures and informing decisions in desertification-prone regions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Salwa Alhejazi, Carlotta Maria Serena Fontana https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Analysis of Perception, Intensity of Utilization, and Facility Needs in Riverbank Open Spaces: A Multi-Site Survey Study
Riverbank open spaces in urban residential areas provide important environmental and social functions, particularly in densely populated settlements with limited access to formal public spaces. Despite growing interest in waterfront revitalisation, empirical evidence on user satisfaction in informal riverbank settlements remains limited. This study evaluates public perceptions, utilisation intensity, facility needs, and determinants of satisfaction in riverbank open spaces along the Musi River, Palembang, Indonesia. A cross-sectional multi-site survey of 499 respondents was analysed using reliability tests, descriptive statistics, the Kruskal Wallis test, Spearman correlation, and robust regression. Results indicate high utilisation intensity but only moderate satisfaction with existing conditions. Road quality, representing accessibility, emerged as the strongest predictor of satisfaction, outweighing social cohesion variables. Respondents prioritised waste bins, seating, lighting, and shade trees. The findings provide a low-cost framework for inclusive riverbank regeneration by improving accessibility and essential amenities in emerging cities (Grabowski et al., 2023a), , (Mouratidis, 2024) (Sharifi, 2023); (Shi et al., 2025).
Copyright (c) 2026 Endang Sri Lestari , Maya Fitri Oktarini https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Water-Sensitive Urban Design in Istanbul: An Ecological Corridor Framework from the Ömerli Basin to the Tuzla Coastal Zone
Water-related hazards in urban environments are intensifying due to rapid urbanization and climate change, with flash-flood risks increasingly evident in Istanbul. Conventional gray infrastructure alone cannot adequately address the interconnected hydrological and ecological pressures affecting metropolitan landscapes. This study develops a GIS-based Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) framework for the Ömerli Basin–Tuzla corridor, integrating flood vulnerability assessment, urban pressure evaluation, and ecological connectivity modeling through multi-criteria evaluation and the Minimum Cumulative Resistance model. The analysis identifies spatial conflict zones where flood exposure, urban development pressure, and ecological fragmentation converge, revealing a pronounced north–south gradient across the corridor. Based on these findings, a corridor-scale blue–green infrastructure framework is proposed to guide targeted nature-based interventions. The study contributes to metropolitan scale WSUD research by demonstrating how integrated territorial analysis can support spatially differentiated planning and climate-resilient urban development in rapidly urbanizing coastal regions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Raana M O Buzghia, Didem Dizdaroğlu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rethinking Design and Community in Bahrain Through the Capabilities Approach Case Study: Bahrain World Trade Center
The Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) is one of the most technologically sustainable buildings in the GCC, which features the incorporation of wind turbines, representing the development of Bahrain. It is essential to understand how this high-performance project can contribute to user well-being, although this building has already achieved notable engineering success. Minimal research has investigated the cultural, social, and capability outcomes; this study aims to fill these gaps by evaluating the building, utilizing the theory of capability approach and design agency to determine how the project enhances or restricts human freedom, participation, and accessibility. Using qualitative methodology to synthesize findings collected during the design autopsy – this study demonstrates that BWTC is a successful project used to fulfill innovative needs but is socially isolated. The paper will suggest an improvement in the design capability intervention to restore the vibrant life of the people and increase inclusion.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sara Rashed, Najla Allani https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Mid-rise Apartments as a Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development: The Case of Algeria
Algeria is mostly desert; its arable and green land is limited to the northern 17%, encompassing the Mediterranean coast and high plateaus. This northern region accounts for approximately 90% of the country’s urbanization, leading to the consumption of significant agricultural land. The proliferation of single-family townhouses (rowhouses), due to their inherent low density, is a primary driver of this phenomenon. This study provides a critical re-evaluation of established perceptions regarding mid-rise apartment buildings, considered within the framework of current sustainability principles. A descriptive comparative analysis is undertaken, contrasting mid-rise apartments with townhouses, the dominant residential building typologies in Algerian urban environments. The analysis evaluates twelve criteria, with a focus on the social and environmental characteristics of each housing option. The findings challenge the prevailing notion that townhouses provide a superior living environment compared to mid-rise apartments, demonstrating that mid-rise apartments offer advantages across all 12 evaluated factors. This research advocates for a change in perspective, promoting the consideration of mid-rise apartments as a viable and potentially more effective alternative to townhouses, particularly in response to increasing urbanization, diminishing availability of agricultural land, and the imperative for sustainable housing solutions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Salima Amrane https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Legal and Administrative Challenges in Integrating the Climate Action Plans with Spatial Strategic Plans in Türkiye
Climate change is one of the most significant global and urban challenges of our time. Since 2011, climate action plans have been prepared in Türkiye, particularly by metropolitan municipalities, to define mitigation and adaptation strategies for urban areas. These strategies largely require spatial interventions. On the other hand, spatial development is governed by strategic spatial plans. However, these two planning processes proceed independently. Due to the absence of integrated decision-making and implementation mechanisms between them, both sets of plans remain limited to written documents, and expected outcomes cannot be achieved. In this context, the study aims to identify the legal and administrative barriers to integrating climate adaptation strategies into spatial plans and to develop recommendations for sustainable urban development. A mixed-methods approach was adopted in the study, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods through content analysis and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The study population consists of 13 metropolitan municipalities in Türkiye that had published Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) as of 2025. The selected sample covers approximately 92% of the study population, providing a high level of representativeness. Evaluations are made based on criteria related to energy management, land use, and integration among spatial plans.
Copyright (c) 2026 Seray Hatipoğlu, Gökçen Kılınç Ürkmez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
A PET-Based Evaluation of Urban Thermal Comfort and Pedestrian Activity in Hot Arid Cities
Thermal comfort significantly affects human activity in outdoor urban spaces, especially in hot arid cities. This study examines the relationship between microclimatic conditions and pedestrian movement along two streets with different orientations, Northeast-Southwest and East-West, in Biskra city, Algeria, during spring and summer. The methodological approach combined unobtrusive pedestrian observations using the gate-count method with thermal comfort assessment based on the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) index using RayMan Pro software. Results show that pedestrian presence is not determined solely by micrometeorological conditions. In spring, a strong positive correlation was identified between PET and pedestrian attendance on the East-West Street, while the Northeast-Southwest Street showed no significant correlation. During summer, both streets exhibited negative correlations, with a notable decline in pedestrian numbers during the extreme heat period. These findings provide valuable insights for designing more thermally comfortable outdoor environments, encouraging public space use, and improving urban vitality.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hadjira Sakhri, Rokhsaneh Rahbarianyazd https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Visualizing Students’ Latent Spatial Needs in Campus Planning Through LEGO® Serious Play®
This study investigates the potential of LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) as a participatory method for visualizing latent spatial needs in campus planning. A series of workshops was conducted exclusively with university students at Wakayama University, where participants constructed physical models representing their ideal campus environments and articulated the meanings embedded in their models. The resulting models and narratives were qualitatively analysed with a focus on spatial continuity, boundary definition, centrality, and patterns of movement and stay. The findings indicate that LSP enables students to externalize implicit spatial preferences that are difficult to capture through conventional questionnaires or interviews, particularly regarding intermediate spaces, informal gathering areas, and perceived spatial hierarchies. This study positions LEGO® Serious Play® as an effective qualitative tool for integrating students’ latent spatial perceptions into early-stage campus planning and design processes.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yurika Mori https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Towards Sustainable Tramway Construction in Ali Mendjeli, Algeria: An Environmental and Social Management Plan
This study examines how the construction of the tramway has affected urban quality of life in Ali Mendjeli, Algeria, and develops a site-specific Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for impact mitigation. The research combined non-directive interviews (n=30), a structured questionnaire (346 valid responses), and Pareto analysis to identify the most critical disturbances experienced by residents, merchants, and users. The findings show that mobility, environmental nuisance, safety, communication, and local economic disruption were the dominant concerns, with access difficulty and lack of prior information emerging as major stressors. In response, the proposed ESMP organizes diagnosis, mitigation, stakeholder coordination, monitoring, and continuous improvement within an operational framework adapted to the Algerian context. The paper contributes a transferable management tool that places urban quality of life at the center of construction-site governance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Zakaria Ghedjati, Imane Fantazi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Assessing the Role of Connectivity Indicator in the Sustainable Urban Development of Erbil City
This study examines urban connectivity as a key indicator of sustainable urban development, focusing on Slava City, a gated residential community in Erbil, Iraq. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining Space Syntax analysis (DepthmapX), field observation, and a structured survey of 310 residents to assess both spatial and perceptual dimensions of connectivity. The findings reveal that the gated layout, limited access points, and internal street blockages reduce connectivity and integration, negatively affecting walkability, accessibility, and social interaction. Scenario-based analysis shows that opening side gates improves spatial integration, permeability, and network continuity. These results are paralleled by residents’ responses, which indicate a strong perceived improvement in movement and access to services. The study underscores the importance of street configuration and permeability in creating more inclusive and efficient urban environments and offers practical design recommendations for improving connectivity in gated developments in rapidly urbanizing cities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Shahad Ashnaitar, Rebwar I Ibrahim, Mustafa Khayyat https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Potentials of Employing Digital Technologies to Enhance Multi-Sensory Experiences in Open Public Spaces in Bahrain
The emergence of digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and the Internet of Things (IoT) offers potential to improve multisensory experiences in open public spaces, moving beyond visual dominance to support richer social interaction and greater user comfort. While applied globally, this approach remains underexplored in Bahrain. The research employed a qualitative approach, examining related literature and international and regional case studies to explore how these tools could be used in the context of Bahrain. It proposes potential applications of these tools within three key areas: Environmental control, User engagement, and Cultural preservation. Moreover, it identifies critical implementation challenges, including climate adaptation and digital accessibility. The research provides a structured framework for integrating digital technologies to create meaningful, context-sensitive experiences in Bahrain’s public realms, offering practical insights for policymakers and designers in similar regional contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dina Abdullah, Najla Allani https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Re-Imaging Low Carbon Mobility Transitions In South Africa: A Case Of Public Transport
This manuscript reimagines South Africa's public transport system, using the multi-level perspective (MLP) transition-theoretical lenses of analysis developed by Geels et al., (2016). Rapid urbanisation, the climate change crisis and emergency, rapid motorisation and rising pollution levels, failing and ageing infrastructure, spatial inequality and fragmentation, and uneven low-carbon transitions across transport modes and industrial sectors constitute key levers of change that frame the unfolding low-carbon public transport transitions in South Africa. Using the multi-level perspective transition lenses and selected key informant interviews, along with case studies from the Limpopo, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, the manuscript unravels the conflicting rationalities and realities associated with advancing just public transport transitions in South Africa. The manuscript proposes that a reimagined low-carbon urban transport and mobility transition is not enough and is incomplete without a complementary and proportionate development of at-scale rural mobility transitions.
Copyright (c) 2026 James Chakwizira https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
In Praise of Monumentality: Vertical Urbanism and the Human Condition
The skyscraper has long represented modernity’s ambition, yet its civic and emotional potential remains overlooked. This paper reexamines the skyscraper through Sigfried Giedion’s framework of monumentality, not as spectacle or isolated icon, but as a medium for collective meaning. Drawing from Heinrich Hübsch, Hannah Arendt, Richard Sennett, Mike Davis, Adolf Loos, and Jacques Derrida, it argues that monumentality in the city of height should emerge from relationships among towers rather than individual objects, from shared visibility rather than private prestige. Integrating lived experience in Dubai, China, and Hong Kong and reflections on Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 and Marina Bay Sands, the essay shows how consciously composed density can recover the symbolic dimension that sustains public life. It proposes a renewed ethic of vertical urbanism, where clusters of towers act as civic fields fostering appearance, reciprocity, and wonder, and where height binds aspiration to responsibility and architecture to the human condition.
Copyright (c) 2026 Wayde Tardif https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Understanding the Impact of Water Sensitive Urban Design Principle in Blacktown City Council and the City of Sydney
This study evaluates the effectiveness of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) in improving urban water quality and environmental outcomes through two Australian case studies: the Sydney Park Water Re-use Project and the Angus Creek Stormwater Harvesting and Re-use Scheme. Using document analysis, geospatial analysis, and MUSIC X hydrological modelling, the research assesses stormwater flow and pollutant removal performance for total suspended solids, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Results show that both WSUD treatment trains reduce pollutant loads and improve stormwater quality compared to pre-development conditions. Sydney Park demonstrates increasing efficiency along its wetland sequence, while Angus Creek achieves notable pollutant reduction despite diverting only 10% of runoff. Although performance is limited by pump capacity and diversion constraints, the findings confirm that well-designed WSUD infrastructure enhances environmental health, supports water reuse, and reduces downstream impacts in urban catchments.
Copyright (c) 2026 Andrew Fernando Djamaan, Ashiqur Rahman https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Towards A Hybrid Urban Framework Integrating Eco-City, New Urbanism, and Greyfield Precinct Regeneration in Bahrain
Sustainability today requires that cities become the central point for managing the climate and urbanization crises, serving as pivotal spaces for transitions. This paper examines how green strategies, New Urbanism, and the Eco-Digital City can be integrated into an urban development model. Hybrid framework is obtained by comparing the synthesis of spatial, ecological and digital spaces across the chosen urban models. It analyses possible ways in which eco-digital governance-based frameworks can regenerate compact, walkable, and participatory neighborhoods. The Eco–Digital City model is focused on a hybrid model that creates urban green infrastructure powered by Smart Technologies and is a co–design model created by citizens. The study presents a proposal for Bahrain’s urban evolution, grounded in global case studies and the Greyfield Precinct Regeneration (GPR) framework. The integration of biophilic design, participatory planning, and adaptive governance is presented in strategic policy recommendations that can support their implementation within the national urban policy framework.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ghaida Mohamed Jameel, Manal Jameel Khalaf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Thermal Mass Efficiency of Kushite Mud-Brick Architecture: A Simulation-Based Assessment of Passive Thermal Performance in Hot-Arid Climates
Growing interest in sustainable construction has renewed attention to vernacular building systems as climate-responsive alternatives for hot-arid regions. This study investigates the thermal mass efficiency of Kushite mud-brick architecture using the Western Deffufa of Kerma, Sudan, as representative case study. Despite the historical significance of this monument, quantitative evaluations of thermal performance of Kushite architecture remain limited, constituting an important gap in the existing literature. Thermal simulations were conducted using the DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus platform to evaluate five wall configurations: mud-brick walls with thicknesses of 30, 60, 100, and 150 cm, in addition to a 30 cm reinforced concrete wall representing the contemporary baseline. Simulations were performed for peak summer (27 July–2 August) and peak winter (6–12 January) conditions using Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) climatic data and were assessed according to ASHRAE Standard 55. The results indicate progressive improvement in thermal performance with increasing wall thickness. These findings demonstrate that the Western Deffufa embodies an advanced passive climate-control strategy. Furthermore, the study introduces the “Deffufa Effect”, defined as the thermal inversion phenomenon observed at wall thicknesses between 100 and 150 cm, and proposes it as measurable passive cooling threshold with potential implications for low-carbon and culturally appropriate building design in hot-arid environments.
Copyright (c) 2026 Shaza Yousif Taha, Ahmed Osman Ibrahim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Questioning Publicness Through Architectural Form: The Case of Atatürk Cultural Center
This research explores the spatial production of publicness in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district after 2010 urban transformations. The study examines how contemporary cultural nodes mediate the shifting perceptions of publicness amidst the tension between architectural intentions, institutional management, and everyday social practices. By utilizing Henri Lefebvre’s spatial triad (conceived, perceived, and lived space), the research interprets literature-derived publicness criteria through a qualitative lens. The Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) is examined as a case study to uncover the relationship between its spatial configuration, management driven institutional publicness, and the lived reality of its users. By examining the multi layered thresholds of the node, the research explores how design choices and administrative protocols influence civic interaction and the realization of public life. This evaluation offers a critical perspective on contemporary cultural spaces in Istanbul, contributing to the academic discourse on the evolving and contested nature of urban publicness.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gökçe Dalgalı, Neslinur Hızlı Erkılıç https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Resilience by Design: Adaptive Urban Strategies for Uncertain Futures
Contemporary cities in Europe and the Mediterranean region are increasingly shaped by overlapping uncertainties, including climate change, migration, demographic shifts, and economic volatility. Conventional planning models based on predictability and control are becoming inadequate. This paper proposes an architectural and spatial understanding of urban resilience that bridges theory, historical precedent, and contemporary practice. Rather than defining resilience as a return to stability, it is framed as the capacity of urban environments to adapt, transform, and remain open to uncertainty over time. Drawing on resilience theory, historical examples, and contemporary urban strategies, the paper identifies adaptability, redundancy, and openness as key spatial principles of resilient urban environments. It further argues that resilience should be understood not merely as a technical or managerial concept, but as a spatial and architectural condition with implications for design, planning, governance, and education. By repositioning resilience as a capacity for transformation, the study contributes to discussions on adaptive urban futures.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gerd Wetzel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Innovative Methodology for Implementing Micro-Scale Nature-Based Solutions Using Spatial Technologies and AI
The implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) and green-blue infrastructures tends to become a requirement for urban planning, because sprawl and loss of urban green spaces aggravate the potential impact of climate changes and cause negative phenomena, e.g. greenhouse effect, urban heat islands, soil erosion, landslides, or floods. Our study aims to identify, assess and implement micro-scale NBS, continuing previous research on implementing green-blue infrastructures in and around Bucharest. To this end, we identified five abandoned and degraded sites together with the 6 sector city halls of Bucharest and designed NBS-based urban regeneration models using innovative approaches, based on AI solutions combining ecological, social and technological issues with design solutions cantered on local communities. Our results are important for developing standards concerning recommended plant species and changing the local planning framework to increase urban resilience, and may be beneficial for Bucharest and other cities facing similar problems in Romania or elsewhere.
Copyright (c) 2026 Alexandru-Ionuț Petrișor, Antonio-Valentin Tache https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
From Plots to Systems: Rethinking an Existing Residential Block for a Self-Sustaining Future
Rapid urbanization in Bangladesh’s secondary cities has produced planned residential neighborhoods that appears functional yet remain spatially rigid and socially disconnected. Although widely considered adequate, such areas rarely address long-term sustainability, adaptability, and community resilience—challenges shared by housing systems globally. In this context, Rajshahi, the primary regional center of northern Bangladesh, offers a representative yet underexplored case. This paper examines the redesign of an existing residential block in the Padma Residential Area by reimagining housing not as isolated plots, but as an interconnected urban system. Using a design-led research approach, the study combines field surveys, occupancy mapping, environmental analysis, and spatial design exploration. The block is reinterpreted through five integrated strategies: climate-responsive net-zero housing, Self-sustainable productive landscapes, flexible housing layouts, community-oriented infrastructure, and modular plug-in systems for incremental upgrading. The findings demonstrate that coordinated block-scale retrofitting can significantly enhance environmental performance, spatial adaptability, and social interaction, offering a transferable model for secondary cities facing similar housing challenges.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sheikh Hameem, Ashiqur Rahman Turjo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Decoding the role of graffiti and street art as a safety tool in public spaces of Bengaluru, India
Art is getting infused in our everyday spaces and demonstrated itself as social commentary to various narratives and diverse experiences. Street art and graffiti is considered synonymous to vandalism or crime in public opinion earlier but recently commissioned as well as uncommission urban art is considered as a radical and alternative way to create safer urban spaces and contributing to urban inheritance. A similar spirit is reverberated in the streets of Bengaluru which is transforming the city with the provision of safer access to the plurality of the city. This paper investigates the role and works of Street art.It employs qualitative research methods including detailed surveys, depth interviews and visual recordings. It explores embodied research methods to generate tools to evaluate safer urban spaces .The study aims at finding the contribution of street art and graffiti as a permanent discourse in creating safer urban spaces and tries to understand its role in urban inheritance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Cecon Swain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Musul Eski Kentte Savaş Sonrası Kenti İyileştirme Önerisi
This study examines the post-war transformation of the historic Meydan District in Mosul, an ancient Mesopotamian urban center dating back to 1080 BC. The armed conflict between 2014 and 2017 resulted in catastrophic physical and socio-spatial destruction, obliterating nearly 80% of the traditional building stock. Drawing on UNESCO and UN-Habitat datasets alongside remote-sensing surveys and urban morphological analyses, this research systematically documents critical structural damage and infrastructural deficiencies. The findings reveal a severely fragmented masonry fabric and the irreversible loss of significant landmark structures. In response, the study proposes a holistic post-war reconstruction framework encompassing: the integration of semi-open ground floors to foster social interaction and passive ventilation; evidence-based conservation protocols for historic fabric; modernisation of transport axes for universal accessibility; and the revitalisation of craft-based bazaars as catalysts for economic recovery. This integrated approach aims to transition Mosul’s Old City into a resilient heritage hub reconciled with contemporary urban life.
Copyright (c) 2026 Maya Aktürk, Narmin Aghayeva https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Understanding Youth Perception of Urban Public Space Typologies: Implications for Youth-Centric Urban Design in Indian Cities
Urban public spaces shape social interaction, well-being, and everyday experience, especially for young people. This study examines youth perception of four common urban public space typologies—parks and green areas, plazas and hardscaped spaces, neighborhood streets, and waterfront spaces—in the Indian context. Five dimensions (accessibility, spatial quality, activity support, identity and belonging, perceived safety) were measured through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire administered to 90 respondents aged 19–30 in Jaipur and other Indian cities. Three findings emerge: (i) a perception–preference disconnect, with mean perception clustering tightly across typologies (3.10–3.33) yet 55.6% decisively preferring parks; (ii) cross-city convergence, with no significant differences between Jaipur and other cities; and (iii) the neighborhood-street paradox, where streets are accessible but underperform on quality and dwellability. By pairing perception with stated preference across typologies, the study offers an original, youth-centred evidence base and transferable design recommendations for inclusive, responsive public spaces in Indian cities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ujjal Halder, Harshit Sosan Lakra, Saptarshi Kolay https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Exploring the Effects of Flexibility in Mass Housing on Urban Design
This study aims to explore how the ideas of flexibility in mass housing are reflected at the urban design scale rather than being limited to the interior organization of dwelling units. Focusing on selected early and later mass housing settlements in Batıkent, Ankara, the research examines how different interpretations of flexibility shape the relationship between mass housing and urban spaces. This study is structured around three analytical steps: (1) establishing a conceptual framework that approaches flexibility as a socio-spatial notion linked to urban design; (2) introducing Batıkent as a case study through its development process and spatial organization, with particular attention to flexibility ideas; and (3) interpreting how varying flexibility approaches correspond to changing housing ideals and urban life scenarios. By comparing representative settlements from different periods, this study has shown that urban-scale reading of flexibility in mass housing played a role in shaping collective living environments rather than solely adaptable dwelling units.
Copyright (c) 2026 Saliha Aslan, Seçil Özcan Geylani https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Informality as Philosophy: The Indian Street as Urban Theory
Why one sees spatial informality as failure or why one does not see as a philosophy? This paper challenges the assumption by proposing an idea that informality as a coherent spatial philosophy in everyday Urban life. While modern planning majorly shaped by inculcated foreign rationality, zoning laws etc., majority of Indian Urban areas function through various informal set of systems. One understands the formal planning often lacks in alignment with economic realities, migration pattern, social networks and cultural spatial practices. The study looks at Vellore, India as case study and apply the theoretical basis and sees the results as novel ideas that may be of relevance. Understanding informality as a spatial philosophy is especially critical now, as rapid urbanization in mid-sized Indian cities like Vellore outpaces the capacity of formal planning systems, leaving millions navigating urban life through logics that conventional policy frameworks neither recognize nor support. The research ultimately aims to reframe informality from a planning problem to be corrected into a generative design intelligence — one that could inform more culturally responsive, economically grounded, and socially resilient urban frameworks for the Global South.
Copyright (c) 2026 Piyush Das, Zahra Yasmoon, Hourakhsh Ahmad Nia, A Madhumathi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
A Methodological Framework for Integrating Nature-Based Solutions Into Water-Sensitive Urban Planning
Urbanisation is one of the dominant global development processes of the 21st century and, together with climate change impacts, increasingly pressures urban ecosystems and infrastructure. These processes contribute to persistent challenges related to air, water and soil quality, as well as to the growing exposure of cities to natural risks. In this context, water sensitive urban planning has gained importance, as it supports the integration of water-related processes and constraints into spatial planning and decision-making, using contemporary planning and spatial-analytical tools. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly recognised as an approach for integrating natural processes into urban water management and protection. However, their application in practice often remains fragmented and disconnected from planning procedures. This paper proposes a methodological framework for integrating NBS into water-sensitive urban planning and integrated water management, combining planning parameters, hydrological and hydrogeological criteria, and spatial information derived from risk maps, with particular emphasis on the protection of urban water resources.
Copyright (c) 2026 Emina Hadžić, Alma Hadžić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
From Mud to Modular: A Thematic Analysis of Children and Parental perceptions on ‘Play-ability’ of Modern Public spaces in Mumbai
The contemporary urban landscape faces a "silent emergency" known as the Urban Play Crisis, a complex interplay of non-supportive environments, parental anxiety, and digital dependency. While middle childhood (ages 9–12) is a critical period for socio-emotional mastery, the physical "commons" required for this growth is rapidly shrinking. Urban density and a pervasive "surveillance culture" have transformed spontaneous play into a structured, adult-led luxury. This study frames this erosion as a failure of Design Justice, where top-down planning excludes children as primary users. Exploring the lived realities of children and caregivers in Mumbai, the research identifies a gap in understanding the psychological gatekeeping within dense urban fabrics. Thematic analysis reveals that safety anxieties and inadequate amenities often override developmental needs, leading to "engagement boredom" in older children. The authors advocate for participatory design that reclaims the city as a "real-world classroom," fostering autonomy, risk-taking, and social belonging for the next generation.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jayashree Chandrasekaran, Nishant Sharma https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Use of Digital Twin Technology in Landscape Architecture within the Context of Smart Cities
Sustainable urban design approaches have gained new tools and methods with the advancement of digital technologies. Digital twin technology, which enables the real-time virtual representation of physical environments, offers significant potential for sustainable landscape design and management within the context of smart cities. This study is adapted from an ongoing master’s thesis and aims to examine the use of digital twin technology in landscape architecture from a sustainability and urban design perspective. The research adopts a qualitative methodology based on a literature review and selected examples, along with an evaluation of a university campus as a pilot study area. The findings indicate that digital twin systems are effective in monitoring environmental data, assessing ecological performance, and supporting adaptive landscape design decisions. The study concludes that digital twin technology provides an innovative and holistic tool for the development of sustainable urban landscapes.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gizem Nagehan Aksu, Murat Özyavuz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Co-Design Ecological Masterplanning: Insights From the Moroccan Oases of Abaynou and Targua N’Touchka
Abaynou and Targua N’Touchka are Moroccan oases landscapes, historically shaped by ancestral water systems, spring-fed irrigation, permaculture traditions, and long-standing agro-cultural practices. Today, both sites face accelerating pressures from climate change, water scarcity, ecological degradation, and shifting socio-economic conditions. Recognising their cultural significance and ecotourism potential, the Moroccan government has initiated masterplans and pilot projects for their revitalisation. This paper examines their shared environmental, socio-cultural characteristics, critically evaluates the planning approaches adopted in both cases. Through field assessments, spatial analysis, and participatory workshops. The masterplans articulated community priorities such as rehabilitating irrigation networks, improving public areas, and regenerating agro-forestry systems Results indicate that small-scale, context-sensitive interventions, combined with community-led ecotourism, can strengthen local livelihoods while preserving cultural identity. The paper argues that integrating ecological restoration with traditional knowledge offers a robust framework for regenerating oasis environments and demonstrates the value of participatory design in guiding sustainable development in vulnerable environments.
Copyright (c) 2026 Aziza Chaouni, Salwa Alhejazi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Assessing Urban Resilience within Sustainable Urban Development Frameworks: Case Studies from Lebanese Cities
This paper examines governance, institutional fragmentation, and financing constraints affecting sustainable and resilient urban development in the Lebanese cities of Saida, Tripoli, and Byblos. Using a qualitative comparative case-study approach, the research analyzes land use planning systems, cultural heritage governance, and national and local strategies, including the SDATL, CHUD, and the 100 Resilient Cities initiative. Findings reveal that weak regulatory enforcement, fragmented national–local coordination, and donor-driven project cycles hinder the translation of strategic frameworks into tangible urban outcomes. Recent shocks, such as wildfires and the Beirut Blast, further expose gaps in disaster risk reduction and preparedness, which are often addressed through temporary donor or NGO interventions rather than institutional mechanisms. The study argues that advancing sustainable urban development in Lebanon requires strengthened coordination frameworks, outcome-based financing models, and enhanced municipal empowerment to address longstanding structural urban vulnerabilities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Khalil Christelle, Diab Youssef https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Passive Urban Cooling Strategies: The Contribution Of Water And Vegetation
This study focuses on evaluating the effect of natural cooling provided by vegetation cover and water in urban areas, as well as their microclimatic impact on the built environment during the hot season, in the humid city of Jijel. More specifically, it aims to compare, in a simplified and concise manner, different strategies proposed as scenarios by the ENVImet numerical simulation software. Compared to the initial case, the results confirmed that the blue and green scenarios produced a cooling effect and mitigated urban heat islands during the day.
Copyright (c) 2026 Samira Bouketta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Evaluating the Cooling Efficacy of Urban Cool Islands (UCIs) in Secondary Tropical Cities: A Microclimatic Analysis of Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Rapid urbanization in Rajshahi has intensified Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, while the cooling performance of urban blue infrastructure remains insufficiently understood. This study evaluates the cooling efficacy of the Padma River and urban ponds through satellite-derived Land Surface Temperature (LST), morphological analysis, land cover interaction, and microclimatic profiling. Landsat 9 thermal data and ESA WorldCover datasets were integrated within a GIS framework to quantify Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) between Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) and surrounding Paba Upazila. Results show a mean UHII of 0.41°C, with localized extremes exceeding ±8°C. The Padma River functioned as the primary macro-scale cooling sink, extending cooling up to 1.7 km through open morphologies, while dense compact zones restricted penetration below 700 m. Large compact ponds produced the strongest localized cooling (ΔT ≈ 6.9°C), whereas interconnected small ponds stabilized urban thermal variance. The study demonstrates that blue infrastructure morphology and adjacent land cover critically regulate urban thermal resilience.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sabbir Ahsan, Sheikh Hameem, Ezajul Islam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Urban Squares as Social Interaction Spaces in Istanbul: The Case of Karaköy–Galataport
City squares have long been an essential part of the lives of the people and the location where one can move around, meet people, observe the world passing by, relax and be generally social. But in modern cities, these areas are transforming significantly, as they are affected by major redevelopment projects, stores and companies, tourist attractions, and regulations concerning their operations. This article will examine Karaköy-Galataport in Istanbul - a city square and waterfront open space - and will examine how its layout, its accessibility, its openness, the number of activities it offers, and how it is managed influence what people do in their daily lives, how they socialize, and how public the space is. This article argues that we cannot tell how well modern city squares perform simply by how pleasant they appear; we must consider also how inclusive they are of everybody, how easy it is to move about in them, how flexible they are, and how much they genuinely promote actual civic life.
Copyright (c) 2026 Minatullah Al-Husseini, Aykut Karaman https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Residents’ Responses to Water Shortages in Algeria’s AADL Housing: Implications for Environmental ,Architectural, and Social Resilience”
This study investigates the impact of informal water-storage practices in AADL housing developments in Algeria, where residents install large-capacity water tanks on rooftops, balconies, stairways, and entrances to cope with recurrent water shortages. The research aims to evaluate the structural, architectural, and social implications of these unauthorized interventions. A qualitative methodology based on field observations and expert assessments was applied across several collective housing sites. The findings indicate that uncontrolled tank installations increase seismic vulnerability by introducing irregular structural loads, while also degrading urban aesthetics, damaging shared spaces, and generating social conflicts among residents. The study identifies significant deficiencies in current water-management strategies within collective housing programs. It concludes that integrating collective underground water-storage systems combined with decentralized distribution mechanisms could improve water accessibility, enhance structural safety, and preserve architectural coherence. The research contributes to sustainable and resilient housing strategies adapted to the Algerian urban context.
Copyright (c) 2026 Amina Haouche https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Expo Grounds Design as an Opportunity for Sustainable Urban Transformations. Thessaloniki´S International Fair Perspective
The paper concerns expo grounds design projects as opportunities for sustainable urban transformations with a resilient perspective for the cities. It focuses on Thessaloniki’s International Fair site as a case study, promoting the transformation of the expo site in a new metropolitan urban park, an ecological and cultural place in the city center, a place of connection, memory and social interaction, featuring the cultural, natural and historical background of the place, as opposed to the redesign of a new ConfEx Park in the same site supported by the state and the authorities since 2020. The multidimensional socio-ecological and perceptual approach of landscape architecture is applied, perceiving landscape as a palimpsest, a framework in progress related to the physical resources and space capability. This perspective is supported theoretically by the related PhD research (2021) and illustrated in the undergraduate students’ design projects of the Urban Design Studio (2023-24).
Copyright (c) 2026 Panagiota Mouratidou https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Contesting the Coastline: Producing Publicness in Alsancak Kordonboyu, İzmir
Rights of use and ownership of urban spaces in Türkiye’s neoliberal urbanization have triggered a constant negotiation of power between government, capital, and civil society since the 1980s. This study explores coastal urban space as a struggle area for economic, political, and social forces through the case of Alsancak Kordonboyu in İzmir. Critically, the Kordonboyu marks a shift from a resisted top-down highway project to a collaborative, design led reclamation of coastal publicness. By deciphering three decades of its transformation through spatial analysis, document review and interviews, the research reveals a unique trajectory of spatial production. Results demonstrate that the coastline has emerged as a contested urban space—created with the public, yet sometimes against the public—driven by grassroots mobilization and collaborative design culture. This reveals inherent contradictions within the right to the city, highlighting how collective resistance and institutional design efforts fundamentally redefine the boundaries of the public sphere.
Copyright (c) 2026 Aysu Gürman, İpek Akpınar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rural Polycentricity Through Rhizomatic Thinking
This paper proposes a conceptual and methodological framework for interpreting rural polycentric development thr ough the lens of rhizomatic thinking, explicitly grounded in the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. Challenging conventional, hierarchical models, polycentri city is reframed as a non linear, relational, and emergent process in which spatial organization arises from interactions rather than predefined centers. Rural territories are conceptualized as adaptive networks shaped by continuous exchanges between actors, practices, flows, and me anings, often transcending administrative boundaries. Building on this theoretical foundation, the paper outlines a network based analytical approach for identifying emergent “communities of influence” through GIS supported spatial analysis and digital methodologies. By positioning rural planning as a knowledge trading zone between continental philosophy, spatial analysis, and computational tools, the st udy contributes to more inclusive, adaptive, and context sensitive understandings of polycentric territorial development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ioana-Nirvana Oltean, Dragoș-Horia Buhociu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
From Social Policy to Urban Thinking: A Community Resilience Framework for Active Ageing in Malaysia
Population ageing presents increasing challenges for urban communities, particularly in translating social policy commitments into everyday urban practices. In Malaysia, active ageing is formally recognised within national social policy frameworks; however, its integration into urban and community based contexts remains limited and conceptually fragmented. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a conceptual framework that bridges social policy and urban thinking through the perspective of community resilience. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature from social policy, urban studies, and community development, the paper critiques policy centred approaches that overlook the spatial, social, and institutional realities of urban communities. It argues that community resilience provides a useful analytical lens to understand how urban environments, local institutions, and social networks collectively support active ageing beyond formal welfare provision. The proposed framework conceptualises active ageing as an interaction between older persons, community spaces, governance structures, and the built environment, highlighting the importance of place based and community driven approaches for inclusive urban policy development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Aidanajwa Sabri, Azlizan Talib, Muhammad Hafiz Abd Razak, Mariah Darus Mat Junus, Nurfadilah Saadul Kurzi, Khofizhoah Mohd Karim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Fractal Morphology and Spatial Philosophy: Reconceptualizing Striated Spaces in Contemporary Urbanism
This study investigates the intersection of fractal geometry and the spatial philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari to address sensory challenges in contemporary high-density urban environments. By bridging quantitative morphology and qualitative critique, the research operationalizes abstract philosophical concepts into measurable spatial attributes. Using a comparative case study, it examines the bottom-up generative fractals characteristic of Tokyo neighborhoods and contrasts them with the top-down pseudo-fractals of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. The methodology integrates the box-counting method (D), network branching ratios, and space syntax. Findings reveal that Tokyo’s low branching ratio and high connectivity foster permeability, whereas Dubai’s hierarchical, tree-like structure reflects centralized control. The paper proposes a “Fractal Politics” framework to interpret how spatial structures enable adaptive experiences or reinforce systemic control. Ultimately, this research provides an integrated methodological approach for interdisciplinary urban studies, demonstrating how spatial complexity supports urban resilience and multi-layered perception.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yanxi Zhou https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Criteria for Selecting and Analyzing Present and Past Cities to Compare Their “Smartness” Across Time
This paper proposes a methodological framework for comparing historical and contemporary cities in relation to urban smartness. The study aims to identify transferable criteria that enable cities from different periods to be assessed without reducing smartness to digitalisation. Alexandria, Rome and Antioch were selected for their strategic Mediterranean position, historical representativeness and long-term continuity. Using an interdisciplinary qualitative comparative method, ten criteria, i.e., infrastructure, mobility, innovation, sustainability, governance, resilience, quality of life, health, culture and urban justice, were applied across ancient, medieval and contemporary periods. The results show that organisation, efficiency, adaptability and sustainability persisted over time, although they assumed different historical forms. The main contribution is a transferable framework linking smart-city studies with urban history by assessing long-term urban smartness through continuity, adaptability and resilience, while offering a replicable tool for comparative urban research across diverse contexts and cases.
Copyright (c) 2026 Lucian-Marian Pavel, Alexandru-Ionuț Petrișor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Life within Reach: Visionary Ten-Minute Neighborhoods along Padma, Mahananda, and Chandrima Site: Padma, Mahananda, Chandrima & Surrounding Residential Areas of Rajshahi
Rajshahi is one of the fastest growing urban centres of Bangladesh facing mounting pressure on housing, mobility, public services and environmental sustainability. The project aims to convert the Padma, Chandrima and Mahananda residential areas into a sustainable 10-minute city, where all essential facilities like healthcare, education, commerce, recreation and green spaces are accessible within a ten-minute walk or bicycle ride. With a population of about 65,000, the site presently lacks sufficient urban infrastructure and integrated community facilities. The proposal identifies gaps in accessibility and mobility through urban analysis, population projection and service distribution studies. It has mixed-use zoning, pedestrian and cyclist friendly streets, electric mini-van transportation, and shared community spaces for social interaction and everyday convenience. The design integrates green-blue infrastructure and climate responsive planning approaches to improve ecological resilience and inclusivity, and to create a sustainable, community-focused, and future-ready urban neighborhood rooted in the local character of Rajshahi.
Copyright (c) 2026 Z H M Monjur Murshed, Sheikh Hameem, Samanta Rahman Aorin, Istiyak Ahmed Mahi, Fardeen Reza Khan, Abdullah Shahriar, Rifah Tamanna Haque, Subrin Shirmin Ritu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Investigating the Invisible: Children as Place-Makers in Bangladesh’s Urban Polycrisis
This study investigates children’s spatial agency across three crisis geographies in Bangladesh hyper-dense informal settlements, climate-eroded peripheries, and Rohingya camps. Addressing the historical underrepresentation of children from Global South urban planning and climate adaptation discourse, this research utilizes a multi-sited qualitative design. Drawing on a six-month study with 36 children and community-based participatory research in three Dhaka settlements, reflexive thematic analysis with three-point triangulation reveals four convergent patterns of spatial intelligence: material innovation, spatial claiming, environmental narration, and cognitive mastery. These patterns, consistent across geographies sharing no physical, cultural, or institutional overlap, constitute what this paper terms vernacular design intelligence (VDI)- embodied spatial knowledge forged through constraint. The academic contribution of this study lies in challenging dominant deficit-based planning models, arguing instead that children actively out-design professionals under severe spatial compression. A four-layer child-informed urban design framework is proposed, with operational proof of concept from three pilot models. The paper concludes with low-cost, scalable policy interventions, including temporal zoning and municipal material redirection designed for resource-constrained Global South municipalities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hamidah Ashrafi Fateha, Anonnya Islam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Design Elements in the Spatial Integration of Public Transport Nodes with Their Environments Within the Context of Sustainable Urban Mobility
Investment in transportation infrastructure centred on motorized vehicles has exacerbated sustainability challenges, including traffic congestion, air pollution, and a deterioration of urban space quality. In response to these challenges, increasing attention has been directed toward advancing public transport systems and adopting pedestrian-oriented urban mobility strategies. Consequently, the spatial integration of active transport modes with public transport networks has become a critical concern. This paper identifies key design elements for integrating public transport nodes with their environments, based on data from research indexed in the Scopus database between 2010 and 2025. The findings indicate that these design elements can be classified into three main dimensions: structural (configuration, connectivity, and permeability), functional (accessibility, walkability, and land-use diversity), and perceptual (wayfinding, visual continuity, and visibility). Furthermore, the methods used to analyse the relationship between public transport nodes and their environments are divided into three distinct approaches: observation-based quantitative, perception-based qualitative, and GIS-based accessibility analyses.
Copyright (c) 2026 Merve Bekaroğlu Karaş, Cenk Hamamcıoğlu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Assessing Socio-Economic Centrality Indicators in Urban Research: A Bibliometric and systematic LLM-Assisted Review (2016–2026)
Socio-economic centrality indicators are widely used to explain the spatial concentration and interaction of economic activities, populations, and services within urban and regional systems. Between 2016 and 2026, rapid methodological diversification and interdisciplinary adoption have generated a fragmented and conceptually heterogeneous body of research. This paper presents a bibliometric and systematic review of socio-economic centrality indicators published between 2016 and 2026, combining classical bibliometric techniques with LLM assisted semantic synthesis. The combined approach enables the identification of dominant indicator families and their conceptual linkages. Eight socio-economic centrality indicators were identified: (1) accessibility and transport connectivity, (2) mobility and flow-based centrality, (3) economic and commercial activity, (4) amenities and urban attractors, (5) housing prices and investment dynamics, (6) population concentration and demographic indicators, (7) mixed-use development and activity intensity, and (8) innovation and knowledge networks. Results reveal a clear shift from traditional graph-based centrality measures toward multidimensional socio-spatial constructs that integrate these indicators, supported by GIS, big data, and machine learning. Persistent inconsistencies in indicator definition and operationalization are also observed. The study highlights the potential of LLM assisted reviews to enhance rigor, scalability, and interpretability in urban and socio-economic research.
Copyright (c) 2026 Khelil Cherfi Khadidja, Merzelkad Rym, Hourakhsh Ahmadnia, Hamza Benacer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Gateways to Professional Practice: A Preliminary Statutory Review of Estate Agency Entry Requirements in the SADC Region
Estate agency is vital to real estate markets, yet regulatory frameworks across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are fragmented, limiting professional mobility and market integrity. This study compares entry-to-practice requirements for estate agents in 11 English-speaking SADC countries, examining educational qualifications, mentorship duration, age thresholds, and professional assessments. Using a descriptive qualitative approach and archival data from statutory instruments and regulatory authorities, the study identifies significant disparities that create barriers to regional integration and equitable access to practice. Findings highlight the potential of harmonising standards under the SADC Qualifications Framework to standardise competence, recognise prior learning, and enhance consumer protection. The study provides policy-relevant insights to support coordinated professional regulation and strengthen the quality of estate agency services across the SADC region. By generating the first coordinated regional evidence on estate-agency regulation, this study offers empirically grounded insights to support policy harmonization and strengthen professional standards.
Copyright (c) 2026 Partson Paradza, Joseph A Yacim, Jairus T Ndoma, Steven Ngubeni https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Nature Based Solutions: A Sustainable Potential for Romanian Cities
This research explores the untapped potential of Romanian cities to become healthier and more resilient through adopting Nature–based Solutions (NbS). The analysis was based on the hypothesis that NbS, through the development of urban green and blue infrastructure (UGBI), influences public health and the quality of life of inhabitants. A qualitative methodology, relying on relevant literature analysis across environmental, health, social, and economic domains, was employed. The analysis classified the main types of NbS, ranging from architectural green infrastructures to blue areas and water–management systems, and identified the benefits they generate. As a result, the methodology highlights relevant advantages, organized according to their impact areas and their potential for the Romanian cities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Andreea Catalina Popa, Teodora Ungureanu, Antonio–Valentin Tache https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Ankara Kentsel Mekânında Devlet Eliyle Soylulaştırma: Dikmen Vadisi ve Hamamönü Örnekleri Üzerinden Karşılaştırmalı Bir Analiz
Çalışma, Ankara’daki kentsel dönüşüm süreçlerini devlet eliyle gerçekleştirilen soylulaştırma pratikleri bağlamında incelemektedir. Dikmen Vadisi ve Hamamönü örnekleri üzerinden yürütülen karşılaştırmalı analiz, neoliberal kentleşme politikalarının mekânsal yeniden üretim süreçleriyle ilişkisini ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmada, Neil Smith’in “rant farkı” kuramı temel alınarak kentsel dönüşüm projelerinin yalnızca fiziksel yenileme değil, aynı zamanda sermaye birikimini destekleyen bir mülksüzleştirme mekanizması olduğu ileri sürülmektedir. Dikmen Vadisi örneğinde gecekondu alanlarının tasfiye edilerek yüksek gelir gruplarına yönelik lüks konut alanlarına dönüştürüldüğü; Hamamönü’nde ise tarihsel dokunun restorasyon ve turizm politikaları aracılığıyla ticarileştirildiği vurgulanmaktadır. Her iki süreçte de düşük gelir gruplarının mekânsal dışlanmaya maruz kaldığı, mahalle kültürünün zayıfladığı ve toplumsal hafızanın aşındığı belirtilmektedir. Çalışma sonucunda, farklı yöntemlerle uygulanan kentsel dönüşüm projelerinin ortak biçimde mekânsal eşitsizlik, sınıfsal ayrışma ve sosyal dışlanma ürettiği; dolayısıyla devlet destekli soylulaştırmanın Ankara kent mekânında yapısal bir dönüşüm stratejisi haline geldiği sonucuna ulaşılmaktadır.
Copyright (c) 2026 Kardelen Kalafat, Tuğçe Şanlı Kati https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Post-conflict Aleppo as a Crisis Context: How Micro-Scale Construction Firms Sustain Housing Production Under Extreme Uncertainty
Post-conflict contexts pose severe challenges for urban economies, particularly for micro-scale construction firms that play a critical role in housing provision. Aleppo, as a city undergoing post-war reconstruction, represents an extreme crisis environment characterised by economic instability, institutional fragility, and limited resources. This study investigates how micro scale construction firms in Aleppo develop economic resilience and sustain housing production under post-conflict conditions. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study is based on semi-structured interviews with six micro-scale architecture, engineering, and construction firms, supported by contextual document analysis of post-war reconstruction reports. The findings reveal that micro-scale firms rely heavily on informal networks, adaptive financing mechanisms, flexible labour and material procurement practices, and trust-based relations to maintain operational continuity. The study contributes to post-conflict reconstruction and construction management literature by highlighting micro-scale firms’ project-level governance practices and underlining their significance for housing recovery and urban resilience in post-war cities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Heba Sofie, Burcu Balaban-Ökten, Yaprak Arıcı-Üstüner, Hakkı Can Özkan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Comparative Analysis of Smart City Mission and AMRUT Scheme in the Context of Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Pune City, India
India’s rapid urbanization has intensified the challenges of managing sustainable urban growth, particularly in major metropolitan centers. Pune, a fast-growing city in western India known for its industrial, educational, and technological significance, exemplifies these pressures as it struggles to balance expanding populations with limited infrastructure capacities. In response, the Government of India has introduced national programs such as the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to promote sustainable, efficient, and citizen-centric urban development. This study presents a comparative analysis of SCM and AMRUT in the context of Pune, evaluating their planning frameworks, implementation strategies, and contributions to sustainable development. By examining specific initiatives undertaken under each program—ranging from technological innovation to infrastructure improvement—the research highlights their respective strengths, limitations, and long-term implications. The paper concludes by assessing Pune’s trajectory toward sustainability and outlining key opportunities for future urban development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mayuri Dattatray Latpate https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Ethics and Professional Practice: Post-Occupancy Accountability in Healthcare Architecture
This research examines the ethical obligations of architects after project handover, using the Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) model in healthcare architecture in Bahrain. Although sustainable and user-centred design is being prioritized globally, Bahraini projects do not have formal POE mechanisms. The study examines 2 healthcare cases (the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), Bahrain, and Maggie’s Cancer Care Centres, UK), using a qualitative comparative approach. The results are complemented by interviews with 6 local professionals in the field. The study indicates a notable discrepancy between the local practice and the international standards, such as AIA and RIBA. The research emphasizes the mandatory status of POE and how it should be taken as an architectural policy in Bahrain to promote accountability in the lifecycle of the building, increase the performance of the buildings, and maintain professional ethics in the profession.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mashael Hisham AlDoy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Urban Wellbeing in Bursa: A Salutogenic Reading of Sacred and Commercial Environments
Historic urban environments frequently possess spatial qualities that support human well being through environmental comfort, social interaction, and cultural meaning. Accordingly, this study examines the salutogenic potential of urban spaces in Bursa, Türkiye, focusing on the relationship between commercial and sacred environments within the historic city center to explore how traditional urban morphologies contribute to well-being in the built environment. The research adopts a qualitative case-study approach combining urban morphological analysis, spatial observation, and an interpretive evaluation of public-space use. The analysis addresses the historic bazaar network of the Khans District together with the sacred setting of the Grand Mosque of Bursa. The findings indicate that courtyard-based commercial structures, pedestrian circulation networks, and monumental religious spaces collectively form environments that promote spatial clarity, environmental comfort, and cultural meaning. The study emphasizes the continuing relevance of historic urban morphologies for contemporary discussions on urban well-being.
Copyright (c) 2026 Elif Korkmaz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Design for Dignified Aging: A Care-centered Retirement Community Model in La Paz, México
Both in México and globally, life expectancy has increased thanks to medical advances and the control and treatment of chronic diseases. However, this fact has also impacted the spaces dedicated to aging, where the lives of older adults can be dignified. This research thoroughly examines the situation of older adults in northwestern México and reveals a gap in specialized care services for the senior population. The research team conducted the study in La Paz, Baja California Sur. It developed a master plan for a retirement community for residents, adopting the Continuing Care Retirement Community model that prioritizes the care and monitoring of older adults through comprehensive assistance. The intervention focuses on the residential area and aims to reduce inequalities through design, taking users' levels of autonomy into account. The proposal focuses on gerontological theories of inclusion that allow for the creation of community through an architecture of care for aging women.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sindy Melissa De León Godínez, Kenia Jaqueline Cruz Castro, Alejandra Sofía Robles Garza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rethinking Educational Building Codes in the Gulf: An Ethical Reading through the AIA Framework
This paper examines educational building codes across the Gulf region through an ethics centered lens, asking how well current regulatory frameworks actually translate into decent indoor environmental quality and meaningful day-to-day user experience. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) ethical orientation—anchored in the triad of health, safety, and welfare—serves as the analytical backbone for exploring the link between regulatory compliance and quality of life inside educational facilities. Methodologically, the study takes a qualitative route: it pairs a critical reading of recent Gulf-focused literature with a field survey targeting occupants of educational buildings in Bahrain. What emerges is a conspicuous mismatch between official compliance with formal codes and users' actual reports on thermal comfort, indoor air quality, acoustic conditions, and access to natural daylight. The paper argues that revisiting educational building regulations through an ethical, performance-driven approach—one that genuinely centers user experience—could pave the way for healthier, more comfortable, and more supportive learning environments across the Gulf.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fatima Abbas Mulla, Islam Hamdi Elghonaimy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Copyright (c) 2026 Nazlı Taraş Varışlıaslan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Human, House, and Habitat - Decoding the morphology and Cultural Landscape of Chalamthang Village
Chalamthang is a hillside village in East Sikkim, located on the forested lower slopes of the Maenam hills in the Eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim, India. Historically named after its orange orchards, the village is organised into clusters of houses interwoven with stepped agricultural fields, kitchen gardens, cattle sheds, and circulation paths. Together, these elements form a vernacular cultural landscape, shaped through long term interactions between human habitation, livelihoods, and the Himalayan terrain. Agriculture and community-based ecotourism constitute the primary livelihood systems, reinforcing strong spatial and functional relationships between domestic architecture, farming practices, seasonal cycles, and surrounding alpine forests. This study documents the morphology and character of Chalamthang through the lens of Cultural Landscape Theory, with a particular focus on understanding the relationship between houses, humans, and habitat. Using contour mapping, site sections, and measured drawings, the research examines how vernacular houses align along contours, negotiate steep slopes through stepped configurations, and collectively stabilize the terrain using plinths, retaining walls, terraces, and paths. The study positions the house as a spatial anchor within a larger socio-ecological system, demonstrating how vernacular architecture mediates between landscape, livelihood, and everyday life in the Eastern Himalayas.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nishant Kansagra, Tithi Soladhara https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Neuroscience and the Impact of the Designed Space on the Health and Well-Being of Users
People in economically developed societies spend approximately 90% of their time in the built environment. During the pandemic, this time has increased even further. The architecture and built environment can be designed in a way that not only does not harm the health of users but also optimizes their daily functioning. To operate in accordance with these principles, knowledge from the field of neuroarchitecture can be applied as a tool, utilizing neuroscience in the design process. It aims to design user-friendly buildings and spaces that provide optimal comfort conditions for people. It influences issues such as accessibility in healthcare facilities, the inclusiveness of public spaces, and the universal design philosophy. This topic aims to analyze the design tool of neuroarchitecture, which utilizes neuroscience in the design process to have a direct beneficial impact on the health and well-being of users.
Copyright (c) 2026 Marta Markiewicz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rethinking Operational Risk in the AI Era: A Comparative Perspective
Operational risk has become increasingly important due to recurrent financial scandals and significant loss events, yet it remains comparatively underexplored in the literature. At the same time, artificial intelligence is gaining prominence as a transformative tool in risk management. This paper compares traditional parametric and machine-learning approaches for operational loss severity modeling using the SAS OpRisk database. The analysis combines descriptive examination of loss characteristics, parametric fitting with the Lognormal and Gamma distributions, and supervised prediction based on structured explanatory variables. The predictive framework includes Ridge regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and a hybrid Ridge–Random Forest model. The findings suggest that operational loss severity reflects both linear and non-linear structures and that hybrid modeling can improve predictive performance. The research highlights the complementary roles of traditional parametric fitting and machine-learning methods in operational risk severity analysis
Copyright (c) 2026 Sara Chelh, Mariame Ababou, Bouteina El Gharbaoui https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Quality Management and Professional Practice in Architectural Firms in Bahrain: Role of ISO 9001 in Improving Architectural Project Delivery
Quality management is an essential element of professional performance in many sectors, such as engineering, architecture, and construction. Quality management standards, such as ISO 9001:2015, provide tools for controlling the documents, project monitoring, and risk management to support constant improvement. In Bahrain, the Council for Regulating the Practice of Engineering Professions (CRPEP) manages the regulation of professional licensing of engineers and architectural firms, and it does not incorporate any quality management systems (QMS). However, limited research examines to what extent CRPEP aligns with QMS standards in architectural firms. This raises an important question regarding the potential outcomes of integrating such a system within a professional regulatory framework by conducting interviews with professionals in architectural firms in Bahrain. This study investigates the relationship between the ISO 9001 quality management system and CRPEP regulations and explores whether aligning them could improve project delivery and strengthen professional practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sara Rashed, Islam Elghonaimy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Ethical Challenges in Start-Up Architectural Firms: Navigating Commercial Pressure and Professional Integrity in Bahrain
This study examines how start-up architectural firms in Bahrain navigate the tension between commercial survival and professional integrity, and whether the Council for Regulating the Practice of Engineering Professions (CRPEP) supports ethical practice at the procedural level. A qualitative reflexive triangulation design combined a five-year practitioner-researcher record from one start-up firm, sixteen semi-structured interviews across owners, staff, and clients, structured firm-record extraction, and a clause-level reading of the Bahraini framework against the Royal Institute of British Architects codes. Inductive coding produced nine patterns across three pressure sources, and the regulatory comparison documented a two-layer void at the individual-licensee and firm levels. Ethical fragility appears as a structural condition rather than a personal failing, and the study proposes four-layer structural change and introduces reflexive triangulation as a portable methodological design.
Copyright (c) 2026 Batool Jamali https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/