marziyeh shahroudi kolour

Cognitive skills refer to strategies that enable the user to encode and decode the environment and facilitate his mental process. Because the primary levels of understanding the space at lower ages involve greater flexibility, this study firstly aimed to identify the codes shared by children to understand the environment and to explain cognitive maps, and secondly to address their interrelations to provide strategies that would improve architectural performance and help strengthen children’s skills of understanding the space. For this, a research method combining Delphi, survey, and case study was used. Following a review of past research, the views of 18 experts were investigated to identify the research criteria, which were prioritized by the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP). These factors were then analyzed by comparative case studies and evaluating the views of 412 9-12-years-old children using the SPSS software (version 24). Findings showed that spatial understanding skills were strengthened in three stages of the collection, reversibility, and classification of information. Regression test results indicated that children’s cognitive skill variations in the mental collection and storage of information (the environment’s physical data) were 0.875. This variation was 0.809 for the reversibility and visualization of information (the environment’s symbolic data) and 0.808 for information classification (flexible interaction with and controlling and changing the environment). For this purpose, interaction with the environment and its flexibility were effective factors.  Also, the involvement of multiple senses is critical for the collection and reversibility of information and the visualization of the environment. Other effective designing strategies include the provision of environmental comfort conditions, collective activities, attention to form capabilities, and focal signs.

Due to the importance of individuals' behavior in achieving the goals of sustainability, behavioral models have somehow tried to identify components that predict sustainable behavior. Despite numerous studies that have studied spatial behaviors and structures, so far no research has been done on the effect of spatial behavior on sustainable behavior. The present study investigates the effect of this factor by adding spatial behavior to the components of the planned behavior model (motivation, attitude, norm, and perceived behavioral control).

516 researcher-made questionnaires were distributed that were approved by researchers in the field of behavior and psychology. How this affected was required to examine spatial structures and their characteristics. For this reason, the structural and syntactic patterns of the citizens' housing were also examined. Structural equation model, analysis of variance test, and syntactic tests for calculating the index of visibility, integration, depth, and spatial value have been the analytical tools of this research.Geographical area of research The city of Shiraz and its 11 regions constitute the study area.

Spatial behavior has a positive and interactive relationship with all factors of planned behavior and among them, it has had the greatest impact on usual behavior and norms. F test showed that there is a significant difference between spatial behavior and sustainable behavior of individuals in both central and axial patterns. This difference was due to the spatial value of the different territories and the environmental and spatial facilities they provide to their inhabitants. The central pattern exposes the public realm to greater use with greater integrity and visibility, and the axial model places more importance on the private realm and encourages privacy.

The result of the research is the spatial norm model named according to the impact of usability and the fields of visibility and mean depth of each space that control the communication and interactions between members of a small community such as family.

Human behavior plays a major role in the creating and persistence of various environmental problems. Proposed models for modifying behavioral patterns emphasize a component called motivation, which is the primary basis for sustainable decisions. Given the housing importance in sustainable development, new patterns of life in communal housing, and designers' emphasis on privacy in spatial arrangements, the present study aims to investigate the impact of territorial behavior on strengthening behavioral motivations in achieving sustainability. For this purpose, first, the configuration patterns and order of the interior space of housing were examined syntactically, and then the research hypothesis was tested by distributing 516 questionnaires. Observations showed that contemporary housing has two central and axial patterns that the spatial value of public, semi-public, and private realms has different syntactic features in each of them. In the central pattern, public arenas have higher integrity, visibility, permeability, and usability; while in axial patterns, they have more spatial separations and higher usability in private areas. In addition to syntactic analysis, the analysis of variance test also confirmed the difference in territory behavior between residents of the two mentioned models. The results confirmed the positive relationship between spatial configuration, territory, and motivation of sustainable behaviors, and showed that central oriented design and strengthening of spatial stimuli for the use of collective spaces, can predict 28% of motivation of sustainable behaviors. While having a behavioral intent in sustainability is 29% predictive of motivation, territory and spatial configuration with 28% predictability will be an important and controllable factor.

Despite sporadic critiques of the philosophical and mathematical foundations of space syntax theory and the ongoing debate over its application, it has become a powerful conceptual tool for analyzing the environment. The main issue of the present study is the answer to the questions: What are the characteristics of the spatial organization of contemporary housing in Shiraz and how do these characteristics affect its functional efficiency? In this regard, identifying the composition of the space by studying architectural plans is one of the important resources. For this purpose, 384 residential plans were taken and the patterns of the spatial arrangement of housing were identified in terms of spatial and formal (with two aspects of central and axial arrangement). Then, 15 samples of each model were analyzed by software and their justified graphs were presented. In the third stage, the final analysis was performed based on the variables (integration and depth) and relative difference factor. The results of the analysis performed in this study prove the positive relationship between the spatial configuration pattern and the level of functional efficiency of contemporary housing arrangements through an analytical comparison method. The investigations of the present research showed that with the existence of dividing spaces and intermediate nodes, a bush structure, and with the functional sequence of spaces, a syntactic tree structure is formed. In terms of space analysis, an important aspect of space syntax theory believes that logically and mathematically, the arrangement of spaces can affect the functional efficiency of the space. According to the obtained data, it can be concluded that the layout of central houses is considered quantitatively and statistically more efficient. Accordingly, if participatory behaviors and high social interactions are considered, central systems that have more nodes and more spatial loops, less depth, and higher integration, support more participatory behaviors that This feature is well compatible with the Iranian family culture.

Place attachment is the intersection of physical elements, activities, and mental concepts concerning place, formed from the environmental characteristics and individualschr('39') mental patterns and evaluation. Based on the available resources, it seems that improving the functional efficiency of residential open spaces can help to improve the level of peoplechr('39')s attachment.

The present research is applied in terms of purpose, descriptive in terms of nature and method, and documentary in terms of the data collection method. A 30-question questionnaire was designed and, after the pilot study, distributed among 393 residents of Shiraz district six residential complexes. The results were analyzed by SPSS24 software. Cronbachchr('39')s alpha and validity and reliability test of the proposed structure with coefficients presented at specified intervals show that the research instrument has acceptable reliability.

The results show that there is a relationship between open space functional efficiency and place attachment, that activity and communication are the most critical factors affecting place attachment; Comfort is in the Second level, and the context and perception of the environment are in the next ranks. Regarding the direct relationship between the attachment variable and the components of residential outdoor functional efficiency, the effect of each component was evaluated by regression test. The result shows that all independent research variables have direct and indirect simultaneous effects on the dependent variable. The results show that perception and readability of environment, directly affected by 0.271, and an indirect effect of 0.258, will lead to the attachment of residents in residential complexes. The proximity of the direct and indirect effect of this component indicates the importance of this factor. Because both alone and in combination with other variables and facilitating their performance, it plays a significant role in enhancing the outdoor efficiency of the residential complex and, consequently, increasing residentschr('39') spatial attachment. Activity and communication can make people more connected to the outdoor complex of the residential complex and lead to emotional communication with the environment and lead to the attachment of residents. Also, context and layout is another factor that directly affects 0.326 and an indirect effect of 0.059 on attachment. Environmental well-being has a direct impact of 0.164 and an indirect impact factor of 0.075, which is less effective than other factors.

The present study results show that the functional efficiency of open spaces of residential complexes affects the degree of residentschr('39') attachment to the place. Structuring shows that the perception and readability of the environment is the most critical predictor factor in improving performance efficiency and, consequently, increasing the level of residentschr('39') attachment to the place. Users have reported the activities and communication of people with each other and in interaction with the open space, layout, and context, and environmental welfare and comfort as other practical components in this field.

Statement of the problem: A place, is an identity indicator with a specific (objective-subjective) structure that adds sense to the surrounding environment. But the sense of place is not just a simple way of explaining how one perceives a place by an individual, but rather a meaningful and multi-dimensional concept, and relates to the symbolic and emotional identification of a person relative to the place. So the sense of place is based on the experience of the individual in interacting with the place that defines the relation of one's person to his environment, which is resulted from understanding his position in his place and his perceptive functions. So it goes beyond formal-physical structures and is affected by the images and mental associations of the individual over time. The sense of place is one of the most important factors in creating a demanded and positive relationship between man and the environment. The physical elements as one of the defining factors of this concept, are of particular importance because they are controllable by the designer. Research question: This paper sought to answer the question that what are the structural components in promoting the sense of place in contemporary and traditional mosques in Shiraz and what are their effects? Research

The present article is based on the study of the role of physical components in creating a sense of place and improving its levels, with the aim of providing a favorable image of the contrast between contemporary and traditional thinking in the design of mosques. The achievement of this research can be used in presenting a new design solution or replacing traditional elements with new and effective signs in strengthening the sense of place of the mosque. Research

Effective criterias were formulated in theoretical framework based on the opinions of the experts. After introducing the physical elements that define the abstract concept of the mosque, they are exposed to value by the audience and the results of the studies are set for each of the traditional and contemporary examples in the tables and analyzed with the help of SPSS software. Factor analysis has been done to identify the main variables affecting the sense of place, and the correlation pattern between the observed variables. For confirmation of research hypothesis, correlation test, T-test and regression test have been used. The value of 0.918 for the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient showed that the results can be cited and valid. The most important findings and conclusions of the research: The findings show that the physical components of the structure of the traditional and contemporary mosques provide different levels of sense of place, and the difference is only in their prioritization. The physical elements in traditional mosques are more closely associated with the identity of the sense of place, and in contemporary mosques, they attach to commitment and dependence on the place. It is necessary to note that despite the undeniable importance of symbolic and physical elements, like dome and minaret, the existence of these elements without activity, the higher levels of sense of place that lead to the preservation of the life of a place, will not be answered. On the other hand, eliminating the overall identity of these identity elements will not provide a sense of belonging and attachment. Investigation of regression path coefficients shows that except for minarets and dome, all physical components in the structure of Shiraz mosques have a direct impact on sense of place. The direct and indirect effects of these components are, in general, more prevalent in traditional mosques than in contemporary mosques. In this study, it was found that the physical structures are of particular importance in both samples. The resulting difference is due to the different functionality of each physical element in the structure of the mosque, commensurate with the needs of worshipers.