bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Destruction of American Historic Housing Projects
Authors: Somma Paola
Published: January 2021

In 1993, US Congress launched the Urban Revitalization Demonstration program, later to become known as HOPE VI, a national plan whose declared aim was to transform public housing stock into "bridges of opportunities".

In the following decade, Hope VI has awarded grants to demolish public housing projects and replace them with "attractive developments that not only blend with but enhance the surrounding community while providing housing for families of all incomes" (HUD, 1999). In 1995, Congress repealed the one-for-one replacement requirement and de facto Hope VI was turned primarily into a demolition program.

In 2003, the American Dream Downpayment Act re-authorised the Hope VI program throughout the fiscal year 2006. It now seems that the federal government has no intention to continue its financing.

Despite the extensive debate on the program, a comprehensive analysis of the social, economic and political process underlying the transformation of all the specific sites and a systematic overview of the stories behind these projects, from the first decision to build to the decision to raze are not available.

An atlas with a description of the sites, based on qualitative secondary sources (planning and architecture magazines, urban history and geographic history journals, local authorities reports), and three maps for each of them - before and after the public housing project and after Hope VI, could prove to be very useful. Such a tool would indeed provide the context for an interdisciplinary reflection of how the city affects and is affected by a multitude of variables with particular emphasis on the political controversies on location, and the role of different players - city council, public housing authorities, developers, community residents, unions, the media. At the end, city is "history condensed".

Being impossible for a single researcher to complete such a body of work, this paper intends to make a contribution to the existing literature and focus on the projects built between 1933 and 1949, now demolished or in the way to be demolished in 58 cities, "thanks" to Hope VI (1).
Book Review
Authors: Salingaros Nikos A.
Published: January 2021

DESIGN STUDIO PEDAGOGY - HORIZONS FOR THE FUTURE
Design for Communication: Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Classroom Spaces
Authors: Potthoff Joy
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine faculty and student satisfaction with classrooms in a university teaching facility in the Midwest, U.S.A. The two-story, 95,000 square foot (79,429.5 square meter) building cost 13.5 million dollars to build and was dedicated for use by the entire campus with no college or department given permanent classroom space. The facility's classrooms were designed to incorporate state-of-the-art communications technology including television monitors, DVD and video cassette recorders, overhead projectors and slide projectors, video presenters, and hook-ups for computers and CD, tape and other audio equipment. A post-occupancy evaluation (POE) survey of 125 faculty and 5,048 students using the facility indicated that the majority of faculty and students were satisfied with the classrooms (overall satisfaction: faculty, 65.3%F students 73.0%). However, problems were cited including: difficulty in using equipment, uncomfortable room temperatures and seating, and a sterile environment (all but three classrooms are windowless).
A Theoretical Approach for Assessing Sustainability in Housing Environments
Authors: Vehbi Beser Oktay , Hoskara Ercan , Hoskara Sebnem Önal
Published: January 2021

This study1 seeks to identify and propose a model for measuring and assessing the level of sustainability in housing environments based on a range of indicators. With this intention, the article is composed of four main parts. In the first part, the relationship between sustainability and housing is presented based on previous research; in the second part, a theoretical framework is put forward for sustainable housing. Then in the third part, sustainability indicators are discussed thoroughly within the context of indicator frameworks. In this section, the development, selection and measuring processes of indicators are also introduced. Finally in the fourth part, the model for measuring and assessing the level of sustainability in housing environments is presented. It is believed that this model will be used as a tool in the decision-making processes for the future development of existing housing settlements and their environments.
Interface Design For Open Systems Building
Authors: Nijs Jochem C. , Durmisevic Elma , Halman Johannes I.M.
Published: January 2021

Open Building and IFD (Industrial Flexible Demountable) building are philosophies that aim to create high quality buildings with increased flexibility and better environmental characteristics. However, a successful adoption of IFD principles has not yet occurred because of concerns for the types of connections that are needed between building components. Therefore, this paper describes PhD research at the University of Twente that has the objective of designing a typology of flexible interfaces for IFD building that can be widely applied in the construction industry and aims to standardize connections, at the various levels of technical composition of a building, to create compatibility between building products from different suppliers. Such a typology of interfaces will increase the re-use and recycling of building parts, resulting in the increased sustainability of the building process. Furthermore, it will help accelerate the industrialization of the housing industry and mass customization of housing. A preliminary case study, in which a sustainable, flexible bathroom is designed, illustrates the various types of interfaces that can be applied, based on existing research. The paper illustrates the importance of interfaces, and aims to increase environmental benefits of buildings (less construction waste), improve the social aspects (higher user satisfaction in buildings) and achieve economical advantages (lower overall costs) by designing new interfaces.
The Cultivation of Adaptability in Japan
Authors: Eguchi Toru , Schmidt Robert , Dainty Andrew , Austin Simon , Gibb Alistair
Published: January 2021

This paper explores the adaptability of buildings in Japan from the perspective of three distinct practice typologies: large general contractors, large architectural design firms, and small design ateliers. The paper illustrates the cultivation of adaptability in Japan revealing a maturing of concepts into current innovations, trends, priorities, and obstacles in relation to adaptability in design. The paper contextualizes the situation by reviewing the evolution of residential development in support of building adaptability, and the ways in which these policies and concepts have shaped practice and transcended residential design. This evolution is then explored through non-residential case studies undertaken by the three practice types, and supported through a review of critical themes emerging from the interviews. The importance of particular physical characteristics are examined including storey height, location of services, planning modules and structural spacing/spans. The interviews expose the critical relationship between adaptability and different social variables - the state of the market, the role of planning regulations and other legal frameworks; as well as, the misconceptions and variations in the perceptions on the role and meaning adaptability has in practice. The paper is concluded by revealing the lessons learnt, including the unfolding of dependencies outside the ‘black box’ of adaptability (e.g. practice culture, material and, stakeholder mindsets) and the requirement of effective communication of concepts to allow an informed conversation between professionals and with clients and users. Like many other philosophical design concepts in complex processes, adaptability benefits from a mutual understanding, good relationships, communication, integration, and shared goals amongst team members.
Book Review
Authors: Hürol Yonca
Published: January 2021

THE PLACEMAKER'S GUIDE TO BUILDING COMMUNITY
Remodelling of the Vernacular in Bukchon Hanoks
Authors: Yun Jieheerah
Published: January 2021

Regenerated hanoks, Korean-style vernacular houses in Bukchon (North Village) of Seoul, have been celebrated as the successful examples of a hybrid dwelling integrating modern facilities in a traditional house form. While the modernization project during the postwar era encouraged South Koreans to live in high rise apartments, hanoks became one of the alternative residential options as urban forest of concrete high rises were perceived to be aesthetically unappealing as well as ecologically unsustainable. Hopes are high that remodeled hanoks can ameliorate not only dreary urban landscape but over-competitive and harsh everyday life conditions.

While preservation guidelines for regenerated hanoks provide residents with a possible stylistic model, it becomes questionable whether they are viable solutions given the proliferation of structures which seemingly adhere to the guidelines without considering local urban context. By pointing out the difference between the preservation guideline and its real life manifestations, this paper illustrates how imagined aspect of the vernacular architecture takes precedence over the experiential aspect. In this process of selective appropriation, various vernacular housing types are flattened into a standardized representation of upper class dwellings. This article concludes that it is possible to bring diversity by encouraging flexible interpretations of vernacular architecture and incorporation of residents' memories in the design process.
Enriching Our Understanding of Architecture Through Disability Experience
Authors: Heylighen Ann , Van Doren Caroline , Vermeersch Peter-Willem
Published: January 2021

The relationship between the built environment and the human body is rarely considered explicitly in contemporary architecture. In case architects do take the body into account, they tend to derive mathematical proportions or functional dimensions from it, without explicit attention for the bodily experience of a building. In this article, we analyse the built environment in a way less common in architecture, by attending to how a particular person experiences it. Instead of relating the human body to architecture in a mathematical way, we establish a new relationship between architecture and the body—or a body—by demonstrating that our bodies are more involved in the experience of the built environment than we presume. The article focuses on persons with a sensory or physical impairment as they are able to detect building qualities architects may not be attuned to. By accompanying them during a visit to a museum building, we examine how their experiences relate to the architect's intentions. In attending to the bodily experiences of these disabled persons, we provide evidence that architecture is not only seen, but experienced by all senses, and that aesthetics may acquire a broader meaning. Senses can be disconnected or reinforced by nature. Sensory experiences can be consciously or unconsciously eliminated or emphasized by the museum design and use. Architects can have specific intentions in mind, but users (with an impairment) may not experience them. Attending to the experiences of disabled persons, and combining these with the architect's objectives, provides an interesting view of a building. Our analysis does not intend to criticize the one using the other; rather the combination of both views, each present in the building, makes for a richer understanding of what architecture is.
Architectural Design Criteria for Multi-Storey Housing Buildings
Authors: Kuan Yong , Ahmad Yahaya
Published: January 2021

Architecture influences people and the environment from the past, present and the future. Nevertheless architecture and design quality is viewed as subjective, and benchmarks to achieve consensus are necessary for design or evaluation of buildings. This paper establishes architectural design criteria for design quality of multi-storey housing buildings. A set of the criteria was established with literature review, an operational definition and survey on qualified persons or architects in the professional practice of architecture. The literature reviews identified seven concepts for architecture and design quality, and the operational definition translated this architectural design quality to measurable and observable cases and variables. The survey collected these variable data from a purposive sample of 95 respondents, and these data were examined by statistical analysis. The results of the descriptive statistics, inferential t-tests (p ≤ 0.05) and positive hypothesis testing verified that respondents in general agreed to these seven design concepts as architectural design criteria for design quality. These results established the first ever set of seven architectural design criteria which were ranked in descending order of significance as function, socio-culture, site context, cost, aesthetic of art, sustainability, and Feng Shui. These architectural design criteria can be applied to the design or evaluation of multi-storey housing buildings for the good of people and the environment.
Community, Heritage and Social Capital: Informal Heritage Management in Old Dhaka
Authors: Ahmed Iftekhar
Published: January 2021

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh has a recorded history of over 400 years, dating back to the Mughal and pre-Mughal era. A large part of the city's rich cultural heritage; both tangible and intangible, lie in the historic core known as Old Dhaka. There are several traditional neighborhoods with close-knit communities that date back two to three centuries. The communities are rich in social capital gained over successive generations of close social network. Based on this strength, a heritage management system has been developed by informal community bodies in Old Dhaka. Old Dhaka's rich cultural heritage deserves to be conserved for the historical continuity of the city. Unfortunately, the top-down conservation efforts undertaken by the Government are highly bureaucratic and have not been effective in conserving the cultural heritage in most cases. This paper explores the importance of local participatory approach of heritage management in the context of Old Dhaka with a focus on the relationship between social capital and informal heritage management in traditional communities. It also explores the key features that generally make the informal heritage management system more effective than the formal approach. Finally, it recommends an appropriate conservation approach to save the cultural heritage of Old Dhaka where there is a balance between intervention by authorities and continuity of local community involvement.
Editorial
Authors: Lee Anfan , Huang Chunying
Published: January 2021

It is our pleasure to present this regular issue of Open House International. In this issue (Vol.43, No.1, 2018), we selected 25 papers which have gone through several rounds of review and revision, and represent a cross-section of research in building management, construction management, house economics & management, urban planning areas that touch upon both building and housing issues. Open House International is only this outsourced issue supplier as the publisher. This editorial remark also indemnifies the Open House International from any responsibility for the content and presentation of this issue.
Survey and Optimization Design of Urban Public Space in China
Authors: Xiaohui LU , Quan HE , Qi LI
Published: January 2021

Significant differences exist in terms of use and demand of urban public space in different districts and communities. In this study, PSPL survey was made in about one year to investigate the type and occurring time of outdoor activities and the visitors' demand difference of Round-City-Park in Xi'an, China. The survey method for collecting data included spatial classification, photographic recording, field observation, questionnaires and interviews. Then a new method of Virtual Typical Day (VTD) was put forward to analyze usage pattern of public space in the daily life. According to our results, laying out more public spaces close to residential area can make a more vigorous city. And the results also reveal that there exist some problems of uneven usage periods in different spaces, various space requirement from different age groups, insufficient support of space and facilities and so on. Based on the survey, an optimizing strategy of adaptive design is proposed such as setting mobile “stage” and providing flexible “props” according to the changing demands. The proposed design approach can encourage people to participate in outdoor activities, improve usage frequency of public spaces, and stimulate vitality of the city. This may also apply to other Chinese cities.
An Analysis of Architectural Planning and Design for Protective Development of Rural Folk Custom Ecotourism
Authors: Zhao Dandan
Published: January 2021

At present, the rural folk ecotourism has been paid attention to by the public, so it is inevitable to analyze the architectural planning and design of folk ecotourism. Based on this, in this article, an analysis of the architectural planning and design for the protective development of rural folk custom ecotourism was proposed. First of all, the development background of folk custom ecotourism was briefly analyzed; then, the research status of ecotourism was expounded; next, the planning and design of rural folk tourism were put forward, and the essentials of architectural planning and design were analyzed; with specific rural folk custom ecotourism projects as examples, the planning and design were carried out; in addition, caves, temples, roads and other buildings were analyzed emphatically. These measures can provide references for the architectural planning of folk custom tourism.
Planning, Layout and Integration Development of a Modern Urban Sports City for National Fitness
Authors: Feng Yang , Zhihe Mao , Na Wei
Published: January 2021

The concept of national fitness has promoted the construction and development of public sports. And how to effectively implement the layout of urban public sports planning has become a hot topic. Based on this, in the study, the layout and integration of the public sports cities in modern cities for the national fitness were mainly discussed. First of all, the research background of the planning and layout of public sports in modern cities under the concept of national fitness was expounded, and the development of urban public sports theory was briefly outlined. Then, the planning and layout of public fitness in modern cities were analyzed. Finally, through the planning and construction projects of public sports in modern cities, the design of public fitness corridor, community road and Sports Park was carried out. It is proved that the scientific and rational planning of sports cities can promote the development of the city.
Energy Saving Designs: Planning and Building
Authors: Su Shiwei , Wang Dandan
Published: January 2021

The development of modern building planning has become inseparable from the concept of green energy saving, which has gradually become an important method for energy-saving design of building planning and has become the research direction of planners. Based on this, the status quo of research on green building at home and abroad was investigated and the principle of energy saving for green building planning was put forward; then the building shape coefficient, eco-strategy design of green building energy, building energy-saving layout and other aspects were analyzed in detail; finally, the Amsterdam large CBD complex Valley green building was analyzed. The results show that the building has fully considered the energy-saving design in the process of planning and design, which not only ensures the commercial demand, but also reflects the residential use and finally achieves the goal of green energy saving.
Interrogating the Characteristics of Residential Neighbourhoods in the City of Tripoli / Libya
Authors: Remali Adel M. , Abudib Huyam
Published: January 2021

Residential neighbourhoods are vital parts of cities, accommodating various activity patterns that reflect the daily life for residents. Each residential neighbourhood is characterised by housing typology and urban pattern, which has been formed and transformed overtime. The city centre of Tripoli has experienced continuous growth and witnessed intensive development programs that transformed residential neighbourhoods and housing typology. This study explores the characteristics of six different neighbourhoods within the city of Tripoli and establishes a profile for each, focusing on the way in which key principles and values are perceived. Using defined indicators, the study measures the spatial typology, architecture pattern, accessibility, activity/use, and type of users. Assessing the characteristics of each neighbour-hood the paper examines functional, social and perceptual attributes through the use of a walking tour assessment, which is composed of checklists and a scoring system. Findings demonstrate the absence of landscape features, such as greenery elements and appropriate street furniture, as well as absence of adequate facilities or designated playing areas for children. The paper calls for assessing existing residential districts as a step towards generating neighbour-hoods that are meaningful and prosperous.
Flexible Architecture: The Cultural Impact of Responsive Building
Authors: Kronenburg Robert
Published: January 2021

This paper explores the genre of flexible architecture - buildings that are intended to respond to changing situations in their use, operation, or location. This is architecture that adapts rather than stagnates; responds to change rather than rejects it; is motive rather than static. It is a design form that is by its essence cross-disciplinary and multi-functional and consequently, is frequently innovative and expressive of contemporary design issues. By revealing its basis and the factors that are determining its development, the value and relevancy of flexible architecture to contemporary problems associated with technological, social and economic change can be revealed.

The characteristics of flexible architecture are explored by examining the design decisions that lead to culturally responsive buildings. It examines the underlying factors that generate a sense of place and why traditional and historic building patterns have been successful in creating genuinely adaptable architecture. It relates the characteristics of flexible architecture to Open Building principles and examines the effect that such design can have within the different levels in the built environment. The paper focuses special attention on contemporary architecture by examining the recent work of the Japanese architect Toyo Ito, in particular his recently completed Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Based on conversation with the designer and first-hand study of the building, the specific factors that make this new design a valuable resource in the search for flexible architecture strategies are explored.

This paper expands on the author's previous research into the foundation areas of this topic, in particular the genre of portable architecture, the impact of technology on the development of architectural form, and the development of experimental and innovative house design in the twentieth century. Its subject is expanded in his forthcoming book Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change to be published by Laurence King, London, in 2006.
Questions That Will Not Go Away: Some Remarks on Long-Term Trends in Architecture and their Impact on Architectural Education
Authors: Habraken N. John
Published: January 2021

I want to raise a more philosophical question. What fundamental images and ambitions have guided us in the past and may guide us in the future? I want to particularly call attention to the way we explain ourselves to ourselves and to those we work with. This question may not seem practical but, ultimately, our self-image determines the way we design: our buildings reflect how we see ourselves. To let you know right from the beginning what I am aiming at, my talk can be summarized as follows: we come from a tradition of monument builders, but today we are almost entirely immersed in design for everyday environments. Where we come from is very different from what we do now. The way we see ourselves is a product of the past and is becoming increasingly counter productive.
Reality and Diversity: Reform in the Architectural Design Studio
Authors: Beisi Jia
Published: January 2021

Habraken points out that the architectural studio failed to bring students to basic questions in the architecture of everyday environments. Till criticizes that in a studio, it is only the professional value represented by the teachers that prevails. To investigate the reasons of the allegation, this paper introduces a learning model defined by David A. Kolb, in which a learning process consists of two dimensional movements: i.e., prehension (concrete experiences vs. abstract conceptualization) and transformation (reflection and experiment). The paper then inquires into Schön's observation in the studio learning mode characterized as reflection-in-action. It is found that this studio is mainly dealing with the transformation dimension, and prehension dimension is either suppressed or represented by the teacher's experiences and conceptions. The paper discovers that the cause of problems raised by Habraken and Till is the inherent lack of substance in the prehension dimension.

The paper assesses a studio programme in which the basic questions of built environment were systematically introduced. It analyzes the students' reactions and performance in line with students' learning styles found using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI). It suggests that the students' learning activities are more diversified than what Schön could perceive. There is a possibility to adapt students' personal experience and abstract conceptualization which may play into the studio. By enhancing diversity of learning styles rather than letting one's learning style (reflection-in-action) prevail, the studio may become a platform in which students may learn from each other.
Book Reviews
Authors: Hürol Yonca , Julia Koschinsky Fernando , Graham Stephen , Datta Ayona
Published: January 2021

TIME-BASED ARCHITECTURE

METHODOLOGIES IN HOUSING RESEARCH

AT WAR WITH THE CITY

DESIGNING SOCIAL INNOVATION-PLANNING-BUILDING-EVALUATING
Visualization for Citizen Initiated Public Participation: A Case Study
Authors: Lindquist Mark
Published: January 2021

This paper examines the impact of a citizen initiated public participation process on preparers and presenters of digital visualizations for spatial design decision making. Visualization for public participation enables communication between professionals and laypeople to occur with far greater success than through conventional methods. Further, visualization utilizing real-time immersive technology allows for far more effective communication of the spatial impact of design proposals than conventional media offer, facilitating negotiation and interaction with space by providing the means to virtually walk around a digital model. In addition, the effectiveness of real-time immersive visualization in bridging the public-professional communication gap can empower the public, offering the opportunity to confront professionals and to force engagement in a process of public participation on the public's terms.

Through discussion of a case study from the University of Toronto's Centre for Landscape Research (CLR), this paper examines the impact on the visualization process when the public are able to invert the conventional model of public participation by initiating the dialogue with professionals. This paper argues that a citizen initiated public participation process increases the necessity for a sound methodology and code of ethics of visualization for public participation. When the public are able to utilize technology to invert the conventional public-professional role, issues of validity, reliability and ethics are placed at the forefront of the discussion greatly increasing the scrutiny placed on both the technology and those preparing and presenting the visualization.
Residents' Perception of Home Range in Cairo
Authors: Abdel-Hadi Aleya , El-Nachar Eman , Safieldin Heba
Published: January 2021

Recent studies in the realm of housing design avow for the concept of Liveable Cities; an aspect which in turn, places emphasis on the concept of home range. The home range is regarded as the challenge to create a ‘near environment’ that is humanistic and fair, community-oriented and environmentally conscious; a relatively new conception towards responsive and sustainable environments for residents' well-being. Considering that socio-cultural needs in tandem with architectural and urban characteristics correspond to residents perspectives of their home environment; hence, understanding residents' perceptions of their home range should provide designers with deeper insights for creating more responsive residential environments. This study aimed at identifying aspects that contribute to shaping the residents' perception of their home range. The field study included two housing features within the same social class in Egypt with a focus on Cairo: residents of the city's original districts and immigrants of the city to newly suburban gated communities. The methodology was an in-depth qualitative study, exploratory in nature, based on a theoretical content analysis of literature on home range, and a field survey that investigated the residents' perception of the concept. Tools for data gathering relied on photographic and observation methods; together with a structured interview on a random sample in each of the two defined residential environments. Discussions relate findings to planning concepts, and finally, results have generated a framework for decision makers and designers.
Green Design of Tall Buildings in Kuwait: Obstacles & Opportunities
Authors: Khattab Omar , Al-Mumin Adil
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of tall buildings development in Kuwait and to look at the issue of how sustainable and green design principles and strategies are disseminating in the society of tall buildings designers. Specifically the paper investigates how those designers are looking at this issue and what is the drive or incentive behind adopting some of the green design technologies and strategies in their projects. It also looks at the process of designing tall buildings and the obstacles and potential opportunities for making this process green and sustainable. The paper sets forth a hypothesis that green design parameters, such as LEED, may not be directly applicable to the Kuwaiti context. The assumption is a more appropriate system of LEED must be devised for Kuwait, similar to the UAE Green Building Council, for example. While this appropriate system is based on universal rules and guidelines for green design, it must take into consideration, and respect, local systems and conditions. These could be human, cultural, economical and technical. In this paper, the focus is on the designers of tall buildings, since they represent the experts on the matter. The paper uses both quantitative and qualitative data to prove or disprove this hypothesis. The data collection tool used is interview survey with a representative sample of tall buildings designers in Kuwait.
The (Im)-Possible Mosque; Spatial Mutation and Identity Needs in Northern Ireland
Authors: Fadli Fodil
Published: January 2021

Over more than thirty years of violent conflict, Northern Ireland had an intense sectarian violence due to the political-religious opposition between its Catholic and Protestant communities. The history of the Muslim community in Northern Ireland and the nature of the events in the region have had implications on the establishment of an Islamic environment. This paper aims to explore the problems encountered by the Muslim community in Northern Ireland in their attempt to build their first purpose built mosque. The paper is based on data collected during a study conducted between 2005 and 2007. However, a more recent literature review has been conducted. The study investigates the establishment of Islamic spaces, architecture and symbols. It explores the ways developed by the Muslim community in order to conceptualize and establish their first purpose-built mosque in Northern Ireland, but it also investigates how Muslim adapt and modify their domestic and communal spaces for their cultural, religious and identity needs and concerns. This paper offers an understanding of why the Muslim community needs to build its first formal-built-purpose mosque in Northern Ireland, and how the members of this community adapt to continuously changing liminal spaces.
The Impact of Digitalization on Social Interaction and Public Space
Authors: Drucker Susan J. , Gumpert Gary
Published: January 2021

The tradition of urban public space confronts the reality of a ubiquitous, mobile ‘me media’ filled environments. Paradoxically, the ability to connect globally has the tendency of disconnecting location. The examination of modern public spaces, diversity and spontaneity in those spaces requires recognition of the transformative power of changes in the media landscape. Compartmentalization or segregation of interaction based on choice shapes attitudes toward diversity. In the digital media environment the individual blocks, filters, monitors, scans, deletes and restricts while constructing a controlled media environment. Modern urban life is lived in the interstice between physical and mediated spaces (between physical local and virtual connection) the relationship to public space. Augmented with embedded and mobile media public spaces simultaneously offer those who enter a combination of connection and detachment. This paper utilizes a media ecology model.
A Proposal for the Future of Vernacular Architecture Studies
Authors: Davidson James
Published: January 2021

Given the broad scale and fundamental transformations occurring to both the natural environment and human condition in the present era, what does the future hold for vernacular architecture studies? In a world where Capital A (sometimes referred to as ‘polite’) architectural icons dominate our skylines and set the agenda for our educational institutions, is the study of vernacular architecture still relevant? What role could it possibly have in understanding and subsequently impacting on architectural education, theory and practice, and in turn, professional built environment design? Imagine for a minute, a world where there is no divide between the vernacular and the ‘polite’, where all built environments, past and present are open to formal research agendas whereby the inherent knowledge in their built histories inform the professional design paradigm of the day – in all built settings, be they formal or informal, Western or non-Western. In this paper, the author is concerned with keeping the flames of intellectual discontent burning in proposing a transformation and reversal of the fortunes of VAS within mainstream architectural history and theory.

In a world where a social networking website can ignite a revolution, one can already see the depth of global transformations on the doorstep. No longer is there any excuse to continue intellectualizing global futures solely within a Western (Euro-American) framework. In looking at the history of VAS, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate that the answers for its future pathways lie in an understanding of the intellectual history underpinning its origins. As such, the paper contends that the epistemological divide established in the 1920s by art historians, whereby the exclusion of so-called non-architect architectures from the mainstream canon of architectural history has resulted in an entire architectural corpus being ignored in formal educational institutions and architectural societies today. Due to this exclusion, the majority of mainstream architectural thinkers have resisted theorizing on the vernacular. In the post-colonial era of globalization the world has changed, and along with it, so have many of the original paradigms underpinning the epistemologies setting vernacular environments apart. In exploring this subject, the paper firstly positions this dichotomy within the spectrum of Euro-American architectural history and theory discourse; secondly, draws together the work of scholars who have at some point in the past called for the obsolescence of the term ‘vernacular’ and the erasure of categorical distinctions that impact on the formal study of what are perceived as non-architectural environments; and finally, sets out the form by which curricula for studies of world architecture could take.
Redefining Vernacular: The Lebanese Diaspora Eclecticism
Authors: Dadour Stephanie
Published: January 2021

Unlike postwar reconstruction of urban districts, the architectural projects developed during the Lebanese war are a relatively unexplored subject, moreover if one is dealing within housing in the rural realm. Little attention has been paid to its contemporary propositions, especially to the ones directed by the Lebanese Diaspora during the war. By living abroad and by maintaining a link to their origins, members of the Diaspora put together all their strength and wealth to keep in touch with their land. For a large part, the idea of dwelling refers to their identity: by investing and building houses in their native village, they aim at preserving a place in their community.

In this article, the Lebanese Diaspora will be regarded as an ethnoscape, figure of the globalization introduced by Arjun Appadurai, namely a social and political matrix structured by and for the production of a cultural model and identity. Our hypothesis postulates that each village constitutes a micro ethnoscape (with, of course, exceptions and alternatives) and uses a particular architectural language. However, it is not a question of homogenizing all constructions but rather to find a common vocabulary referring to identity and appropriation in the various villages of origin of the Diaspora.

The houses built on the native soil by emigrants' take part in the debates that oppose the local production to the global one. Thus, contrary to many researches that denounce globalization for the cultural standardization that it produces, this article intends to show the imaginative character of the members of the Diaspora, their resistance to the traditional models and the contemporary interbreeding which results from it. In this sense, the local and the global are intrinsically related one to the other.
Negotiating Green Retrofitting Standards in Danish Urban Renewal :- The Case of Copenhagen
Authors: Engberg Lars A.
Published: January 2021

The City of Copenhagen aims to become the first carbon neutral capital in the world by 2025. Ten per cent of the total CO2-reduction target is to be achieved through energy retrofitting of existing buildings in the city. This article reports from an action research study in the urban renewal section in Copenhagen City Council where planners struggle to promote more and better energy retrofitting projects in the urban renewal scheme. The study finds that planners in fact approach green retrofitting as a ‘wicked problem’ that requires new solution strategies targeting the complexity of developing new retrofitting standards and solutions in the existing urban renewal framework. The analysis shows how planners’ strategic responses are challenged by competing worldviews concerning the role of urban renewal and the problems and potentials of green retrofitting in practice.
Energy Policy Developments in the Dutch Non-Profit Housing Sector
Authors: Nieboer Nico , Straub Ad , Visscher Henk
Published: January 2021

In recent years, energy efficiency is a topic of growing importance not only on the political agenda of many Western countries, but also in the management of individual housing providers in these countries. Although there are many publications on how these organisations take up the topic of energy efficiency in their policies and activities, not so much has been written about the progress in policy in the national housing sectors as a whole. This paper presents the results of an investigation about the policy developments in the non-profit housing sector in the Netherlands, in which the present situation is compared with that of four years ago. Where did the Dutch non-profit housing providers stand in their policy development concerning energy efficiency, and where do they stand now? Have they become more ambitious or less ambitious? The paper also deals with the main stimuli and barriers that the non-profit housing providers have perceived. The findings show a progress in policy in the period under investigation, but this progress seems too small to attain national and international targets for 2020.
Energy Saving Policies for Housing Based on Wrong Assumptions?
Authors: Visscher Henk , Majcen Dasa , Itard Laure
Published: January 2021

The energy saving potential of the building stock is large and considered to be the most cost efficient to contribute to the CO2 reduction ambitions. Severe governmental policies steering on reducing the energy use seem essential to stimulate and enforce the improvement of the energy performance of buildings with a focus on reducing the heating and cooling energy demand. In Europe the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a driving force for member states to develop and strengthen energy performance regulations for new buildings and energy certificates for the building stock. The goals are to build net zero energy new buildings in 2020 and to reach a neutral energy situation in the whole stock by 2050. More and more research projects deliver insight that the expected impact of stricter regulations for newly built houses is limited and the actual effects of energy savings through housing renovations stay behind the expectations. Theoretical energy use calculated on base of the design standard for new houses and assessment standards for Energy Performance Certificates of existing dwellings differ largely from the measured actual energy use. The paper uses the findings of some Post Occupancy Evaluation research projects. Is the energy saving potential of the housing stock smaller than expected and should we therefore change the policies?
Editorial: Unspoken Issues in Architectural Education
Authors: Hoşkara Şebnem Önal , Dinçyürek Özgür , Vural S. Müjdem
Published: January 2021

The international conference on Architectural Education, was held at the Faculty of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in Famagusta, North Cyprus, on April 3-4, 2014. This conference has been organized in collaboration with the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), under the title of “Unspoken Issues in Architectural Education (UIAE)”.
Uncovering Creativity: Structuring Experience in Architectural Design Studio
Authors: Açikgöz Ece Kumkale
Published: January 2021

Structuring the outline for an architectural design studio experience has a significant role in students’ meaningful design experiences. Meaningful experience is related with students’ receptivity and idea generation for the ill-structured problems of architectural design. This identification influences the study, which investigates the application of a model for structuring the design studio experience, organized to occur in two phases; problem reception and problem solving. The model employs a combination of two different techniques with a special focus on reflexivity. It completes the extensions level required for the ICE Approach with the C-Sketch ideation technique by employing their adapted versions for architectural design studio practice. The common features of these techniques are their adaptability to any problem, explication centered and process oriented natures, focus on effective brainstorming and suitability on design teamwork studies. There is a remarkable potential to correlate the results of the two techniques.

The model was processed within a vertical design studio at Gazi University, Department of Architecture. It enabled getting use of diverse backgrounds within a design team by structuring the collective design process and optimizing the contribution rates of the team members. The method was employed to guide the design study of the experimental group of two teams with ten members in total. The control group was the randomly selected two teams from other teams that did not apply the model, with eleven members in total. The members of the two groups were applied a semi-structured questionnaire at the end of the semester, with a special focus on the internal consistency within the answers of the members of a single team. The results of the qualitative study indicated that the explication based structuring of the design studio experience has had a positive impact on achieving consistency and coherency in the design processes of the experimental groups.
Transparent Assessment Model in Architecture Design Studio: Eastern Mediterranean University as Case Study
Authors: Hassanpour Badiossadat , Ani Adi Irfan Che
Published: January 2021

Art and architecture are multidisciplinary fields with complicated assessments that, similar to the teaching and the learning process, are inconsistent with common assessment models. During submission, the presence of jurors, who have different approaches and standards for evaluating design projects, makes this issue more complicated. Numerous assessment and grading models are being used in architecture departments around the world. Some of these methods are based on the experiences of instructors from their lives as students, whereas some are based on university systems. Grading policies seem to be clear in most fields, but when the object of grading is an artistic product with different levels to be assessed and graded, the issue becomes more complex. This observation is especially true in the case in which quality is given a numerical grade.

The nature of skills that students are expected to develop and that are going to be assessed is often subjective. Such skills include invention, problem solving, and presentation. Problems of reliability, personal criterion, and unique perceptions lend difficulty in assessing such skills using traditional methods.

This research suggests that a criteria-based assessment and grading model is a more effective model in promoting student learning, making assessment and grading less complex and more explicit. The effectiveness and reliability of the proposed and implemented criteria-based grading system has been tested at Eastern Mediterranean University using distributed questionnaires and a Rasch measurement system.