Various heritage buildings around the world are currently undergoing a process of reuse. However, reuse selection of such properties is difficult due to the differing opinions of those involved. Sustainable building conservation can be hastened by an appropriate reuse selection evaluation procedure. The objective of this study is to develop an inclusive methodology based on varying pertinent issues for the optimum adaptive reuse selection of heritage buildings. The reuse selection criteria are identified through the Delphi Method (DM) with fuzzy logic theory, which is used in the Analytic Network Process (ANP) model. Khan Al-Wakalah is applied as a case study to demonstrate the implementation of ANP in Palestine. The findings show that there is a marked link between the criteria. These factors have great importance and should be further considered in the evaluation and selection processes. These criteria allows those at the decision making level to familiarise themselves with the complex relationships between the different traits of the problems in reuse selection, thus making it easier for the decisions to be accepted by all concerned.
Universities are important innovation hubs for sustainable development. As universities worldwide are striving to provide conducive living and learning environments for their students and staff, the mobility of campus users is one of the challenges that have to be overcome immediately. In order to understand the issues of campus mobility, this study was conducted to evaluate a component of mobility, i.e. its walkability features and potential. The location of this study was in Universiti Malaya. We divided the study in two stages: 1. Students’ surveys to find out their perceptions on the features, potential and policy on walkability. 2. Direct observations and measurements of the existing walkability conditions (vehicular and pedestrian circulation and the street elements that constitute a walkable environment). The main findings were as follows: Most students perceived the overall walkability environment at UM did not give them a positive walking experience on campus. Street elements that are user-friendly were found to be lacking although there existed some positive ones, e.g. traffic calming devices especially at pedestrian crossing area. Although this is a case study of UM, we feel that the issues are of general interest to other university campuses, especially those located in major cities and having the same organizational structure. We would therefore recommend university management to conduct periodical campus walkability evaluation and to take the user’s perceptions seriously so as to provide better adaptation solutions to their campus sustainability projects.
This article presents lessons learned from a design project that explored the possibility of incorporating waste into the design of a school prototype. The authors worked with professional architects, a waste artist, environmental scientists and local waste operators to uncover new uses and applications for discarded items. As a result, bottles, aluminium cans, reclaimed doors, crushed concrete and second-hand bricks, etc. were identified, explored and integrated into the architectural design. This article serves as a catalyst that advocates the use of reclaimed materials in the field of design and planning. In particular, it highlights the challenges and issues that need to be addressed in carrying out design work with waste. Designers and practitioners interested in minimizing waste generation by proposing the use of reclaimed materials will find this article useful.
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