Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism(JIAU)

Abstract Extended Abstract Background and Objectives: Throughout history, humanity has maintained a close relationship with nature. However, the rapid urbanization in recent decades has severely limited human interaction with the natural world. In the past decades, nature has often been perceived solely as a foundation of resources and its systemic ecological processes that sustain our life have been largely overlooked. This disconnection has led to a growing sense of alienation from nature and a gradual decline in people’s appreciation for the natural environment. This phenomenon, known as the extinction experience syndrome, coined by Pyle, manifests as a general apathy towards environmental concerns. Consequently, there has been a loss of support and regard for nature. This research delves into the underlying causes of humanity’s passive and destructive orientation towards nature by providing a brief overview of the theories of extinction of experience and biophilia. Furthermore, it investigates the criteria of biophilic design as a means to bridge the gap between humans and nature. By examining various studies that draw inspiration from nature, this research explores the design criteria and practical patterns for urban furniture. The research objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of different indicators of urban furniture design, inspired by nature in biophilic design, that are efficient in reducing the disconnection between citizens and nature. The research draws upon previous studies to define the design patterns necessary for achieving this objective.
Methods: This research adopts a descriptive (causal-comparative) and qualitative methodology. The data was collected through a literature review of previous studies using the bibliographic research method to understand the components that influence the design. After studying and categorizing the design elements associated with nature-inspired approaches, the design indicators were extracted. To assess the effectiveness of these elements, a visual questionnaire was administered featuring six street benches: five benches that designed through nature-inspired elements and the other with a direct interaction with nature. A total of 220 questionnaires were distributed among residents of district six of Tehran.
Findings: The results demonstrate that the incorporation of elements inspired by nature, such as form, geometry, materials, texture, natural colors, mechanisms, and nature stimulation, in urban design evokes interconnectedness with nature and engenders a sense of being in nature among citizens. This, in turn, leads to indirect interaction with nature, thereby reducing the extinction of experience. The expansion of positive attitudes, behaviors, and emotional connections represents a valuable outcome of mitigating the loss of experiential connection. Notably, the mere presence of flower beds and plants adjacent to the urban bench, aimed at facilitating direct interaction with nature, did not fulfill citizens’ need for comfort and relaxation as effectively as the biomorphic bench. The integration with the surrounding context appears to stimulate deeper patterns in the citizen’s unconsciousness, creating a sense of active engagement with nature. These patterns establish alignment with the functions of nature and redefine nature as a positive element. It is evident that design, at this point, holds a more significant mission than merely creating visually appealing forms. By embracing nature as the main design mentor, human society can move towards sustainability and resilience. The research introduces five indicators as key elements of biophilic design for street furniture, aiming to facilitate indirect interaction with nature. These indicators can be categorized based on their level of effectiveness as follows: Nature evocation: This element, achieved through metaphorical designs inspired by natural elements, has the highest level of effectiveness. It satisfies the psychological and interactive needs of citizens by creating a sense of nature’s presence, even in situations where direct interaction with nature is limited due to the constraints of urban life. These metaphors connect individuals’ minds to natural patterns, evoking a connection with nature that may not exist in reality. Nature Textures: The use of nature textures in design serves as the second effective element. Incorporating textures such as plant textures, wood, wool, cotton, and stone plays a vital role in reminding individuals the nature’s value and stimulates their interest in the natural world. Natural Mechanisms: Employing natural mechanisms in design, known as biomimicry, represents the next effective element. By implementing nature’s mechanisms, designers can harness the wisdom of nature, not only leading to energy and material efficiency, but also connecting humans with instinctive patterns through the involvement of natural mechanisms. Natural Geometry and Form: The fourth effective element is the application of fractal geometry. Integrating fractal patterns and seamlessly blending them with the background can generate visual beauty that harmonizes with nature. The form, as the fifth indicator, complements the element of geometry. Designing shapes that emulate natural forms and structures aids in establishing a more profound connection to nature.
Conclusion: Urban lifestyles have resulted in a diminished opportunity for individuals to interact with nature and develop a positive orientation towards the natural environment. Given that a significant portion of urban areas is dedicated to structures and buildings, and daily life predominantly unfolds in built environments, incorporating biophilic design elements that encompass encounters with nature, association with nature, and natural experiences can compensate for the disconnection between humans and their ancient origins in nature. The application of these three aspects of biophilic design can be tailored to the nature of the product or space and, in the case of street benches, nature inspiration is particularly suitable. The five elements encompassing form, material, color and texture, geometry, mechanism, and nature evocation can recreate the sense of interacting with nature for users during their engagement with the product. This indirect interaction with nature, as defined by Kellert, represents a significant step towards reducing the disconnection between citizens and nature while enhancing their level of engagement with the nature.

Abstract Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: The industrial designer is always in transition between different roles in industry and art. From Charles Ames’s point of view, industrial design is a statement of goal. When the goal has been achieved, it can be judged as a work of art if the design is good enough. Gosili presented industrial design basics by presenting the criteria of shape and form, application, ergonomics, function, culture, aesthetics, visual communication, and innovation. A deep connection between architecture and industrial design has caused these two areas of design to have common styles. According to Sottsass, one of the most successful Italian architects and industrial designers, “Industrial design is micro-architecture.” It can be said that architects work in large volumes and industrial designers work in smaller dimensions. In the field of traditional Iranian architecture, professor Pirnia’s studies in the field of Iranian historic architecture and his proposed principles are very valuable. Five principles have resulted from his efforts in scrutinizing the traditional Iranian architecture, including Inwardness, Human Scale, Self Sufficiency, Avoiding Non-essentials, and Structural Rigidity, and Homogeneous Proportion. This research has four objectives: first, evaluating industrial design styles according to product design criteria; second, evaluating Iranian historical products in different eras; third, investigating the possibility of applying professor Pirnia’s principles with the basics of product design and eventually determining the position of Iranian historical products in prehistoric, historical and Islamic eras in comparison with industrial design styles.
Methods: In this study, the data was collected by interviewing ten industrial designers who were experts in styles and movements. After studying a brief definition of each style, the interviewees, educated in the field of industrial design, were asked to comment on the five products designed in this style, according to the product design criteria and in the form of 5- point Likert scale. A total of 43 industrial design styles and movements were evaluated. One or two products from each style or movement were furniture because most industrial design styles have produced products in this field. The obtained data were analyzed using Spss 23 software. In order to evaluate the historical products of Iran in different eras, which are three prehistoric, historical and Islamic, the five principles of professor Pirnia were used. Industrial design experts rated the historical products of these three eras based on the five principles of professor Pirnia and in the form of a 5-point Likert scale. Then the exploratory factor analysis of the data was performed. According to the exploratory factor analysis on evaluating industrial design styles with product design criteria and Iranian historical products with the principles of professor Pirnia, the expert’s opinions were categorized to man, art, and industry. In this regard, the Iranian products in three historical eras with industrial design styles were compared in three-dimensional space by installing a plugin called Kamakura analysis tools in Excel 2010 software and a Scatter chart. Then, the distance formula between two points in the space was used to determine the distance between each style with historical products.
Findings: Exploratory factor analysis on evaluating the styles and movements with product design criteria and the results of assessing three eras of historical products with the principles of professor Pirnia were valued 0.731 and 0.637 in the KMO test, respectively. This confirms a balance between the data and variables. Therefore, it is not necessary to delete variables to achieve a higher value. The value of the Bartlett test with an error level of less than 0.05 is also significant, which shows that the correlation matrix of factors with variables is not a single matrix. In this part of the study, three factors were made from a set of eight variables in the first part and six variables in the second part. Since the made factors follow the concepts of man, art, and industry, they were named with these titles according to the experts’ opinions in the interviews
Conclusion: By measuring the distance between each historical era of Iran with industrial design styles and movements in a three-dimensional diagram, it is possible to compare the traditional Iranian products with their respective cultural and geographical criteria with industrial design styles. The chart analysis shows that throughout history and with the genesis of different styles and movements of industrial design, the importance of art has decreased regarding the negative slope of its trendline. In contrast, the importance of man and industry is incremental regarding the positive slope of its trendline. Regarding the historical products of Iran, over time, human participation in the products has decreased, while the role of industry and art has become more important. This research enables researchers to evaluate each type of product based on these three criteria and estimate the product style in comparison with Iranian historical products or industrial design styles and movements. Determining the style of the artifact can reflect the designer’s view and purpose to some extent.

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