Sustainable Architecture

This paper deals with effect of plants an element of landscape on micro-climate inside aluminum powder producing industry. With the objective to bring micro-climate conditions within or near comfort zone and also create better health condition to benefit health of workers in industry. The experiments were conducted with increase in density of plants in shortlisted experimental area. Identification and adoption of plants with glossy foliage for aluminium powder industry of grade (PAG-4C) is crucial for optimum results. The outcome has shown encouraging results to facilitate architectural intervention towards creating conducive work environment within the industry.

Green roofs bring ecosystem benefits in urban context, including building energy performance, improved air quality, air pollution mitigation, Urban Heat Island (UHI) mitigation, improved runoff water management, increased roof lifetime span, agricultural productivity, improved physical and mental public health, increased aesthetic values of urban areas, noise pollution mitigation, improved photo-voltaic panels efficiency and improved urban wildlife habitat. This paper reviewed, analyzed and discussed the previous studies for these benefits. The results from these studies acknowledged the capability of green roofs as a key element in order to improve the quality of urban areas. Therefore, this article recommends the implementation of green roofs in urban areas as a key factor in urban sustainability and development. Future research into green roofs technology is recommended in order to evaluate the efficiency of green roofs compared to other approaches aiming to improve the sustainability of urban areas.

This paper highlights the role of new Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) in designing Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). The proposed EA has been used for two purposes. One is generalization of architecture. In this, the optimal adaptive architecture is achieved by using evolutionary crossover and mutation. The adaptive strategy merges or adds hidden neurons based on the learning ability of hidden neurons or the training progress of ANNs. The mathematical frame work is also discussed. The other is the Time Complexity of ANN to reach the global minima using two selection processes. The proposed EA has been tested on a number of benchmark problems in machine learning and ANNs, including breast cancer, diabetes, heart problems and for time complexity N-Bit Parity is used. The experimental results show that proposed EA can design compact ANN architectures with good generalization ability, compared to other algorithms with good time complexity.

The persistent roofing problems of the leaking roof, collapse and the ripping off roofing system and the plight of the affected majority in the past few years throughout the country has prompted an undertaking a roof design verification survey of the affected roofing system in the rural areas of the following state Osun State, Ondo State, Sokoto State, Rivers State and Yobe State. The aim of which was to find out the main causes of the roofing problems affecting rural housing stock and National economy as a whole. The studies revealed that environmental degradation, bad roof construction practice, poor roof design and supervision, lack of maintenance, poor social economic situation and ignorance are the main causes of roofing problems. The total homelessness effect from annual roof problems has been enormous and from environmental considerations logs of wood are wasted on the reinstatement of roofs. Bad roof construction practices were identified during the survey and their corresponding recommended procedures have also been indicated to help improve the situation.

The construction industry is a significant part of economic in each country and makes an important contribution to gross domestic product, employment and capital formation. There are various problems encountering the construction industry and these hardships run rather deeper in developing countries. Purpose/methodology: In an effort to investigate and develop the construction industry in developing countries in Asia, especially in Iran, this study aims to examine the understanding, profitability and public satisfaction about the construction project and focuses on nine areas of distinct project management knowledge in order to verify their level of implementation these factors into the construction context. The large number of professionals of construction industry of Iran was chosen for this research, the research was conducted through a structured questionnaire. The analysis method in this research is quantitative. SPSS version 19 was used to analysis the data. Findings: This study finds out that public satisfaction have direct effect on profitability of the constructions project and, also a majority of respondents believe that project managers have an effective role to develop construction industry. In addition, the level of implementation project management knowledge areas in current construction industry in Iran is less than average.

Concern about the outcome of human interaction with the environment has increased demand for environmentally friendly practices. Research on environmentally friendly practices indicates that green practices can be implemented at individual-firm-project levels. Changing the construction industry to a more environmentally friendly one requires a multi-faceted sequence at individual, project and organizational levels. Yet, there persists unclear understanding of the relevance of certain influencing factors at each of these stages. The aim of this paper is to advance a multi-perspective model of green construction practice. At the moment, there is a dearth of literature on the interrelationship of green practices at individual-firm-project levels. Thus, not much is known about the interplay of the three levels in influencing implementation of green practices in the industry. The present study, therefore, bridges the knowledge gap; and theorizes possible influences of interplay between the three dimensions of green practices. This is relevant to practitioners and scholars interested in green practices research.

The use of cisterns in Iran has been diminishing rapidly due to the widespread use of piped water and household refrigerators. Except for a few cases still in use, most of these cisterns so-called "Ab-Anbar" have either given way to new developments or have been re-modeled as tourist attractions. Ab anbar (?? ?????) means 'water storage' in Persian. An ab-anbar is a traditional type of reservoir that was commonly built in pre-modern Iran. As the modern life and technology dominated the region, water pipeline system replaced cisterns. Supplying potable water in hot arid regions has always been a challenge for the residents. In central and eastern deserts of Iran, where poor rainfall and seasonal rivers cause extreme conditions in supplying water, a creative traditional solution has been a unique kind of water reservoirs (cisterns) called “Ab-Anabr”. These structures typically consist of an underground cube or cylindrical reservoir with a massive covering dome and one or more wind towers for ventilation and a staircase for taking water. Ab-Anbars were often constructed by first digging a cylindrical or sometimes rectangular tank deep into the ground--sometimes as far as twenty meters. The walls of the tank were lined with bricks using a special type of mortar called sarooj that was considered to be completely impermeable to water. The tank was then covered with a dome that protected the water in the tank from evaporation and contamination from windborne dust and bird droppings. The windcatchers that projected from the dome allowed for dry desert air to flow into and out of the dome, performing the dual functions of cooling the water and preventing condensation from forming on the inside of the dome, which could potentially lead to mildew and other hygenic concerns. Purity of the water was further maintained by isolating the main tank entirely from human contact. Water could only be obtained from the cistern by descending a series of steps runnning adjacent to the tank. Taps near the top of the stairs provided warmer water, while the coolest water could be obtained by descending to the bottom of the stairs and extracting water from taps at the base. Ab-anbars were so important to life in desert regions that they often became integrated into structures built atop them, such as caravanserais or mosques.

Born in Tehran in 1937, Tanavoli benefited from Reza Shah Pahlavi’s quest for modernization/westernization. After Western-style art education had been introduced to Iran, Tanavoli graduated as the first student from the new sculpture programme at the Tehran School of Arts in 1956. Subsequently he went to Italy in order to study under the well-known sculptor Marino Marini (1901–1980). Marini’s awareness of the past traditions of his native country, and their incorporation into his contemporary work, led Tanavoli to explore his own cultural heritage and to search for a style suitable to express Persia’s past achievements in a modern way. Recurring themes in Tanavoli’s sculpture consistently contain references to the human figure, evident both in the upright sculptural forms and their titles. Tanavoli progressively replaces any descriptive figurative features with cultural symbols. This fusion of human and cultural emblems is an enduring characteristic of Tanavoli’s powerful sculptural statements. Each work imbues special meaning like Persian poetry, which is more concerned with subjective interpretation of reality than with its external manifestations. It is this quality that is embraced in a wide range of works and revealed in Lovers, Beloved, Prophet and Poets. His signature series 'Heech' has found its place in various prestigious museums and galleries worldwide. Red Heech (below) is in the British Museum, London. Tanavoli, at 74, is as productive as ever. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the artist’s collection and features a number of works never seen before. He has taken part in several international group exhibitions and is one of the most popular artists at auctions.

In this study, the role of migration and its impacts on sustainable development in urban and suburban areas have been investigated. In order to perform this, by reviewing the theoretical and empirical literature of migration and sustainable urban development and the role of migration on sustainable development of mother city and its relationship with the suburbs, in order to understand and recognize the migration and urban sustainability, by reviewing the quantitative and qualitative indicators, (economic, social, environmental) factors are discussed. The research is descriptive, analytical and inferential. Also qualitative and quantitative indicators have been examined.

This paper is built upon studies of defining an aesthetic philosophy and criteria of Timeless architecture, and using it to enhance building effect on users. After an argument was made for the justification of the concepts manifested for a timeless architectural aesthetic over the continuation of the current paradigm. As principles of a timeless aesthetic architecture are established: that timelessness represents a practical philosophy, that timelessness serves as the concept generator in the design process, and that timeless architecture is universally specific to the constraints of its concepts and style. three case studies are thereby examined in relation to these principles as well as more qualitative and quantitative evaluation factors, and criteria for built environment. The objective hereby is to analyze the selected buildings [to determine presence of timelessness quality. The results is evaluated according to the table of analysis developed in the Comprehensive Theoretical Foundation that resulted in the set of criteria for timeless buildings. Thus, the buildings are subjected in a comparative analysis to the checklist produced in the study to prove whether its timelessness complies with the study or not.