Keywords = تعاملات اجتماعی
Number of Articles: 8
Assessing the relationship between neighborhood types and social interaction patterns in villa complexes and mid-rise apartment; Case study: Sib apartment complex and Saheli villas, Noor city

Assessing the relationship between neighborhood types and social interaction patterns in villa complexes and mid-rise apartment; Case study: Sib apartment complex and Saheli villas, Noor city

Volume 14, Issue 1, August 2023, Pages 103-116

https://doi.org/10.30475/isau.2023.298884.1754

Seyed Mohsen Moosavi, Rouhollah Rahimi, Sogand Vosooghi

Abstract Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: After the industrial revolution, many changes have taken place in the housing system. Residential neighborhoods have become largely obsolete and have been replaced by residential complexes. What is considered in the creation of residential complexes in their design process; often there are big issues such as economic conditions, land value and etc. Thus, such foreign forces affect housing policies and ultimately the quality of human life. Since the house is one of the most important and main places of human presence, it has the most duty in provide the individual and social needs of humans. This study intends to investigate the differences of social interactions in two types of residential complexes, mid-rise apartment and villa complexes, based on Jan Gehl‘s theory. According to this theory, activities that can be performed among residents of residential complexes lead to the creation of social interactions among them. These activities can be categorized into three categories: necessary activities, optional activities, and social activities. Necessary activities which are some kind of activities that residents definitely do, such as entering and leaving the complex. Optional activities are activities that take place if suitable conditions and personal preferences exist, such as children playing or exercising in public spaces of residential complexes. Finally, social activities are activities that depend more than anything else on the presence of other residents in public spaces. Jan Gehl also emphasizes the design process should be: “First life, then spaces, then buildings - the other way around never works.” Therefore, this research discovers the level of social interactions resulting from these activities by examining the possibility of the occurrence of three categories of activities in two types of residential complexes.
Methods: Considering the research objective, the desired studies and investigations focus on identifying the factors and activities that lead to social interactions. In this regard, in the first step, through library studies and examining previous research, the activities that lead to the formation of social interaction among individuals were extracted. Then, to investigate the occurrence of these activities with residents of the two residential complexes of “Sib” and “Saheli”, interviews were conducted. To this end, interviews were conducted with 14 residents of the complex, 57% of whom were male and 43% were female. In the next step, the information obtained from the interviews was interpreted using content analysis. In addition to answering the interview questions, the interviewees also expressed their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with interacting with some neighbors. For analysis, the dialogues were carefully examined, and significant points were discovered. Then, the significant points were categorized, and their commonalities were discovered. 
Findings: The results indicate that the occurrence of social interactions resulting from necessary activities in middle-class apartments is significantly higher than in villa complexes. The reason for this is the greater dependence of residential units on each other. This dependence is due to common spaces and dealing with common affairs and financial issues. It is worth mentioning that the presence of a guard in villa complexes is one influential factor in increasing social interactions. Regarding optional activities, it can be stated that familiarity and acquaintance among individuals in middle-class apartments occur more frequently, which is due to more face-to-face encounters between residents. This is while villa complexes, with wider central spaces and fewer design constraints compared to apartments, can create a more suitable spatial capacity for social interactions. Social activities also occur to a lesser extent in both types of complexes. Finally, it can be said that the most fundamental difference in creating social interactions in the two types of residential complexes, middle-class apartments and villa complexes, is related to necessary activities. Considering these differences, it is possible to take steps towards optimal design and increasing desirable social interactions in residential complexes. 
Conclusion: The The results show that the main difference between the two types of residential complexes is due to the necessary activities and its incidence rate in mid-rise apartment is higher than villa complexes. However, villa complexes with a wider middle space and less limitations in its design can create a suitable environment to increase social interactions. The results of study can lead designers and planners to eliminate existing deficiencies and users to choose housing tailored to their social needs.

Social Interactions on Labor Sites During the Achaemenid Period and the Architecture of Modern Industrial Estates

Social Interactions on Labor Sites During the Achaemenid Period and the Architecture of Modern Industrial Estates

Volume 11, Issue 1, August 2020, Pages 231-248

https://doi.org/10.30475/isau.2020.222389.1369

Bahram Moghtader, Iraj Etesam, Mehrdad Matin

Abstract Extended Abstract
Providing opportunities for social interactions is one of the most critical features of space. When interacting with each other, people in a community build a stronger emotional connection with their social place and space. Not only does this interaction affect the social psyche of that community, but also leads to the economic growth and development of the communities in those spaces, such as workers-industrial sites and estates.
Since a variety of chemical, food, pharmaceutical, and other manufacturing industries have come together, industrial estates today encompass the essential activities of human beings. Residents and employees of these estates, both employers and employees, have gathered at various levels for economic reasons. Unfortunately, voluntary and social activities in these estates are negligible due to their architecture. The better the quality of physical spaces in industrial estates, the more social interactions are possible under group activities, such as talking, playing and exercising, watching, and so on. Thus, interactive spaces in industrial estates, such as teahouses, sports stations, mosques, etc., take on the characteristics of a place and, at the same time, have the characteristics of vitality and civic life as a result of mandatory and voluntary activities.
On the other hand, Fars (Pars), an old state in Iran, needed the boundaries of the labor settlement to establish a large city with ideal characteristics. The city was founded under the name of Persepolis at the heart of the Achaemenid Empire about 2500 years ago (518 to 494 BC) by the Achaemenid kings: Darius (c. 522-486 BC), and Xerxes I (c. 486-465 BC). Founding the city of Persepolis (in Greek) required a considerable number of workers and artisans, not only from Iran but also from other parts of the world, such as Egypt, Hittite, and Greece. These people settled in the sites and estates around Persepolis and engaged in their (mandatory) work duties apart from voluntary duties.
Therefore, this study aims to investigate and explain the social interactions in labor sites in the Achaemenid period and the architecture of modern industrial estates. Among the various architectural factors, such as physical, functional, and spiritual factors, the authors considered the space/body factor. This study uses a descriptive-analytical and historical method in a documentary manner based on desk research. To document the labor areas around Persepolis, several thousand treasury and fortification clay tablets were used, in addition to Greek and Babylonian sources.
Persepolis court documents were examined with regard to workers and specialists in the precincts of Persepolis, as well as exploring various texts related to social interactions. The results indicate that the quality of the physical environment in labor-industrial sites and estates depended on a variety of factors. One of these factors is associated with the physical structure of the environment, such as safety and security, diversity and adaptability of applications, climatic comfort, density and proper capacity, accessibility, attractiveness, and vitality. According to the documents provided, not only did the Achaemenid labor sites succeed in establishing social interactions between Iranian and non-Iranian workers with the facilities and ideas coincident with the opinions of their time, but they also created a lively and attractive environment, reflected in Persepolis court documents – Persepolis treasury and fortification tablets.
At Persepolis labor sites, there were peoples of different nationalities, professions, and specializations, who usually worked together as a family. In these estates, the topics of landscape, attractiveness, vitality, and climatic comfort were considered, and various agricultural and horticultural items were cultivated in appropriate places. According to archeological and historical documents, and most importantly, the tablets numbered 144 to 158 of fortification, the precincts of Persepolis were surrounded by various campuses (paradises). These campuses were used both as animal shelters, including wild animals in various gardens and orchards, which provided food for the workers and the royal family. In terms of accessibility, these estates had a number of stores and cooperatives to provide comfort and well-being for workers. In this way, they could provide the goods and food they needed, such as flour, sheep, and wine. Not only stores but even branches of well-known banks such as Egibi Bank had representatives in some of those places. In terms of readability and integrity, the Achaemenids used Iranian and global mythological and cultural symbols and elements in the designs of bricks, stones, and tile-work. By combining the appearances of beings with spiritual and heavenly meanings, they were able to create new forms that guided humankind to worlds larger and higher than the existence and environment of their daily lives and associated them with their celestial powers.
However, modern industrial estates are, unfortunately, not interactive spaces for workers because they ignore the above elements. Given the importance and role of humans in space, one of the essential tasks in the architectural design of industrial estates is, therefore, to pay attention to interactive spaces. Properly considered in the design, it will lead to economic growth and development in those industrial estates and, consequently, in the whole country.

Identification of Factors Affecting Sociopetality in the Educational Environment of Architecture and Analyzing the Interaction between Them via F. MCDM (Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision-Making Approach)

Identification of Factors Affecting Sociopetality in the Educational Environment of Architecture and Analyzing the Interaction between Them via F. MCDM (Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision-Making Approach)

Volume 10, Issue 2, February 2020, Pages 5-18

https://doi.org/10.30475/isau.2020.103673

Elham Jafari, Hamzeh Gholamalizadeh, Mahmood Modiri

Abstract It seems that many environments are built on the tastes, personal values and perceptions of designers, or under the influence of the teachings of an architectural style. Therefore, regardless of the quantitative aspects, it is required to pay attention and apply the perceptible meanings of the environment that can be pleasant or unpleasant from the user's point of view. Considering the relationship between man and the built environment as the basis for determining the environmental characteristics and especially, the physical characteristics in architectural studies in Iran is new. About the design of educational environments of architecture, social interactions between the students themselves and between them and the professor can help to exchange experiences and information and provide a favorable context for the education of architecture and architectural design. Sociopetality, as a qualitative feature of the educational environment can increase the possibility of social interactions between architecture students themselves and between them and the professors and promote the learning process of architecture. This study assumes that this goal can be achieved through the creation of sociopetal environments that enable social interaction. Therefore, environmental factors affecting sociopetality in the educational environment of architecture are investigated and the relationships between them are evaluated.
This research is an applied, descriptive-analytical study that is carried out using fuzzy mathematical modeling. After identifying the basic concepts of sociopetality, social interactions as well as the educational environment of architecture, the proposed model of factors influencing sociopetality was obtained through logical analysis and deductive reasoning. Then, the obtained factors were screened using Fuzzy Delphi method, and to evaluate their accuracy, a questionnaire was developed and some experts were asked to fill it. The main method used in this study is of Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods, which is one of the most important methods in evaluating cause-effect relationships (Lin, et al, 2018) (Tseng, Chiu, 2013), and because of the ambiguity and uncertainty of the problem, it was decided to solve it using fuzzy theory. Therefore, the relationships between factors and their effects were investigated using fuzzy dematel method. In this study, the population included all architecture professors (with a history of teaching and attending in the architectural environment) as experts aware of the research topic.
Finally, by summarizing all the comments and presenting the categorization including all the items, the main factors were divided into six general categories, which were confirmed using Delphi method, as follows:

Physical elements: They determine the physical structure and provide the facilities required for the use of space. They are one of the basic human needs for comfort and convenience in a place and increase the possibility of using the environment and social interactions. Therefore, it is necessary that light, sound and temperature in the educational environment of architecture do not disturb the user (student and professor) and dissuade him/her from attending in the environment.
Spatial-architectural elements: These are the elements of the physical environment, that enable the realization of a behavioral pattern by creating territories. Things like the dimensions, size and geometry of space, spatial relationships creating visual connection and spatial integration, the presence of natural elements as well as artificial elements, such as urban elements, stairs or water, can encourage people to stay and sit together and start an interaction.
Aesthetic meaning: This category indicates characteristics such as novelty, diversity, harmony and spatial proportions. The proportion between content (aesthetic) meanings and current activities in educational environment of architecture influences learning.
Sense of security: Security is seen as a social factor affecting sociopetality that provides the ground required for the presence of individuals. Providing adequate light and accessibility for specific groups are of factors helping to create the sense of security.
Semantic-perceptual elements: The meaning of the environment at different emotional, sensational, referential, evaluative, and prescriptive levels can affect the user of space. The physical environment also acts in relation to emotions and experiences, and aids the user's perception. Concepts such as invitingness, flexibility of the environment, etc. encourage students to be present in the learning environment, and enhance the students’ social interactions and learning process by enabling changes in environmental capabilities (such as furniture) according to their needs.
Functional-activity: By adapting current behavioral patterns to behavior settlements, presence and activity in the environment can be enhanced and common contexts for group behaviors in students can be created by creating a sense of belonging. Accountability activity and active employment (the possibility of various activities in place) as well as the presence of a space for interaction and conversation help the students' interactions and thus their learning.

Also, based on the interaction analysis and the relationship between the factors and sub-factors influencing sociopetality, the following notes can be mentioned:

“Functional-activity” factor with a net susceptibility value of 0.94 is the most affected factor on sociopetality in an educational environment of architecture. In other words, this factor is the main issue to be solved by the affecting factors. In fact, the realization of sociopetality in the educational environment of architecture depends on this factor.
"Physical elements" with an effectiveness value of 0.87 is the most effective factor on sociopetality in educational environment of architecture. In other words, it is the most important factor among those influencing sociopetality and should be prioritized when designing the environment. Also, "Spatial-architectural elements" with a difference of 0.09 is the 2nd most effective factor that affects perceptual-semantic, aesthetic, sense of security and functional-activity factors, and enables different activities to be realized. Thus, light and lighting, odor and temperature, dimensions and size, geometry, spatial relationships, and the presence of natural and architectural elements were the main sub-factors affecting the sociopetal environment and playing a role in the creation of such an environment.

The Role of Open Space Legibility on Creating Social Interactions in Residential Complexes (Case Study: Saeedieh Residential Complex, Hamedan)

The Role of Open Space Legibility on Creating Social Interactions in Residential Complexes (Case Study: Saeedieh Residential Complex, Hamedan)

Volume 9, Issue 2, March 2019, Pages 139-156

https://doi.org/10.30475/isau.2019.87938

Ghasem Motalebi, Esmaiil zarghami, pooria saadati vaghar

Abstract In the present study, the effect of legibility of open spaces in residential complexes on social interactions of residents is examined. In fact, the study seeks to answer this question: "What relationship are established between the physical dimensions of the legibility and social interactions in the open space of the residential complexes and how this happens, and also what components and to what extent are effective in this regard?" It is assumed that the legibility of spaces between buildings, as the physical quality of the human-made environment, has a significant relationship with social interactions in the residential space to turn into a capability for creating dynamic, vigorous, and vibrant residential complexes. Regarding this, descriptive-analytic research was selected to examine the role of legibility in social interactions using indices derived from theoretical foundations. The data collection system in the social domain is through questionnaire. The population was the residents (2700 people) of Saeedieh Residential Complex, Hamedan and 210 questionnaires were distributed amongst them. Of the distributed questionnaires, 81 questionnaires were used for statistical analysis after refining and deleting the defective questionnaires. Statistical analysis of these questionnaires was done in SPSS and using variance analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise linear regression. The hypothesis testing showed a significant relationship between the components of social interaction - types of mutual interaction, interaction with the site and the type of relationship in the residential complex. This significance is observed among the most of the components of spatial legibility as well. Concerning the research question of the impact of spatial legibility on social interactions, the results showed that the components 1) individuation of path, node, edge, sign and landmarks, 2) the definition of spatial units, 3) the opportunity of reviewing the spatial comprehensiveness, 4) barriers and visual disturbances, 5) architecture components emphasizing routing, have the greatest role in social interaction. On the other hand, geometry and accessibility components, clear composition of structure and configuration have little effect on the formation of social interactions of this residential complex. Moreover, the results showed that the three-dimensional components of architecture (e.g. the prominence of indices such as a statue and fountain and the prominence of the views such as that of the mountains) have a more significant role in formation of social interactions in the open space of the residential complex compared to bi-dimensional component of architecture (such as the geometry of the environment). However, spatial legibility in open space of Saeedieh Residential Complex has a relatively moderate effect on promoting interactions and social sustainability in this complex.