Nakhara: Journal of Environmental Design and Planning

Automating Dynamic Scaffolding Construction Progress Tracking Using Deep Learning-based Semantic Image Segmentation

2025-10-04T16:33:23+07:00

Scaffolding plays a critical role in construction by providing safe access to elevated work areas, yet it is often overlooked in progress monitoring and omitted from reports and building information models (BIM) due to its temporary and dynamic nature. This study presents a deep learning–based semantic segmentation system for tracking scaffolding installation progress, distinguishing between scaffolding with and without safety sheets. A custom dataset of annotated site images was used to train the model, and performance was evaluated on both validation and test sets. The system achieved real-time processing speeds of 33.81 Frame Per Second (FPS) (validation) and 31.28 FPS (test), with mean Average Precision scores of 0.496 and 0.480, respectively. Class-specific results showed consistently higher accuracy for scaffolding with safety sheets, with peak Intersection over Union (IoU) values exceeding 93% in a case study time point. Two multi-time point construction case studies demonstrated the system’s robustness across varying site conditions. An automatic mask modification algorithm was applied to address missed detections, improving IoU by up to 3.10% in challenging scenarios. The calculated progress, based on segmented masks and predefined building boundaries, was compared with groundtruth measurements, confirming the system’s capability for quantitative progress tracking. Results indicate that scaffolding with safety sheets is more reliably detected, while detection of scaffolding without sheets remains more challenging. The proposed method offers a practical tool for reducing inspection workload, improving safety compliance, and enabling more comprehensive progress tracking in construction projects, particularly in scenarios where scaffolding installation is a major operational activity.

Fiction of Form: Beaux-Arts as Projective Grammar in Yang Tingbao’S Architecture (1930–1981)

2025-11-16T22:51:13+07:00

This article proposes “fiction of form” to examine how architectural form mediates ideological pressures from institutional mandates, state imperatives, and professional discourse while sustaining cultural resonance in China (1930–1981). Through a comparative reading of plans, elevations, and spatial sequences, the article traces how Yang’s Beaux-Arts–inspired design principles were adapted across three Chinese political regimes, as evidenced by Tsinghua University Library Extension (1930), Peace Hotel (Beijing, 1951), and Wuyi Hotel (Fujian, 1981). Respectively, these cases demonstrate institutional legibility achieved through axial order and hierarchical sequencing in the Republican Period (1912–1949); functional alignment via compositional neutrality and façade discipline under early PRC state imperatives (1950s–1960s); and cultural resonance achieved through courtyard sequencing and calibrated thresholds in the Reform era (after 1978). The study situates Yang’s work within debates on non-Western modernism and reframes formalism as rhetorical instrumentation rather than aesthetic autonomy. It argues for further research into how architectural form—particularly when derived from Beaux-Arts traditions—can function rhetorically in shaping meaning across diverse geopolitical contexts.

Quantifying the Restorative Effects of Green–Water–Hardscape Ratios: Evidence from a Simulated Landscape Experiment in Chiang Mai

2026-02-26T07:47:22+07:00

Modern life presents significant stressors that negatively impact mental well-being. While the importance of mental health is increasingly recognized, effective stress management strategies are still crucial. This study explores the potential of landscape perception as a natural intervention to enhance proximal restorative outcomes. By investigating the physiological and psychological responses of individuals to diverse landscape stimuli, we aim to understand how specific combinations of landscape elements (e.g., green spaces, water features) can promote psychological restoration. The study design intended to collect psychological and physiological (heart rate and blood pressure) responses, measured before and after stress-inducing tests and landscape exposure. Scores from self-reported questionnaires were collected from 140 participants (n = 140) exposed to seven virtual landscape scenarios with varying proportions of green (G: vegetation), water (W: blue infrastructure), and hardscape (H: pathways, seating, shelters) elements. Results revealed that balanced landscapes (e.g., MMM: 0.33/0.33/0.33) and nature-dominated landscapes with low hardscape (MML: 0.45/0.45/0.1) elicited the strongest positive responses across all psychological dimensions (aesthetic preference, comfort, concentration, and behavioral preference). In contrast, hardscape-dominated landscapes (LLH: 0.1/0.1/0.8) consistently performed the poorest. While physiological measures showed general stress reduction across all scenarios, no statistically significant differences were found between GWH compositions. This study investigates how the relative proportions of landscape elements significantly affects perceived restoration and preference, although short-term physiological differences are negligible. These results could guide the development of evidence-based interventions and design strategies utilizing the sustainable way to improve restorative experiences for individuals and communities.

“Para-Para Api”: Vernacular Architecture of Nutmeg Farmers’ Settlements in the Banda Islands, Maluku, Indonesia

2026-02-10T14:24:54+07:00

This article examines the Para-Para Api (PPA), a modest yet enduring form of vernacular architecture developed by nutmeg-farming households in the Banda Islands, Maluku. While spice-route scholarship has largely focused on palaces, forts, and trading ports, little attention has been given to the everyday structures that sustain nutmeg production. The study investigates the architectural characteristics and socio-cultural roles of the PPA, particularly how vernacular building practices adapted influences from colonial-era smokehouses within a household-scale context. Using qualitative methods that combine field surveys, architectural documentation, and semi-structured interviews with nutmeg farmers across several Bandanese settlements, the research analyzes construction techniques, spatial organization, and typological variations. The findings show that PPAs are typically small rectangular structures located beside or behind the main house, allowing smoke from nutmeg roasting to disperse while remaining integrated with domestic activity. They commonly use locally available materials such as timber frames, bamboo drying racks (para-para), earthen or concrete floors, and zinc or palm-leaf roofing. Most structures follow a two-level configuration with a fire chamber below and elevated drying platforms above, while larger examples may include wood storage or cooking spaces. Beyond their utilitarian role in nutmeg preservation, PPAs also function as spaces that express household autonomy and cultural continuity within Bandanese farming communities.

The Radiation Oncology Department: Design Guidelines, Implementation Challenges, and Lessons Learned in Thai Public Hospitals

2026-02-18T22:46:46+07:00

The radiation oncology department (ROD) is a specialized healthcare unit utilizing advanced radiation technologies to deliver precise cancer treatment, which demand complex coordination of space, safety, and multidisciplinary workflows. Although several ROD design guidelines exist, they are tailored to developed economies, remain piecemeal, and lack comprehensive feedback from practitioners in other socio-cultural conditions regarding their implementation process, difficulties, and outcomes. This research thus (1) synthesizes ROD design guidelines, (2) investigates the implementation challenges, and (3) collects insights and experiences from healthcare professionals involved in ROD operations. A mixed-method approach is employed, incorporating literature review, construction drawing analysis, site visits, and follow-up interviews. It reveals significant design and operational challenges, e.g., overcrowded waiting areas, limited spatial flexibility, constrained resources, differing workflow patterns, and context-specific user behaviors, complicating the direct application of international guidelines. It then offers tentative design guidance, e.g., zoning strategies aligned with treatment stages, flexible and sufficiently sized spaces, clear circulation routes separating staff and patient flows, spatial depth to support privacy and safety, and functional adjacencies that enhance procedural flow and interdisciplinary collaboration. This research serves as a foundation for context-responsive ROD design in Thailand and other similar settings. Future research should expand the case study pool, apply post-occupancy evaluations, explore patient experiences, and implement codesign models.

The Felt City: Sensory–Cognitive Mapping of Urban Atmospheres in İzmir, Turkey

2026-01-28T08:38:48+07:00

This study investigates the multi-sensory atmospheric qualities of two pedestrian corridors in İzmir, Turkey—Kıbrıs Şehitleri Avenue and Bornova Street—and examines how sensory input interacts with emotional and cognitive processes in shaping urban experience. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines an online questionnaire (n = 120) for case selection with in-situ aesthetic fieldwork based on guided walks and semi-structured elicitation (n = 20). The analytical framework is based on Böhme’s concept of atmosphere generators and is further extended through the notion of moodmosphere to capture cognitive–affective interpretations such as memory, attachment, and personal associations. Within this framework, the felt city is understood as an urban condition shaped through the interplay of sensory, cognitive, and affective processes.

The findings reveal a fragmented yet meaningful sensory landscape across both corridors. Visual stimuli emerge as the dominant mode of perception, while auditory and tactile inputs play a secondary role, and olfactory and gustatory cues appear more selectively. Rather than operating independently, sensory inputs are frequently mediated by memory and emotional associations, indicating that urban atmospheres are not only sensed but also cognitively and affectively constructed. Based on these findings, the study proposes a sensory–cognitive mapping approach that integrates subjective experiential data with systematically coded spatial observations. This approach contributes to expanding the understanding of the urban image beyond visually oriented models and supports the development of more integrated, multi-sensory design strategies that strengthen cognitive anchoring and place identity.

Interchangeable Sensorial Encounters With Nature in Older Adults’ Domestic Space in Indonesia

2025-11-25T09:54:01+07:00

This study investigates how older individuals encounter nature through sensorial contact in their domestic settings. It argues that nature should be integrated into the older adults’ domestic spaces to foster connections with nature that promote active living and improve their well-being. Such interactions with nature are captured by understanding the relationships between the degrees of connection with nature: viewing nature, being in nature, and doing in nature. This study was conducted through field observations and interviews with 24 older adults with varying physical capacities and levels of independence across 15 households in Jakarta and West Java. It further maps the nature-related elements within households and reveals the trajectories of sensorial engagements among older adults, nature, and the surrounding domestic space. This study redefines nature in six roles: as an image, object, surface, threshold, living being, and space. Such roles were defined based on the elements of nature found in the domestic space. Furthermore, this study reveals how sensorial contact with nature is understood through their actions towards nature, particularly in personalizing their domestic space, by replicating, ordering, and caring for nature. It is found that degrees of connection with nature, from viewing to being to doing, are embedded in how older adults interact with nature and must be considered in developing spatial design for older adults' domestic settings to promote active living by incorporating nature elements into domestic space design.

Integrating Bangkok’s Western Canals for Micro-Mobility and Last-Mile Connectivity: A Spatial Analysis of Man-Powered Paddle-Boat Movement

2026-02-25T12:46:29+07:00

This study presents an intentionally extreme analytical scenario to expose gaps in urban mobility planning by evaluating the potential of Bangkok’s western canal system to function as vernacular micro-mobility infrastructure for last-mile connectivity. The research provides the first empirical survey of canal-based mobility conducted using self-owned, man-powered paddle boats operated by local residents, generating primary data on everyday waterborne movement. Using geotagged field surveys and GIS-based spatial analysis, the study maps boat activity, access landings, navigability constraints, and connectivity to public transport. The results reveal concentrated corridors of active vernacular mobility alongside extensive segments constrained by sedimentation, fragmented hydrology, and inadequate access infrastructure. These patterns expose persistent spatial inequalities and weak integration between canal routes and the urban transport network. The findings position paddle-boat use as a form of vernacular micro-mobility with latent potential for low-carbon last-mile connectivity in peri-urban Bangkok, while underscoring that effective integration depends less on distance feasibility than on access-landing standards, hydrological management, and coordinated multimodal governance.