Thermal comfort plays a significant role in encouraging people to utilize outdoor spaces. Therefore, this feature must be analyzed and evaluated in order to be improvised. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an alternative technique that predicts thermal comfort and environmental parameters. Validation of CFD is important to ensure its effectiveness. This study assessed the performance of ENVI-met for its ability to estimate thermal indices (PET) by comparing it to field measurement for various points in a street canyon in Port Said, Egypt, throughout the summer and winter seasons. Except for the limited air velocity correlation, the results presented very good agreement, particularly with respect to the final results of the PET visually curved and numerical values, with an index of agreement value ranging from 0.81 to 0.95. The study's conclusions concern the use of the ENVI-met simulation model as a tool for assessing outdoor thermal comfort. Highlights Abbreviations: Environmental parameters; Ta; Air temperature; Tmrt; Mean radiant temperature; RH; Relative humidity; Va; Air velocity; Thermal comfort indices; PMV; Predicted mean vote; r; PPD; Predicted percentage of dissatisfaction; PET; Physiological Equivalent Temperature; UTCI; Universal Thermal Climate; UCB; University of California-Berkeley; ETU; universal effective temperature; Simulation Software; CFD; Computational fluid dynamics; UCB; University of California-Berkeley; LES; Large Eddy Simulation; RANS; Reynolds Averaged Navier Stoke; Error calculations; r; Pearson correlation coefficient; R2; Coefficient of determination; RMSE; Root Mean Squared Error; MAE; Mean Absolute Error; IA; Index of agreement; ASHRAE; American Society of Heating; Refrigeration; and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Purpose: The present work reviews the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on architecture education (AE), with the aim of discussing the interaction and integration of technology-based models.Design/methodology/approach: Different research methods were used to achieve the research purposes including an online survey, semistructured interviews, observations and reviewing recent literature. The study proposes a theoretical framework to investigate blended learning (BL) approaches in AE, based on the blended teaching–learning continuum, the growth of online delivery mode and technology integration and the gradual responsibility adopted for the current Covid-19 pandemic.Findings: The study proposes a vision to reimagine post-Covid-19 education and the required BL strategy to provide a theoretical framework that integrates the instructional models required to be investigated by instructors.Research limitations/implications: The research findings are based on a theoretical approach not tested practically. A further detailed investigation is required. Thus, the road to reimagining the post-Covid-19 AE is still evolving.Social implications: As faculty members, one should take steps toward preparing BL strategies. These strategies present other alternatives to continue teaching and learning while keeping safe in any other emergency in education. In this work, an overview of BL approaches, continuum and related technological and instructional models has been shaped to propose a new vision to post-Covid-19 AE.Originality/value: This paper responds directly to the initiated call on the pandemic's effect on traditional education by taking a pedagogical perspective. The study presents a holistic BL strategy and proposes a new theoretical and instructional model to design a suitable and balanced BL environment in AE.

In the context of rapid technology development, the theory of using building information modelling (BIM) has been used in several historic places. With BIM technology, an accurate virtual model of a historic building is digitally constructed in order to maintain the building through its entire lifecycle, including demolition. This model, known as historic building information modelling (HBIM), represents a new paradigm within architectural heritage that can be used for creating, conserving, documenting, and managing complete engineering drawings and information. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to give an overview of the concepts, as well as surveying and representation techniques that are used in HBIM in order to support the process of further integration and demonstrate how the complexity of built heritage resources can be dealt with. In addition, the study presents a theoretical framework that has been constructed as a guide towards understanding the different aspects of historic preservation and management through a smart open platform.