Soffeh
Year:2005 | Volume:15 | Issue:40|Papers Count:9

The impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on the modem city has been the question of many thinkers who have coined new terms such as anti-city, non-place urban realm, abstract space, new hyper space, centre-less city, etc., This paper provides a brief account of ICT history, potentials, innovations, and its impact the city, and tries to answer the following questions: Urban designers face which phenomena and concepts in the 21st century? What are the applications of the new ICT in urban management? And what impact will the new technologies will have on the urban form, spatial distribution of activities and planning strategies?

'Urban design' is the science and the art of creating sustainable places. This creation takes place through a process the first step of which is the recognition and appraisal of urban spaces. Therefore, all substantive theories of urban design have dealt with the concept of 'place quality', and have tried to develop techniques for quality assessment of place. Various analytical techniques have been suggested so far for evaluation of place characteristics, namely 'townscape analysis' (Gordon Cullen), 'image analysis' (Kevin Lynch),  'morphological analysis' (Karl Kropf), 'space syntax analysis (John Fruin), 'defensible space analysis' (Brian Edwards and Randall Thomas), etc. According to Heny Sanoff's (1991) classification system of techniques into 'professional' and 'public', all of the above are within the 'professional technique' category. However, the importance of public participation has prompted the profession and the discipline to develop public appraisal techniques such as Placecheck Technique which can easily be employed by the layman. Developed by Robert Cowan (2000) on behalf of Urban Design Alliance (UDAL), Placecheck aims at facilitating people participation and citizen involvement in evaluating urban environments by eliminating obstacles such as abstract issues and professional jargon incomprehensible for the public Reviewing different dimensions of Placecheck Technique, the article aims to introduce this Emerging and promising urban design tool in three parts: first, the necessity of quality Assessment of urban places will be discussed; next, a review of this technique is done; and finally, the associated checklist will be presented. The review section indicates Placecheck's capabilities such as facilitating involvement by focusing people to do group activities; identifying courses of action required to improve urban places; adaptation to a variety of situations based on required levels of detail; and effectiveness as a preliminary study tool in urban design pathology.  

As an outcome of socio-economical changes, many high-rise building were constructed throughout the Western world high-rises owe more to structural innovations and technological advances rather than architectural contributions. However, With regard to architectural design, three major phases cab be distinguished in the design of high-rises in the twentieth century: the first starting with the 'Atrium Tower' in Larkin Building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1904); the second starting' All-Glass-Façade Tower' designed by Mies Van Der Rohe (1919); and the third starting with 'Regionalist Approach' demonstrated first in Jeddah National Commercial Bank designed by Gordon Bunshaft who adopts a Reinterpretation of vernacular courtyard buildings. After discussing each phase in detail, the Article explores factors that have caused the high-rises being built everyday in every corner of the world.

In most of the countries, sustainable development and environmentalism have become a Growing concern for specialists in different fields including construction industry. This paper presents a study of existing constraints in application of environmental engineering and sustainable construction in Iran - namely traditional construction methods with quantitative as well as qualitative drawbacks, untrained construction workers, etc. - and proposes the use of light weight structures i.e. 'Lightweight Steel Framing/Light Gauge Steel Framing' as a feasible alternative to current construction methods.    

The major challenge after natural disasters like strong earthquakes is to adopt a comprehensive approach to reconstruction, from programming to the phase of actual practice. The problem is aggravated by the fact that many implementing officials do not have a full knowledge of the problem and the implication of their decisions, but rather act on the basis of their false assumptions or in reaction to political pressure. The first part of this paper reviews the rather short history of disaster studies emphasizing on the novelty of the discipline. Then the main theoretical frameworks in reconstruction are reviewed. The next part reviews the history of disaster and reconstruction studies in Iran to stress the crucial need for a scientific academic treatment of the subject. The last part mentions the challenges of the field and analyzes planning issues. Finally, the comparison of false assumptions and actual facts leads to some practical recommendations.    

Despite considerable progress in construction and engineering capacity of the country in terms of design, the actual construction phase still faces various problems which are exemplified in the projects having technical weaknesses, financing difficulties and delays. The article surveys a number of under construction and finished projects to analyze the problems and provide recommendations for improvement.

One of the most renowned contemporary traditionalists, Titus Burckhardt is best known for his Contributions to art. The article starts with a short biography of Burckhardt and reviews seven of his major books which clearly describe his thinking system.    

A prceis of P.D. Reynolds's A Primer in Theory Construction adapted to the needs of Architects and architectural theorists, the article starts with the definition of theory, and Describes the key elements in constructing and understanding theories, such as 'idea', 'concept', and 'statement'. Final sections explain different theoretical forms and theory Assessment methods which lead to research strategies for creating new sets of knowledge Which could be trusted by the scientist as part of the scientific knowledge.