Journal of Design and Built Environment

Evaluating the Efficiency of Different Model-Making Techniques in the Academic Architectural Design Schools

2024-12-17T10:43:50+08:00

This paper investigates current model-making techniques and evaluates each method by demonstrating and measuring architectural students' acceptance and reliance during the design phases. The study evaluates the three approaches used in making architectural models (traditional, laser-cutting, and 3D printing) using criteria such as quality, completion speed, cost, availability of technology, materials, and software requirements. These criteria will be presented in the form of questions to a selected group of students to find out their preference rate for each method and measure the efficiency of each method for each stage of the architectural study on the one hand and its suitability for the type of the selected architectural project and its degree of complexity on the other hand. A test group completes a detailed questionnaire to assess the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The collected data has been analysed to formulate conclusions and recommendations. The results explain to both students and professors when and why each model-making method should be used, and what the barriers and limitations are for each method. It was found from this research that applying the 3D printing model technique is the preferred one, especially for the final product presentation, but applying that method of model making faces many challenges in terms of the applicability and the used software and the research has concluded a list of solutions and recommendations for the addressed issues.

Front Desk Inclusivity: A Systematic Review on Facilities Management Approaches for Autism Accommodation in High-Traffic Areas

2025-06-21T15:42:13+08:00

Persons with autism (PWAs) and their caregivers often face significant challenges when interacting with high-traffic front desk environments due to sensory sensitivities, a lack of staff awareness, and the absence of inclusive facilities. These issues can lead to distress, communication difficulties, and service delays, highlighting the urgent need for more autism-friendly practices in public service delivery. Aligned with the government's 'Ekonomi MADANI: Memperkasa Rakyat' initiative to enhance public service efficiency, this paper explores facilities management strategies for PWAs in high-traffic front desk areas. The aim is to create inclusive environments that cater to the unique needs of PWAs and their caregivers. Key strategies include sensory-friendly or quiet rooms to reduce overstimulation, special or fast lanes to minimise stress and waiting times, sensory kits for distraction, visible autism logos to signify available support and accommodation, and employee training on autism awareness and sensitivity. Using a qualitative methodology, specifically a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, this study synthesises existing research on autism-friendly practices in facilities management. The findings aim to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving accessibility and user experience for PWAs and their caregivers. Facilities can enhance accessibility and the experience for persons with autism (PWAs) and their caregivers by adopting these inclusive practices, thereby creating a more welcoming and inclusive environment. (187 words).

The Role of Authenticity, Involvement and Interaction in Place Attachment at Adaptive Reuse Cafés

2025-08-01T17:04:02+08:00

This research aims to analyze authenticity, involvement, and interaction in place attachment at adaptive reuse cafés in commercial historic areas with nostalgia as a variable mediator. The methods employs a mixed method, sequential exploratory design integrating the qualitative and quantitative approaches. The first qualitative stage is carried out with a focus group discussion to obtain indicators of 12 visitors. The second stage adopts a quantitative survey using a questionnaire distributed to 200 respondents in Surabaya, Indonesia, which was analyzed by Structural Equation Modelling. The results show that authenticity has an insignificant influence on nostalgia, while involvement and interaction from visitors have a significant influence. Authenticity, nostalgia, as well as involvement and interaction have a significant influence on place attachment. Interesting fact, the role of nostalgia is less effective because this variable is not directly significant to respondents. In conclusion, Authenticity, involvement, and interaction play a vital role in strengthening emotional connections and fostering place attachment in heritage contexts. The role of nostalgia is to evoke emotional memories and associations that foster a sense of familiarity and personal connection. This research supports sustainability, promotes economic growth in historic commercial area, and strengthens local communities.

Integrating Sustainable Building Design Criteria to the Green Building Index (GBI) and MyCREST in Malaysia: Insights from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2025-06-21T15:38:44+08:00

Sustainable building design is pivotal in mitigating environmental impacts and promoting energy efficiency. To support designers in achieving these goals, sustainable rating systems have been established globally according to the climate and suitability of each country including Malaysia. However, the proliferation of sustainable rating systems has led to a fragmented landscape of diverse standards. This poses challenges and confusion for stakeholders particularly designers in designing sustainable buildings which meet the sustainable rating systems requirement. Therefore, by utilizing a systematic review and meta-analysis approaches, this study attempts to align the sustainable building design criteria with the sustainable requirements in Malaysia’s rating systems namely Green Building Index (GBI) and Malaysian Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST). By adopting the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) framework, a rigorous search strategy was applied across the Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases, as well as sustainable guidelines, to identify the sustainable building design criteria which then systematically aligned with the primary sustainable criteria required in the rating systems. Finally, a meta-analysis approach was performed to synthesize the quantitative data and provide a consolidated view of the most critical and frequently cited sustainable building design criteria according to the primary sustainable criteria classification. This review offers a comprehensive alignment of sustainable building design criteria with Malaysia’s leading rating systems and serving as a fundamental reference for designers in integrating the sustainable practices into building design. It is hoped that this review will alleviate the confusion among designers, while also highlighting areas for improvement within the rating tools themselves to promote greater clarity, consistency, and integration of sustainability criteria in the country.

Modelling the Value Management Implementation Drivers for Sustainable Construction Projects

2025-11-16T08:21:18+08:00

This study assesses the drivers of Value Management (VM) implementation for sustainable housing construction projects in Jordan, a sector facing regulatory, cost, and sustainability challenges. Drawing on 34 drivers identified from global literature, a structured questionnaire survey was performed involving 103 stakeholders in the Jordanian building industry. The data were analysed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and validated using Partial Least Squares Structural Modelling (PLS-SEM). Results showed four critical categories of VM drivers: stakeholder engagement, knowledge, regulation, and VM adoption mechanisms. Among these, stakeholder engagement emerged as the major influential factor in enabling effective VM integration. Likewise, regulatory support and structured adoption processes were significant in strengthening implementation. The findings highlight that effective VM deployment requires not only technical competence but also proactive collaboration, informed decision-making, and policy backing. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by contextualising VM within the Jordanian building industry, a setting underrepresented in prior research, and by offering empirical proof of the unique factors shaping VM adoption in developing nations. The proposed framework provides practitioners, policymakers, and industry leaders with strategic insights into improving sustainability, reducing costs, and improving project performance. More widely, the research underscores the potential of VM to serve as a transformative tool for achieving sustainable residential development in Jordan and similar contexts.

Analysis of Cultural Impact Categories and Subcategories for Cultural Life Cycle Assessment of Traditional Houses in India

2025-07-26T10:26:05+08:00

Culture has significantly influenced the architecture of the traditional houses in different parts of the world. However, it remains unaddressed in the sustainability assessment techniques of such houses. ‘Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)’ is one such assessment technique that assesses mainly the quantitative aspects associated with them. Previous LCA studies in the context of traditional houses or cultural heritage have mainly focused on the assessment of environmental impacts of restoration or renovation of heritage houses or optimizing their environmental performances. Also, LCA standards exist only for ‘Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (E – LCA)’ and ‘Social Life Cycle Assessment (S – LCA)’ which are the ‘ISO 14040’ and ‘Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products’ by UNEP / SETAC Life Cycle Initiative (2009) respectively. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the various tangible cultural impact categories and subcategories for developing a framework for ‘Cultural Life Cycle Assessment (C – LCA)’ of traditional houses, which has been unaddressed in the building LCA studies or LCA standards before. Data has been collected through a questionnaire survey and purposive sampling method has been used to select the sample for the study. A total of 207 respondents, comprising of professionals in the related fields, and common people of age 18 years and above residing in different parts of India took part in the survey. The questionnaire comprises of the basic details of the respondents, followed by questions which are measured on a 5 – point Likert scale, and some open – ended questions as well. The collected data has been analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics software by using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method. Results show that 10 out of the 11 cultural subcategories have an influence on the ‘spatial organization of the house.’ Whereas ‘conformity to local climate, geology and geography’ mainly influences the impact subcategories such as pattern, type, size and shape of the house under the impact category ‘form of the house,’ with factor loadings of 0.830, 0.830, 0.769 and 0.742 respectively. The eigenvalue and total variance explained by the component consisting of these four impact subcategories are 2.521 and 63.024% respectively, with a Cronbach’s Alpha (reliability) value of 0.804. Since, previous studies have mainly focused on the assessment of quantitative aspects like environmental impacts of traditional houses, and standards exist only for E – LCA and S – LCA, the novelty of this study lies in the fact that it will help in assessing the cultural impacts associated with the transformations in traditional houses during their lifespan as well. The findings of this study will not only help in preserving the housing heritage, but will also help in the incorporation of culture, which is the fourth pillar of sustainability, in the LCA process along with other three pillars of sustainability.

Development of Workflows for OTTV and U-Value of Roof Calculation Using BIM-VPL to Assess Envelopes Thermal Performance

2025-07-26T11:04:12+08:00

Envelope thermal performance has been found to have a significant effect on a building's energy performance. In Malaysia, the Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) is a mandatory metric regulated by MS 1525:2019 to limit heat gain through façades. Conventional OTTV calculation is a manual, time-consuming process prone to human error, hindering rapid design iteration. This study offers a novel methodology to automate this process by developing integrated workflows that connect Building Information Modeling (BIM) with a Visual Programming Language (VPL). The proposed system will automatically extract essential thermal and physical properties from the BIM database and compute the OTTV and roof thermal transmittance (U_r) in accordance with the MS 1525:2019 formula. The workflows were rigorously validated through a comparative analysis with traditional manual calculations, utilizing both a controlled hypothetical model and real-world case studies of residential buildings. The results demonstrate that the proposed BIM-VPL system achieves a high degree of accuracy, with deviations of less than 0.6% for OTTV and under 1% for Ur, while concurrently reducing processing time by 70–80%. Equip designers with a robust, efficient tool to rapidly assess and optimize envelope designs, enhance material selection in early project stages, ensure compliance, and drive sustainable building development.

Bengkilas in the Palembang Limas House, Indonesia: Integration of Thermal and Social Zoning

2025-07-18T10:33:34+08:00

Limas houses in Palembang exemplify vernacular architectural systems that embody both cultural identity and climate-responsive design. Among their defining spatial features is the bengkilas, a tiered, partitionless floor system traditionally linked to social hierarchy. This study investigates the bengkilas as an integrated spatial mechanism for vertical thermal zoning and social stratification. Employing a mixed-methods approach within a multi-case study design, data were collected through architectural observation, occupant interviews, and systematic thermal measurements (temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity) across two seasonal periods. The results reveal a consistent pattern of vertical temperature stratification (up to 4.6°C difference), where upper tiers are cooler and better ventilated. Qualitative findings further demonstrate that spatial elevation corresponds with perceived comfort and with varying levels of privacy and symbolic meaning. These converging insights support the formulation of a thermal–social zoning model rooted in cultural logic and passive environmental performance. The study contributes a contextual framework for sustainable tropical housing design that integrates spatial, thermal, and social dynamics within a unified architectural strategy.

Reviving Heritage: Integrating Adaptive Reuse in the Framework of Ecomuseums

2025-08-25T09:28:45+08:00

Ecomuseums serve as community-driven, place-based institutions that integrate tangible and intangible heritage with environmental stewardship. This open concept positions heritage not as a static artefact but as a living system shaped through local participation, cultural continuity, and ecological responsibility. Yet, rapid urbanisation and shifting societal demands have rendered many heritage buildings to disuse, neglect and eventual demolition. Conventional conservation practices struggle to keep these sites socially relevant or environmentally sustainable, leading towards the erosion of the cultural landscape. This study aims to (1) investigate how adaptive reuse can revitalise heritage structures, (2) examine the capacity of Ecomuseums to foster community participation and environmental education, and (3) identify sustainable conservation practices that emerge from integrating adaptive reuse within Ecomuseum frameworks. Using a document analysis approach, the research reviews literature and archival documents to enable a critical synthesis of theoretical perspectives, practical examples, and sustainability principles relevant to heritage conservation. The analysis reveals that adaptive reuse significantly enhances the lifecycle and social relevance of historic buildings. At the same time, Ecomuseums provide participatory platforms that deepen community engagement and environmental awareness, underscoring that integrating both approaches supports sustainable conservation. The findings highlight the importance of community-centred heritage strategies and the need for design innovations that navigate the complexities of historical integrity and present-day use. Building on these insights, future studies may develop a comprehensive framework toolkit to assist architects, planners, and policymakers in operationalising adaptive reuse within Ecomuseum models across diverse cultural and geographical contexts.