Nakhara: Journal of Environmental Design and Planning

Participatory Statutory Frameworks and the Formulation of Local Heritage Conservation Plans: Legal Models and Comparative Case Studies

Kannika Sanguansintukul — 2026-07-31

This article examines statutory frameworks and participatory processes in local heritage conservation planning, with a particular focus on comparative legal structures and institutional arrangements for public participation. It explores how value-based conservation principles, community engagement, and legal systems can be integrated to promote meaningful and empowered participation. The study identifies and analyzes three comparative statutory models in a global context—the Mediated Model, Cohesive Model, and Constrained Model—each representing a distinct approach to the interaction among heritage, planning, and local government legislation. The analysis then draws on case studies from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, examining in detail the formulation of local conservation plans and their associated mechanisms, instruments, and actors. The findings indicate that inclusive and effective conservation planning depends on the extent to which legal systems balance authority between central and local governments, institutionalize participation through statutory provisions, and support community involvement throughout the planning process. In doing so, the article contributes to urban heritage governance scholarship by demonstrating how statutory participatory conservation planning can move beyond procedural consultation toward substantive community agency in shaping conservation outcomes. On this basis, the article develops three interrelated conceptual strategies as the theoretical pillars of its conclusion: Integrated Participatory Legal Framework, which emphasizes cross-sectoral and central–local legal integration; Mobilizing Participatory Processes, which focuses on the procedural activation of mechanisms, instruments, and actors in plan formulation; and Active Legal Empowerment, which advances participation as both a legal and governance outcome through direct community engagement. Together, these strategies provide a conceptual basis for strengthening the legitimacy and sustainability of statutory participatory conservation planning.

Outside-the-Office Environments as Innovation Enablers: Spatial Behavior and Psychological Outcomes in Thailand Science Park

Tipsuda Janjamlah — 2026-07-31

In a dynamic shift transforming modern workplaces, science parks are now embracing vibrant semi-public and outdoor spaces that spark collaboration, ignite creativity, and elevate employee well-being from the moment one steps onto the campus. However, the presence of such spaces does not automatically translate into behavioral use or innovation-related benefits. This study investigates how outside-the-office environments contribute to innovation-related psychological outcomes among knowledge workers, with particular attention to the mediating role of spatial behavior. Using Thailand Science Park as an empirical case of a campus-based innovation environment, the research examines how everyday spatial practices influence work engagement, creativity, and work well-being. A quantitative research design was employed, combining spatial case analysis with survey data from 262 knowledge workers. Data was analyzed using multivariate statistics and structural equation modeling. Results reveal that moderate daily exposure (1–2 hours) to outside-the-office spaces significantly enhanced creativity and well-being, while heavy reliance on formal offices constrained these states. Informal exchange was the only activity directly predicting creativity and engagement. Importantly, the results highlight spatial behavior as a systemic mediating mechanism through which designed environmental affordances become realized experiential outcomes. The findings suggest that semi-public and outdoor areas should be designed as functional extensions of the workplace, emphasizing climate-sensitive courtyards and socially permeable, circulation-integrated micro-restoration spaces. In hot-humid science park contexts, such strategies can unlock underutilized spaces and support innovation-oriented work environments.

Computational Hygrothermal Analysis of External Wall Behavior in Naturally Ventilated and Air-conditioned Historical Buildings in Thailand

Sarin Pinich — 2026-07-31

Moisture in historical buildings has long been a significant problem in Thailand, causing damage to structural elements, wall materials, and indoor air quality. While some issues are attributed to inherited structural systems, many result from changes in space use, particularly the introduction of air-conditioning, which alters hygrothermal performance. This study examines heat and moisture transfer in historical buildings using computational hygrothermal analysis (WUFI), comparing air-conditioned and naturally ventilated cases, with and without wall-cutting interventions, in Thailand’s hot-humid climate. The results present the average water content (kg/m³) in exterior walls across three upper sections and one lower section under both conditions. The findings indicate that in air-conditioned historical buildings, water content in the middle and bottom sections of the upper exterior wall is influenced by dry, lower-temperature indoor conditions. The reduced relative humidity of conditioned air promotes higher evaporation, lowering the damp rise height and reducing water content by 2.83 and 5.13 kg/m³ in the middle and bottom sections of the upper wall, respectively, compared with naturally ventilated cases. The air-conditioning system has only a slight effect on the hygrothermal behavior of retrofitted walls after wall-cutting interventions, with an approximately 2 kg/m³ higher water content across all upper sections in the conditioned case compared with the naturally ventilated case. Meanwhile, wall cutting has a greater effect in unconditioned spaces, with larger reductions in water content above the cut but increased moisture below due to redistribution.

Comparison of Horizontal and Vertical Natural Ventilation Strategies in Urban Townhouses

Chalermwat Tantasavasdi — 2026-07-31

This research proposes horizontal and vertical natural ventilation strategies for upper-floor bedrooms of typical townhouse buildings, aiming to solve problems caused by single-sided ventilation and wind obstruction from adjacent buildings in housing development projects. A comparative study of ventilation performance was conducted for various building scenarios using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation under four design-strategy variables, two wind directions, two different street widths, and two townhouse layout types, totaling 32 cases. The results show that the bedrooms of typical townhouses have very low air movement through the average indoor air velocity coefficient (Cv_i = 0.01–0.03) and very low airflow rate through the product of air velocity coefficient at openings and inlet area (Cv_o × A = 0.01–0.04) values, especially in second-floor bedrooms with single-sided ventilation. Vertical and horizontal ventilation strategies can slightly increase the Cv_i, while significantly improving the Cv_o × A values, enabling indoor air quality to meet the required ventilation criteria. The one-way wind catcher provides the highest values in Cv_o × A (0.08–0.13), followed by the two-way wind catcher (Cv_o × A = 0.04–0.13), and then the horizontal ventilation strategy (Cv_o × A = 0.04–0.11). From comparing the influence of the four variables on the ventilation performance of townhouses, the design-strategy variable has the greatest impact on increasing Cv_i and Cv_o × A values, followed by wind direction, and then street width and layout type, which have similar levels of influence. The findings ultimately give a comprehensive set of guidelines for townhouse design in urban conditions.