The Impact of Human Activities and Behavioural Patterns on the Shape, Organisation and Meaning of the Built Environment

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2022) | Viewed by 6612

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
FET-Architecture and the Built Environment, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK
Interests: building information modeling; cloud computing; heritage; renewable and sustainable energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah 26666, United Arab Emirates
Interests: construction management and IT

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Guest Editor
FET-Architecture and the Built Environment, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Interests: architecture; design; building information modelling; energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The built environment as seen today is the product of a long evolution and a concrete expression of a unique combination between sociocultural patterns, physical conditions and the economic systems of resources, as well as the elaboration of these resources. Some of these factors are determinants in giving shape and meaning to the built environment, while others are only modifiers. The identification of a “place” is generated from a complex interaction between the physical environment, social systems, behaviours and interactions, as well as economic systems. The examination of the built environment in terms of activities and behavioural patterns helps us to understand the shape and meaning of places. Cultures have different values, leading to unwritten rules, reflected in the selective enforcement of physical devices to reach the desired need. This has far-reaching consequences on the shape, structure and space organisation of the built environment.

Prof. Dr. Lamine Mahdjoubi
Prof. Dr. Vian Ahmed
Dr. Shadan Dwairi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • built environment
  • place
  • behavioural patterns
  • culture
  • sociocultural patterns
  • meaning
  • spatial organisation

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

35 pages, 12314 KiB  
Article
Towards Meaningful University Space: Perceptions of the Quality of Open Spaces for Students
by Saba Alnusairat, Yara Ayyad and Zahra Al-Shatnawi
Buildings 2021, 11(11), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11110556 - 18 Nov 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5728
Abstract
This study investigated students’ attitudes towards the use of outdoor open space in universities, identifying the most comfortable conditions and favourable factors, including urban layout, physical features, and outdoor thermal conditions, as well as the students’ needs and behaviour. A quasi-experiment was used [...] Read more.
This study investigated students’ attitudes towards the use of outdoor open space in universities, identifying the most comfortable conditions and favourable factors, including urban layout, physical features, and outdoor thermal conditions, as well as the students’ needs and behaviour. A quasi-experiment was used to assess the quality of the outdoor spaces. Three outdoor open spaces on the university’s campus were used for the case study. A spatial analysis employing space syntax was used to determine the integration, agent, and connection factors. For the microclimate conditions, simulations were conducted. The students’ actions were recorded, and a questionnaire concerning their preferences was disseminated. According to the respondents, the key advantages of campus open spaces are that they provide places in which to socialise and rest and to pass by. The data revealed a correlation between microclimate conditions and the use of outdoor spaces. However, the students use outdoor venues even in unfavourable microclimates. The visual factor and spatial configuration of the site have a significant impact on the use of open spaces; hence, visibility is an important feature in campus layouts. This study established a baseline of data to integrate social and contextual factors for the creation of meaningful spaces in universities. Full article
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