Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism(JIAU)

Abstract Extended Abstract Background and Objectives: According to the World Health Organization, health is a multi-dimensional issue that, in addition to the physical aspect, includes mental and psychological dimensions. The goal of designing therapeutic spaces, beyond providing medical services, should be to address the mental and psychological needs of users—an aspect that has not yet been fully considered. Recently, in addition to the general population, depression has become increasingly common among patients with physical illnesses such as COVID-19, heart disease, lung conditions, diabetes, and others. This research aims to identify and categorize the physical characteristics that are effective in reducing the level of depression in the design of therapeutic spaces, and to determine the dominant mental pattern among expert professors in the fields of architecture and psychology. Methods: This study adopts a descriptive-survey research method. The process of identifying factors that influence the reduction of depression involved three main phases: content analysis of existing literature and documents, a two-stage Delphi survey, and exploratory factor analysis of the Q type to recognize and classify the mental patterns of experts. In the first part of the Delphi survey, interviews were conducted with fifteen experts in the fields of architecture and psychology, and the opinions of expert professors who were available at the time of the study were used. In the second part, twenty people participated in two stages through a closed questionnaire to analyze the Q factor. Findings: To check the content validity of the questionnaire, the opinions of five architecture experts were used. The questionnaire was distributed among them, and based on their feedback, items were added or removed. Therefore, the content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the experts. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the experts’ questionnaire was 0.716, indicating good reliability. Bartlett’s KMO test, with a value of about 0.7 and a significance level less than 0.05, confirmed the adequacy of sampling for this analysis. To ensure accuracy in calculations and due to the non-uniformity of participants in each component, the average response to the questions of each component was used to calculate the total variance. According to the scree chart, perceived factors were identified among 20 participants. The data matrix was rotated, and the factor loading of each individual was determined. In the end, the most important factors affecting the reduction of patients’ depression were identified, categorized, and named by the experts. Conclusion: In the end, according to experts, six dominant mental patterns were extracted: logical sequence, nature-oriented space, diverse space, targeted sociable space, safe space, and visual comfort. These are used by architects in the design of therapeutic spaces and are reflected in the final outcome. A nature-oriented space should be able to incorporate various elements such as still and flowing water on the site, the presence of water at different levels, the sound system and the effect of water, diversity of vegetation, and the use of plants at different levels. These factors can reduce patients’ internal psychological stress and increase their vitality. A targeted social space plays an important role in fostering social interactions among patients. Considering elements such as creating a purposeful open collective space for patients’ physical activity and designing for environmental interactivity can lead to meaningful social connections among patients. Additionally, an appropriate recreational and sports area should be provided next to the treatment space to facilitate interaction between patients and medical staff and to prevent personal harm. Spatial diversity—through varied materials for surface finishes, diversity in exterior, intermediate, and interior spaces, as well as variety in texture, material, color, and lighting—creates dynamism, movement, and vitality. Using these elements in both interior and exterior space design helps reduce anxiety, internal pressure, and social stress, and enhances liveliness. Visual comfort in hospitals should ensure the visual and physical ease of patients. This includes components such as appropriate views and landscapes, ambient lighting, light control, shadowed areas, light play, and energy efficiency for temperature and ventilation control. Logical sequence within the structural system of enclosed spaces should support patient well-being and reduce external stress in treatment areas. It is essential to establish continuity and logical connections between entrance spaces, waiting areas, and inpatient and surgical departments. A safe space should enhance both the physical and psychological safety of patients in treatment environments, while reducing external and social pressures. The use of these patterns can shape the final processing elements in the design process and lead to the development of architectural products, which here are therapeutic spaces.

Abstract Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: The problem of stress is one of the most significant research subjects in this century. Schools play an essential role in shaping the quality of life and enhancing the mental well-being of teenagers. The school environment is a crucial aspect of adolescents’ quality of life, particularly in relation to their health. Research indicates that adolescents who share a positive bond with their school environment (even if their familial relationships are less favorable) tend to experience lower rates of behavioral and psychological disorders, including stress. Psychologists consider the architecture and physical layout of a school as dynamic elements that significantly impact the quality of educational experiences for students. Furthermore, the middle school years coincide with a period of growth-related challenges, characterized by heightened stress levels and increased susceptibility to psychological, social, and biological pressures, along with a reduced capacity to cope with these challenges. Therefore, investigating and identifying students’ stress in this course is of particular importance. The primary objective of the current research is to improve the quality of educational spaces (secondary schools corresponding to high school education in the previous educational system), by identifying physical and environmental variables effective in reducing students’ stress. Therefore, the main question of this research is what are the physical and environmental factors that reduce the students’ stress in educational spaces? The target group in this research is the female students aged between 15-17 years. 
Methods: A hybrid research method (qualitative-quantitative) was used due to the exploratory nature of the research topic. Three steps were followed in the research process. The first step is to the bibliographic review; the second step is to select the top concepts; and the third step is to use the Delphi method. The purpose of the first step is to collect the list of criteria and concepts related to stress, and lack of student adaptability to the environment, which can affect the educational spaces. Related internet searches that focused on qualitative research were utilized (descriptive-analytical and logical reasoning) to achieve this goal. It was important to select and categorize the criteria and concepts collected from the literature review in the second step. The content analysis method was used in this stage. The aim of this research is to categorize the physical concepts and criteria found in the literature based on their importance. However, as the investigation of the topic’s background revealed a lack of such categorization, the Delphi method was employed to gather expert opinions. To ensure an adequate level of precision, the Delphi process was conducted through three successive rounds. In the first round, an open-ended interview was conducted with experts. In the second round, open coding was done with the answers. In the third round, surveys and continuums were formed through axial coding of both ends of the spectrum of components, and a special title was considered for each continuum. After that, the results were converted into a questionnaire through the content objective table and completed in two stages.
Findings: Based on the experts’ questionnaire results, the Q factor was analyzed. This approach relies on categorizing individuals based on their interrelationships rather than focusing on variables. In fact, each factor includes a set of experts who have common thoughts on the subject. The data variance suggests that among the nineteen individuals surveyed, six distinct factors can be discerned. The combined cumulative percentage for these six factors stands at 76.8%, signifying that approximately 76% of the participants shared common perspectives, while the remaining 24% held individual viewpoints. This divergence in opinions could be attributed to personal awareness, inclinations, and individual preferences. It implies that there exists an external reality that managed to resonate with 76% of the experts’ minds, influencing the formation of shared ideas.
Conclusion: The research results indicate that students’ stress can increase or decrease under the influence of the environment. The qualities of the environment can influence whether an individual adapts to it or not. Experts consider the shaping of the classroom space, the existence of places for group sitting and rest, the existence of places for conversation, and the existence of places for doing group work in the social dimension category. The experts also consider security (type and materials of stairs, etc.), the flexibility of spatial layouts, solitude, territory, suitable perspective, depth, level of visibility, control over climate, level of light, having a view from inside the classroom to the corridor, openness, and the space around the building in the environmental security category. Furthermore, they consider adequate space, having a view from the classroom to the green space, the amount of vegetation in the educational space, the brightness of all spaces, the shape and form of the classroom, the health status of the school, the complexity and non-mystery of the space, the appropriate density of spatial patterns, the proper orientation, privacy, and color in the physical comfort category. The experts also classified sound pollution (noise), crowding, temperature (heat and cold), ventilation, humidity, unpleasant smells, and light in the environmental comfort category. They recognized clarity and comprehensibility of forms, elements, parts and components of the building, predictability of the environment, no sudden change in size, color and texture, type of floor coverings, and use of appropriate and suitable signs in the architectural category. Finally, the experts categorized the feeling of being comfortable, like being at home, having a sense of belonging to the space, crowding in the educational space, creating a sense of solitude and territory, and having a sense of place as the psychological dimension of the environment.

Abstract Extended Abstract
Introduction: Providing clean and fresh air for students in the classroom is of paramount importance, especially in hot seasons. Based on research findings and evidences, mechanical air conditioning systems are not only expensive, but also consume a lot of energy and produce noise. In sultry conditions of Mazandaran province, this issue is more accentuated since the schools are cooled by evaporative air coolers, while it is possible to use the natural ventilation in a better share of the year, and the schools are closed in warm seasons. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to offer a practical solution that can be architecturally applied to the classrooms to improve the indoor airflow by inducing outdoor ventilation (natural ventilation), and provide a desirable and controllable indoor airflow according to the ASHRAE standard. In most Iranian schools, evaporative air coolers are used in hot seasons to reduce the high costs of air conditioning systems. Observations suggest that evaporative air coolers are also used in hot and humid climate near the Caspian Sea, resulting discomfort, particularly with high levels of humidity. In such cases, the evaporative air coolers are turned off and the windows are opened. Mostly, the induced indoor airflow is not effective, or a high flow of air enters the classroom in these situations.
Problem statement: Achieving comfort at schools in sultry conditions in hot and humid weather of northern Iran is challenging, and thus it is necessary to establish an effective air conditioning system in the classrooms. Moreover, natural ventilation is the best solution in these conditions according to the climatic and economic reasons. Natural ventilation should consistently induce airflow in all parts of the classroom at a reasonable velocity. Hence, this research investigates the criteria for designing classrooms in the climate of Amol, considering the position and the general configuration of the openings in the classrooms, and the direction of the prevailing wind to induce a controlled level of natural ventilation in all parts of the classroom. The main purpose of this article is to address these issues.
Research methodology: According to the literature, the present study is interdisciplinary in nature, and uses a combination of methods. The position of the openings and the composition of classrooms were examined as the independent variables, while the status of the indoor airflow was considered as the dependent variable in this research. The airflow velocity and direction were measured by precise digital devices during the test periods. The statistical population selected in this study includes all schools of Amol while a random case study was selected for further experimental tests.
In the next step, a simulation method was used to analyze the data for evaluating the architectural interventions. Simulations were performed by computational fluid dynamics method: The Gambit pre-processor was used for geometric modeling and grid generation, and Fluent Software was used to analyze the grid. In this study, the  standard model was used to simulate airflow. Thus, this research uses a combination of methodologies including experimentation, simulations and case study.
Results: After examining different tests, an optimal situation was selected according to the following criteria:

Increased velocity of the indoor airflow in classrooms which (1) is not disturbing and, (2) provides a consistent airflow for all of the students at all spots of the classroom.
Eliminated vortices in indoor airflow
Modified airflow direction
Properly directed outdoor airflow into the indoor space and an induced desirable airflow

According to the interventions made in this study, it was determined that both windows must act as air inlets to establish effective airflow in the classroom. The inlet air pressure to both windows must be approximately the same, and the outlet air flow from both windows must be approximately equal as well. This happens when the building facade and the exterior windows have a stepped configuration, and consequently the outdoor airflow can enter both windows equally. If there is no proper outlet considered for the air entering the classroom, the indoor air flow will be very turbulent. Therefore, devising an appropriate outlet based on the inlet airflow rate can balance the indoor air flow. According to the simulations, an outlet for the indoor air flow should be made within the wall facing the wind. In other words, if the wind is blowing from the west to the east, the indoor air outlet must be projected on the west wall of the classroom. In this case, the exit door should also be devised in the southwest corner of the classroom.
Some air outlets can be created (in the western wall) that act as a fan, a suction pipe, or an air outlet opening in the wall facing the wind, so that the air exits through the pipes in the wall. The suction rate of the western wall can regulate the internal air flow. Moreover, if the wind velocity is too high in the outdoor, the suction devices are turned off or slowed-down, and if the wind velocity is low, the suction devices can discharge more air. In this case, the shape of the indoor air flow is optimized and adjusted.