Architecture and Urban Development (IJAUD)

Extensive studies on Iranian architecture have been conducted since the late Qajar period. However, many aspects remain unexplored. One of the main challenges in this field is the lack of a systematic approach to architectural analysis. Most previous research has been descriptive, focusing on the physical characteristics of buildings. Yet architecture goes beyond its physical elements; it consists of complex structures that require theoretical and conceptual analysis. As a tool for understanding architecture, the theory allows for a deeper examination of structures, meanings, and cultural transformations. Since the 1960s, linguistics has emerged as a significant architectural theory paradigm due to the renewed focus on meaning in architecture. Language and architecture are manifestations of culture—while language reflects culture, it also organizes other cultural domains. The structural similarities between language and architecture have led architects and theorists to adopt linguistic theories for "understanding architecture" and finding "design solutions." This article approaches architecture as a language and, inspired by how linguists study language through various approaches, proposes methodologies for the "understanding of architecture." It draws on Ferdinand de Saussure's classification, particularly the synchronic approach, which analyzes language at a specific moment. The scope of this research is centered on the applications of the synchronic approach in understanding Iranian architecture. Through a comparative study of linguistic and architectural methodologies, the article demonstrates how synchronic linguistic concepts and methods can be applied to analyze Iranian architecture's structures, meanings, and spatial systems, contributing to developing a theoretical model for its study.

Considering the effects of public urban spaces on social interaction and participation, this study aimed to provide guidelines for designing public urban spaces to enhance social interaction and trust in urban spaces. In this research, a quantitative-qualitative research method is applied. Furthermore, the Delphi method was utilized for data collection to construct a content table and questionnaires. Randomized cluster sampling was implemented. The data underwent evaluation using SPSS, employing R factor analysis to generate an analytical model in Amos. The research findings suggest that physical attributes of the space, encompassing sociability, spatial diversity, flexibility, physical comfort, social trust and interaction, pedestrian accessibility, ease of navigation, and psychological comfort, significantly influence alterations in social interaction and trust within public urban spaces. The results demonstrate that social, physical, design, and psychological environmental characteristics in urban spaces establish the requisite conditions for enhancing socialization and pedestrian access, thereby fostering trust and social participation

The insights of Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein can be useful in understanding the intricate dynamics of contemporary architecture and urban life and juxtaposing various facets of modernity and historical context. In his text, 20th-century modernism, which focuses on logic, modernity, technology, and spiritual matters, is intelligible. Wittgenstein was an analytic philosopher who believed in the correspondence between the real world, thought, and language. This study aims to analyze Wittgenstein's opinions and uses them to define a conceptual model that includes four components: Logic, avoidance of psychologism, viewing from the perspective of eternity, and modernity. The components are divided into ten subcomponents in architecture: Logic, usefulness, function, style, decorations, transcendence, positive feelings, tolerance, modernity, and technology. There was a focus on six cases, three historical buildings, and three contemporary ones in Semnan. Two questionnaires for citizens and experts have been prepared, and a field study has been implemented after the validity assessment. Then, the results of the questionnaires were entered into the data bank in IBM SPSS and were analyzed and compared. The findings show that three of the ten model variables, attention to excellence, creating a positive feeling, and a positive approach to technology, are ranked higher than the other variables, with an importance of nearly 80%. The acceptability of all three historical buildings is higher than the three contemporary buildings in both groups of citizens and experts, but the difference is much greater among experts.

The psychological bond between elderly residents and their living environment—termed place attachment—plays a critical role in aging-in-place strategies. This study investigates the impact of environmental design characteristics on place attachment and evaluates the predictive capabilities of machine learning in this context. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 490 elderly residents in Tehran using a 38-item Likert-scale questionnaire. The study applied three regression-based algorithms—Linear, Polynomial, and Ridge Regression—to model the relationship between 20 environmental design variables and place attachment scores. Results: "Positive Home Experiences" (r = 0.68), "Freedom from Confinement" (r = 0.64), and "Safety Features" (r = 0.53) emerged as the most influential predictors. Ridge Regression achieved the highest prediction accuracy, with an R² value of 0.6792. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the potential of machine learning to support human-centered design by enabling the early-stage evaluation of housing for the elderly. The proposed predictive framework can inform architecture curricula, computer-aided design (CAD) tools, and age-friendly housing policies.

The historical urban fabrics of Iran are increasingly threatened by contemporary construction practices that often neglect the principles of Iranian-Islamic architecture. As a result, the cultural and spatial identity of these areas is gradually diminishing. This research investigates the principle of "compatibility" as a design strategy for integrating advanced construction technologies into historic contexts through infill housing. Focusing on the historic core of Yazd, which UNESCO recognizes for its unique desert architecture and the continuity of its cultural traditions, the study employs an applied, descriptive methodology. Based on the 2021 census, 10,795 households reside in the area. Using proportional stratified random sampling and Morgan's table, 384 household heads across nine districts were selected for survey distribution. Data collected through questionnaires and interviews revealed multiple factors critical to compatible infill development, including transportation systems, street morphology, proportional harmony, visual coherence, building scale, spatial continuity, land use organization, construction speed, economic feasibility, aesthetic integration, and value preservation. Factor analysis grouped these into three principal dimensions: aesthetics (mean score of 3.49), cost (3.32), and speed (3.45). The findings emphasize the need for context-responsive design approaches that reconcile modern construction demands with the preservation of heritage values. By offering empirical insights and a structured framework for assessing compatibility in historic environments, this study contributes to the discourse on sustainable urban regeneration. It provides architects, planners, and policymakers with criteria to guide infill housing strategies that maintain architectural integrity while addressing contemporary urban needs.

This article explores the design principles for building houses with 3D printers. This study provides an overview of the architectural principles needed to design houses using this technology. The absence of these foundations can cause unsuitable designed forms for this technology. The analysis in this research includes a wide range of relevant articles, and we have found many approaches to the architectural design of 3D-printed houses. This review addresses many aspects of materials, printer types, construction sites, structures, and architecture. The results of this research will help architects understand the dos and don'ts of designing these kinds of housing and raise awareness in the design phase. Moreover, it will prevent errors during construction. In conclusion, constructing houses with 3D printers is the best for small one-story houses. Houses with hand-reinforced concrete and glass fibers in curved forms have a free plan designed by digital design. The point that must be added is that by combining structural systems with traditional roofs, we can add to the number of floors, allowing us to use more of this technology.

The use of urban streets as an element of urban life is jeopardized today, particularly In rising metropolises such as Tehran, due to the rapid rise in automobile ownership, population expansion, ineffective transit systems, poor quality urban architecture, and other challenges. On the other hand, there are various potential to efficiently drive urban growth toward sustainability in an era of digitalization, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. It implemented that the use of new urban technologies is looking for methods and incentives to encourage today's citizens to walk more. This research attempts to address the question “does smartification of urban spaces significant impact on walkability”? This paper examines the effect of smartification defined as the incorporation of digital technologies and IOT solutions on walkability in urban spaces. By analyzing design of pedestrian path with various smart initiatives, such as gamification, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and digital solutions, this study seeks to understand how these innovations contribute to creating more walkable environments. This study used a quantitative approach to test its assumptions, and SPSS software and a questionnaire were used to examine the data that was gathered. Additionally, Friedman's test and the single population mean test (t-test) were employed to evaluate the research assumptions. The study's findings indicate that smart buildings can enhance pedestrian circulation in the studied location (Farahzadi Blvd., Shahrak Gharb). The findings suggest that smartification can significantly enhance walkability by improving safety, Social interaction, and pleasurability in user experience. Additionally, from the perspective of users, smartification has the most influence on the comfort factor that promotes walking.

Gridshell structures are a type of bending-active structures. In the present study, bending-active grid structures are selected since it is simple to construct curved elements to create exciting and diverse architectural forms with minimum manufacturing energy consumption and minimum wastage of materials, they are strong shells against all kinds of forces and are less addressed in Iran. In this regard, the present study tries to determine the optimal geometric form of grid shells by comparing different geometries. Also, it investigates the geometry of anticlastic, synclastic, and free forms to help improve the structural performance of the bending-active grid shell. The hardness of these shells fully depends on their shape, therefore efficient forming helps to control their hardness and structural behavior. The structural performance of the grid shell is analyzed using Kangaroo Physics and Karamba plugins in Grasshopper software. In constructing bending-active gridshell structures, the shell geometry is drawn based on the changes in numerical variables such as geometric dimensions, opening length, etc., using the digital form-finding method in Kangaroo Physics and Karamba plugins in Grasshopper software and Galapagos optimization, and the final optimal form is designed. Next, the form is investigated against various stresses and loads including bending, shear, etc. The final model, selected by comparing different geometrical modules, shall have the lowest stress and the least displacement so that it can be significantly effective in designing and constructing the optimal forms of temporary bending-active gridshell structures.