It is known that the elderly usually spend the last years of their lives indoors, with little contact with others and the outside environment. Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) conditions related to lighting, air quality, thermal comfort, and acoustics directly affect their quality of life. In this study, the main focus is on the design of institutional care rooms for elderly people to create an indoor comfort. However, considering all four factors of IEQ in one model is a challenging task. A multi-objective problem is formulated based on a weighted sum of IEQ components in a parametric modelling environment using computational design methods. Several simulation tools are utilised, and a Self-Adaptive Ensemble Differential Evolution Algorithm is proposed to tackle this complex problem. The results show that optimal ranges for each IEQ component are achieved, with average values reaching 72% of the ideal benchmarks after the algorithm is converged. Results reveal strong correlations between IEQ components. This significant improvement in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) demonstrates the efficacy of the optimisation algorithm used. This study emphasises the flexibility and relevance of these findings for wider implementation in similar settings.

Public spaces have a significant impact on social interactions and community dynamics, particularly during times of disruption and change. This study investigates the role of public space in fostering community resilience. It introduces a conceptual framework to identify the attributes and characteristics of public space that support or hinder the social environment, in the context of community resilience. Through an interdisciplinary narrative literature review, the research examines how social dynamics—particularly communal interactions and activities—are influenced by spatial features and how these contribute to a community’s adaptive capacity during crises. The findings highlight that public spaces act as vital community infrastructure, facilitating community networks and fostering connections between people and place, all of which are key components of community resilience. As such, the research highlights the importance of recognizing various spaces within the public domain with these attributes, while emphasizing the significance of diverse public spaces to nurture communities and support their resilience. More so, by integrating public spaces into broader networks, the study suggests that fostering belonging, identification, and reinforcing essential structures enhance community resilience, transcending the role of conventional public spaces concepts.

ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning

Many interior spaces in cities, freely available to all citizens, are classified as public because they belong to people. Interiors are a part of the public spaces where urban culture is formed, and socio-spatial change is observed, and they have an important place in the formation of the identity of the place. In an urban setting, meanings as well as spatial components, events, and activities, which are the values that make the identity of the place unique, are a distinctive feature. This research investigates the qualities and elements of meaning, which is a component of place identity, and its effects on interior identity in the context of public/urban interiors. Thus, the importance of meaning and its effects on spatial identity are explained in more detail. In the study, as a case analysis, the Kızlarağası Inn, located in İzmir Kemeraltı Bazaar, was determined as a semi-open public interior, and its immediate environs surroundings as an urban interior. Data obtained through fieldwork, surveys and interviews were analyzed to determine the combination of meanings and indicators of public/urban interiors. As a result of the study, it has been seen that physical and social environments are effective in the formation of place identity in public/urban interiors. In summary, people’s sensory experiences that create individual and group meanings, attachments, place-related intentions, and memories are effective in the formation of place identity.