Architecture

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in shaping employee well-being, satisfaction, and work performance, particularly in hybrid workplace settings. This mixed-methods study examined how integrated IEQ conditions influence employee experience in a public-sector hybrid workplace through a case study of the WorkHub, a technology-enabled flexible workspace embedded within a large municipal utility. Quantitative data were collected from 93 valid survey responses using the Workplace Environment Satisfaction and Performance Questionnaire (WESP-Q™), and qualitative insights were obtained from a 90-min participatory think tank session with 24 employees. Results showed that WorkHub users reported significantly higher satisfaction across 15 of 18 environmental and spatial dimensions, including layout, thermal comfort, air quality, lighting, furnishings, cleanliness, and overall building experience. They also reported significantly stronger outcomes in collaboration access, work transition, focus support, work efficiency, workspace productivity, pride in work, and job satisfaction. Qualitative findings reinforced these results, highlighting technology integration, daylight, and spatial flexibility as key strengths, while identifying acoustics, thermal discomfort, and limited privacy as persistent challenges. These findings support a systems-oriented, human-centered approach to workplace design, demonstrating that integrated IEQ can enhance employee experience, collaboration, and organizational performance in hybrid public-sector environments. Full article

This study addresses the critical challenge of translating the profound social, spatial, and cultural dynamics of the traditional introverted Persian house into more tangible design metrics for contemporary Iranian housing. Relying on qualitative data from twenty-four diverse expert interviews across architecture, urban planning, and policy, the research demonstrates a broad consensus that the notion of replicating historical form is unsustainable. Instead, it indicates that the introverted configuration is likely a context-specific ontological imperative—viewed here as a fundamental socio-spatial requirement—rooted in measurable performance, serving simultaneous social, cultural, psychological, and environmental paradigms. The main findings show that preserving cultural continuity requires a shift from aesthetic conservation to prescriptive configuration. This logic is synthesised into a consolidated socio-spatial framework, whose originality lies in introducing three regulatory design instruments: (1) the sequenced depth and filtration protocol for spatial arrangement; (2) the controlled visual and environmental parameters for façade performance; and (3) the cultural adaptability and resilience requirement for functional programming. The framework’s prescriptive metrics, such as minimum space syntax values and the visual filtering coefficient, provide regulatory bodies with the precise technical tools necessary to enforce cultural protocols like privacy and dignity in high-density urban developments. While these metrics serve as an operationally promising model, they represent a theoretical framework that requires further empirical validation in diverse contemporary residential settings before mandatory regulatory adoption. This framework offers a pragmatic pathway for safeguarding Iranian housing’s cultural identity, ensuring future developments are certified not only for safety and structure, but for their adherence to the fundamental socio-spatial contract of the Persian dwelling. Full article

This study investigates the role of glamping within outdoor tourism as a potential tool for preserving and enhancing local landscape identity. Despite its rapid growth, glamping remains weakly defined within regulatory and design frameworks. The paper aims to explore whether a design-oriented approach can redefine glamping as a landscape-based practice rather than a purely market-driven phenomenon, with particular reference to the Italian context. The research adopts a qualitative research-by-design methodology, combining a critical literature review with the development of two pilot projects located in distinct settings: a natural hilly landscape and a rural agricultural context. These projects function as experimental tools to test spatial, ecological, and perceptual design strategies, focusing on settlement density, landscape integration, and experiential quality. The findings identify recurring principles that enable the codification of the glamping–landscape relationship, including low-density configurations, reversibility of structures, respect for existing morphology, and reinforcement of landscape identity. Landscape elements such as topography, vegetation, and visual relationships emerge as primary drivers of design. The study contributes to the discourse by reframing glamping as a landscape design practice, proposing a reversible and context-sensitive model of temporary inhabitation that supports sustainable tourism development. Full article

This paper presents a systematic review, conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, synthesising evidence on how visual and spatial features of classical concert settings—such as performer visibility, seating position and sightlines, stage layout, lighting, and vibrotactile cues—shape listeners’ engagement and judgments. RILM, APA PsycNet, PubMed, and Scopus were searched for peer-reviewed experimental studies that manipulated or compared visual/spatial dimensions and reported subjective or physiological outcomes relevant to live, non-amplified contexts. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened, and data were extracted and analysed with respect to study design, stimulus environment, outcome measures, and main effects. Heterogeneity across studies precluded meta-analysis; therefore, a narrative synthesis was conducted. A total of 23 publications—22 experiments and one meta-analysis—met the inclusion criteria: the reviewed studies primarily examined issues related to visual presence and spatial configuration. Most studies relied on laboratory or home-based audiovisual reproductions, with only one study collecting data in a naturalistic performance setting. The evidence is limited by methodological heterogeneity, the predominance of simulated environments, and variability in outcome measures. Overall, visual and spatial factors substantially shape classical music listening and the audience experience, underscoring the need for more field-based and methodologically standardised research. Full article

Integrating direct air carbon capture (DAC) into buildings offers a promising pathway for reducing atmospheric CO₂, yet the role of architectural design in enhancing passive carbon-capture performance remains underexplored. This study presents a computational framework developed to optimize architectural design and enclosure geometry for enhanced passive airflow, using mass-flow rate as a proxy for the comparative assessment of carbon absorption potential. Implemented within Rhino3D and Grasshopper using Ladybug and Eddy3D, the workflow integrates weather data and CFD simulation to compute segmented mass-flow rates through stacked capture trays. The framework simplifies traditionally complex CFD processes by introducing a custom segmented mass-flow calculation approach that enables comparative performance assessment during early-stage design. Results confirm the validity of the proposed workflow, revealing that façade rotation can modify total mass flow by up to 96.5%; seasonal wind variability can cause airflow to range from approximately 8.5 kg/s in January to 169.5 kg/s in May in Seattle. Spatial configuration can alter airflow by up to an order of magnitude and introduce substantial spatial heterogeneity within capture zones. This research establishes a performance-driven design framework that enables architectural geometry to actively enhance passive carbon-capture integration, positioning building design as a measurable contributor to climate mitigation strategies. Ultimately, this work bridges architectural design and carbon-capture engineering, supporting interdisciplinary approaches to scalable, climate-responsive building systems. Full article

This study presents a systematic review and an integrative interpretive synthesis of the architectural literature addressing sensory–interactive design strategies in early childhood learning environments that support children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down Syndrome (DS), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Following a systematic review conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, twenty-nine peer-reviewed studies were analyzed to examine how environmental design variables may influence sensory load, cognitive processing, emotional stability, and behavioral engagement across neurodevelopmental profiles. Rather than remaining within conventional descriptive approaches, architectural variables—including lighting, color, acoustics, materials, spatial configuration, and environmental controllability—are reconceptualized as regulatory dimensions shaping child–environment interactions. The synthesis suggests that identical environmental variables may elicit divergent, and at times conflicting, sensory–emotional and behavioral responses among children with ASD, DS, and ADHD, highlighting the limitations of standardized design solutions. Accordingly, the study proposes the Sensory–Interactive Architecture Framework (SIAF), an analytical framework that links neurodevelopmental response patterns with sensory–emotional regulation mechanisms and environmental design variables as regulatory dimensions. The findings indicate that effective inclusive design does not rely on generalized sensory interventions but rather on the deliberate regulation of sensory variability through more legible, graded, and controllable spatial systems, thereby promoting learning engagement, emotional stability, and adaptive behavior in neurodiverse children. Full article

Children’s affinity for natural elements, or biophilic preferences, has gained increasing recognition as a cornerstone of family-centered sustainability. This study examines how parental factors, specifically environmental attitudes and in-home biophilic design plus guidance, directly shape children’s preference for nature-infused environments. A cross-sectional survey (N = 397) for parents collected data on household greenery, animal care, parental attitudes toward environmental responsibility, and the degree of child involvement with natural elements. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the analysis identified proactive parental mindsets and frequent biophilic home modifications as significant predictors of stronger child affinity for plants, water features, and other nature-inspired components. The findings highlight several key parental and environmental factors that contribute to the development of children’s biophilic preferences, underscoring the importance of coordinated efforts among families, communities, and policymakers to nurture children’s environmental consciousness. By highlighting how indoor greenery, small-scale animal care, and intentional parental support can foster early engagement with nature, this research offers fresh insights into the synergy between biophilic design and sustainable family practices. Emphasizing the potential role of home-based natural elements in enhancing children’s environmental awareness, the study concludes that nature-rich living spaces and holistic sustainability interventions are essential for empowering the next generation to shape a more sustainable future. Full article

Discourse on Japanese architecture relies on qualitative interpretation to link abstract concepts such as “ma” and “mu”, used here as illustrative examples of the conceptual register, with physical spaces, such as engawa, yet lacks quantitative, data-driven validation. This study addresses this gap by testing two primary hypotheses: (1) whether abstract Japanese architectural terms form a distinct, computationally recoverable conceptual layer, and (2) whether the corresponding concrete architectural devices cohere into a unified physical mesh rather than being fragmented into unrelated subclusters. We investigate this using a Natural Language Processing (NLP) framework centred on a fine-tuned BERT model, utilising an exhaustive Adjusted Rand Index (ARI) enumeration search over two-way partitions on a target vocabulary of 28 terms. Furthermore, a “definitional audit” compares a FULL corpus against a CLEAN corpus, stripped of explicit glossary-like sentences, to mitigate “shortcut learning”, allowing sensitivity at the conceptual physical boundary to be inspected. Both hypotheses are supported. A stable two-block structure appears across all evaluations, comprising a compact conceptual pocket {aware, ma, mu, wabi, sabi, and wabi_sabi} and a larger physical mesh integrating vocabulary for room, garden, and shrine. Interface structure concentrates in a narrow boundary corridor, most consistently along the engawa–shakkei linkage, with en acting as the principal physical-side interface hub under sparsified network views. In the definitional audit (FULL versus CLEAN), ikezuishi is the only recurrently unstable item, shifting sides under small, defensible changes in corpus cleaning and Japanese-aware sentence segmentation, which is best read as a sensitivity signal rather than a substantive change in macro-structure. Removing glossary-like definitions slightly tightens dispersion while preserving the backbone split, which supports definitional audits as a practical robustness check for distributional studies of architectural vocabularies. Full article

The need to create more sustainable and energy-efficient buildings drives the search for new materials to be used in the construction sector. Paper and cardboard-based products can fit very well in this context. Specifically, this article aims to identify the main components for the Architecture and Engineering Construction sector, as well as the prototypes and buildings already constructed using systems that incorporate corrugated cardboard, attempting to gather the identified values found in individual studies for the main characteristics such as mechanical, thermal and acoustic properties. Due to the diversity of the samples (i.e., shape and type of cardboard), a direct comparison between the identified components and systems is not possible. However, the diversity of the products found demonstrates that there is a certain interest in this field. Full article

This article presents a systematic bibliometric analysis on academic research into Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in Architectural Conceptual Design (ACD). Based on a curated selection of publications indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases between 2010 and 2025, this article shows a study that maps the intellectual evolution, thematic composition, and methodological trends of the field. By using the software tool VOSviewer, this study generates a series of knowledge graphs, including Keyword Co-Occurrence and International Collaboration Networks. The findings from this study reveal a rapid acceleration in AI-related research focused on the conceptual design stage, highlighting its transformative potential for architectural practice. Through a critical analysis of bibliometric results, this study identifies dominant research emphases, emerging directions, and persistent frictions between academic approaches and industry adoption. This review article contributes to the theoretical consolidation of AI applications in ACD and provides a structured foundation for future ACD-related research and practice. Full article

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) significantly impacts people’s comfort, health, and productivity in buildings, and modern green rating systems are primarily focused on energy efficiency rather than the direct user experience. This paper analyses the relationship between IEQ and the perceived quality of life (QoL) of certified and conventional office buildings in Malaysia using a mixed-methods design. The questionnaires were completed by 162 employees working in four open-plan offices: two were certified under the Green Building Index (GBI) established in Malaysia, and two were traditional. This was supplemented by 14 semi-structured interviews and 2 focus groups. The factors of IEQ were divided into ambient, designed, and behavioral environments. It was statistically determined that behavioral factors, such as visual privacy, personalization, ergonomics, and control, exhibited the strongest correlations with overall QoL, compared to ambient factors such as air quality or thermal comfort. Green buildings performed better in terms of daylighting and esthetics than conventional buildings, though they did not always deliver higher occupant satisfaction. The results indicate that current green certification frameworks pay insufficient attention to occupant-centered aspects. The proposed research adds a validated IEQ-QoL framework that predicts the incorporation of subjective user experience into building performance indicators, which can be important for certification reform, post-occupancy evaluation (POE), and human-centered sustainable design approaches. Full article

In recent decades, the Ucayali region, the main territory of the Asheninka communities, has experienced increasing socio-environmental pressures associated with climate change, educational inequality, and territorial vulnerability in rural and indigenous contexts. In response, this research proposes the design of a sustainable agricultural school for the Asheninka community, conceived as an educational building that integrates biophilic strategies to enhance environmental performance and spatial quality. The methodological approach comprises a literature review, site-specific environmental analysis based on hydrometeorological data, and the development of an architectural proposal focused on sustainable building design. Digital tools such as Revit and SketchUp were employed alongside official climatic data sources to support design decision-making. The proposal includes twelve biophilic agricultural classrooms incorporating passive design strategies, rainwater harvesting systems with a capacity of 22.5 m³ per day per classroom, and photovoltaic-powered public lighting systems. Results indicate that the integration of natural ventilation, green infrastructure, and locally sourced materials contributes to significant improvements in thermal comfort, humidity control, and energy autonomy within the educational facilities. The architectural complex is complemented by green corridors and collective open spaces that reinforce environmental performance at the site scale. This study demonstrates that sustainable educational buildings adapted to local ecosystems and climatic conditions can function as effective infrastructures for environmental mitigation and resilient rural development, contributing to more sustainable forms of urban and rural living. Full article

This study presents one of the first empirical assessments of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) adoption within architectural academia and the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry in Saudi Arabia. Using a cross-sectional survey of 113 respondents—60 academics and 53 industry professionals—the research examines familiarity, current usage, perceived benefits, challenges, and future readiness for AI/ML integration. Results show high familiarity and strong perceived importance across both sectors, yet actual implementation remains uneven. Very large firms demonstrate the highest adoption capacity, while small and medium-sized firms face financial and organizational constraints. Academic institutions exhibit moderate familiarity but limited curricular and research integration due to faculty expertise gaps, restricted access to tools, and traditional pedagogical structures. Despite these barriers, both sectors consistently identify AI/ML as critical for enhancing creativity, efficiency, and industry preparedness. The study highlights organizational capacity as the primary determinant of adoption. It concludes with recommendations for curriculum reform, faculty training, industry–academia collaboration, and national policy frameworks to accelerate digital transformation aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. This research establishes a foundational baseline for future longitudinal and comparative studies on AI/ML integration in the regional architectural ecosystem. Full article

The form of a city evolves as the complexity of its systems increases. This study discusses how urban growth challenges have contributed to the deterioration of built environments and cultural heritage assets. It investigates how smart sustainable city (SSC) strategies have become significant policy instruments in regenerating Baghdad’s future built heritage and advancing the conservation of the city’s architectural heritage, infrastructure systems, and quality of life. The study aims to investigate how SSC methods can serve as the main element for managing complex urban data and advancing heritage, socio-economic, and environmental sustainability. The research employs mixed methods such as mapping, serial vision, and walking tools to survey Baghdad’s heritage centre (Old Rusafa) natural and built environment and cultural heritage condition. Together, these methods provide a comprehensive understanding of the heritage area’s physical and socio-cultural dimensions. It is argued that achieving smart urban heritage requires the adoption of sustainable strategies that promote the conservation of architectural heritage. Accordingly, the research outcomes enhance understanding of the smart sustainable city concept (SSC) impact on Baghdad city’s cultural heritage regeneration and allow for the creation of an Index Wheel, which provides city stakeholders with a range of strategies and indicators to conserve Baghdad’s built heritage sustainably. Full article

Spatial qualities are central to architectural reasoning; yet, in studio-based education, they often remain implicit rather than structured as a shared analytical framework. This study examines how a multi-scalar taxonomy of spatial qualities can function as a collaborative analytical language in studio-based architectural education. Situated in Košanćićev venac and Dorćol, two historically layered areas of Belgrade’s old town, this study integrates expert spatial analysis with a student questionnaire administered across bachelor and master study levels. Empirical testing was conducted to evaluate structural coherence, conceptual differentiation and the distribution of spatial qualities across detail, architectural and urban drawing scales. The findings indicate consistent internal stability, clear differentiation among constructs and statistically significant cross-scale articulation. Form- and composition-related qualities showed high usability, while interpretative constructs were more variable. Master-level students demonstrated greater engagement with cognitive and interpretative constructs, indicating a shift toward more conceptually grounded design reasoning without affecting overall structural coherence. These results suggest that spatial qualities can operate as a level-independent analytical language, supporting inclusive participation, shared interpretation and structured dialogue within the design studio. By positioning spatial qualities as a collaborative pedagogical framework, this study contributes to interdisciplinary communication and more equitable engagement in architectural education. Full article

Public spaces (PSs) are vital to urban life, enhancing environmental sustainability, fostering social connections, and boosting public health. Cities have suffered from pandemics, which are becoming more frequent. Recent health crises have revealed significant shortcomings in public spaces’ capacity to preserve social support, safety, and functionality during pandemics. Despite urban resilience having developed as a critical concept for tackling such difficulties, its implementation in PS design remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income contexts. The study’s main aim is to ascertain how ideas of urban resilience (UR) can be turned into measurable metrics to create and evaluate resilient public spaces during health crises. Several methods, including spatial analysis and questionnaire-based evaluations (n = 145), were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII). This approach highlights key resilience factors, such as flexibility, accessibility, inclusion, and adaptation, that influence the effectiveness of PSs. The results indicate that “Safety & Well-being” emerged as the highest-ranked resilience dimension (RII = 0.636), suggesting that focusing on resilience in design can improve the long-term effectiveness of PSs by supporting social well-being, multifunctionality during crises, and compliance with health guidelines. By (1) translating urban resilience theory into clear PS indicators; (2) empirically assessing and ranking these indicators based on expert and user perspectives; and (3) developing a contextual framework specific to Egyptian cities and similar urban environments, this study advances existing research. These findings offer practical guidance for architects, urban planners, and policymakers to build flexible, inclusive, and resilient PSs capable of facing current and future challenges. Full article

This paper examines the political dimension of architecture in developing and post-conflict economies by shifting the focus from representational aesthetics to the organisation of production. Drawing on critical theory and political economy, it contends that architecture is political not through explicit ideology but through its impact on relationships among labour, knowledge, material systems, and institutional authority. The paper challenges the historic divide between thinker and maker, rooted in Alberti’s ideas, and examines how frameworks such as critical regionalism often aestheticise marginality while overlooking construction labour and political economy. Empirically, the study analyses six architectural projects in post-war Sri Lanka from 2013 to 2023, employing a qualitative, practice-based case study approach. These projects are viewed as social processes, emphasising labour organisation, knowledge exchange, material choices, procurement, and tectonics. The results show how small architectural interventions can serve as civic and pedagogical infrastructures, revealing labour, redistributing expertise, and strategically engaging with state and donor systems. A normative framework is proposed to redirect architectural politics towards production rather than mere representation. Full article

In recent decades, bathroom design has undergone significant changes driven by technological advances, aesthetic trends, and social transformations. Despite their relevance to daily routines and quality of life, bathrooms remain underexplored with regard to how cladding materials influence users’ psychological experience. This study aims to analyze the effects of different bathroom cladding materials on perception, emotional response, and purchase intention. An online experiment was conducted using a single-factor experimental design with five types of cladding materials (ceramic, vinyl, wood, microcement, and natural stone). A total of 58 participants evaluated five virtual bathroom stimuli through self-report measures assessing perceived well-being, perceived stress, perceived functionality, perceived aesthetic preference, perceived cost, emotional valence, and purchase intention. Data were analyzed using nonparametric statistical tests. The results revealed significant differences across all perceptual dimensions depending on the cladding material. Wood and natural stone were associated with higher levels of perceived well-being and more pleasant emotional responses, whereas microcement was linked to higher perceived stress and lower aesthetic evaluations. In addition, affective variables—particularly aesthetic preference—emerged as the strongest predictors of purchase intention. These findings highlight the importance of bathroom materiality in shaping emotional experience and decision-making processes, and emphasize the role of cladding selection in promoting psychological well-being within domestic environments. Full article

Open-plan workplaces are often associated with increased sensory exposure, which may present challenges for adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a condition characterized by atypical arousal regulation and sensory sensitivity. Although the Prospect–Refuge Theory suggests that spatial configuration may influence perceived security and attentional states, objective neurophysiological evidence in workplace contexts remains limited. This exploratory pilot study employed a mixed design to examine whether desk orientation and office enclosure were associated with differences in neural activity among adults with ADHD (n = 6). Four desk configurations were tested within each office setting, while two office types (Open Office and Enclosed Private Office) were examined between participants. Neurophysiological data were collected using portable electroencephalography (EEG), and power spectral density (PSD) across canonical frequency bands was analyzed during standardized cognitive tasks. Results indicated context-dependent spatial effects. In the Open Office setting, configurations providing both outward visibility and visual backing were associated with lower beta and gamma power relative to orientations lacking these features. In the Enclosed Private Office, orientation-related differences were not statistically significant. These preliminary findings suggest that desk orientation may influence neural indicators of cognitive demand in open-plan environments. Given the small sample size, results should be interpreted cautiously but contribute initial physiological evidence to neurodiversity-informed workplace research. Full article