{"title":"The impact of crowds on visibility in emergency department: Integrating agent-based simulation and space syntax analysis","authors":"Hao Yuan , Ying Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2025.01.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2025.01.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Emergency departments (EDs) are among the busiest hospital units, where visibility is crucial for surveillance, collaboration, and wayfinding. In China, high ED patient volumes lead to crowded corridors, significantly impacting visibility. However, current visibility assessment methods focus on static obstructions such as walls and columns, neglecting crowd obstruction, and underestimating visual impediments.To address this research gap, this study proposes a novel visibility assessment method combining agent-based simulation and space syntax analysis. Based on peak-hour behavioral data from Hospital R's ED, crowd movement was simulated across six ED plans with different corridor layouts. The simulated crowd positions were then treated as visual obstacles, and space syntax theory was applied to evaluate visibility under crowd obstruction at various timesteps. The findings reveal that: 1) ring corridor layouts reduce patient backtracking and corridor congestion; 2) ring corridor layouts facilitate better natural surveillance of the overall space by medical staff with crowd obstruction considered; 3) ring corridor layouts enable medical staff to see each other more easily, supporting team collaboration, regardless of crowd obstruction; 4) simple layouts perform best in terms of wayfinding, irrespective of crowd obstruction. This study presents the first comprehensive quantitative assessment of ED visibility under crowd obstruction, with potential applications in other crowded public spaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 5","pages":"Pages 1398-1414"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lanlin Xiang , Changwei Feng , Ying Liu , Yuhong Wang
{"title":"Space and culture acculturation: Exploring urban regeneration in historic conservation areas, Yangmeizhu Street in Beijing, China","authors":"Lanlin Xiang , Changwei Feng , Ying Liu , Yuhong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2025.03.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2025.03.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The regeneration of cultural spaces in historic conservation areas aims to enhance these spaces while preserving their heritage. Achieving sustainable regeneration requires an understanding of the interplay between spaces and their underlying cultures. This study examines the urban regeneration of courtyard spaces on Beijing’s Yangmeizhu Street, using Space Syntax and acculturation theory to explore spatial and cultural attributes. A Kruskal–Wallis <em>H</em> analysis is conducted to investigate the correlation between these features. Findings demonstrate cultural acculturation along Yangmeizhu Street, evaluated through behavior, knowledge, values, and identity. Three typologies emerge: separation (maintaining a unique identity), integration (adopting a broader culture while preserving a distinct identity), and assimilation (complete adoption of the surrounding culture). The assimilation type shows notable differences in spatial characteristics compared to integration and separation. This research highlights the impact of space managers or designers with diverse cultural backgrounds on the transformation of cultural spaces during urban regeneration, revealing contributions from both foreign and indigenous cultures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 5","pages":"Pages 1274-1290"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimal design strategy of traditional courtyard based on performance and data-driven method—A case study of Yanshen ancient town, China","authors":"Zhixin Xu, Xin Zheng, Xiangfeng Li","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2025.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2025.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the insufficient integration of performance evaluation and contextual analysis in traditional architectural design, this paper proposes a design workflow that combines data-driven and performance-driven approaches, establishing a comprehensive operational pathway from typology selection and design generation to performance assessment. Using Yanshen Ancient Town, a cold region, as the study area, the research evaluates 18 traditional courtyard types and 8 brick kiln courtyard types. Benchmark models are selected based on the combined performance of PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) and MRT (Mean Radiant Temperature) indices. Subsequently, multiple performance indicators, including indoor and outdoor thermal comfort, indoor illuminance, and building energy consumption, are integrated into the analysis. Using a genetic algorithm, Pareto optimal solutions that meet performance requirements are iteratively optimized and filtered. Based on the learning rates and various evaluation indicators, XGBoost is ultimately selected to classify and predict the overall building performance. Results indicate that the model achieves an average prediction accuracy of 83.6%. Additionally, SHAP analysis of the independent variables in the algorithm reveals distinct influencing trends under different performance labels. The workflow demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating performance prediction in the early design stage of village courtyards, significantly enhancing the efficiency of feedback and follow-up between design decision-making and performance evaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 5","pages":"Pages 1168-1195"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Architectural phenomenology: Past, present, future of an interdisciplinarity","authors":"Qing Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2025.01.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2025.01.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article investigates the interdisciplinary nature of what is frequently referred to as architectural phenomenology. By highlighting the intricacy of architecture's disciplinarity, it exposes the paradoxical attitude of architectural phenomenology towards crossing disciplinary borders, and sets out to contextualize the paradoxical attitude about interdisciplinary research in history. Following three thematic threads representative of the tradition centered on Ernesto Nathan Rogers, Christian Norberg-Schulz, and the Essex school, it showcases the diverse modalities of how architecture and phenomenology were combined in the past, and identifies a significant gap in their limited interpretations of the relation between these two fields, often characterized by a one-sided illumination. Drawing attention to the insufficiently theorized reciprocity between architecture and philosophy, it reveals in architectural phenomenology an interdisciplinary interplay implicitly involving all other disciplines, which offers unlimited possibilities of research to be further explored. Taking a closer look at the interdisciplinary nature of architecture and phenomenology, it speculates on the future directions of architectural phenomenology acting as an interdisciplinary arena, pointing to phenomenology's recent interest in enactivist cognitive science and architecture's critical engagement with socio-political issues that converge in an investigation of the built environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 5","pages":"Pages 1196-1216"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guillermo Sánchez Sotés , Thomas Fischer , Christiane M. Herr
{"title":"The appropriation of autopoiesis in architecture","authors":"Guillermo Sánchez Sotés , Thomas Fischer , Christiane M. Herr","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.12.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.12.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the merits of the cross-disciplinary appropriation of the theory of autopoiesis in Patrik Schumacher's <em>The Autopoiesis of Architecture</em>. In this two-volume work, Schumacher builds upon Luhmann's sociological adoption of Maturana et al.’s biological theory of autopoiesis. This lineage of repeated appropriation raises questions about the merits of the cross-disciplinary appropriations of natural-scientific theory in architecture in general and the appropriation of autopoiesis in architectural theory in particular. Specifically, what are the merits of Schumacher's appropriation of the theory of autopoiesis? In this article, we develop and apply a text analysis method drawing on discourse analysis, close reading, visual interpretation, and “inference to the best explanation” to analyse a set of three pertinent samples from <em>The Autopoiesis of Architecture</em>. Our analysis, using previously established categorisations of language use and merits of theory appropriation, shows that Schumacher employs various modes of language use in <em>The Autopoiesis of Architecture</em> to reference both prior instances of autopoiesis. These ambiguities serve to achieve merits that, in many cases, seem to benefit the author rather than his readers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Pages 885-898"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143911829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zihao Cao , Muhizam Mustafa , Mohd Hafizal Mohd Isa
{"title":"Balancing priorities: An importance-performance analysis of architectural heritage protection in China's historical cities","authors":"Zihao Cao , Muhizam Mustafa , Mohd Hafizal Mohd Isa","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Architectural heritage protection is closely linked to residents, but there is a lack of in-depth research on evaluation systems that integrate public feedback. This study used Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to explore residents' evaluations of local heritage protection in historic cities of China. Public survey data was used to assess a multi-dimensional framework for architectural heritage protection, covering aspects such as architecture, urban planning, economics, social factors, and property. The results show that while residents' overall evaluations of heritage protection dimensions are generally consistent across regions, significant differences exist in their assessments of specific indicators within these dimensions. This study integrates social exchange theory with heritage protection, creating a system to evaluate public perceptions, filling a research gap on resident participation and feedback in heritage protection. These findings offer crucial data support for policymakers, highlighting the importance of resident participation in developing sustainable and effective heritage protection strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Pages 928-945"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chenyang Zhang, Dian Shao, Junyan Yang, Xinzhe Liu
{"title":"A multifractal method based on Spacematrix type units for analysing cross-scale characteristics of urban morphology","authors":"Chenyang Zhang, Dian Shao, Junyan Yang, Xinzhe Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.09.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The urban morphological system, developed over multiple phases, exhibits complex cross-scale characteristics, with significant scale discrepancies among morphological elements at the same hierarchical level, which suggests that the cross-scale sliding model holds the potential to reveal additional characteristics of urban morphology. This paper introduces a multifractal method that integrates Spacematrix morphological classification for the analysis of detailed urban building data within defined boundaries. Using the Nanjing Old City in China as a case study, the results reveal a dense yet balanced urban form, showing annular differentiation characterized by fragmented fringe belts at the macro level and a uniform mixture of diverse land use types and building types at the micro level. The typical scale invariance and multifractality are not consistently observed across single-type analyses. The study identifies height uniformization and spaciousness differentiation in the scaling of urban morphology, attributing the multifractal mechanism to the interweaving and transformation of multiple types across scales. This enhanced multifractal approach improves spatial mapping capabilities, aiding in the elucidation of the formation mechanisms of urban morphology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Pages 1132-1145"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multi-objective optimization of EMS facilities using multi-source data: A case study in Dangtu, China","authors":"Jinze Li , Xiao Wang , Qiyan Zhang , Peng Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.10.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.10.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent decades, rapid urbanization has introduced significant challenges to urban planning, exacerbated by ongoing urban expansion and population growth. Among these challenges is the critical need to enhance public safety and the living environment, driven by principles of human-centered design and sustainable urban development. To address this, this paper introduces a novel multi-objective optimization framework for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) facility layout, integrating multi-source data to support urban planning and manage public safety risks effectively. This framework uses corroborative multi-source data to analyze current EMS facilities and suggests improvements through preservation, expansion, and new facility introduction, carefully considering construction costs, resident usage efficiency, and access equity. A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm calculates Pareto optimal solutions for site selection, allowing for a balanced consideration of conflicting EMS siting objectives. Further solution set clustering enables decision-makers to quickly identify and refine strategies aligned with their preferences. We demonstrate the applicability of our framework through a quantitative and qualitative case study in Dangtu, China. The results reveal that our approach not only aids urban planners in making informed decisions that improve EMS facility accessibility but also ensures equitable use and enhances public safety in alignment with sustainable urban development goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Pages 1090-1107"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China","authors":"Zhichao He , Wei Zhai , Chunhong Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.12.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.12.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing impacts of human activities on sustainable development have promoted the use of spatial planning as an essential policy tool to governing human activities patterns. However, the effect of spatial planning on such patterns remains insufficiently unexplored. In this study, we used Point of Interest (POI) data and spatial statistical methods to analyze the spatial patterns of human activities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Urban Agglomeration in China between 2018 and 2022, and then evaluated the conformance between these patterns with the planned spatial patterns outlined in the <em>YRD Urban Agglomeration Development Plan.</em> The results show that while the development plan is effective on promoting spatial integration of human activities, it has not fully achieved the intended patterns. Shanghai's prominence as a business center has strengthened over time, though its population and industrial centers have eroded. The Su-Xi-Chang metropolitan area illustrated a high level of spatial integration and has emerged as a key industrial function zone. However, many peripheral cities, including those in Anhui Province, northern Jiangsu Province, and southern Zhejiang Province, remain poorly integrated into the YRD Urban Agglomeration. To conclude, we recommend wider application of social sensing data on plan evaluation and highlight a diverse set of collaborative strategies to strengthen spatial integration between central and neighboring cities, as well as between metropolitan areas within the agglomeration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Pages 1048-1062"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143911935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiaxin Liu , Hongming Yan , Marcus White , Xiaoran Huang
{"title":"A comparative analysis of perceptions of insecurity in Milan and Beijing metro stations","authors":"Jiaxin Liu , Hongming Yan , Marcus White , Xiaoran Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foar.2024.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metro stations, as essential public spaces, not only serve as vital transportation hubs but also form part of the broader built environment that shapes people's perceptions of insecurity. An important concern for passengers in these environments is safety, particularly in underground public space where the design and organization of the physical surroundings play a crucial role. Despite various modern renovations in older metro stations, newer stations are generally perceived as safer. To understand this discrepancy, this research compares how visual factors in the built environments of old and new metro stations influence people's perceptions of insecurity. By examining two cities—Milan and Beijing, which follow distinct urban development models—this research also explores how differences in urbanization processes affect the contrast between old and new stations. This research introduces a novel methodology for analyzing underground public space by integrating 360-degree image capture, an enhanced semantic segmentation process, and predictive modeling using XGBoost and SHAP to reveal the complex relationships between these visual factors and safety perceptions. The results indicate that while factors like artificial light, floor, and the presence of people are significant across all stations, certain factors are particularly influential in specific contexts—for example, exposed pipes are more negatively associated with safety perception in Beijing's old stations, and platform doors have a strongly positive effect in Milan's new stations. The findings provide valuable insights for guiding the modernization of metro stations in the future, and offering an innovative approach to studying underground public space.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51662,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Architectural Research","volume":"14 4","pages":"Pages 863-884"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143911828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"艺术学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}