Soffeh
Year:2007 | Volume:15 | Issue:43|Papers Count:10

Value Engineering is a systematic method for solving engineering management problems. This method organizes specialized working groups to identify and remove unnecessary costs which do not affect the quality, function, or basic properties of a product. This paper reports the result of a research on challenges in Value Engineering applications in development projects in Iran. The research also treats the contextual problems and recommends reforms within the national legal framework. The article briefly reviews basic concepts and processes for implementing Value Engineering and its role in development projects. It refers to the published data on development projects and interviews with experts, industrial mangers and university professors. It concludes that applying Value Engineering methods will prevent approving inefficiently prepared project projects, while improving the efficiency of implementation and solving problems arising during implementation. Major problems hindering the application of Value Engineering in development projects include: insufficient legal framework; lack of knowledge about Value Engineering, and reluctance for group work in the working culture of projects.

Urban theory has extensively treated the neighborhood concept in the past century. This paper treats not only the neighborhood concept, but also the neighborhood patterns in the past century. This has been the cause of inefficiency in contemporary urban design. In most of the Modern urban designs, the neighborhood is conceptualized from the point of view of physical or demographic aspects. However, a review of historic quarters reveals that what formed the neighborhoods were not physical or demographic factors, but rather social, cultural, political, ethnic, economic linkages or sometimes the natural site conditions. Contemporary neighborhood theories are criticized for their inflexible definition of boundaries, and lack of concern for the linkages between the neighborhood and the city. A flexible organization which enhances the internal linkages within the neighborhood, while facilitating a fluid access to other pats of the city will be instrumental in reviving the neighborhood concept in contemporary cities. The rights of residents for accessing facilities are thus recognized, while the fluctuations in the demand for urban facilities are catered for. The paper reviews some contemporary theories of neighborhood to present an appropriate model for revitalizing existing neighborhoods.

The history of transportation technology points to accelerating use of inanimate power, most notably through private motorization dependent upon fossil fuels. It is the history of how the human race has rapidly replaced his feet with wheels, now even for the shortest of trips. Moreover, it attests to the fact that humanity increasingly lives in situations that prohibit its capacity to move around without the help of motorized vehicles. This article reviews in a synoptic fashion the antecedents of this universal trend toward motorization and its human and environmental costs.

The paper answers two main questions: (i) what distinguishes between participatory planning and other types of participation such as political or social participation? And (ii) to what extent current planning projects are participatory? To answer the first question three criteria are used: level of authority, scale of activity, scope of activity. For addressing the second question six planning experiences claimed to be participatory were evaluated using eight criteria: (1) planners' actual intentions; (2) scope of participation; (3) approach to participation; (4) citizen surveys; (5) the right to object to the design/plan; (6) citizens' monitoring; (7) information flow; (8) philosophical foundations. On this basis three categories of participatory planning are recognized: slogan participation; limited participation; actual participation. Of the six different cases evaluated, three cases meet the criteria for limited participation, while three are categorized as slogan participation. No case meets the criteria for actual participation.

Although traditional Persian architecture extensively used renewable energies, recent buildings inspired by Modern architecture are very energy inefficient. This has increased the consumption of fossil fuels in an unsustainable manner.This paper reports an energy-efficiency assessment of a modern building over a five-year period. Owned and designed by the author, the building was occupied in 2000. Various energy efficient techniques were employed in the design: direct gain through maximizing openings on the southeast; indirect gain through two Trombe walls; natural ventilation and evaporative cooling through pool in a sunken courtyard on the northwest.Five-year assessment shows considerable reduction in heating and cooling costs. The role of control elements (apertures, curtains, etc.) however, demands special attention to ensure effective thermal control and avoid unnecessary heat loss.

Although Persian architecture dates back to several millennia ago, there are but few books available on the diminishing architecture of Iranian territory. Any document which describes or even slightly refers to monuments or fabrics is therefore important. The Research and Documentation Center of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University is currently scanning valuable out of print books on Persian architecture. The scanned copies will be made available on CD-ROM. Despite that this seemed to be an easy task, there were many difficulties in practice which necessitated cots, technical expertise and time.

Evaluation is an important factor in education, especially in higher education. This paper reviews practical evaluation mechanisms for architectural design projects as the key element in architectural education. The main factors affecting evaluation of architectural projects are reviewed under three categories: the evaluators, evaluated and the evaluation process. The key factors affecting evaluation are then reviewed to propose indictors other than average for a more accurate assessment of educational performance of architectural students.

To reduce the gap between the structural engineer and the architect has been the subject of much debate in architectural education. Current theories maintain that to apply what is learnt, there is a need for appropriate tools which engage different senses and achieve a full practical understanding as well as a tacit knowledge.Models, scale modeling, computer simulation and multimedia software have been used in teaching structures to architectural students, since teaching formulae and theoretical calculations have proven to be ineffective. This article proposes nature as source of inspiration and an effective tool for teaching structures to students of architecture. The experimental use of this method shows an increased learning on part of the architectural students.