Elham Behbood; Saeed Haghir; Maryam Ekhtiary
Volume 14, Issue 1 , August 2023, , Pages 151-169
Abstract
Extended AbstractBackground and Objectives: Evaluating the suitability of living conditions in urban residential complexes in metropolitan areas is of great importance. Space quality ...
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Extended AbstractBackground and Objectives: Evaluating the suitability of living conditions in urban residential complexes in metropolitan areas is of great importance. Space quality can be investigated by recognizing the quality of life from both mental and physical perspectives. A house serves not just as a place of shelter, but also as an environment where individuals can fulfill their other needs. Given that the housing sector is among the most important development sectors in society, residential building rules and regulations are of utmost importance in all nations. However, construction rules and regulations in most countries involve many limitations for the designers, which leads to problems in creating the necessary quality of and quality of life. Based on numerous studies on the interaction of environmental qualities or the constructed space with the human mind and behavior [Babri Deh-Majnuni, et al., 1400], what is especially important in the definition of space quality is its interaction with the surrounding environment. Space quality is essentially how the environment is manifested and how it is understood. As such, a quality environment cannot be selected and settled-inn by the users, before it is understood. As the variety in metropolitan construction, and the use of stylish elements in the architectural appearance can snatch the thoughts and minds of the general audience during the initial assessment, the evaluation of residential spaces by construction experts and specialists assists users in choosing an appropriate residential environment. Moreover, the evaluation of residential apartments and buildings is considered one of the most complex and fundamental operations in architecture, the quality of which can have numerous drastic effects on the residents and their relationships. Nonetheless, previous studies have neglected the examination of older, more abundant, and less regulated single-block residential apartments, which have had a detrimental impact on the quality of residents’ lives. In contrast to the prescription-based approach to regulation, the performance/productivity-based approach to structure quality control is purpose-oriented, leaving the designers more creative and innovative choices to fulfill the purpose of every structure. Such an assessment needs specialized knowledge regarding open cultural questions and human issues, in contrast to technical expertise. As an up-to-date field of knowledge, concerned with human-environment connection, environmental psychology seeks to achieve quantitative and measurable criteria to evaluate the quality of physical spaces in residential complexes and to achieve desirable productivity in all three scales of residential complexes (i.e., residential units, interstitial and shared spaces, residential complex connection to urban space), with an expert-oriented approach towards cognitive and demonstrable evaluation of physical indices of residential complexes, with an emphasis on environmental psychology concepts and components.Methods: In terms of objective, the present research is a practical study; while in terms of essence and implementation method, it is a descriptive/analytical one. To begin the analysis based on the main research hypothesis, first the Delphi technique as used to extract key qualitative concepts of environmental psychology. An evaluation method based on Pearson and regression correlation coefficients was selected. The data was collected through two methods, namely bibliographic documentation and field research. The statistical population for this research involved 30 experts (architects specializing in environmental psychology) who were selected by the snowball method. In the next stage, several 2nd accredited civil engineers, architects, and city-planers from Shiraz were selected, using the Cochrane sample formula. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used as the criterion to evaluate the reliability of our research questionnaire. Environmental psychology was used based on the simple Delphi technique and elite consensus. After the data was collected, mean, median, and mode were used to analyze the data by SPSS statistical software package. In order to address the research questions and evaluate the research hypothesis, appropriate questionnaires were developed and underwent reliability and validity testing before giving to respondents. The respondents were selected from the overall population using a random cluster sampling method. After data collection and data summary, variable analysis via the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (KS) was performed to check the normal distribution of data regarding physical space quality. Findings: Design knowledge is not visible, though it can be seen through conduct, as it manifests itself in design workshops via drawing, handwriting, modeling, etc. Professionals also embody their design knowledge through their work, which grows through experience, repetition, and skill acquisition. In a constructivist learning environment, knowledge develops during teacher-student interactions, allowing students to engage with their personal knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes. This approach emphasizes the learning process and the thought processes involved in design, rather than just the final product. In the design process, problems are performed in a process-oriented form. The effective components in constructivism and knowledge building in this style of learning are somewhat similar to the nature of the knowledge applied by designers in their own designs. The constructivist learning approach to knowledge building is very similar to the nature of knowledge, while design training can be very successful for learners based on this approach. Design knowledge is distinct from other bodies of knowledge and can be acquired by specific means. Most of the time, this body of knowledge is unconscious and challenging to articulate. A large part of this body of knowledge is tacit and indescribable. In reality, design is learned through conduct. Because design knowledge is by itself a different body of knowledge, the way knowledge is acquired is obtained by changing the conduct of work. The nature of design knowledge hinges on practical tasks and the individual’s unique capacities, evolving with experience, context, and the stages of its acquisition.Conclusion: Changes in the quality of physical spaces within residential units can be explained by emphasizing the key concepts of environmental psychology, such as stress, territory, personal space, congestion, and solitude. Based on key concepts of environmental psychology, the order of effectiveness for residential unit physical index variables, from the highest to the lowest, is as follows: 1. stress, 2. personal space, 3. solitude, 4. territory, 5. congestion. For intermediate and shared spaces, the order is as follows: 1. stress, 2. solitude, 3. personal space, 4. congestion, 5. territory. At the highest scale, concerning the link between residential complex space with urban space, the order is as follows: 1. congestion, 2. stress, 3. personal space, 4. territory, 5. solitude. The emphasis of environmental psychology on the personal space component on the scale of residential unit indices is higher than that of the other two scales, while the emphasis on the solitude component is on interstitial and shared space indices. The emphasis on the congestion component was confirmed to be on the link between residential and urban spaces, as established by prior studies. To improve the quality level in these three scales, indices that support and strengthen the emphasized component should receive attention.
