Noor Cholis Idham, Ibrahim Numan and Munther Mohd
One of the most important issues arising from the 2006 Java earthquake is that many of the Javanese houses were easily collapsed or badly damaged due to the quake. The failure of…
Abstract
One of the most important issues arising from the 2006 Java earthquake is that many of the Javanese houses were easily collapsed or badly damaged due to the quake. The failure of the vernacular houses was also believed to be a principle factor in causing the casualties. As a replacement, the government built reconstruction houses which differ in form, size and structure to the earlier houses. Intensive campaigns were conducted to encourage and support the construction of compacted dwellings with brick walls and concrete frame systems. In view of the fact that the collapsed houses were comprised of many of the various types of Javanese vernacular structures in the area, including the recent well known reinforced concrete frame type, uncertainty in deciding which house is really fulfill the need of the people has emerged. Even though the new houses are thought to be more stable in respect of earthquake safety, the other values in housing should be examined and reassured.
The comparative study presented in this paper, is based on a housing quality assessment method, which employs using an adaptation of Maslow's theory. Here, an interpretation related to the housing aspects in respect of the specific grading method is proposed. Following the earthquake, all Javanese house types were examined from the old traditional housing to the newly built houses. Aspects of evaluating the quality are considered according to local requirements and needs in respect of how the houses had been built according to the climate, needs, customs, safety, security, utility and comfort. This was done in order to compare the developments and changes in quality of the various types of housing. The result of the assessment applied to the houses shows that the Javanese housing quality is constantly changing over time for particular reasons. Unfortunately, according to this study, the overall quality of Javanese houses is currently, for some reason, in a downward trend.
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Fereshteh Habib, Ibrahim Numan and Hifsiye Pulhan
In casting a new look at city; this study interprets the urban form in respect of the role played by human perception of space. The main aim of this research at a macro level is…
Abstract
In casting a new look at city; this study interprets the urban form in respect of the role played by human perception of space. The main aim of this research at a macro level is to attain a strong theorical basis through a multi-dimensional approach to the city. The method of analyzing and carrying out a critique of it at an applied level will clarify the impact, which cultural factors have in the formation of urban form. This preliminary recognition and idealism is based on a hermeneutic and deductive method that is particular to the intellectual sciences In the process of devising theories, studying the urban planning texts related to the subject of study and the conclusion from the field study which is carried out in the Isfahan Naghshe Jahan square in the Safavy period played a key role in the research in addition to the goals and questions.
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The process of educating future architects and designers around the world varies dramatically. However, there is one striking similarity - the dominance of the design studio as…
Abstract
The process of educating future architects and designers around the world varies dramatically. However, there is one striking similarity - the dominance of the design studio as the main forum for knowledge acquisition and assimilation, and for creative exploration and interaction. Such a setting encompasses intensive cognitive and physical activities, which ultimately result in conceptualizing meaningful environments proposed to accommodate related human activities. The design studio is the primary space where students explore their creative skills that are so prized by the profession; it is the kiln where future architects are molded. It has occupied a central position since architectural education was formalized two centuries ago in France and later in Germany, the rest of Europe, North America, and the rest of the world.
Mohammad S. Al-Mohammad, Ahmad Tarmizi Haron, Mohammad Numan Aloko and Rahimi A. Rahman
Rejecting building information modeling (BIM) can negatively impact the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. While BIM is trending globally, its…
Abstract
Purpose
Rejecting building information modeling (BIM) can negatively impact the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. While BIM is trending globally, its implementation in post-conflict low-income economies is still limited. The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical factors for implementing BIM in a post-conflict low-income economy, using Afghanistan as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
This study identifies potential affecting factors for BIM implementation through reviewing existing literature and interviewing AEC professionals in Afghanistan. Then, the factors are inserted into a questionnaire survey and disseminated with Afghanistan’s AEC practitioners. The collected data was analyzed to determine the critical factors. Also, the underlying relationships between the critical factors were established through factor analysis.
Findings
A total of 11 critical factors are affecting BIM implementation in Afghanistan. From those, nine factors can be grouped into the following three components: technological, environmental and organizational. Two factors, “cost-benefit of implementing BIM” and “market demand for BIM,” are recurring in low- and middle-income economies. Conversely, the “presence of appropriate projects to implement BIM” is the unique critical factor for Afghanistan that might affect other post-conflict low-income economies.
Originality/value
This study focuses on affecting factors for BIM implementation in post-conflict low-income economies, using Afghanistan as a reference rather than other types of economies that have been widely studied.
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Sustainable architecture is a well-known and studied subject for severeal decades. The environmental awareness of professionals has put sustainability in the center of the…
Abstract
Sustainable architecture is a well-known and studied subject for severeal decades. The environmental awareness of professionals has put sustainability in the center of the profession of architecture and has resulted in introducing and implementing ecological designs both in the scale of buildings and cities. This article presents sustainable architecture criteria, reckons regional aspects, interprets vernacular architecture and, proposes sustainable housing unit models for Mediterranean region, specifically Cyprus. The article intends to study existing researches regarding the subject, reveals and updates key aspects on sustainable housing by focusing on the passive solar systems through proposals. The article contains proposals of an experimental and conceptual approach of a group of graduate studio course students who are architects and interior designers. The conceptual approaches of design proposals are sustainable through the usage of local materials, orientation, usage of passive solar systems, natural ventilation and lighting, hence these proposals are intended to create a diversity. In that sense, this article presents possibilities of ideal plan layouts and facades for sustainable architectural housing units in Mediterranean region, Cyprus, based on the revealed key aspects on sustainability. The originality of the article is on the design proposals that take inspiration from the characteristics of vernacular architecture, but show a contemporary approach of design.
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Mohammad S. Al-Mohammad, Ahmad Tarmizi Haron, Muneera Esa, Mohammad Numan Aloko, Yasir Alhammadi, K.S. Anandh and Rahimi A. Rahman
This study aims to empirically analyze the symmetries and asymmetries among the critical factors affecting building information modeling (BIM) implementation between countries…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to empirically analyze the symmetries and asymmetries among the critical factors affecting building information modeling (BIM) implementation between countries with different income levels. To achieve that aim, the study objectives are to identify: critical factors affecting BIM implementation in low-, lower-middle-, upper-middle- and high-income countries; overlapping critical factors between countries with different income levels; and agreements on the critical factors between countries with different income levels.
Design/methodology/approach
This study identified potential BIM implementation factors using a systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews with architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals. Then, the factors were inserted into a questionnaire survey and sent to AEC professionals in Afghanistan, India, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The collected data was analyzed using the following techniques and tests: mean, standard deviation, normalized value, Kruskal–Wallis, Dunn and Mann–Whitney.
Findings
Five critical factors overlap between all countries: “availability of guidelines for implementing BIM,” “cost-benefit of implementing BIM,” “stakeholders’ willingness to learn the BIM method,” “consistent views on BIM between stakeholders” and “existence of standard contracts on liability and risk allocation.” Also, the criticality of the factors often differs between income levels, especially between low- and high-income countries, suggesting a significant gap between low- and high-income countries in BIM implementation.
Originality/value
This study differs from prior works by empirically analyzing the symmetries and asymmetries in BIM implementation factors between countries with different income levels (i.e. low-, lower-middle-, upper-middle- and high-income countries).
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Jamal A.A. Numan and Izham Mohamad Yusoff
Due to the lack of consensus on influential variables for real estate appraisal, which varies from one country to another based on the national preferences and customs of each…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the lack of consensus on influential variables for real estate appraisal, which varies from one country to another based on the national preferences and customs of each country, this study aims to identify the most influential variables affecting condominium apartment real estate appraisal within the context of Al Bireh city, Palestine.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology adopts a cross-sectional quantitative approach, entailing the administration of an online questionnaire survey to 103 buyers and appraisers. The questionnaire aims to evaluate 32 variables concerning their impact on condominium real estate appraisal. Out of these, 25 are derived from three specific previous studies, and the remaining 7 are identified through various studies or by the authors, taking into account the local context and the geopolitical situation in Palestine. Respondents assign scores to these variables on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates less influence and 5 signifies the most influence. Variables with an arithmetic mean score exceeding 4 are deemed the most influential.
Findings
The findings underscore 16 and 17 influential variables as perceived by buyers and appraisers, respectively. Notably, 13 variables are common, including aspects such as parking, elevator, neighborhood, floor apartments, finishing quality, construction material, condition, building apartments, area, open sides, building floors, colonies and age.
Research limitations/implications
The primary constraint of this study is its dependence on insights solely from buyers and appraisers, disregarding input from other stakeholders like investors or developers. The questionnaire lacks vital respondent characteristics, such as gender and occupation, impeding the analysis of variable dependence on participant attributes. Although some additional influential variables are suggested through the responses of an open-ended question, the questionnaire is not repeated, leaving their influence unassessed. This study's focus on Al Bireh city limits the opportunity for result comparison with other cities, diminishing its generalizability.
Practical implications
The implications of this research are twofold: to provide stakeholders with a checklist for variables influencing apartment price value and to guide data collection related to the real estate appraisal sector, facilitating its use as input in advanced appraisal methods such as artificial intelligence with a view to improving overall performance. Obtaining an informed, mature and accurate appraisal has direct economic, business and financial impacts at the level of policymakers and individuals.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the inaugural endeavor in Palestine focusing on identifying pivotal factors influencing condominium apartment appraisal values. This study concludes by presenting a checklist comprising the most influential variables, offering utility to various stakeholders, including buyers, appraisers and developers. In addition, the questionnaire incorporates an open-ended question, soliciting respondents' input on additional variables they believe impact the appraisal process.
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Mehmet Numan Kaya, Oguz Uzol, Derek Ingham, Faruk Köse and Riza Buyukzeren
The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly investigate the aerodynamic effects of blade pitch angle on small scaled horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) using computational fluid…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly investigate the aerodynamic effects of blade pitch angle on small scaled horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method to find out the sophisticated effects on the flow phenomena and power performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A small HAWT is used as a reference to validate the model and examine the aerodynamic effects. The blade pitch angle was varied between +2 and −6 degrees, angles which are critical for the reference wind turbine in terms of performance, and the CFD simulations were performed at different tip speed ratio values, λ = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10.5 to cover the effects in various conditions. Results are examined in two different aspects, namely, general performance and the flow physics.
Findings
The power performance varies significantly according to the tip speed ratio; the power coefficient increases up to a certain pitch angle at the design tip speed ratio (λ = 6); however, between λ = 2 and 4, the more the blade is pitched downwards, the larger is the power coefficient, the smaller is the thrust coefficient. Similarly, for tip speed ratios higher than λ = 8, the positive effect of the low pitch angles on the power coefficient at λ = 6 reverses. The flow separation location moves close to the leading edge at low tip speed ratios when the blade is pitched upwards and the also tip vortices become more intense. In conclusion, the pitch control can significantly contribute to the performance of small HAWTs depending on different conditions.
Originality/value
In the literature, only very little attention has been paid to the aerodynamic effects of pitch angle on HAWTs, and no such study is available about the effects on small HAWTs. The change of blade pitch angle was maintained at only one degree each time to capture even the smallest aerodynamic effects, and the results are presented in terms of the power performance and flow physics.
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Saleh F.A. Khatib, Dewi Fariha Abdullah, Ahmed Elamer, Ibrahim Suleiman Yahaya and Andrews Owusu
This study aims to identify the main research development on board diversity and offers a quantitative synopsis of key themes and contributors, knowledge gaps and provides…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the main research development on board diversity and offers a quantitative synopsis of key themes and contributors, knowledge gaps and provides directions for further work.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a bibliometric analysis, the authors assess the patterns in global board diversity research based on co-occurrences of researchers’ keywords and publication outputs of 991 articles from the Scopus database. Also, the co-citation network analysis was performed to assess the intellectual structure of board diversity research.
Findings
According to the keyword analysis, the authors found that researchers focus on the gender diversity of the boardroom while ignoring the cognitive diversity and other aspects of demographic diversity such as educational, ethnic, age, nationality, experience, background and tenure, pointing to the need for further work to consider other diversity attributes and the interaction between them. Additionally, board diversity research related to (but not limited to) payout policy, cash holding, initial public offerings, small–medium enterprises and financial institutions is limited.
Originality/value
This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the development of board diversity research (using a large archival database) and identifies the common construct as well as the potential opportunities for future research directions.
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Hanwen Chen, Siyi Liu, Xin Liu and Jiani Wang
The paper aims to examine the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity of audit firms.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity of audit firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Using hand-collected data on all Chinese audit firms’ CSR activities from 2007 to 2020, this study constructs two measures to proxy for audit firms’ CSR engagement: a dummy variable to indicate whether an auditor engages in CSR activities in year t and the frequency with which auditors conduct CSR activities in year t. The authors use ordinary least squares regression as a baseline methodology, along with the entropy balancing method and instrumental variable approach to alleviate potential endogeneity concerns.
Findings
The baseline results show that socially responsible audit firms provide higher quality audit services than their counterparts. In particular, the authors find that clients audited by socially responsible audit firms are less likely to receive an aggressively clean opinion. Moreover, the findings suggest that CSR activities related to community and employees are more relevant in improving audit quality compared with those related to other dimensions of CSR. Further analyses show that capital markets and audit clients react positively to audit-firm CSR activity. Audit firms engaging in CSR increase their audit inputs in response to risky clients, as compared with their counterparts. Finally, cross-sectional analyses show that the positive relationship is more pronounced for non-Big 4 and non-industry experts and is attenuated by within-firm geographic dispersion. In terms of client characteristics, the positive effect of audit-firm CSR is stronger when their clients face the higher financial risk or have lower CSR awareness than others. Taken together, these findings are consistent with the ethical view of audit-firm CSR engagement.
Practical implications
The study advances investors’ understanding of audit-firm CSR engagement and helps them evaluate the credibility of audited financial reports. Besides, the findings may also help guide the audit firms to conduct more CSR activities and help guide the audit clients to choose CSR audit firms.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study provides the first large-sample evidence by empirically examining the association between audit-firm CSR activity and audit service performance. Besides, this paper also explores audit-firm CSR activity from two competing perspectives, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of this issue. Finally, this work responds to the call for more CSR research in emerging markets.