Open House International

Salama, Ashraf M.; Hurol, Yonca

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-05-2020-0026

The purpose of this paper is to construct a series of narratives by assessing a selection of the key literature generated by Open House International (OHI) over a period of 15 years. The paper also presents a brief review of the latest developments of the journal while introducing concise observations on the articles published in this edition – Volume 45, Issues 1 and 2.Design/methodology/approachThrough a classification procedure of selected special issues published by OHI since 2006, 10 issues were identified based on the currency of the issues they generated. Following the review of the editorials, the key content of more than 100 articles within these special issues, the content of this edition and relevant seminal literature, the analysis engages, through critical reflection, with various themes that echo the polyphonic nature of built environment research.FindingsThe analysis conveys the plurality and diversity in built environment research where generic types of narratives are established to include three categories, namely, leitmotif, contextual/conceptual and open-ended narratives. Each of which includes sub-narrative classifications. The leitmotif narrative includes design studio pedagogy, sustainable environments for tourism, responsive learning environments, affordable housing environments, diversity in urban environments and urbanism in globalised environments. The contextual/conceptual narrative encompasses architecture and urbanism in the global south and the tripartite urban performance and transformation. The open-ended narrative embraces thematic reflections on the contributions of this edition of OHI.Originality/valueConstructing polyphonic narratives in built environment research based on contemporary knowledge is original in the sense of capturing the crux of the themes within these narratives and articulating this in a pithy form. The elocution of the narratives stimulates a sustained quest for re-thinking concepts, notions and issues of concerns while invigorating research prospects and setting the future direction of OHI.

Wiedmann, Florian; Wang, Yunlu

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0010

China’s capital Beijing is a special case of fast urbanization and monocentric development, resulting in major efforts to implement polycentric structures. The purpose of this paper is thus centered on understanding the phenomenon of an established edge city and the level of integration regarding all daily activities of its residents.Design/methodology/approachSince the end of the 20th century, Chinese cities have been witnessing rapid urban growth and expansion. One of the major planning challenges has been the implementation of polycentric urban structures to enforce integrated urbanism and thus less dependency on commuting to few main commercial and business centers. The methodological approach includes various mapping efforts and field studies to investigate the currently produced urban landscape and highlight the rather challenging reality of edge cities being produced in a very short period of time.FindingsThis paper explores one of Beijing’s biggest edge cities, known as the Yizhuang Development Area, which was created by an investment initiative of the municipal government. The city has been developed with a strong focus on functional planning aspects rather than a dynamic diversification of walkable districts with emerging identities.Originality/valueThis investigation attempts to add some new insights into the contemporary urbanism in Chinese edge cities and the general problem of missing urban design initiatives to enhance the overall urban quality of diversity and social interaction.

Zhou, Yang; Huang, Xu; Li, Wei

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0012

Industrial land renewal is a significant constituent of urban environment and sustainable development. Most implementation in planning of renewal of industrial land has been mainly conducted at the site level of industrial zones or parks and the larger scale of township planning deserve further attention in China. To fill this gap, this paper aims to investigate the implementation of industrial land renewal for a whole urbanized area under the township master planning.Design/methodology/approachThis study introduces a progressive approach to identify and evaluate the renewal of industrial land in township master planning to move toward a more practical understanding of industrial transition. The authors chose a typical industrialized town, Lijia in Changzhou City, under the development model of “Southern Jiangsu” to explain the measurement and assessment framework to identify and evaluate the renewable industrial land. Synthesizing the idea of sustainable development, the authors investigated the renewable industrial land with an econometric model including multiple-indexes of economic, social and ecological aspects, field observations and depth interviews.FindingsThe analysis demonstrated the spatial heterogeneity and complex generous structure of industrial land renewal in developing countries. It pointed out the major responsibility of enterprises as main industrial land users and indispensable responsibility of government and society. Following the idea of organic concentration and avoiding one-size-fits-all kind of deal, the master planning of Lijia emphasized the connection of industrial land and the combination of market force, social force and government regulation.Originality/valueWith original data and discussion, the authors provide more scientific renewal strategies for planners in sustainable development.

Tang, Zixin; Lu, Andong; Yang, Yue

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0023

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility that design research involving a series of actions is an appropriate approach to memory place-making. It tries to explore how memory expressed in public space and how memory place becomes an agency system and re-organize fragments of memory in practice specifically.Design/methodology/approachTaking the memory project of Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (NYRB) as an example of design research and re-establishing new cognitions of contemporary memory place-making through the elaboration and analysis of the design process of a series of teaching, exhibition and public participatory activities.FindingsDesign research is oriented towards multi-discipline campaigns of agency and actions and acts as thinking patterns and integration mechanisms, so that the memory place-making can be incorporated into the scope of planning and design. This paper suggests that contemporary memory place-making should pay more attention to the spiritual experience of individual participation and the identity relations behind these emotional memories. On one hand, social bonds are established between people and have involved more public participation. On the other hand, multiple resources are integrated through a series of practical activities and design research, and the memory place becomes a catalyst for individual memory, emotions and communication thus redefining memory place-making.Social implicationsNYRB is a controversial mid-20th century national monument. In the social context of contemporary China, design research has helped to redefine and shape this national icon into a contemporary memory place where people can share memories of the bridge.Originality/valueIt is project-based in the sense of adding the dimension of memory to the practice of place-making through design research.

Hurol, Yonca

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0001

This study aims to define the main characteristics and possibilities of ontological approaches to research in architecture by considering content, methodologies and subject position in this type of research and questions if there is a future for this type of research or not.Design/methodology/approachThe primary data collection method of this research is based on the ethos of the author who has taught research courses for many years. This research has also been questioned through the discussions made within a related PhD course.FindingsResults of this research reveal that the spontaneous ideology of architecture might have influenced the neglection of the ontological approaches in academic research in architecture.Social implicationsArchitecture has an interesting position towards reductionism because architectural thinking has ontological characteristics. The ontological approaches to academic research seems to be more applicable to architecture. However, research in architecture does not necessarily have this ontological character.Originality/valueThe “ontological approach to academic research” covers a larger set of research than the method of ontology, which is used to discuss the categories, limitations in research. Thinking on ontological approaches to research is needed because there is a considerable increase in the use of mixed research methods, which combine qualitative and quantitative research. The second reason for this is the criticisms about the unethical reductionism directed towards contemporary science by philosophers. However, there is no sufficient literature on the ontological approaches to research. This is true also for the academic research in architecture.

Tünger, Çetin; Pektaş, Şule Taşlı

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0008

This paper aims to compare designers’ cognitive behaviors in geometry-based modeling environments (GMEs) and parametric design environments (PDEs).Design/methodology/approachThis study used Rhinoceros as the geometric and Grasshopper as the parametric design tool in an experimental setting. Designers’ cognitive behaviors were investigated by using the retrospective protocol analysis method with a content-oriented approach.FindingsThe results indicated that the participants performed more cognitive actions per minute in the PDE because of the extra algorithmic space that such environments include. On the other hand, the students viewed their designs more and focused more on product–user relation in the geometric modeling environment. While the students followed a top-down process and produced less number of topologically different design alternatives with the parametric design tool, they had more goal setting activities and higher number of alternative designs in the geometric modeling environment.Originality/valueThis study indicates that cognitive behaviors of designers in GMEs and PDEs differ significantly and these differences entail further attention from researchers and educators.

Ghelichkhani, Milad

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0014

This paper aims to trace the tectonic effects of openings as Heideggerian “built-things”.Design/methodology/approachThis study has been organized in two phases. The first phase attempts to set up the theoretical framework through exploring the links between Heidegger’s notion of “built-thing” and contemporary tectonic discourses on dialectics between the values of matheme (construction, technology) and poetics (representation, meaning) to identify the key indicators in tectonic effects of openings. Accordingly, as the term “tectonic effects” is concerned with feelings and emotions that tectonics may evoke in people, the author searches for the indicators based on the poetic aspects of tectonic values and applies them within the phenomenological method implemented in the second phase of the research to explore the indicators in the designated case of the “Çavuşoğlu house”.FindingsThe results of this study indicate the significance of ontological nexus between tectonics as “poetic revealing” and the ability of the “built-thing” to generate tectonic effects within the embodied experience of dwellers. In fact, an opening can generate ontological tectonic effects in space only if it is brought about through a truthful build-dwell process which responds in a poetic way to the daily-life needs of the dwellers. The tangible examples of this fact are evident in the openings of the Çavuşoğlu house.Originality/valueThe theory of tectonics of openings as a separate “built-thing”, which is put forward in the present study, is a subject that has not been sufficiently studied so far and has the potential to be developed through further research. In light of this, the theoretical results of this study can contribute to tectonic thinking during the design process.

El-Ashmouni, Marwa M.; Salama, Ashraf M.

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0007

The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical account on the contemporary architecture of Cairo with emphasis on the past three decades, from the early 1990s to the present. The paper critically analyses narratives of the plurality of “isms”, within architectural vocabulary and discourse, that resulted from the contextual particularities that shaped it.Design/methodology/approachThree lines of inquiry are envisioned as overarching aspects of architecture: the chronological, the interventional and the representational. These discussions are underpinned by the discourse of decolonialisation and cosmopolitanism, posited sequentially by Frantz Fanon in The Wretched of the Earth (1961), and Ulrich Beck in The Cosmopolitan Vision (2004). The analysis expands to interrogate these two notions as prelude for reflecting on representations of selected projects: The Smart Village (2001); the Great Egyptian Museum (2002), Al-Azhar Park (2005), American University in Cairo New Campus (2008/2009), and the New Administrative Capital (2018).FindingsThe investigation on the interventional and the representational levels via aspects of discursivity and contradictions highlights that decolonisation and cosmopolitanism are two inseparable facets in the architectural practice in Egypt’s 21st century. These indivisible notions are based on idiosyncratic core to human experience, which emerged from concurrent overturning historical and secular everyday life striving to suppress ideological supremacy.Research limitations/implicationsFurther detailed examples can be developed to offer discerning elucidations relevant to both notions of cosmopolitanism and decolonialisation.Originality/valueThe paper offers novel theoretical analysis of Cairo’s most recent architecture. The reflection on the notions of decolonialisation and cosmopolitanism is a timely example of the complex cultural encounters that have shaped the Egyptian architecture, given the recent interventions by the “Modern State” that legitimised such notions.

Al-Betawi, Yamen N.; Al Nassar, Fadia H.; Al Husban, Ahmad A.; Al Husban, Safa

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0005

This study aims to trace the transformation in the form of apartment building and the connotations it has in understanding the changes that occurred in the Jordanian society’s lifestyle over the past five decades.Design/methodology/approachA comparative case study analysis has been conducted amongst 170 apartments, covering 70 design attributes related to aspects of appearance, spatial organisation, parking and access to building, outdoor space and finishing. This was followed by experts and households solicitation to help giving more confidence on the validity and reliability of findings regarding the sorts and justifications for the changes that have taken place in the form of apartments over the studied time frame.FindingsThe results reveal changes in design attributes indicating particular alterations in people’s lifestyle. New interests act in formulating recent housing design attributes. People seem to turn into a more open social life within public community but more privatised living amongst family members. People are becoming more attached to indoor modernised lifestyle, in homes and public areas where activities take place. This entails pursuing a more comfortable, facilitating and enjoyable life that presents luxury and tranquillity.Originality/valueUnderstanding the relationship between transformations in the built form of apartment buildings and the associated social alterations provides useful insights towards improving housing provision to better match the ever-changing demands of people and respond to alterations in their lifestyles.

Ince, Ecem; Iscioglu, Deniz; Ozturen, Ali

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0011

Sustainability concept exists in the soul of the Cittaslow (slow city) philosophy. This protest movement is mainly based on the philosophy of sustainability by promoting the “slowness” perspective and the concept of sustainable development at the local level. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impacts of Cittaslow (slow city) philosophy on support for sustainable tourism development in North Cyprus. In this context, this research study is concentrated on the influences of Cittaslow practices on support for sustainable tourism development with dimensions in terms of socio-cultural, economic and ecological aspects.Design/methodology/approachThis study was based on a quantitative research approach to observe the significant effects and meet the objectives. The data were collected randomly by self-administrated questionnaires from residents who are living in the slow cities (Yeni Bogaziçi, Mehmetçik, Lefke, Geçitkale and Tatlisu) at North Cyprus.FindingsThe partial least squares approach to the structural equation model was used to analyze the data. The research results were discussed the critical issues and consequences in the management of slow cities.Originality/valueThe slow city concept is a very significant movement that emphasizes the importance of local differences and sustainability. There is a lack of knowledge about the effects of Cittaslow membership and efforts on sustainable tourism development in North Cyprus. The critical factors and implications were pinpointed for enhancing sustainable tourism development in slow cities.

Krstić – Furundžić, Aleksandra; Scognamiglio, Alessandra; Devetakovic, Mirjana; Frontini, Francesco; Sudimac, Budimir

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0015

The purpose of this paper is to present a critical review of the key trends in the integration of photovoltaic (PV) facilities into the built environment in cities. This is regarded as part of a series of measures towards wider use of renewable energy sources.Design/methodology/approachThe problem has been approached from the point that cities are consumers of large amounts of energy. They require uninterrupted energy supply but with dynamic power profile. Mainly consumption of energy generated from fossil fuels is present nowadays with significant pollution of the environment as a consequence. The sustainable energy transition in cities means increasing the supply of energy from renewable sources.FindingsThe paper points to the integration of PV renewable systems in the built environment, opportunities and constraints, design conditions and tools. The consideration of the constraints which creates urban environment is carried out to understand the complexity of selecting locations in the cities. The paper gives an overview of the possibilities of PV systems integration in the built environment and discusses physical limitations in the urban environment and simulation tools as well as challenges and research and development issues.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper offers a critical review of the PV applications which have been illustrated with examples from developed countries. However, examples from developing markets have not been considered. Future work would address this limitation and enable the discussion from a comparative perspective.Social implicationsThe study gives a comprehensive overview of PV integrations in contemporary cities, stimulating architects’ practitioners to acquire the PV technology and aesthetics, and to apply it in future developments.Originality/valueObserving the use of PV applications from the perspective of architects and designers the discussion and examples covered in this paper offers an original review, which provides the base future in-depth studies on PV applications in various contexts.

El-Kholei, Ahmed O.

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/ohi-04-2020-0017

The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: To what extent is residents’ perception of the state of their environment consistent with findings based on samples from the field? Are the locals aware of the drivers and pressures that led to the present state of the environment? Are they aware of the impacts? If so, are they able to recommend responses?Design/methodology/approachTo examine the extent to depend on citizens’ opinion in decision-making, the researcher juxtaposed results from data gathered and analysed from the field assessing the quality of the marine environment, coastal zone and levels of both noise and air pollution. The researcher collected datum from focus group meetings, questionnaire and review of newspapers and magazines. The researcher used Qualitative Data Analysis QDA software to analyse qualitative data.FindingsThe results of the survey and the focus group meetings indicated that the citizens’ perceptions are, to some extent, in line with the results that the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) team concluded from the field survey. Citizens do not feel the urgency of conserving water because the government has been meeting growing demand by increasing the supply of water. The participants identified drivers and pressures that led to the present state of the environment. They were not able to differentiate between the state of the environment and the impacts of environmental degradation.Originality/valueCitizens’ opinion is a valuable tool as an input at the various stages of plan formulation. Citizens’ views can bring an issue to experts’ attention and shed light on the qualitative aspect, such as meaning or value, that the quantitative data fail to reveal. However, the planning process must not depend entirely on citizen’s views. Experts must combine citizens’ opinions with scientific facts that result from in situ monitoring and laboratory analysis.

Abubakar, Aisha

2020 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-08-2020-027