As the main concern in sustainability is consideration to climatic conditions, climatically compatible design is the closest way of getting the maximum advantage of renewable sources of energy, while at the same time the design minimizes the undesirable effects of the construction in the environment and causes coordination with sustainability. From this point of view, the Bushehr traditional fabric, which is located in northern side of the Persian Gulf shore in south of Iran, is distinguished as a city with a unique vernacular architecture and climatically adapted urban design. Climatic design in Bushehr traditional city is seen in several characteristics including urban morphology and urban orientation, as well as architectural design and architectural elements of buildings such as Shenashir. The main reason of using all these solutions and strategies in vernacular architecture of Bushehr was to be adapted to climatic condition (a hot and humid climate) and therefore using the environmental potential to provide comfort for its occupants, which are the main purposes of sustainable development. As a result, this research attends to investigate these climatic solutions and their advantages as an idea to develop and use in contemporary architecture in order to reach sustainability. To this end, qualitative methodology based on a descriptive-interpretative approach is applied in this research for analyzing appropriate climatic solutions in vernacular architecture of Bushehr.

There is an increasing volume of literature on the positive effects of outdoor natural landscapes on health and well-being. However, to date, there is a paucity of research on the effect of outdoor natural landscapes designed for people with dementia living in long-term care (LTC) facilities, in particular, those which have incorporated the characteristics of a dementia-friendly environment (DFE). This narrative literature review synthesizes current knowledge on the effect of outdoor natural landscape design, which is aligned with the characteristics of a DFE, to improve agitation, apathy and engagement of people with dementia living in LTC facilities. The reviewed studies predominantly support the positive effects of outdoor natural landscapes on agitation, apathy and engagement of people with dementia. However, there are concerns about the methodological approaches, principles incorporated in the applied outdoor natural landscapes' designs, and the environmental assessment. Further rigorous research is required to understand the impact of the outdoor natural landscapes, with the application of DFE characteristics in the design, on agitation, apathy and engagement of people with dementia living in LTC facilities.

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Background: There is a paucity of evidence on the efficacy of garden design based on dementia-friendly environment (DFE) characteristics on the level of agitation, apathy, and engagement of people with dementia in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Objective: To investigate the effect of a garden improved according to DFE characteristics on agitation, apathy, and engagement of people with dementia in one RACF. Methods: A case study design with a mixed-method approach was used. Results: There was no significant improvement in the level of participants’ agitation following visits to the improved garden, χ2(2) = 5.167, p = .076. A high level of engagement was found in participants during the intervention (Week 1-1, p < .01; Week 1-2, p < .01; Week 2, p < .01; Week 3, p < .05; and Week 4, p < .05) when compared to before intervention (Week 0). A higher level of apathy was found in participants at Week 0 when compared to during the intervention (Week 1-1, p < .05; Week 1-2, p < .01; Week 2, p < .05; Week 3, p < .01; and Week 4, p < .01). Five themes emerged from participant interviews: the presence of sensory-provoking elements in the garden, meaningful engagement in the garden, accessibility of the garden, garden impacts, and garden experiences that demonstrated the effectiveness of the garden. Conclusions: The garden promoted engagement and decreased apathy of people with dementia living in the RACF with the researcher’s partial facilitation of the intervention sessions. The qualitative findings indicated the effectiveness of the garden in reducing agitation.

The Bushehr city (Iran) had been the center of attention in different historical periods by foreign countries and central government due to political and economic strategic position in Persian Gulf. The situation and condition of Bushehr, especially in Qajar era, caused that the city encountered the changes and reformations as a result of both inner and outer factors. So, the modernism process occurred in this city not long after it had emerged in Europe. So that, some buildings were built in the city which contained the features of modernism. This research, at first, introduces the former consulate of Britain (Sabzabad edifice) and discovers when the building was built based on a historical-interpretative method. After that, the principals of modern architecture are explained from the different theorists' stand point and also the characteristics of early modern architecture in Iran are explained. Finally, by describing the Bushehr condition in the early arrival of modernism, a qualitative and adaptive comparison has been done between Sabzabad architectural mechanism and the principals of modern architecture and its features in Iran. Thus, Sabzabad edifice is regarded as one of the first samples of modern architecture in Iran. The results of this research demonstrate the political, economic and also the architectural status of Bushehr city in the process of modernism in Iran which has been neglected by researchers and historians thus far.