Digital Commons Network^™

Patients’ Attitudes Towards Medical Students’ Participation In Procedures And Clinical Examinations In Lebanon, Rim Taleb, Racha Ftouni, Malak Abdel Khalek, Lama Uweis, Ali Yassine, Hussein Shoumar

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

Medical practice revolves around patients’ safety and ensuring their well-being. Patients’ cooperation with medical students in their examination and management is an indispensable aspect of clinical education. They have the right to accept or refuse the participation of students in their care. However, students need to be integrated in this learning process. This presents a conflict between patients’ healthcare rights and medical students’ learning opportunities. Therefore, this study aims to explore patients’ attitudes towards the participation of medical students in procedures and examinations in Lebanon and identify the factors that affect their participation. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using …

Bim-Gis Integration An Innovative Tool To Enhance Urban Heritage Management In The Digital Era, Ali H. Misilmani, Ibtihal Y. El-Bastawissi, Hany Ayad, Samer El Sayary

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Due to the great loss of the cities’ ancient monuments and urban heritage resulting from either natural disasters or irresponsible human actions, it has become very urgent to find an innovative tool for restoring and conserving historical buildings in a smart and sustainable way. Furthermore, this tool can help in decision making regarding the selection of appropriate materials and intervention works. Such objectives have been realized through innovative integration of BIM & GIS to enhance urban heritage management. BIM data has been imported into the GIS environment to be visualized in 3D and analyse different scenarios for buildings’ sustainable development. …

Embedding Virtual Reality In Architectural Pedagogy: Instructionism Versus Constructionism Approach, Marwa Charkas, Kareem S. Galal

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

As more related to the typology of architectural pedagogy, Instructionism and Constructionism theories are used to make more advancement in this domain. They are concerned with the role of both instructor and learner within the outline of a well structured pedagogical framework (education system). However, the developments in information technology and its imprints on all life aspects have profoundly influenced this system. Architecture pedagogy -as in many other domains- is now radically affected by information technology (IT) developments. Virtual reality is one of the leading applications of IT in architecture.

This paper is concerned with embedding virtual reality in architectural …

Determinants And Outcomes Of Urban Land Use Succession - Case Study Of Upper Hill, Nairobi, Elizabeth M.K. Nguah, Owiti A. K'Akumu, Mary Kimani

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

This paper is based on a PHD research carried out to explore Urban Land Use Succession (ULUS) that is driven by private actors financed by local or global capital, referred to as property-led urban redevelopment. ULUS is manifested in indicators like land values, height of buildings, and migration. Its motive is profit taking contrasting it from ULUS that is driven by public and public-private partnerships (PPPs). ULUS has helped reimage cities, but in some cases, it has resulted in negative consequences such as pressure on existing infrastructure and patchwork land use patterns. A case study of Upper Hill is used …

Augmenting Landmarks: Extending “Places” In The Hybrid City, Mohab N. Moustafa, Shaimaa S. Ashour, Ramy A. Bakir

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Several recent technological advancements are substantially altering how we interact with urban spaces. The existing physical space as we know it now encompasses a plethora of emerging realities into which we shift in and out, resulting in what is called Hybrid Spaces. Augmented Reality (AR) today gives way to forms of hybrid realities that are accessible through our handheld devices, and which allow us to engage with our physical reality in a new way. These devices allow us to access and view digital information that is saturating our urban spaces, and yet appear invisible to the naked eye. When this …

Gamification In Urban Planning - Experiencing The Future City, Suedanur Özden, Esra Arslantürk, Mehmet Senem, İmdat As

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Virtual Reality (VR) systems have been commonly used in the game and entertainment industries and are also increasingly explored in architecture and urban planning. They assist designers to communicate design ideas to a wider public and can engage them in the design processes. In this paper, we explore gaming environments to allow users to learn about smart city applications, such as innovative mobility approaches, urban farming, drone delivery, etc. The project is part of a real-world project for a future city for 50,000 inhabitants in the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. VR technologies can offer a testing ground for testing …

Mindful Space In Sentences - A Dataset Of Virtual Emotions For Natural Language Classification, Han Tu, Chunfeng Yang

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Spatial emotions have played a critical role in visual-spatial environmental assessment, which can be assessed using bio-sensors and language description. However, information on virtual spatial emotion assessment with objective emotion labels and natural language processing (NLP) is insufficient in literature. Thus, designers’ ability to assess spatial design quantitatively and cost effectively is limited before the design is finalized. This research measures the emotions expressed using electroencephalograms (EEGs) and descriptions in virtual reality (VR) spaces with different parameters. First, 26 subjects experienced 10 designed virtual spaces with a VR headset (Quest 2 device) corresponding to the different space parameters of shape, …

Simulating Human Senses To Improve Thermal Comfort, Ahmed Marey, Nihal Alsabbagh

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Between the synergies of environmental perception and technological advancement evolves the parallel world of the metaverse. Evolutionary virtuality intends to aid humanity in envisioning the threatened future of cities under environmental risks through tailored features. Traditionally, the sense of sight – which is the focus of virtual reality – has dominated the architectural practice. However, architects and urban designers have begun incorporating other senses into their work over the recent decade. The expanding understanding of the multimodal nature of the human mind that has evolved from cognitive neuroscience research has received little attention so far in the architecture field. This …

An Evaluation Of Augmented Reality-Based User Interfaces In The Design Process, Feyza Nur Koçer Özgün, Sema Alaçam

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The aim of this study is to evaluate the user interfaces that reflect different interaction layers in the context of Augmented Reality technology. Depending on the physical characteristics of human interaction with the computer, these layers were examined under four sections: Graphical User Interface (GUI), Tangible User Interface (TUI), Natural User Interface (NUI) and Spatial User Interface (SUI). In this context, a proposed Augmented Reality application interface has been developed to bridge the physical and digital environment. The use of AR-based applications in the design process provided a basis for evaluating the user interface in these interaction layers. In future …

Research Data Management And A System Design To Semi-Automatically Complete Integrated Data Management Plans [Position Paper], Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah, Frank Petzold

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Data is an integral part of modern scientific work. Good research data management (RDM) and the communication of the related information is extremely an important matter. It is not only crucial for the ongoing research and its claims but also for the future uses of data. In recent years some guiding principles, e.g. FAIR principles and initiatives at the national and international level, e.g. NFDI, NFDI4Ing have also been founded to improve RDM. The data and its metadata are often handled in file system like structures which are versioned and logged. The information relating to the data handling are documented …

Urban Design Analysis Of New York City’S Virtual Model - The Case Of Tom Clancy’S The Division, Nima Sharafi Rohani, Ikhwan Kim

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

People have started spending time with digital tools and virtual worlds to escape reality's horrors. However, designed spaces are more than the players' needs, especially those digital games that their stories involve urban environments. This inefficiency causes spending futile efforts both in time and cost for the digital games' productions; The urban environments in these digital games are replicas of real-world cities. Some companies use some techniques for downgrading replicas. Therefore, this study aims to uncover the used techniques for designing Tom Clancy's The Division (2016). By using reverse engineering methodology and qualitative comparative analysis, the in-game map compared with …

How Metaverse Evolves The Architectural Design, Sheida Shakeri, Muhammed Ali Ornek

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Architects have long relied on visualization tools to develop their concepts for specific design problems. From the early traditional drawings to the three-dimensional visualizations and virtual environments, all have enabled architects to demonstrate design outputs relatively early in the process. Real-world projects are similar to what architects imagined from the beginning. In other words, the design process has always started by creating the digital representation of a project and then attempting to replicate it in real life. Once the digital representation of design parts is complete, architects prepare their design for construction. However, the final visualization emerges from actual architectural …

Moisture-Harvesting Lizard Skins As An Inspiraton For Performative Building Envelopes In Arid Climates, Aly Ibrahim, Walid Omar, Sherif Ebrahim, Sherif Abdelmohsen

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Research on shape-shifting adaptive architectural skins has recently focused on bio-inspired programmable materials. Only a few studies however examine the microstructure of living organisms, especially in terms of morphological adaptation in harsh climatic conditions. This paper explores the microstructure of moisture-harvesting lizard skins, specifically the Trapelus species of the Agamidae family in North-East Africa, as an inspiration for programmable materials in adaptive building skins in the arid climate of Egypt. The paper investigates the ability to improve the durability and morphological capabilities of programmable materials based on surface formation, utilizing digital fabrication techniques. A series of physical experiments were conducted …

Construction Based On Man-Machine Collaboration - A Case Study Of A Bamboo Pavilion, Yuan Sun, Zhu Wang

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

With the development of advanced digital design approaches and mechanical facilities, architectural intelligence liberates conventional construction from conventional paradigms. Computational design and digital fabrication have achieved progress in space innovation, construction efficiency, and material effectiveness. However, those high-tech manufacturing techniques are not widely available in developing countries, where the locals used to carry construction experience from age to age in a nonacademic way. This study explored a collaborative workflow of complex structural design and machine-aided construction in Chinese rural areas. First, we designed a bamboo pavilion parametrically in an irregular site on a hill. Second, its primary structure was optimized …

Beyond Flat Surfaces Parametric Derivations Of Historical Islamic Geometric Designs, Mostafa Alani, Sema Alaçam

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

This paper sets out to identify a guiding methodology and define algorithms to extend the existence of Islamic geometric designs beyond flat surfaces. The paper discusses two computational approaches to deriving various non-flat geometric compositions: Euclidean Point Extrusion and Curved Surface Fitting. The paper examines historical precedents, conducts an in-depth analysis of patterns employed to generate those elements, then establishes a computational process to explore the potential of translating 2D Islamic Geometric Designs into 3D non-flat surfaces.

Conceptual Process Model For Metaverse Architecture - Ssadt’S Design Process, Meriam Djerad, Sonda Kammoun

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

At the articulation of the two themes: “Virtual Environments and Emerging Realities” and “Parametric Design and Digital Fabrication,” our proposal subscribes at the intersection of innovative technologies in architectural practice, such as blockchain, collaborative platforms and digital twins. Our purpose is to propose a conceptual design process model for architectural digital twin as a compound of metaverse architecture. The challenge is to achieve a Shared and Secure Architectural Digital Twin (SSADT). To model our SSADT’s design process model we are based on blockchain approach. To do this, we will firstly start by defining the principal compounds of an architectural digital …

Computational Design Approach For Applying Neuro-Architecture Principles In Healthcare Facilities, Ayman Assem, Merna Safwat

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Neuroscience tools’ advancements have paved the way for neuroscience and architecture collaboration, spawning "Neuro-architecture." Neuro-architecture studies in various settings have been tentatively translated into design principles to improve the mood, perception, and satisfaction of healthcare facility users, as well as patient wellbeing and recovery rates. Integrating such principles into computational design methodologies should benefit users’ mental health and reduce the gap between computational design and human mental needs. The research was conducted in two phases: in the first phase, typologies used in evidence-based design research (EBD) were applied in order to determine neuro-architecture design principles for the interior environment of …

Low-Cost Portable Wireless Electroencephalography To Detect Emotional Responses To Visual Cues - Validation And Potential Applications, Ahmed Marey, Sherif Goubran

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

This paper validates the using a low-cost EEG headset – Emotiv Insight 2.0 – for detecting emotional responses to visual stimuli. The researchers detected, based on brainwave activity, the viewer’s emotional states in reference to a series of visuals and mapped them on valance and arousal axes. Valence in this research is defined as the viewer’s positive or negative state, and arousal is defined as the intensity of the emotion or how calm or excited the viewer is. A set of thirty images – divided into two categories: Objects and Scenes – was collected from the Open Affective Standard Image …

Solar Energy Control Strategy Using Interactive Modules, Zahraa Falih, Mohammadjavad Mahdavinejad, Deyala Tarawneh, Hamza Al-Mamaniori

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The concept of interactive canopy emerged as a notable manifestation of smart buildings in architectural endeavors, using artificial intelligence applications in computational architecture, interactive canopies came as a potential response for living organisms to combat external environmental changes as well as reduce energy consumption in buildings. This research aims to explore architecture with higher efficiency through the impact of environmentally technological factors on the design form by introducing solar energy into the design process through the implementation of interactive curtains that interact with the sun in the form of an umbrella. The main objective of the umbrellas is to protect …

Qualitative Knowledge Graph For The Evaluation Of Metaverse(S) - Is The Metaverse Hype Or A Promising New Field For Architects?, Abeeha Awan, Šimon Prokop, Jiří Vele, Theodor Dounas, Davide Lombardi, Asterios Agkathidis, Lukas Kurilla

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

With the advancement of augmented and virtual reality technologies both in scale as well as accessibility, the Metaverse (Stephenson, 1992, Hughes, 2022) has emerged as a new digital space with potential for the application of architectural creativity and design.With blockchain integration, the concept of the Metaverse shows promise in creating a “decentralised” space for design and creativity with rewards for its participants. As a platform that incorporates these technological components, does the Metaverse have utility for architectural design? Is there something truly novel in what the Metaverse brings to architectural computing, and architectural design? The paper constructs a qualitative knowledge …

A Framework For Creating A Hybrid Experience For Nft Artworks Through 3d Printing, Gozde Damla Turhan, Selen Cicek

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Technology has become a fundamental part of our environment, yet the borders between the physical and virtual realms become even more blurred. The introduction of the Metaverse is one of the most recent and notable innovations. It, just as any other technological advances, adapts to evolution in user needs serving as a link between the real and digital realms. While people can buy goods and services with a certain currency in the physical realm, cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are used for transactions in the Metaverse. NFT provides customers a certificate of ownership, which means that their virtual commodities or …

A Crypto-Twin Framework For The Aec Industry - Enabling Digital Twins With Blockchain Technologies, Theodoros Dounas, Davide Lombardi, Jiri Vele, Simon Prokop

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The paper describes a conceptual framework and the smart contract architecture for Crypto-Twins (CT) in the AEC industry, i.e. blockchain (BC) enabled digital twins. We describe the background, terminology of technologies involved, while the methodology follows design science research patterns to construct the framework and architecture of the Crypto-Twin. Further avenues for prototype development and validation of the framework are proposed in the conclusion.

A Novel Design-Based Optimization Solution For Building By Sensitivity Analysis, Qodsiye Najafi, Yousef G. Mahlabani, Ali Goharian, Mohammadjavad Mahdanivejad

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The important objective of a building must be to provide a comfortable environment for people. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems provide a comfortable environment, but they are using high energy consumption, therefore, designing an energy-efficient building that balances energy performance and thermal comfort is necessary. To achieve this subject is important to choose the effective parameters for energy performance. This research aim is to produce a methodology for multi-objective optimization of daylight and thermal comfort in order to study the effect of wall material and shading of an office building (Tehran a basic-location). The building simulation was developed …

Exploring Virtual Reality As An Approach To Resurrect Destroyed Historical Buildings - An Approach To Revive The Destroyed “Egg Building” Through Vr, Aya Chehab, Bilal Nakhal

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

An important part of a city, that gives it a sense of community and character, is its history. One way of acknowledging this heritage is by preserving historic building and structures. Old buildings are witnesses to the aesthetic and cultural history of a city, helping to give people a sense of place and connection to the past. Unfortunately, despite their importance within the city, historical buildings are most of the time subject to demolition and to be replaced- leaving behind stories told and untold of what use to be. The paper, therefore, aims to explore the capability of the metaverse, …

Gamifying Origami - Rule-Based Improvisation For Design Exploration, Zeynep S. Bacinoğlu, Özlem Çavuş

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Origami, which originated as a folding paper game in Japan, has turned into a source of learning and inspiration for design and engineering studies. Complex two-dimensional patterns of origami sustain visual rules of space transformation. So, this paper proposes to gamify origami to get users more involved in the design space exploration process. For the gamification of origami, the study alters the origami patterns in a 3D modular composition with rules, scoring, and rounds in a design context. Gamifying origami becomes a tool for a learning experience for first-year architecture students in the early design phases. Accordingly, this paper presents …

Generative Design For A Sustainable Urban Morphology, Laila Koubaa Turki, Abdelkader Ben Saci

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The present work concerns the applications of generative design for sustainable urban fabric. This represents an iterative process that involves an algorithm for the generation of solar envelopes to satisfy solar and density constraints. We propose in this paper to explore a meta-universe of human-machine interaction. It aims to design urban forms that offer solar access. This being to minimize heating energy expenditure and provide solar well-being. We propose to study the impact of the solar strategy of building morphosis on energy exposure. It consists of determining the layout and shape of the constructions based on the shading cut-off time. …

Affordable Computation For Architecture, António Leitão, Renata Castelo-Branco, Inês Caetano

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Current architectural requirements prioritize the need to minimize the ecological footprint. By taking advantage of computational design approaches like Algorithmic Design (AD), architects can enhance their design processes with analysis, optimization, and visualization mechanisms, which are critical to explore design solutions that meet this need. However, these mechanisms are also highly time- and resource-consuming, often implying a quality tradeoff or the acquisition of High-Performance Computing (HPC) machines. The latter are not yet affordable for most design studios but, fortunately, they can be contracted as a service. This paper evaluates the impact of computation as a service in architecture and, more …

Digital Framework To Optimize Visual Comfort Using Kinetic Facades, Fatima Belok, Mostafa Khalifa, Ibtihal El-Bastawissi, Mohamad Hanafi

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Visual comfort is one of many aspects of human comfort that should be considered in architectural spaces. Visual comfort is an architectural necessity and could be achieved and optimized in spaces through controlling facades’ opening. This could be achieved by applying kinetic facades, which is one of the trends in the field of responsive architecture. However, the research’ s aim is optimizing visual comfort using kinetic facades in educational spaces. This optimization will improve the environmental quality of the educational space. In this research architects will achieve easily more effective kinetic facades to have better visual comfort by enhancing daylight …

Progeny: A Grasshopper Plug-In That Augments Cellular Automata Algorithms For 3d Form Explorations, İnanç Şencan

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Cellular automata (CA) is a well-known computation method introduced by John von Neumann and Stanislaw Ulam in the 1940s. Since then, it has been studied in various fields such as computer science, biology, physics, chemistry, and art. The Classic CA algorithm is a calculation of a grid of cells' binary states based on neighboring cells and a set of rules. With the variation of these parameters, the CA algorithm has evolved into alternative versions such as 3D CA, Multiple neighborhood CA, Multiple rules CA, and Stochastic CA (Url-1). As a rule-based generative algorithm, CA has been used as a bottom-up …

Computational Design For Architectural Space Planning Of Commercial Exhibitions - A Framework For Visitors Interaction Using Parametric Design And Agent-Based Modeling, Nihal Morsi, Shaimaa Kamel, Hanan Sabry, Ayman Assem

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Using computational tools for evaluating spatial layouts of commercial exhibitions provides an opportunity for assessment of performance before execution. However, most evaluation techniques take into consideration only the physical qualities of the built environment, excluding important factors such as crowds. Crowds are essentially dynamic obstacles that hinder visibility and can induce flight response, but they are also a sign of good exposure when in reasonable amounts. This is mostly due to the challenge of quantifying spatial qualities such as users’ interaction and movement for computational representations. This paper proposes a framework using agent-based modeling for simulating user interaction in commercial …