Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

• Peiman Pilechiha ¹
• Masoume Kazemi ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Kowsar Institute of Higher Education,Qazvin,Iran.

² Ph.D. Candidate in Architecture, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, 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. 

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

- Explaining the relationship between the position of academic education in the field of sustainable architecture in universities and higher education institutions at all levels and the way to design residential buildings in Iran, specifically in Tehran city.
- Evaluation of residential buildings in Tehran from the perspective of using sustainable architectural models and sustainable development.
- Presenting a questionnaire among the expert statistical community in order to prioritize effective indicators, explaining the effectiveness and finally evaluating the position of sustainable education on the design of residential buildings.

Keywords

• Architectural Education
• Sustainable Architecture
• Residential Buildings
• Energy Efficiency