The Fluid Traditional and Indigenous Structure of Climatism in Physical Architecture and Its Role in Hospital Construction

The issue of climatism is a matter of concern today, given the growth of technology and the subject of globalization, which is defined and explained in many respects. The rapid advancement of technology makes communication and navigation readily available. This factor causes the challenge for human societies to discover more recent developments that in turn raise the issues of how can the climatism be compatible with the creation of an architectural work, taking into account that the countries’ conventional boundaries lose their importance. And, the factors affect climatism, in other words, the way that climatism, human societies with diverse cultures, and the surrounding environment interact with each other, is raised. And, in general, the way that an architecture work to interact with its environment is discussed. In this sense, the traditional and indigenous architecture, and the fluidity of the region in the architectural framework also address the characteristics of the physical and architectural features of each region from the architectural arena, introducing effective approaches to architecture and urban planning (objective and tactical approaches), using the rational-logical approach to regional review. Then, the discussion of regionalism and regional influences in the physical fabric of each traditional architectural structure’s region is presented, with the special look of traditional architecture that is expressed in consistency between the building and the nature, and to explain the arguments to the examples and characteristics.

Successes and failures of participation-in-design： Cases from Old Havana, Cuba

Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba faced a crisis that forced it to change its housing approach. Self-help building programs began to supplant the construction of mass standardized housing estates. The Community Architect Program was developed to provide design advice to self-help builders, and it expanded exponentially within a decade. By the year 2000, all municipalities across Cuba had their own Community Architect Office. White the approach of the Community Architect Program has been hailed a breakthrough in the fields of planning and architecture, the particular case of Old Havana suggests that several obstacles prevent residents from benefiting from its services. The author identifies the strengths and limitations of the approach by looking at two home renovation projects in Old Havana and the perceptions of tow-income residents on the work done by community architects. This research indicates that participatory design methods should be complemented by community-based initiatives that address other aspects of the housing development process, such as access to materials, construction, and construction management.