Search Results (655)

To fill the research gap of green building assessment theory being underutilized in sports architecture and advance the use of life-cycle assessment (LCA) for complex public building types, this study develops a comprehensive life-cycle green evaluation indicator system specifically for public sports venues. First, the factors influencing green performance were systematically identified across four life-cycle stages—planning and design, construction, operation and maintenance, and end-of-life—leading to the establishment of an initial indicator pool. This pool was subsequently refined through a two-round Delphi expert consultation. The weights of the indicators were then determined using a combined Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Entropy Weight Method (EWM) approach to quantify the relative importance of each indicator. The resulting framework comprises a comprehensive green evaluation indicator system for the whole life cycle of public sports venues, consisting of 4 first-level, 12 second-level, and 28 third-level indicators. The results reveal a pronounced front-loaded influence in the life-cycle weight distribution, indicating that decisions made during the planning and design stage are most critical for the green performance of sports venues. Based on the weight distribution characteristics, this study further delineates a phase-specific governance logic for green development: the planning and design stage should prioritize design optimization to maximize life-cycle green performance potential; the construction stage should focus on controlling resource input and process carbon emissions; the operation and maintenance stage should emphasize energy consumption optimization and resource recycling; and the end-of-life stage should address resource regeneration. This study not only extends green building assessment and life-cycle assessment theories to sports architecture—a complex and under-researched building typology—but also provides stakeholders with a robust decision-support tool to advance the sustainable development of public sports venues. Full article

The prosperity of the Maritime Spice Route in China during the Song–Yuan dynasties (960–1368) propelled Quanzhou into a global hub for maritime trade and cultural integration. A large number of Muslims settled in Quanzhou via maritime routes, living and multiplying over generations—their journey fully documenting the localization trajectory of the immigrant group. To explore the relationship between the evolution of their traditional residence types and immigration localization, this study takes 185 “one bright hall and two dark rooms” traditional residences of the Ding’s Hui ethnic group in Chendai as an example, constructing a “4 × 6” matrix framework via the spatiotemporal biaxial coordinate classification method, with an integrated application of statistics, field surveying and mapping, Space Syntax, and genealogical document analysis. Results reveal that 15 of the 24 theoretical residence types are effectively preserved, forming a “prototype + combined type” evolutionary chain. Residence-type acceptance presents distinct traits, Class A as the foundational form, Class D as the mainstream, and Classes B and C as transitional types, a pattern reflecting the comprehensive influence of construction land conditions, living patterns, and local construction concepts on residence-type selection. Significant disparities in average connectivity between the central courtyard and various core public spaces embody the multi-branch small-family cohabitation mode and verify the localization development trajectory of residential space. The evolution of this residence-type system is confirmed to feature three core characteristics—nonlinearity, integrated and diversified fusion, and spatial constraint—and proposes preservation strategies for double-standard dimensional, multicultural and identifiability qualities, which provide a scientific reference for the protection and renewal of architectural heritage in Hui ethnic communities and similar immigrant settlements on China’s southeast coast. Full article

From an active-health perspective, regular walking is a key pathway for mitigating chronic disease risks and promoting sustained health benefits. Existing studies have primarily assessed urban walkability using static or aggregated measures of walking intensity, which insufficiently capture the capacity of urban spaces to continuously support walking behavior over time. This study aims to identify urban walking support types by incorporating the temporal structure of walking behavior beyond intensity alone. Crowdsourced walking trajectory data are used to construct a multidimensional behavioral indicator system integrating walking intensity, temporal stability, and rhythmic characteristics over an annual period. An unsupervised clustering framework combining nonlinear dimensionality reduction and density-based clustering is applied to identify distinct walking support types, while interpretable machine-learning models are employed to examine the relative roles of built-environment factors in differentiating these types. The results indicate that urban walking support does not vary continuously along a single intensity dimension but instead forms discrete spatial types shaped by multiple behavioral temporal characteristics. These types exhibit clear differences in temporal walking structures and associated environmental constraints. By emphasizing behavioral temporal stability and rhythm, this study provides a process-oriented understanding of urban walking support and supports typology-based spatial identification beyond intensity-based assessments. Full article

For decades, research has provided consistent findings on the decline in the importance of religion in Western societies. The question is how religiosity is reproduced against this backdrop. This study assumes that religious socialisation takes place primarily as family socialisation. The aim of this article is to gain a more precise understanding of this process. To this end, it reconstructs the transmission of Christian faith in three-generation families in East Germany. The sample comprises 15 three-generation families from different social backgrounds and world views. In order to ensure the validity of the findings, a triangulation of the following qualitative investigation methods was carried out: individual interviews, photo documentation and family discussions. As a result, three forms of positive transmission of religious influences across several family generations are presented typologically: transmission with hardly any change, declining religiosity and intensified religiosity in the youngest generation. It becomes apparent that the more indifferent religion appears to the individual, the more difficult it becomes to transmit religious attitudes. Complementary to this, however, it also becomes apparent that transmission is particularly sustainable in terms of socialisation when it is combined with openness to the social environment. The lack of religious resonance areas in society can lead to an intentional dynamisation of the transmission processes. Using quantitative data, the thesis is put forward that religious socialisation paths are more diverse in East Germany than in West Germany, where transmission still tends to follow traditional patterns. Full article

As global climate volatility intensifies, the built environment requires passive capacity to decouple habitability from external extremes. While vernacular architecture is a cited bioclimatic model, research often lacks long-term quantitative validation. This study addresses this gap through a multiscale framework applied to Montesinho Natural Park, Portugal. Integrating a typological survey with a one-year in situ monitoring campaign (2024–2025), the study utilises Python-based data processing to calculate statistical cross-correlations and benchmarks thermal resilience against the Portuguese Adaptive Comfort Model. Results substantiate a “Hierarchy of Filtration”: (1) Geological Scale: Location correlates statistically with lithological availability; (2) Settlement Scale: Topographical shielding suppresses the Diurnal Temperature Range (DTR) by 20.5%; (3) Envelope Scale: Traditional Stone-on-Earth assemblies exhibit a 16.5 h thermal lag, while vertical functional stratification dampens 47% of external annual temperature extremes. The study concludes that retrofitting must shift to “Balancing Inertia and Connectivity”. This approach mitigates the ‘maladaptation’ risks observed in modern lightweight interventions, providing an empirical template for passive thermal resilience applicable to resilient urban design in a warming climate. Full article

Land transition in China has led to the emergence of highly heterogeneous neighborhoods. This process challenges the social sustainability of public green spaces. This research investigates the driving mechanisms of place attachment within green space across diverse community typologies in Beijing. This study constructed a structural equation model (SEM) based on 626 valid questionnaires, using the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework. The overall SEM results indicate that place identity significantly contributes to civic behavior (β = 0.439, p < 0.001). However, a persistent ‘value-action’ gap remains, with 65.81% of residents demonstrating high identity yet low participation. Furthermore, the multi-group analysis (MGA) reveals that place attachment logic diverges significantly across groups. Regarding user identity, public events promote visitors’ place identity, but this effect remains insignificant among residents (β = −0.064, p > 0.05). Regarding generational differences, the macro-spatial environment is significantly associated with place dependence for young people (β = 0.330, p < 0.001) but is insignificant for the elderly. Community heterogeneity reveals distinct failure modes. In commodity housing communities, a disconnect exists where daily usage fails to foster dependence (β = 0.026, p > 0.05). Conversely, urban–rural resettlement communities display an identity deficit where public events fail to translate into place identity (β = 0.131, p > 0.05). The study proposes differentiated renewal pathways tailored to three community types. For commercial housing communities, it advocates precise interventions that prioritize social engagement. Meanwhile, for urban–rural resettlement communities, the focus shifts to accessibility and culturally rooted activities to help reconnect displaced populations. Full article

The growing complexity of cyber-physical and socio-technical systems calls for digital twin architectures capable of modeling cognition-driven processes such as perception, reasoning, learning, and reflection. This paper proposes an instrumental and generational framework of cognitive digital twins (CDTs) that formalizes cognition as an explicit and evolvable system property. The framework defines a stable set of cognitive modeling instruments—cognitive analyzer, cognitive emulator and cognitive orchestrator—and introduces four CDT generations: foundational CDTs, self-adaptive CDTs, collective CDTs and meta-cognitive digital ecosystems. The study focuses on foundational cognition modeling as the primary generation and develops a mathematical framework based on the cognitive maturity index and the ontology consistency index to quantify cognitive behavior and semantic coherence. Convergence analysis and representative application scenarios validate the stability of the proposed model. Higher CDT generations are introduced to establish an evolutionary roadmap toward adaptive, collective, and meta-cognitive digital twins. The proposed framework integrates conceptual taxonomy, instrumental typology, and a methodological roadmap for instrument selection and evolution, providing a unified foundation for modeling cognition-driven systems and extending traditional digital twin paradigms. Full article

Generative artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded in architectural practice and education, yet its role often remains confined to image production or optimization tasks. This study situates generative AI within a broader design ecology. It examines how structured human–AI interaction can support environmentally oriented architectural thinking in design education. The article presents an international design workshop as a research setting in which architecture students engaged with AI through a multi-agent workflow. This workflow combined large language models, diffusion-based image generation, 2D–3D translation tools, parametric modeling, and clay-based 3D printing. Central to the methodology is the concept of prompt choreographies. These are deliberate dialogs between human and AI agents, based on a language of prompts and AI-generated outcomes. Through this process, the design concept moves toward a final architectural proposal. The workshop addressed complex ecological challenges emerging from interactions among Earth’s spheres. These were conceived as environmental interfaces defined by behavioral continuity rather than typological form. Using qualitative, design-based evaluation criteria focused on environmental, spatial, and material aspects, the study identifies recurring patterns of human–AI collaboration. The findings indicate that generative AI supports architectural ideation most effectively when embedded in structured workflows that emphasize curatorial decision-making and reduce generative overproduction. While limited to a workshop-based educational context, the research offers transferable methodological insights for architectural pedagogy and conceptual practice. It proposes a process-oriented framework for designing with generative AI and outlines an emerging form of architectural literacy and multi-agent collaboration that warrants further empirical validation. Full article

Urban depopulation has become an increasingly visible phenomenon worldwide, affecting cities of different sizes and economic structures. This article develops a typology of U.S. depopulating cities beyond the Rust Belt’s iconic industrial cities, which dominate academic literature, to include a wider range of shrinking settlements in the shadows. The analysis is based on a dataset of U.S. census places constructed from decennial census population data (1990–2020) combined with employment structure indicators and spatial classification variables identifying metropolitan position and industrial specialization. Using 1990–2020 population change and three explanatory dimensions—city size, industrial heritage, and peripheral location—the analysis identified 1082 places that lost at least 10% of their population. Logistic regression showed manufacturing and mining reliance, small size, and remoteness as significant predictors of depopulation. Based on these factors, settlements are divided into seven types, from large urban centers to small peripheral towns with fewer than 5000 people. The overwhelming predominance of small towns (97%) in the sample highlights their distinct development challenges and questions the narrative of decline focused solely on larger industrial cities. By situating American trajectories within the broader shrinking cities discourse, the findings demonstrate the value of typology as a methodological tool for identifying intra-group heterogeneity, capturing regional differences, and establishing a more reliable basis for comparative urban studies. Ultimately, the study shows that urban decline in the United States is not exclusively a Rust Belt phenomenon, but a multidimensional process encompassing different scales, sectors, and geographies. Full article

The Hybrid Barjeel of the ORA House, designed for the Solar Decathlon Middle East 2018 in Dubai, is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional windcatcher—Barjeel, integrating vernacular cooling principles with modern mechanical systems to enable passive precooling of intake air in hot, arid climates. This study aims to evaluate the thermal performance of several horizontal windcatcher configurations developed during the ORA House design process and compare them with the conventional vertical windcatcher typology. Numerical simulations were performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics to analyse airflow behaviour and thermal characteristics—factors that directly influence cooling loads and indoor air quality, and ultimately contribute to carbon savings and cost efficiency. The results show that the horizontally integrated windcatcher effectively reduces the temperature of the supply air, demonstrating its viability as a passive precooling strategy; however, the performance improvement relative to the vertical configuration is modest. Overall, the findings suggest that horizontal windcatcher designs offer an architecturally flexible alternative for contemporary residential buildings, enabling better morphological integration without compromising functional potential. Full article

Large-scale urban infrastructure projects are essential, yet they often introduce prolonged disruptions that affect residents’ perceived wellbeing. Existing research has demonstrated temporary declines in wellbeing during construction periods, but often relies on aggregate indicators, longitudinal averages, aggregate indicators, or proximity-based measures, providing limited insight into neighbourhood-level spatial inequalities and local clustering. This study addresses this gap by developing a Perceived Wellbeing Indicator (PWI) and applying a place-based, spatially explicit framework to examine patterns of perceived wellbeing associated with the Thessaloniki Flyover project. A questionnaire survey captured residents’ experiences of stress, accessibility, and perceived air and noise pollution. Indicator weights were derived using a hybrid approach combining Principal Component Analysis and the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis techniques were applied to identify clusters, spatial outliers, and neighbourhood typologies of perceived wellbeing, which were further interpreted with child dependency ratios and perceived air pollution and noise annoyance. Results reveal pronounced spatial heterogeneity in perceived wellbeing. Low-wellbeing clusters are concentrated in Evosmos, Sykies, and Ano Toumpa, while higher wellbeing is observed in Efkarpia, Kato Toumpa, and Thermi. Lower PWI values are more frequent near the Flyover axis, indicating a spatial concentration of lower values in its vicinity, although similar patterns also appear in districts distant from the project. Overall, the findings demonstrate that perceived wellbeing is shaped by a combination of local environmental, socioeconomic, and neighbourhood conditions, including pre-existing spatial inequalities, rather than infrastructure proximity alone. By providing a spatially explicit understanding of wellbeing, this framework supports sustainable urban planning, enabling interventions that reduce environmental stress, promote social equity, and enhance community resilience during and after large-scale infrastructure development. Full article

Urban lighting is a fundamental element of the built environment, enabling the perception of both living and built components of the city at night. In historic city centers, effective lighting strategies play a pivotal role in enhancing visibility, legibility, and continuity while reinforcing cultural identity. This study introduces a typology-based, data-driven framework for developing sustainable lighting master plans tailored to the spatial, morphological, and heritage characteristics of historic urban environments. The methodology was applied to the historic core of Adana (Turkey), a Roman-era urban fabric with multi-layered cultural heritage, including significant assets such as the Tepebağ Mound and its surrounding structures. The proposed five-stage process—comprising analysis, definition, design, planning, and implementation—integrates on-site observations, horizontal illuminance measurements, thematic spatial mapping, and a Lighting Demand Index (LDI) based on six spatial criteria, for which equal weighting was adopted and validated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Lighting design proposals were developed according to defined typologies, and their compliance with international lighting standards was tested and verified through simulation. The framework provides a structured approach for reintegrating under-illuminated heritage zones into the contemporary nightscape in a sustainable and identity-focused manner, offering practical guidance for municipalities, planners, and lighting designers. Full article

The transformation of public spaces to meet the need for shelter in the post-disaster situation is a practice observed in many countries. However, these temporary alterations are meticulously planned and executed within a defined timeframe following the disaster. This approach hinders the effective utilization of available space. The objective of the study is to reach design decisions by determining the adaptive use potential of sports facilities for temporary shelter in the post-disaster process. In addition, the study will reveal which adaptability strategies can be used to adapt spaces with different functions. The design decisions are reached by comparing sports facilities and temporary shelter needs programs based on eleven adaptability strategies (adjustability, versatility, transformability, scalability, portability, flexibility, expandability, dismountability, reuse, modularity, independence). The conversion of sports facilities into temporary shelters was achieved by employing adaptability strategies, thereby demonstrating the potential for a space with 15 different functions to undergo transformation. A transformability strategy has been employed, whereby changing rooms have been converted into laundry rooms, and grandstands into training areas. A scalability strategy has been employed to facilitate the reuse of cafe-restaurant areas as dining halls. The transformation of the playground into sleeping areas is facilitated by strategies of portability and dismountability. Flexibility and expandability strategies are employed in the transition from the first aid room to the infirmary area. A reuse strategy is employed for administrative units, parking areas, restrooms and prayer areas, ensuring that spaces with similar needs are utilized with minimal intervention. By examining a range of adaptability strategies, analogous adaptability applications can be developed for other public spaces. The study contributes a transferable, criteria-driven framework that supports decision-making for the adaptive reuse of public buildings in post-disaster contexts, offering a structured basis for extending similar transformations to other building typologies. Full article

Urban regeneration is increasingly expected to integrate environmental resilience, social equity, and cultural heritage alongside economic objectives. This narrative review examines how nature-based solutions (NbS) can be embedded within regeneration strategies through ecological landscape planning and design. A structured search of peer-reviewed literature and policy reports identified 34 academic studies and 13 reports that were coded and synthesised into three thematic areas: (i) NbS typologies and applications, including urban forests, blue–green infrastructure, and landscape-led regeneration; (ii) governance frameworks addressing equity, participation, anti-displacement safeguards, and cultural sensitivity; and (iii) methodological advances such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based spatial analysis, multi-criteria decision frameworks, microclimate modelling, and participatory co-design tools. The review finds that NbS can enhance climate adaptation, biodiversity, and community wellbeing, yet implementation often remains fragmented because of governance barriers and uneven policy integration. Strengthening participatory processes, embedding culturally informed design principles, and incorporating anti-displacement measures are essential to ensure socially just outcomes. Strategic instruments, particularly Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), combined with GIS and multi-criteria tools, can support more coherent long-term decision-making. Future research should prioritise cross-sectoral policy coordination, long-term monitoring, and inclusive governance to ensure that NbS-driven regeneration contributes to equitable, resilient, and culturally grounded urban futures. Full article

Urban mental health burdens are increasing, prompting interest in how nearby green spaces aid emotional restoration. Bamboo-dominant green spaces are widespread in East Asia, but evidence connecting their management and structural features to restorative experiences is limited. This study conducted a controlled photo-exposure experiment in Ya’an, China, to examine how bamboo space typology and structural attributes relate to visual attention, affective responses, and short-term physiological recovery. One hundred and twenty participants viewed 50 photographs representing five bamboo space types (ecological conservation, productive–economic, protective–greenbelt, landscape–recreational, and understory–composite). Each image was linked to a matched field plot, enabling integration of structural indicators with eye tracking, EEG β/α, and repeated ratings of relaxation, pleasure, and preference. Results showed that landscape–recreational spaces received the highest affective ratings, while understory–composite spaces had longer fixations, indicating higher visual processing demands. Vertical stratification and groundcover coverage were robust predictors of affect beyond typology. Eye-movement metrics did not mediate structure–affect associations, and EEG β/α, as an auxiliary and context-dependent indicator under brief photo-based exposure, showed limited sensitivity. These findings offer insights into structural elements that can inform the design and management of bamboo green spaces for improved emotional restoration. Full article