Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism(JIAU)

Abstract Extended Abstract Background and Objectives: Water shortage is one of the basic problems of today’s world and it has various consequences in the supply of suitable water for living organisms and related environmental crises. Due to the lack of proper use of water resources by humans and due to changes in weather conditions, if this amount of water consumption continues for a long time, it can lead to the destruction of entire habitats. Although educational spaces have a smaller share in the city per capita, but paying attention to the approach of sustainable architecture in schools has a special place. The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying the components affecting the water efficiency index in the sustainability assessment system (LEED), studying how and the mesasure of the impact of each component and achieving a model for the water efficiency index in a semi-arid climate. In the “water efficiency” index, Lead investigated the components of:1- reduction of drinking water consumption in the site, 2- use of innovative technologies in the wastewater sector, 3- reduction of water consumption inside the building and 4- water consumption reduction process, and for compliance with each The item assigns a point. In total, 11 points from 110 total points in Leed belong to the “water use productivity” index components. The purpose of the “reduction of potable water consumption in the site component” is to limit or eliminate the use of potable water or other natural surface or underground water sources available on the site or around the project site for irrigation of the site. The reduction of drinking water consumption in the site is investigated in 2 options: option 1: 50% reduction in Potable water consumption for irrigation (2 points). option 2: Non-use or very little use of potable water in irrigation (4 points). The objective of the component “use of innovative technologies in the wastewater sector” is to reduce the production of wastewater and reduce the use of potable water while increasing the local aquifer reserve. Although the title of this component shows that it is related to sewage, in fact, the issues raised in it are somewhat broader and it addresses two solutions: option 1: The drinking water used to be transferred to the sewage system should be reduced by at least 50% using saving equipment in drinking water or non-potable water. option 2: At least 50% of the (used) water is purified on site according to the standards and then used on the site or purified to infiltrate the underground aquifers again. The purpose of “reducing water consumption in buildings” is to increase water use efficiency inside buildings in order to reduce the burden on urban water supply and sewage systems. 30% reduction in the use of potable water in the building leads to obtaining 2 points. A reduction of up to 35% brings an additional point, and a 40% reduction in potable water consumption is the final point. And The purpose of “water consumption reduction process” is to maximize water use efficiency inside buildings to reduce the load on urban water supply and sewage systems.
Methods: The theoretical basis of this research is using library documents and the research method is conducted through case study. In the research carried out, 160 schools worldwide from the BSK climate (semi-arid climate) according to the climate classification of the coupon and from the countries of America, Mexico, Spain, Turkey and China and from the four levels of Leed certification (platinum, gold, silver and certified) were selected based on the 2009 version of Leed. Then their information was collected and the points received in their Leed checklist were entered into SPSS 22 software for analysis with factor analysis method. Due to the fact that the current research has several subjects, therefore, the COMPUTE VARIABLE command was used to define a new variable and categorize the data based on it. Then, with the entry of information related to new variables, in AMOS software, these variables were converted into a model so that with its help we can obtain the relationship of the variables in the “water use productivity” index with each other. Also, with the help of the relationships obtained from this model, the importance and weight of each component in the indicators was determined, and this information helps us to analyze the data and find the results in the continuation of the research process.
Findings: The findings show that the three variables of using innovative water and wastewater technologies, reducing the consumption of drinking water in schools and increasing the efficiency of irrigation in the school grounds are effective in the water efficiency index. Also, the variable of using innovative water and sewage technologies is the most effective variable to increase water efficiency, respectively, has 71 and 54% of the impact is on reducing drinking water and irrigation systems consumption in schools. The purpose of using innovative technologies in the wastewater sector is to “reduce wastewater production and reduce drinking water demand while increasing local aquifer storage.” To reduce the production of wastewater and reduce the transfer of drinking water used to the wastewater, there are various strategies that can be used to reduce the production of sewage and consumption of drinking water. The most important strategies used in the study and review of these 160 schools are: 1- sewage treatment 2- using filtration systems 3- using solutions to reduce runoff 4- storm water management and 5- using water saving equipment. In the meantime, the solution to using water saving equipment has the most impact.
Conclusion: According to research, replacing low-consumption flash tanks with normal flash tanks has led to a 15% reduction in water consumption, and the gray water can be reused with a simple treatment for landscape and vegetation irrigation, flash tanks, and uses that do not require drinking water and by using alternative water sources such as absorbing well water, treated sewage and rain water, water needs can be met. Therefore, the use of water saving devices (such as washrooms, ambulatory washroom) or non-potable water (such as collected rainwater, recycled gray water, and on-site treated wastewater) decreases transfer drinking water consumption to the building’s wastewater. According to the results obtained from the present research, in the next step, it is possible to localize the methods of increasing “water productivity” by examining the laws, guidelines, regulations and design criteria in Iran.

Abstract Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: Nowadays, one of the main concerns of architects and urban designers is environmental crises and high energy consumption in buildings, especially in metropolitan areas (specifically in Tehran city). According to other research conducted on all land uses, residential buildings have higher energy consumption than other building types, which indicates the importance of efficiency and management of energy consumption in residential buildings and shows the significance of providing solutions for this concern. Therefore, academic education in sustainable architecture strategies and principles requires a revision for implementation of these strategies by architects and designers. Since environmental crises are still a marginal field in academic architecture courses, the issue of sustainability has been included in the curriculum as a single course. Regarding the abovementioned issues, this study aims to investigate the position of university education in sustainable architecture in universities and higher education institutions, as well as the effectiveness of residential buildings designed in Tehran city based on sustainability principles.
Methods: This research is a kind of applied research. In terms of methodology, it combines descriptive-analytical research and survey research methods. In this research, the researcher describes the real and regular objective characteristics of the study. This research is comprised of two main parts: qualitative and quantitative parts. In the first part, the qualitative part, the theoretical foundations of the research are studied. In order to obtain the desired results in this research, the information is collected through bibliographic studies. Questionnaires were given to twenty students and professors of architecture. In the questionnaire, the position and role of sustainable architecture education in universities were investigated based on three main components (quality of indoor environment, innovation in design, and community). Smartpls2 software was used to determine the validity of the questionnaire, and the Friedman test in Spss software was used to prioritize the data. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was also used to determine the normality or abnormality of the data.
Findings: The priority of the variable components regarding the position of academic education in sustainable architecture was reported in order of importance using the Friedman test. Based on the findings, the order of importance for the component variables is “community”, “design innovation”, and the “indoor quality” components, respectively. Regarding the “community” component, the items of “increasing awareness for young architects and graduates to implement sustainable architectural solutions” and “providing incentive policies by officials and superiors (providing financial facilities)” were the most and least important items. Then, amongst the items of “design innovation” components, “using heating and cooling systems with the least energy consumption” was ranked as the most important item. Finally, regarding the “indoor quality” component, “thermal, visual, psychological, and health comfort” items received the highest scores.
Conclusion: Based on the research results, it can be acknowledged that academic education in the field of sustainable architecture has been effective to some extent for the students. The sustainable architecture course introduces the environmental crises and explains the need to use sustainable architecture solutions in buildings. Therefore, effective measures have been taken to use materials compatible with the climate and heating and cooling systems with low energy consumption in the building. However, residential building design and implementing active solutions to reduce energy consumption remain the primary concern. Relying on active solutions for reducing energy consumption in sustainable architecture, such as using revolving windows, photovoltaic panels, etc., must be accentuated. Finally, the quality of the interior environment in the design of residential buildings, which is one of the important criteria of sustainable architecture, was the least considered item in designing sustainable residential buildings. In order to improve the effectiveness of this criterion in residential building design, higher authorities can provide incentive policies and special financial facilities to architects and urban planners to improve the quality of the building environment based on sustainable architectural approaches. 

Abstract Extended abstract
Objective and context: Among the features that characterize contemporary architecture, sustainability has great significance. It is an approach in architecture that is in line with the modern concept of sustainable development. The latter concept refers to the development of a society in order to address its present needs while supporting the right and potentials of the next generation to address their own needs. Sustainable development includes economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The present article focuses on residential complexes and social sustainability. The literature review on sustainable development from an architectural point of view shows that there is no comprehensive model to help architects evaluate the social sustainability of a residential complex quantitatively. In fact, previous studies have mostly focused on defining sustainability criteria; however, no research has been done so far on the ranking and application of those criteria to evaluate architectural designs quantitatively. Therefore, the main objective of the present research is to develop a quantitative and comprehensive model to measure the sustainability of a given residential complex. The research answers two fundamental questions: What are the criteria for social sustainability in a residential complex? How can we compare residential complexes as far as social sustainability is concerned?
Methods: The present article is based on descriptive and analytical research, and the data was collected through field study and bibliographic research. First, the criteria for social sustainability were laid out through studying the research literature. Then, a practical model was developed. The model applies SWARA technic to weigh each criterion and TOPSIS technic to measure social sustainability. In other words, the following procedure is carried out step by step: bibliographic research to find out the criteria for social sustainability in residential complexes, processing and classifying the results and making a final list, designing a quantitative model to measure social sustainability in residential complexes, receiving specialists' views about ranking and weighting the criteria, devising a method to determine a level (score) for each criterion in a given residential complex, and finally, putting the model into practice and comparing the selected residential complexes. In the final step, a comparison of social sustainability proves that the model is practical. The cases have been selected based on similarity in size and full access to their information. Furthermore, academics and industrial experts with many years of scientific and executive experience in sustainable architecture and social sustainability were asked for their views about the subject to make use of their expertise in this research.
Findings: The judgment made by experts in architecture, as the central part of the findings, show that the most important criteria for social sustainability are the following ten items respectively: culture of the residents, social interaction and homogeneity, security, safety, open areas, appropriateness of population density, quality of interior design, the gate and exterior view, building space outside the apartment unit, equipment, and facilities. According to experts, 60 percent of weighted value is attached to "culture of the residents, interaction and social homogeneity and security" among the mentioned items. The culture of the residents includes a number of features like mutual respect among residents, compliance with apartment regulations, attention to private and public spaces, and cleanliness. Architects' ability to influence this item is very limited; however, they should apply design expertise to separate private spaces from public ones and ensure proper hygiene standards inside and around the complex. Features regarding "interaction and social homogeneity" include communication and social solidarity and relationship, participation in voluntary works and services of the complex, the possibility of resident's participation in the design and creation of spaces, conformity to resident's culture and expectations, duration of residence, etc. When accompanied by variability in space use, innovative and flexible architecture can help residents design multi-functional spaces. Furthermore, security and safety are among inseparable aspects of architecture, and designers must not disregard them for other aspects such as aesthetics and functionality.
Conclusion: The findings show that the proposed model is easily applicable to measure the level of social sustainability in a residential complex. Thus, the model is recommended for either comparing constructed residential complexes or weighing up available construction plans.