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In recent decades, Iranian vernacular architecture has defined the local architectural identity by demonstrating distinctive characteristics. Defining such a critical role for vernacular studies has led to different approaches in the design of the contemporary architecture of Iran. The first approach of integrating vernacular and contemporary designs has focused on local people, their needs, local construction, and building materials. The revival of vernacular architectural design and building elements has been at the forefront of this approach in Iran. However, recent use in Iran has concentrated on the symbolic/abstract reuse of vernacular building forms. Vernacular architecture is known to merely provide for the functional requirements of buildings, and not for aesthetic purposes. Conversely, in the second approach, vernacular building elements are considered to be symbols of local identity. This paper will argue that although the symbolic reuse of vernacular features may not uphold the functional expectations of the vernacular form, this reuse is useful in reviving architectural identity. In addition, underscoring such a different role for vernacular building features in contemporary architecture might help to expand the realm of vernacular studies. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the conversion of vernacular architecture in Iran by focusing on the instance of wind-catchers. Wind-catchers typically were used in residential buildings and are considered potent symbols of climate adaptation. In contemporary architecture, however, a form of wind-catcher has been used as a symbol for local architectural identity. Through this transformation, the essential nature of the wind-catcher has found new life in the contemporary architecture of Iran.

Compared with its status in Islamic history, the mosque today has become a distinctive phenomenon, perceived as an identity vessel of contemporary Islamic architecture that conveys sacred metaphysical meanings. Since the advent of modernity Muslim societies has become increasingly secularized; the relationships of the sacred–secular and the divine-based demythologized knowledge have been deformed. The mosque was glossed over as the sole contemporary sacred edifice that bears metaphysical/Islamic connotations with cultural continuity. Its architecture, meanings and function have gone through a process of metamorphosis, particularly the state mosques. The contemporary mosque as such is facing a “semiological deterioration.” State mosques today are symbolic statements and communicative messages of their rulers’ power and national sovereignty, with a subsidiary role for worship, i.e., the sacred has turned into a secular power metaphor. This led to a state semantic confusion accompanied by a loss in the deeply rooted collective cultural codes of the sacred. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the metamorphosis of the semiological connotation of the contemporary mosque, with a special focus on grand state mosques, and its effects on the architecture of the contemporary mosque.

This paper is theoretical research (no case studies included).

The metamorphosis that the contemporary mosque is experiencing today as a religious edifice with symbolic connotations and architectural iconism is but an effect of the changes that occurred in the concept of the scared and its relationship to the secular in contemporary Muslim communities, as a result of modernity. Such conceptual changes led to altering the deeply rooted cultural codes to be replaced by new intentional codes, used today as vehicles of communication in mosque architecture, especially in grand state mosques. Contemporary state mosques with its new symbolism and semantic meanings have contributed to redefining the concept of the contemporary mosque in general.

Mosque architecture today receives a significant importance. Many conferences and awards are dedicated to celebrating this phenomenon. Attempts to define the criteria and style of the contemporary mosque architecture are mounting. However, rarely there are studies that defy such attempts in a critical manner. This research seeks to criticize such approaches by highlighting the essence of the transformation in mosque architecture and its relationship to the concepts of the sacred and the secular, from a semiological perspective.

Existing tourism studies focusing on Southeast Asia often emphasize the culture, history and heritage of the region or its natural beauty and cuisine, most of which are often viewed as exotic through a Western lens. By contrast, this interdisciplinary study looks at the untapped potential for modern architectural tourism in Singapore as a fascinating and increasingly authentic way of understanding how the next generation of Singaporean residents will live in their land-scarce city-state. This study aims to highlight the importance of modern architecture as a tourism product in a globalized Asian city.

It engages with visiting architects and their local facilitator to examine the touristic potential energy of cutting-edge residential buildings in Singapore from an intra-Asian viewpoint. By also identifying practical design solutions to promote modern architectural tourism that will have a positive impact on city branding, this study opens the door for future research regarding Southeast Asia’s rapidly changing modern architecture and urban landscape, and how these can be made attractive for its important tourism industry.

The findings suggest that just as Singapore’s cultural diversity has long been viewed as a touristic asset, its authentic, escapist, exotic and spectacular contemporary residential architecture, if well managed, presented and designed, can provide a unique place for sustainable community interactions between locals and visitors, which will help Singapore develop a unique city brand attractive to architectural tourists and even repeat visitors, through a new concept for authenticity in a global city.

This cross-disciplinary study linking tourism and architecture explores modern architectural tourism in Singapore, specifically in relation to residential buildings where locals and visitors can interact.

This paper aims to expose the direct and indirect impacts of changing culture and society principles on the built environment, architectural scene and practice. Studying culture-architecture forceful formula in present-day Iraq, as not previously discussed, reveals how cultural shift affects the public image of architectural form, uses and activity system, thus how latter issues highlight or predict society deterioration or collapse.

Comparing and analysing past and contemporary works, highlighting strange values emerged later, personal survey and observing house forms, in-depth interviews, photos and architectural drawings are a set of methodological tools used in approaching research main objective.

Findings include two mutual systematic approaches. The first is to define, acknowledge and understand previous criteria, while the second is to disclose responsible authorities and institutions and their role in addition to necessary procedures to correct or minimize the impact of various changes on the contemporary architectural situation.

Contemporary Iraqi society and culture have been dealt with as distorted and destructive, where various unacceptable values describe its current image compared to the noble form of the inherited. As a true expression and a visible manifestation of culture with which it interacts, degraded architecture and urbanism in contemporary Iraq provide an accurate picture of the current state of society, its values, principles and beliefs.

The ideology of “Local Architecture” was about the religious experience, social and cultural interpretations non-awareness, and solutions for environmental and social problems. This case aims at producing a compatible architecture for this society. The problem of the paper deals with the absence of the local heritage in contemporary architecture. Most of our buildings reflect western ideologies, and use the local vocabulary, as has happened in most of the Arab architecture, that deals directly with a language of shapes to create compatibility with the public. Hence, the aim of the paper is to link the variables that the contemporary architecture formulated with concepts of local architecture. To meet such aims, the research is pivot around two themes: Firstly, tackling how to extract the forces that lead to the contemporariness of local heritage and formalize the DNA of any local community (Culture, Community Aspiration, Climate, and Technology), as well as discussing some experience that dealt with local architecture. Secondly, discussing some recent trials that learned from the previous attempts through history. The attempts strongly re-activate the local architecture in the contemporary challenges, namely, the use of heritage forms as is to conform to environmental determinants, development of these forms using contemporary materials through the visions of local architecture, and employing high-tech solutions to achieve contemporary appropriateness within traditional ideologies. In the end, the paper presents new ideas of the local architecture that learned from the previous experiences in our Arab societies to meet the needs of today's Arab societies.

This research purpose was to explore the meaning of historicism, architectural historicism, the architectural attributes, design principles, elements and ornamentations of churches in medieval Western architecture, and how they were reflected in contemporary churches' design in Jordan.

This research used the historical descriptive–interpretive qualitative research method. Around 24 Western medieval churches were selected, studied and analyzed to explore the common design attributes of each historical era. The design attributes of each era were segmented under three categories: Design principles (plans' typology, facades, shapes, details, composition and building form), design elements (openings, towers and entrances) and ornamentation (sculptures, paintings and interior decoration). Additionally, three modern Jordanian churches were analyzed using the same method to compare with the historical churches through personal observations, field trips, researchers' memories, site visits, archival records, plans, images, books, slides, details and note-making. Different types of evidence were used, such as determinate, contextual and inferential. In addition, different tactics for analysis were used in analyzing the historical churches: site familiarity, use of existing documents, virtual and visual inspection and comparison with conditions elsewhere. Credibility was achieved when the results were reviewed and compared with the original and similar information.

Early Christian design principles, elements and ornamentations were reflected in Jordanian churches more than in Byzantine, Renaissance, Romanesque and Gothic. The design principles of Western medieval architecture were reflected in the selected Jordanian churches more than in ornamentation and design elements. Moreover, this research found that the highest reflection of Western medieval architecture on Jordanian churches was in designing the plans, which is a basilica with a central nave and aisles followed by opening styles, façade, shapes, entrances design, composition, painting and the minimum reflection was in sculptures. Additionally, there was no reflection on tower design and interior decoration.

This research encourages architects to enhance architectural historicism by focusing on historical styles in contemporary designs and using design elements, principles and decorations of historical styles in medieval architecture to enrich the variety and originality of architectural design and create new modern stylistic architecture. Architectural historicism increases historical self-awareness and helps a generation of architects to answer the question: In what style should be built.

Learning the design principles, not copying the past, is becoming a trend for most architects. Architectural historicism introduces new temporal elements, gives a new meaning and primary function to architecture to become socio-temporal and contextual contrast and reflects the essential points of references of the past through design methodology to express the present. The advantage of this research is to put an end to architects' role in syncretism and subjectivism. Instead, historicism architects equipped with the necessary knowledge and supported by the published research and inventors of historical architecture, can choose, imitate, adapt, borrow and use the correct historical forms that originated in a given period.

The Tourist Gaze has been debated, reimagined and applied to a variety of actors and settings. This paper helps investigate how contemporary architecture operates as subject and participant in gazing practices.

Using Yelp reviews of art museums in a regional US city, a thematic analysis of text reviews and image uploads was conducted.

Reviewers do refer to buildings as objects of the gaze; but they also connect their experience of the building to emotions and to actions and use the building to orient themselves spatially. This article demonstrates that contemporary buildings are important components of tourist experiences as objects of the gaze, but also as frames for gazing and as stages for tourist practices.

The research implications are both topical and methodological: the paper demonstrates that contemporary (neo-modern) architecture is a vibrant avenue of research, and that social networking sites are a promising potential source of data for studying architecture in the social field.

This research uses an underexplored data set, Yelp reviews, to capture what people pay attention to and think others will find interesting about architecture. It also adds important layers to studies on the tourist gaze. First, it emphasizes that architecture is important to tourists not only as an object of the gaze but also as a site for affective experience, action and daily life. Second, it addresses some building styles beyond the historical ones that are foundational to the idea of the tourist gaze.

Adopting Mapping Literature, the purpose of this study is to notice the tendency in defining contextualism through extrinsic aspects neglecting the intrinsic ones generating three theoretical gaps in understanding contextualism, especially in terms of (1) physical/cultural aspects (P/C); (2) traditional vs contemporary architecture (T/C); and (3) place identity (PI).

A directed systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to investigate the Web of Science and Google Scholar engines for the related studies, resulting in 66 texts of book chapters, conferences, articles and practitioners’ texts. Using the PRISMA reporting method, the study presented the SLR procedure that narrowed the related studies to 66 texts of book chapters, conferences, articles and practitioners’ texts. Both consensus and debates in understanding the relation between contextualism and (T/C, P/C and PI) were re-visited (see Appendix).

According to the findings, the studies tend to address contextualism through either extrinsic or intrinsic values. The undefined balance between extrinsic and intrinsic aspects in understanding and creating contextual architecture seems to be the common reason why the three theoretical gaps exist.

This paper did not only conduct an SLR investigation on the topic, which is limited in the field, but it also highlighted the need for further and constant discussions despite the previous one to improve the understanding of contextual architecture.

This paper explores the genre of flexible architecture - buildings that are intended to respond to changing situations in their use, operation, or location. This is architecture that adapts rather than stagnates; responds to change rather than rejects it; is motive rather than static. It is a design form that is by its essence cross-disciplinary and multi-functional and consequently, is frequently innovative and expressive of contemporary design issues. By revealing its basis and the factors that are determining its development, the value and relevancy of flexible architecture to contemporary problems associated with technological, social and economic change can be revealed.

The characteristics of flexible architecture are explored by examining the design decisions that lead to culturally responsive buildings. It examines the underlying factors that generate a sense of place and why traditional and historic building patterns have been successful in creating genuinely adaptable architecture. It relates the characteristics of flexible architecture to Open Building principles and examines the effect that such design can have within the different levels in the built environment. The paper focuses special attention on contemporary architecture by examining the recent work of the Japanese architect Toyo Ito, in particular his recently completed Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Based on conversation with the designer and first-hand study of the building, the specific factors that make this new design a valuable resource in the search for flexible architecture strategies are explored.

This paper expands on the author's previous research into the foundation areas of this topic, in particular the genre of portable architecture, the impact of technology on the development of architectural form, and the development of experimental and innovative house design in the twentieth century. Its subject is expanded in his forthcoming book Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change to be published by Laurence King, London, in 2006.

From the 19th century onwards, glass has been used intensively in buildings. During the design process, the importance of aesthetics is very common for architects in general. The application of glass walls as part of the building’s structure has given flexibility in design together with transparency as well as aesthetics.

Structural glass systems have been used in different building types for example office, residential, educational, commercial, transportation, cultural … Beyond the high - rise and high - tech buildings, structural glass systems have been applied also to historic buildings during their conservation process. The adaption of the structural glass system and the opportunity to reuse the existing building are other important aspects to be discussed.

In this article, the literature review will be formed with a brief explanation of transparency in contemporary architecture, structural glass systems focusing on ‘suspended glass systems with pre-stressed cable trusses’ (SGSPCT) which has three application methods; 1) between floor systems 2) independent body systems 3) distance bridging systems and the reusability of existing buildings. The ‘between floor system’ which is commonly used as a contemporary solution technique for historic buildings together with its effects, will also be analysed with the help of a case study, Esma Sultan Mansion. This historic building’s present glass structure will be studied to create an alternative proposal less dependent to the existing building. Another case study will be the Ballapais Abbey. Part of this gothic building (the common room) that has collapsed in the past will be analysed. An independent glass structured annex designed with SGSPCT will be proposed giving joint details of the adaptation to the existing building. This case of study is a literature analysis based on books, internet resources, articles and architectural drawings, like plans, sections and details related to the buildings. Both case studies will be proposing an alternative glass structured annex that is focusing on gained transparency and reusability in respect to the existing historic building.