Architecture, Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2024) – 5 articles

Indonesia is experiencing population growth, as well as urbanization, thus increasing the needs of housing. As a result, land prices are soaring, and the housing supply cannot meet the demand. The most recent measure to overcome housing problems is the One Million House Program, which aims to provide more than a million homes annually, with the majority of them being simple housing. The main characteristics of simple housing are limited space, limited facilities, and the use of basic materials. Regulation stated that any housing must satisfy the requirement of livable housing, which means the fulfilment of safety, health, and living-area requirements. This paper looks at affordability, livability, and sustainability criteria based on government regulation. It is found that the performance of housing cannot satisfy some of the requirements. The problems come from either inherently limited housing design, occupant requirements, or local climates. The existing research only focuses on one of three factors. Intertwined relationships between the three factors make an integrated approach necessary. A solution based on integrated performance modeling of the criteria is proposed. Full article

This study intended to identify the perception of quality of life (QoL) among architects, how architecture can impact QoL, and which barriers architects perceive to impact QoL. Numerous studies have emphasized the significance of the built environment in determining QoL, especially in institutional buildings. However, there has been less focus on how architects perceive QoL and how the concept is applied in their planning and design for residential buildings. The contribution of this study is to provide an increasingly important awareness of how to improve the architects’ considerations to build for QoL. The study is based on qualitative data from in-depth interviews with ten architects and one workshop with seven architects. The participants were selected by quota sampling and were all partners or owners of Danish architectural firms that provide housing services and are representative of the Danish architectural industry. The results reveal that the perceptions of QoL among architects are linked to three primary dimensions: health, a sense of harmony, and the experience of enchantment. The participants perceived that architectural design could impact QoL in three primary dimensions: the environment, the experience of enchantment, and health. The most frequent perceived barriers are linked to the economy and resources, building codes and regulations, and knowledge and communication. Full article

Currently, the use of modern technologies, such as UAVs, allows for a detailed analysis of the protection of Sites of Cultural Interest (BICs) in Spain. Cala Castle in Huelva is selected for this study, which is one of the most important medieval fortifications in the mountainous region and was rehabilitated between 2003 and 2011. After a decade of its architectural rehabilitation, the use of this new UAV technology will allow the creation of a database of the property and its surroundings, made up of a series of 3D models and photogrammetric studies of the territory. This analysis allows us two complementary readings to the original study: on the one hand, to characterize the natural and landscape context of Cala Castle, and on the other, to identify the pre-existence of a series of historic buildings, which have historically articulated this region. The 3D models obtained provide relevant graphic information. The current state of the BIC allows this space to be considered for reactivation as a social space at the regional level. The visuals of the regional environment allow us to identify that the most recent growth has been articulated longitudinally along the N-630 highway, this infrastructure being the backbone of the nucleus. As a pilot test, the beginning of this graphic and visual database (3D) at a regional level will provide a valuable tool for the conservation and registration of built heritage, given that it seeks to incorporate other fortifications that make up Banda Gallega with the aim of defining a sustainable development strategy at county level. Full article

In warm climates with high levels of solar irradiation, solar shading plays a determinant role on buildings’ envelope performance, both during summer and winter conditions. In this research, an evaluation of the solar shading effect on sunny façades through IR thermography non-destructive testing was performed. Sunny and shaded areas revealed temperature differences of 7.4 °C in summer conditions and up to 1.2 °C in wintertime. Moreover, solar shading was shown to be beneficial not only for decreasing surface temperature in summertime but also for reducing convective air flow in wintertime. In addition, it was found that the prevalence of dense shadows, especially with non-reflective materials in louvres, is favorable. External Thermal Insulation Constructive Systems (ETICS) must be shadowed and the use of clear colors is recommended to reinforce homogeneity in the surface in wintertime and reduce solar absorptance in summertime. Under steady-state calculations, thermal losses can be reduced up to 30% at night in wintertime and up to 50–60% at daytime in summertime because of the shadowing. However, another important finding lied in the confirmation of the performance gap that arises between using air temperature, sol-air temperature and the actual surface temperature data, in such a way that the two former implied high levels of inaccuracy and overestimated the performance of the buildings compared to the actual behavior. Some of the main conclusions can be extrapolated to other circumstances. Full article

This research work arises from the need to design specific techniques for the characterisation of cultural sites. Assuming the increasing complexity of the protection typologies, the expansion of working scales gives thanks to technology and the pursuit of social sustainability objectives. Thus, its main objective is to search for innovative tools that other disciplines can contribute to the work of architects specialising in heritage studies. To this end, the research explores the main methodologies, maps, guides, and registers of landscape and historic landscape characterisation developed in Europe, particularly in Spain, over the last 40 years. Considering this intense and profound evolution of landscape analysis, useful strategies for the assessment of cultural sites from their conception in the 21st century arise. Nevertheless, landscape characterisation methods have been mainly developed and applied by geographers and are absent in many urban and territorial heritage studies. In response, this article proposes a new methodological approach focusing on contextual values to be used in the assessment of architectural heritage at the territorial scale. Full article