Prioritization of Private Space Factors based on Experts and Users Opinions in Universities' Learning Environments

Non-attention to users’ needs can insert physiological and mental harms to them, so environmental psychological knowledge can be used to help and promote quality of academic environments. According to the researches, there are main problems in academic spaces such as lack of private spaces and not having sense of belonging in students. Hence, this research tries to notice “personal space” conception which is one of mentioned meanings in environmental psychology and studies effective factors on “academic spaces”. Therefore, based on theories review and under experts’ ideas were extracted effective factors as: physical, mental, personal, and social factors in desirability of private spaces. The methodology of this paper consists of a quantitative and qualitative approach to hypothesis testing. For data collection written resources and half-structured interview by experts of this field were used, which was first analyzed by content analysis method and then classified. Then in order to clarifying importance of elements it was used the survey research. The survey method has been adopted to study the key objective of the research and to assess the level of correlation between variables. The sampling population of this study consisted mainly of experts and specialists groups. The sample size was determined through statistical methods. In order to assess the individual's point of view, In-depth interviews were done with experts and specialists in the field of study. Questionnaires have been distributed among targeted respondents. By using factor analysis, main factors were identified and prioritized. Comparison of the results from the experts and users questionnaire shows that about the important effective factors they have the same opinions but in priorities of physical and mental factors they have different ideas

Prioritization of Private Space Factors based on Experts and Users Opinions in Universities' Learning Environments

Non-attention to users’ needs can insert physiological and mental harms to them, so environmental psychological knowledge can be used to help and promote quality of academic environments. According to the researches, there are main problems in academic spaces such as lack of private spaces and not having sense of belonging in students. Hence, this research tries to notice “personal space” conception which is one of mentioned meanings in environmental psychology and studies effective factors on “academic spaces”. Therefore, based on theories review and under experts’ ideas were extracted effective factors as: physical, mental, personal, and social factors in desirability of private spaces. The methodology of this paper consists of a quantitative and qualitative approach to hypothesis testing. For data collection written resources and half-structured interview by experts of this field were used, which was first analyzed by content analysis method and then classified. Then in order to clarifying importance of elements it was used the survey research. The survey method has been adopted to study the key objective of the research and to assess the level of correlation between variables. The sampling population of this study consisted mainly of experts and specialists groups. The sample size was determined through statistical methods. In order to assess the individual's point of view, In-depth interviews were done with experts and specialists in the field of study. Questionnaires have been distributed among targeted respondents. By using factor analysis, main factors were identified and prioritized. Comparison of the results from the experts and users questionnaire shows that about the important effective factors they have the same opinions but in priorities of physical and mental factors they have different ideas

The impact of facade geometry on visual comfort and energy consumption in an office building in different climates

In recent years, there has been a heightened emphasis improving visual comfort and energy efficiency. Various solutions have been explored to achieve high-performance design. Shading devices play a crucial role in enhancing building performance by redusing solar gains, excessive daylight, and improving both energy efficiency and occupants' visual comfort. This research aims to investigate the effect of facade geometry on visual comfort and energy consumption in four different climates of Iran and categorize each variable based on effectiveness for each location. Parametric office modeling was done by using Grasshopper and Rhino software. Then, the effect of the facade on the interior lighting and energy consumption was analyzed by Radiance, Daysim, and EnergyPlus calculation engines. The Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) was selected to optimize solutions, minimize energy consumption, maximize useful daylight illuminance, and view quality. In addition, the methodology was used to explore the framework for optimizing office facade design in Iran's diverse climatic zones. The simulation results indicate that window-to-wall ratio and inclined wall were essential for balancing daylighting performance and energy consumption. This research stated that using a self-shading design could increase the quality of view up to 75% while reducing energy consumption and the risk of glare. Results proposed a design framework to improve visual comfort and save energy. The rotating façade's wall 10°-30° reduced cooling energy demand and energy usage intensity in selected models. So, an inclined wall could be an efficient shading device to improve building's performance in Iran