Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism(JIAU)

The concept of technology in architecture and explaining its components using Delphi method

Sonya Silvayeh; Abbas Ghaffari; Maziar Asefi

Volume 14, Issue 1 , August 2023, , Pages 277-294

https://doi.org/10.30475/isau.2023.262413.1595

Abstract

Extended AbstractBackground and Objectives: Given the increasing significance of technology in the progress and development of every society, along with the need to have a proper understanding ... Read More Extended AbstractBackground and Objectives: Given the increasing significance of technology in the progress and development of every society, along with the need to have a proper understanding of its meaning and concept to promote architecture, it is imperative to conduct a comprehensive study on technology in the architectural context. It is not an overstatement to claim that all scholars of architectural history have somehow addressed the importance and concept of technology in architecture and have considered its role in the emergence of architecture. Meanwhile, research shows that technology in popular culture refers to machines, but there are other definitions for scholars. Consequently, extensive research in recent years has explored this subject, with experts presenting various viewpoints. But sometimes issues such as inappropriate, incomplete and inaccurate conceptualizations cause problems in these studies. Consequently, when referring to “technology in architecture,”, one cannot precisely define technology and its related components, which in its turn poses a big problem. Technology involves different beliefs and approaches and the purpose of this article is to refine the conceptual space of technology and to provide a more precise conceptualization with the help of its components. The questions that emerge are: What precisely is the definition of technology, given the wide range of opinions and the absence of a unified perspective on this term? To achieve a comprehensive definition of technology and address the diverse and occasionally contradictory interpretations, what indicators and components can be mentioned for this category?Methods: To address these questions, we will closely review the etymology of this concept, trace its historical development, explore the growth of theoretical perspectives, scrutinize related definitions, and analyze its associated characteristics. For this purpose, using the bibliographic method and conceptual analysis and, the views and theories of the experts are first examined and analyzed. Then, the indicators were elaborated by focusing on the commonalities of the existing definitions. Thus, through the analysis of scholars’ perspectives, 10 indicators were assessed based on expert definitions and assigned scores. Among these indicators, six had the highest mean scores, implying the need to employ the Delphi method to assess the validity and reliability of these components. Consequently, these components are subjected to evaluation to ascertain their significance as perceived by Iranian scholars, with rankings derived from the perspectives of 23 experts who participated in this study. Findings: This test was conducted by interviewing the experts in two rounds. In the end, it was determined from the experts’ point of view which components were more important and which were less significant. Finally, one can achieve the highest level of success with these steps and arrive at a comprehensive definition of technology and its associated elements by considering the theoretical approaches put forth by experts. The findings indicate that among the components of “tools (hard tools and devices)”, “scientific knowledge”, “practical-experimental knowledge”, “process-system”, “techno-industry” and “manufacturing-production”, the components of “tools” as well as “techno-industry” scored the highest and the “practical-experimental knowledge” component scored the lowest.Conclusion: In general, it is evident from the scholars’ perspectives presented in the table that their opinions align with those of the Delphi method experts. This means that for both groups, the “tool” component has the highest score. According to a wide range of definitions in terms of different opinions (positive to negative attitude) on the nature of technology, it was observed that some approach it in terms of its use or function, while others focus on its underlying meanings and concepts. In the end, according to the components, technology can be defined as the application of science, experience and human skills to meet human needs. It is a set of tools, skills, knowledge, and information known as technology components. This implies that not only the absence of these components but also the absence of synchronization among them can impact the ineffectiveness of the technology.

Identifying and prioritizing the affecting factors on enhancing the mediating quality of architecture (Case study: Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Tabriz Islamic Art University)

Ali Pourahmad Ghalejough; Farzin Haghparast; Mohammad Taghi Pirbabaei

Volume 13, Issue 1 , May 2022, , Pages 69-84

https://doi.org/10.30475/isau.2021.247306.1509

Abstract

Extended Abstract Background and Objectives: Media has always been a platform for activities related to the human intellect. It has become an integral part of human life in various ... Read More Extended Abstract Background and Objectives: Media has always been a platform for activities related to the human intellect. It has become an integral part of human life in various forms and contexts by the supporting role of technology. On the other hand, many thinkers and theorists have introduced architecture as a physical media that can be perceived and analyzed at different theoretical levels. Despite these interpretations that recognize buildings with intrinsic mediating factors, a clear theoretical framework of such relationships and the interaction between architecture and media has not yet been identified. This study seeks to answer two main questions: what indicators affect the procedure in which architecture turns into a media? And, how can a model of the affecting factors and categories be identified to explain the connection between architecture and media clearly? Therefore, this study aims to identify and prioritize the effective factors for mediating the quality of architecture. Finally, it tries to present a model for recognizing architecture as media based on a case study, the historical building of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at Tabriz Islamic Art University, as an example of adaptive reuse in historic buildings.Methods: This research is fundamental-experimental in terms of purpose, and descriptive survey in terms of entity and method, using a case study. According to the related literature, 12 faculty members of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at Tabriz Islamic Art University constituted the Delphi panel of experts. All the panel members were among the recognized experts in specific fields of architecture. In the first round of Delphi, indicators and brainstorming were conceptualized through semi-structured interviews with panel members in person and virtually. After analyzing the content of the interviews, by combining the factors obtained from the literature and the achieved indicators from experts’ opinions, 34 indicators effective in improving the mediating quality of architecture were extracted in four categories. In the second round of Delphi, the validity and reliability of the research tools were approved by the faculty members and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Then, the experts scored the factors in close-ended questionnaires and 5-point Likert scale, and the data were analyzed using TOPSIS technique. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to assess the consensus among the experts, and the prioritized factors were also introduced along with the descriptive statistics components such as the average indices presented in tables and plots. Finally, by comparing the results of the TOPSIS technique with the results extracted from the descriptive statistics, the accuracy of the results and their validity were ensured.Findings: The ratings and findings obtained from the average index differed slightly from the results extracted from the TOPSIS technique. The reason can be stated in the higher accuracy of this technique in prioritizing and presenting rankings and closeness indeces of each factor in the research. The factors of “Indicator of the art of technology and crafting in time” with the closeness index of 0.610652, “Reflector of the culture of people in the society” with the closeness index of 0.579874, “Creator of new sensory perceptions” with the closeness index of 0.561471, “Being a benchmark in the city context” with the closeness index of 0.560705, and “Represents the evolution of history” with the closeness index of 0.558936 were among the highest priorities in the factors affecting the mediating quality in architecture. Also, the factors of “A communicator” with the closeness index of 0.436028, and “The presence of a power in creating the message” with the closeness index of 0.457395 were recognized as the minor priorities. By calculating the averages of closeness indeces in each category, the most effective categories in improving the mediating quality in architecture are “Factors relating to the application of media”, “Factors relating to the impacts of media”, “Factors relating to the message”, and “Factors relating to the intrinsic characteristics of media”, that were introduced with the mean averages of 0.544508, 0.503928, 0.495541 and 0.491413, respectively.Conclusion: The final model of architecture as a media and factors affecting the enhancement of mediating quality were presented as the research conclusion. Hence, if architecture is not considered a physical media and does not have a mediating role, it can no longer be called architecture and will no longer differentiate its nature from a structure. Architecture continuously transmits its character, ideas, thoughts, mindsets, approaches, history, time, and specifically its message to the future and performs as a meta-media concept. Also, the body and audience of architecture change its media nature, and its mediating quality causes various spatial reproductions in the minds of the people and a wide range of users.

Developing a model for spatial indicators of experimental learning and its application in designing learning environments

Nasrin Karimi; Morteza Khosronia; Sahel Dezhpasand

Volume 12, Issue 1 , June 2021, , Pages 111-125

https://doi.org/10.30475/isau.2021.219630.1359

Abstract

Extended Abstract Background and Objectives: The experience of designing educational spaces, or more generally, learning environments, has always been challenging for architects; since ... Read More Extended Abstract Background and Objectives: The experience of designing educational spaces, or more generally, learning environments, has always been challenging for architects; since this type of design has had some different ways of thinking in the field of education and philosophy of education. Studies show that designing such spaces can promote or hinder learning. Accordingly, one of the most fun-damental issues of modern education is clarifying the role of education through the scientific cogni-tion of the individuals, which relies on children’s psychology. The study of the historical evolution of teaching and learning theories shows that psychologists have changed their view of observing the behavioral reactions from paying attention to environmental stimuli (similar to some animals) in the form of a behaviorist approach to paying attention and contemplating in mental learning processes in the form of the cognitive approach. They try to produce personal knowledge in the real envi-ronment and in the form of a constructivist approach. In this article, one of the latest and more popular learning theories among researchers is the theory of experiential learning that has been se-lected to provide optimal and appropriate design solutions. The theory of experiential learning is consistent with the new approach to learning, emphasizing the important and active role of the learner in teaching. It shows the specific importance of practical work and experience. In this new view, learning in its most effective form is achieved through objective experience. In Iran, too, most individuals and children spend a significant amount of their lives in educational places; how-ever, the lack of efficient educational environments that can create a good context for achieving the right educational goals is very evident. Searching for architectural design solutions and creating a suitable space for radical and successful educational theories is one of the significant issues in this field. Among the studies conducted in this regard, some studies have been conducted in the field of experiential learning and its impact on the learners. There are other studies that have investigated the quality of architectural educational environments with an emphasis on specific factors. Still, neither of them deals with the relationship between experiential learning and the qualitative compo-nents of architecture. This article aims to achieve a model of spatial indicators affecting experiential learning that could act as a conceptual framework in planning and designing learning spaces for the builders. The main question of the research is how the educational space provides the necessary opportunities for the most effective form of learning achieved through objective experience. Methods: In this article, the spatial indicators of experiential learning have been developed and re-fined, and an appropriate model is proposed using the “Delphi” method. This method is a struc-tured process for collecting and classifying the knowledge available to a group of experts conduct-ed through interviews and distribution of questionnaires among individuals and by the control of feedback on the answers and the comments received. Also, in this study, in order to determine the importance and weighting of the data obtained from the Delphi method, the (Shannon entropy) technique has been used, which is one of the multi-criteria decision-making methods, and its pur-pose is to weigh and prioritize criteria and indicators. This method, which is also used in content analysis, is the development of a mathematical formula to be used in data analysis and has more credibility and power to analyze and prioritize indicators in comparison to the traditional method of frequency and average. Findings: Based on the findings of Shannon algorithm, the indicators of “nature and places of ex-perience and touch of water, soil, plant” and “group learning spaces” and then the index of “school design pattern as a house” have the greatest impact on experiential learning. Accordingly, the cate-gory of indicator of “naturalism and self-discovery” has the greatest impact on experiential learn-ing, followed by the indicator of “identity”. The indicators of “diversity and flexibility”, “social-ism” and “collectivism” are next in this category, respectively, with a slight difference in terms of the average weight of the category. Finally, the model of the spatial indicators of experiential learn-ing with 23 indicators in 5 thematic categories is explained in Figure 3. In these indices, the order of the indicators in each category is significant and classified based on their importance. The priority of each category is also seen in the extent of its impact on experiential learning. Conclusion: Children’s environment can act as a deterrent or facilitator of their learning, develop-ment, and upbringing. Creating a suitable environment can pave the way for children’s effective learning and increase their desire to be in the environment. According to the research literature, ex-periential learning theory is one of the most successful and latest theories of learning among re-searchers and is effective in the academic achievement and creativity of learners. Data collection and analysis by Delphi research method showed that the index of “naturalism and self-exploration” has the greatest impact on the promotion of experiential learning in learning spaces, followed by the index of “identity”, “diversity and flexibility”, “socialism” and “collectivism”. These five catego-ries of indicators are presented in the proposed model as spatial indicators effective in promoting experiential learning in order of priority. In line with the practical components of this model in de-signing learning environments and in response to the research question on the quiddity and the way of space architecture for the realization of experiential learning, it can be noted that among the sin-gle indicators, two indicators had been the most effective. These indicators were “nature and the places of experiencing and touching water, soil, plants “, and “group learning spaces”. After that, the index of” school design pattern as a house “had the greatest impact on experiential learning. In addition, other architectural solutions, in order of the indicator weight, include spaces and opportu-nities for practical and experimental work, the flexibility of space and furniture, and the ability of children to create their own learning environments, the use of indigenous patterns and local and familiar forms, less crowded classrooms, proximity to important urban centers, and community-based learning.

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Keywords = Delphi Method

The concept of technology in architecture and explaining its components using Delphi method

Abstract

Identifying and prioritizing the affecting factors on enhancing the mediating quality of architecture (Case study: Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Tabriz Islamic Art University)

Abstract

Developing a model for spatial indicators of experimental learning and its application in designing learning environments

Abstract