Advancing the debate on architecture, planning, and built environment research

With an acceptance rate that does not exceed 25% of the total papers and articles submitted to the journal, IJAR – International Journal of Architectural Research is moving forward to position itself among the leading journals in architecture and urban studies worldwide. As this is the case since the beginning of volume 5, issue 1, March 2011, one must note that the journal has been covered by several data and index bases since its inception including Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, EBSCO-Current Abstracts-Art and Architecture, INTUTE, Directory of Open Access Journals, Pro-Quest, Scopus-Elsevier and many university library databases across the globe. This is coupled with IJAR being an integral part of the archives and a featured collection of ArchNet and the Aga Khan Documentation Centre at MIT: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. In 2014, IJAR was included in Quartile 2 / Q2 list of Journals both in ‘Architecture’ and ‘Urban Studies.’ As of May 2015, IJAR is ranked 23 out of 83 journals in ‘Architecture’ and 59 out of 119 in ‘Urban Studies.’ Rankings are based on the SJR (SCImago Journal Ranking); an Elsevier- SCOPUS indicator that measures the scientific influence of the average article in a journal. SJR is a measure of scientific influence of scholarly journals that accounts for both the number of citations received by a journal and the importance or prestige of the journals where such citations come from. See here for more information (http://www.scimagojr.com/index.php) and (http://www.journalmetrics.com/sjr.php). While the journal is now on top of many of the distinguished journals in Elsevier- SCOPUS database, we will keep aspiring to sustain our position and move forward to Q1 group list and eventually in the top 10 journal list in the field. However, this requires sustained efforts and conscious endeavours that give attention to quality submissions through a rigorous review process. This edition of IJAR: volume 9, issue 2, July 2015 includes debates on a wide spectrum of issues, explorations and investigations in various settings. The issue encompasses sixteen papers addressing cities, settlements, and projects in Europe, South East Asia, and the Middle East. Papers involve international collaborations evidenced by joint contributions and come from scholars in universities, academic institutions, and practices in Belgium; Egypt; Greece; Italy; Jordan; Malaysia; Palestine; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Serbia; Spain; Turkey; and the United Kingdom. In this editorial I briefly outline the key issues presented in these papers, which include topics relevant to social housing, multigenerational dwelling, practice-based research, sustainable design and biomimetic models, learning environments and learning styles, realism and the post modern condition, development and planning, urban identity, contemporary landscapes, and cultural values and traditions

Obituary : Thomas A. Dutton – Not a departure but a legacy of dialogic learning in architecture

At the end of September 2017, through an electronic circular from the Association of Architectural Educators, I came to know a few months late that Professor Thomas A. Dutton has passed away in June 2017. Died at an age of 65 years, with his departure as an influential educator, architect, and community enabler, a great void and a vacuum in architectural education as an academic discipline is created. A Cincinnati Professor of Community Engagement at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, Tom left a legacy of body of writings, approaches to learning, fervent commitment, and, most important, countless professionals who, under his teachings, have acquired critical abilities to become agents of transformations of the communities they serve towards spatial justice and social impartiality. It is with great sadness that I write this Obituary for Tom Dutton. I reflect on my interaction with him in two occasions and present analytical contemplation on the design studio ideals he established

Plurality and diversity in architectural and urban research

Demonstrating the essence of the journal as a truly international platform that covers issues of interest and concern to the global academic and professional community, this issue of Archnet-IJAR, volume 11, issue # 2, July 2017 includes various topics that manifest plurality and diversity as inherent qualities of architectural and urban research published in the journal. Topics include architectural education and design studio teaching, urban and rural slums, heritage and historic environments in various contexts, participatory planning and the charrette process, assessment of public spaces and plazas, and human perception of the built environment. These topics are debated and analytically discussed within cities, settlements, and urban environments in Bahrain, Bangladesh, California-USA, Libya, Scotland, and Spain. The issue also includes three papers selected from the Fifth Architectural Jordanian International Conference – 1-3 November 2016, which uniquely speak to the context of Jordan and the wider Middle East. The edition ends with a book review that highlights emerging issues related to border landscapes and social ecologies

Urban traditions in the contemporary lived space of cities on the Arabian Peninsula

This article aims to answer the question “Whose tradition?” in relation to the contemporary architecture and urbanism of the Arabian Peninsula. It first contextualizes tradition in the region within the geocultural politics of the Arab World and identifies key factors that shaped its traditional settlements, including tribal governance, social systems, building materials, and construction techniques. The article then contends that the region’s urban traditions have been transformed from ones shaped by common people to ones shaped by the elite, in which the role of rulers is heavily emphasized. To explore this view, it analyzes two representative scenes in the contemporary urban lived space of the region, using examples from Dubai and Doha. These are articulated in terms of the emergence of elite enterprises, persistent patterns of social and ethnic segregation, and a continuing struggle to construct identity. Conclusions drawn from the discussion delineate key answers to the question “Whose tradition?” But a framework of examination is also introduced that emphasizes that lived space and the traditions that ensue from it cannot be seen in isolation from other types of space — such as conceived and perceived space. There needs to be a new cycle of knowledge production about cities in the region that integrates concern for all three (lived, conceived and perceived space) to better understand its traditions

On-site Technical Review Report-400 Housing Units, El Oued, Algeria

The public-housing project comprises 400 units in the city of El Oued, located in east-central Algeria, 350 kilometres from the Tunisian border. It is set in a mountainous desert area, characterized by scattered settlements and small villages, and serves a wide variety of middleclass families. The project as it was finally realized is the result of collaborative efforts between the architects and the local authority. With the clear aim of being responsive to the culture and environment of the region, the design and construction were developed over a period of more than ten years, based on social studies and surveys and a strong awareness of the regional identity. The technology adopted for the project is simply a reinforced concrete construction system. Through sensitivity to the climate and to the cultural traditions of the inhabitants, the reinterpretation of socio-spatial needs into built form for public housing has resulted in a residential environment that is both functional and efficient. The incorporation of traditional climate-control techniques into the construction system paves the way for developing aesthetic standards for public-housing schemes and results in a visually appealing residential environment

A process oriented design pedagogy : KFUPM sophomore studio

The design studio is the heart of architectural education where most schools of architecture devote 30% to 50% of their curriculum to design training and teaching. The design studio is the kiln where future architects are moulded and the main forum for creative exploration; interaction; and assimilation. However; theorists; academics; and researchers voiced the opinion that most design studio teaching continues to provide students with little understanding of the value of design as a technique; a process; or a set of purposive procedures. This paper argues for a process oriented design pedagogy by outlining an assessment of traditional teaching practices and by introducing a model that advocates the view that the process and the product are equally valuable components of studio teaching. Constituted in two major categories of process and teaching style; the model addresses students’ individual differences. The implementation of the model at KFUPM sophomore studio is reported together with examples of outcomes of students’ work

Evaluation research as a mechanism for critical inquiry and knowledge construction in architectural and urban education

This article responds to the misconceptions that continue to characterize the delivery of knowledge content in architectural courses. Based on reviewing the literature on pedagogy the paper explores the value and benefits of introducing evaluation research as a mechanism for critical inquiry and knowledge construction in theory courses in architecture and urbanism. A framework is developed and employed to demonstrate the way in which this type of learning can be incorporated. The development and implementation of a series of in-class and off campus exercises in two different contexts reveal that structured actions and experiences help students to be in control over their learning while invigorating their understanding of the body of knowledge delivered in a typical lecture format. It firmly believed that this would offer students multiple learning opportunities while fostering their capabilities to shift from passive listeners to active learners and from knowledge consumers to knowledge producers

Proposed Action Plan for the City of Quseir, Egypt

Quseir is a small city on the east African Red Sea coast, which in addition to being surrounded by rich coral reserves, boasts a valuable historical heritage that offers a significant potential as a tourist attraction. The aim of the action plan was to integrate and coordinate the life long sustainable utilization and historic preservation of the city. Historical buildings within the historic core were identified and surveyed to determine their physical condition. Infra structure and public services were also assessed. A questionnaire was designed for participatory feedback from local residents to assess their attitudes and wishes pertaining to the development of the city. Socio-economic study for the beautification of Al-Quseir was also conducted. A strategy for a comprehensive action plan has been developed in response to the constraints and requirements discovered through the assessment process

Editorial: New developments and new discourse on architecture and urbamism

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Coronavirus questions that will not go away : interrogating urban and socio-spatial implications of COVID-19 measures

The highly contagious coronavirus and the rapid spread of COVID-19 disease have generated a global public health crisis, which is being addressed at various local and global scales through social distancing measures and guidelines. This is coupled with debates about the nature of living and working patterns through intensive utilisation of information and telecommunication technologies, leading to the social and institutional acceptability of these patterns as the ‘new normal.’ The primary objective of this article is to instigate a discourse about the potential contribution of architecture and urban design and planning in generating knowledge that responds to pressing questions about future considerations of post pandemic architecture and urbanism. Methodologically, the discussion is based on a trans-disciplinary framework, which is utilised for conceptual analysis and is operationalized by identifying and discoursing design and planning implications. The article underscores relevant factors; originates insights for areas where future research will be critically needed, through key areas: a) Issues related to urban dynamics are delineated from the perspective of urban and human geography, urban design and planning, and transportation engineering; b) Questions that pertain to socio-spatial implications and urban space/ urban life dialectics stem from the field of environmental psychology; and c) Deliberations about new environments that accommodate new living/working styles supervene from ethnographical and anthropological perspectives. The article concludes with an outlook that captures key aspects of the needed synergy between architectural and urban education, research, and practice and public health in a post pandemic virtual and global world