Coastal cities are most at risk to rising sea levels and increased precipitation. This is however the Climate Change Scenario forecasted for the humid tropical region in the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment report. As standard engineering (grey) solutions are prohibitive in many developing countries due to financial and technical limitations, this paper proposes an adaptive blue approach. It shares insights from Brunei, where the old capital was a city built over water. It also presents findings from a preliminary survey to gauge the public’s views on a set of blue urbanism proposals. The study found positive support for the proposals in general. In particular, there was strong support for: (i) incorporating ‘green’ features into the urban complex; (ii) more public spaces where people could learn about their cultural heritage; and (iii) participation in the life and management of the city. There is however (iv) less enthusiastic response to blue features. The paper discusses viability of the blue urbanism approach vis-à-vis cultural and contextual changes. The insights presented could be useful to other coastal cities in the region.

This article explores the contemporary shift in urban studies towards prioritizing walkable neighborhoods amidst growing concerns about urban sprawl and its environmental impacts. Focusing on Persiaran Bestari in Shah Alam, Malaysia, the research aims to address the lack of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and the consequent reliance on vehicular transport in residential areas. This research utilizes a mixed-method approach incorporating quantitative and qualitative methodologies, combining space syntax analysis and behavioral mapping to examine pedestrian movement within the study area. The data collection involves gathering pedestrian infrastructure data through field surveys and pedestrian volume surveys. As the result, behavioral mapping observations revealed varying pedestrian activity levels along different road corridors, with significant pedestrian traffic concentrated around residential zones. Utilizing space syntax analysis, the research detected that Persiaran Bestari and Permai experienced the highest levels of social and commercial activity, indicating higher resident density in these areas. This research highlights the correlation between pedestrian comfort and safety and the availability of pedestrian infrastructure. It reveals that inadequate infrastructure leads to poor walkability, prompting pedestrians to favor safer routes, such as neighborhood or local roads with reduced and slower vehicle traffic.

Since the 1960’s, Truku people, one of the Austronesian groups in Taiwan, have suffered from loss of lands, arising from various governmental policies, privatization of land ownership, and implications of the modern legal system. This paper is to look at how the emergence of the privatization has significantly produced and reproduced various kinds of the gender tensions arising from the conflicts of the women’s land ownership in Truku society. The privatization of the land ownership and the introduction of the modern legal system is argued to have created two unique concepts of land rights: men’s and women’s land in the contemporary Truku society. The former is based on the discourse of the Truku tradition interpreted and represented by the men; but the later one is relied on the legal protection from the modern law for the women and their contributions to farming and taking care of their parents’ lands. Furthermore, the different perspectives of whether or not women customarily or legally have land ownership have profoundly influenced on the social interactions among households in people’s daily lives as well as on the strategies of the land reclamation movements in Truku society.

The notion of power, characterized by its ability to wield influence over others as guided by its holder’s intention, is intertwined with a spectrum of social control mechanisms encompassing force, coercion, manipulation, seduction, and authority. Malay sultanate palaces in West Kalimantan were a form of architecture hinggil (high) culture. The historical development of Malay ethnics in West Kalimantan is linked to power dynamics. This study investigates the historical development of Malay Sultanate palaces’ spatial configurations and architectural designs. It focuses on the colonial era, during which power dynamics exerted significant influence. This paper aims to ascertain the extent to which power dynamics have shaped the architectural aspects of the Malay Sultanate palaces. The analysis highlights the architectural objects and employs a historical methodology with diachronic and synchronic analyses to discern the patterns of power prevalent throughout the Sultanate’s history. Power is palpably demonstrated in effecting substantial transformations in the intent and function of the sultanate palaces, often through manipulation, seduction, and assertion of authority. These power dynamics are exemplified through architectural modifications, i.e., the controleur strategic placement and fort within the Sultanate’s vicinity, interior space reconfigurations, alterations in functionality, and symbolic embellishments reflecting the Sultanate’s authority. The colonial administration from the Dutch regime embarked on fortifying its dominion through modifications to the functional underpinnings of the palace chambers. The Dutch authority’s influence facilitated the consolidation and validation of their control. These mechanisms engendered compliance and acquiescence to the dominion of the ruling party through latent means.

Local knowledge is the knowledge found in local communities that consists of a set of experiences that have been accumulated and provides information that shows the local community or local culture’s behavioral characteristics. As a result of a variety of factors, such information is at risk of being obliterated, including lack of interest from younger generations and low life expectancy, where knowledge enables individuals to die before passing it to the next generation. Therefore, this paper aims to look at the perspective of community leaders on the status of local knowledge. The data collection method used in this research is an interview. The results of this study indicate that the Minangkabau community in Agam Regency, Indonesia recognises their customs, cultures, and habits that are different from the general public. The investigation was carried out by involving community leaders related to the dimensions of local knowledge: (1) The environmental dimension of local knowledge through Lubuak Larangan is a type of community custom and culture that involves the preservation of river and lake areas within specific territorial borders and rules; (2) dimensions of local values; (3) dimensions of local abilities are employed to ensure survival by farming, livestock or industry; (4) dimensions of local resources: utilization of natural resources. The Minangkabau community divided its forest into two categories: prohibited forest and forest cultivated or utilised for economic interests and family needs; (5) the local decision-making mechanism’s dimensions; and (6) local group solidarity dimensions: religious rituals, traditional ceremonies, arts, and cooperation.

Historic buildings are silent witnesses, bridging past, present, and future generations. The Sasaksaat Railway Station, which is inseparable from the 950-meter-long Sasaksaat Tunnel, is a treasure trove of historical heritage in West Java; it holds many stories and memories that are very closely related to the nation’s history, protected by Law Number 11 of 2010 concerning Cultural Heritage. This station is located in contoured land filled with dense vegetation, so a UAV photogrammetry method is needed in accordance with the character of the building and the area to be documented. The research documentation on these historical sites employs the UAV photogrammetry method, combining crosshatch flight plans, 60-degree tilt camera configurations, and making 3D BIM models using point cloud photogrammetry techniques. The research yielded impressive results, demonstrating the effectiveness of UAV Photogrammetry in accelerating the process of archiving historic buildings and their surroundings. The integration of this method significantly improves the documentation workflow, enabling comprehensive and detailed recording of the Sasak railway stations. This ANOVA test found no significant difference between manual size comparisons and photogrammetric results, even using direct geo-reference via UAV technology. The ease and reliability of this method approach can be recommended for low-cost historic building documentation activities.

The idea of the nation-state, which usually emerges in post-colonial periods, uses architecture as a tool of representation in Iraq, as in many other examples that have experienced similar processes. These architectural designs are not context-free and independent productions but are shaped in parallel with official historiographies. While the official historiography in post-colonial Iraq defines the pre-twentieth century as colonialist, it establishes a relationship of belonging with the ancient Iraqi history and the independence movements of the colonial process. Therefore, the architectural structures produced in this period are shaped in parallel with such a historiographical perspective. Although not all of them are labelled as national, the architectural structures built in post-colonial Iraq have a wide variety. Among them, the monumental monuments and sculptures designed and built by government decisions in the city squares are the most characteristic examples of the nationalization policy. This article focuses on Iraq’s nation-building process during the colonial and post-colonial periods and will tell the story of the construction of two monuments designed by Rifat Chadirji, considered the most influential architect of this period. Since the analysis cannot be done solely through observation, the diaries of the architect during the aforementioned period and before will also be utilized to record his recollections of the design and construction process. This article concludes that the monuments in Iraq are linked to the politics of the period in which they were built. Each has an ideological symbolic value and has played an essential role in shaping national memory.

Accessing buildings for evaluation on architectural concerns are raised as some designers create the call to revive indigenous architecture when a trend of adopting foreign or international architectural style is widely spreading. The quests for cultural identity in Malaysia towards sustainable contemporary buildings require research of past achievements. Vernacular masjid is known to adhere to principles of passive design as the key to thermal comfort. Researchers posed questions on the extent of flexibility in vernacular architectural concepts, concerning design adaptation on modern masjids for optimal thermal performance. This experimental research aimed to evaluate the outcome of modern masjid façades designed with the vernacular concept in Malaysia. In the literature, research brings together variables such as building height, façade shading, serambi openings, as well as materials and construction details. A quantitative analysis led this investigation through observation and field survey on stratified random samples of modern vernacular masjids in Malaysia. Air temperature and relative humidity were recorded using a MIC-98583 sensor with ±0.6 °C accuracy in temperature and ± 3 % accuracy in relative humidity. Wind speed was measured using an AVM-305 sensor with ± 0.2 m/s accuracy. The empirical finding highlights serambi opening-to-wall design as the most significant element of vernacular architecture found in building façade that influences indoor thermal performance in modern vernacular masjids. The result could become an extremely useful guideline for designers to create the sustainable design in the future.

Preserving damaged memorial buildings are vital to maintain a cultural identity to be reused and inherited by future generations. Buildings established in the past will overlook that they will be aging and weathering. Wooden construction in Malay traditional houses built more than 100 years ago faces durability issues. Environmental conditions equally make its structure unusable. In addition, its surrounding environment has changed, and the demands for new functions for improving the structure’s condition have become challenges in retrofitting the traditional roles into the current contemporary activities needs. The traditional Malay house in Kampung Bangka, Pontianak, which experienced a transfer of ownership from the original owner to the city government, altered its function from a residential house to a cultural house. Buildings having experienced weathering requires a well-planned reconstruction and re-functioning efforts from the city government. The reconstruction stages and house’s identification process of previous roles are required to accommodate new activities fit for culture and public space. Identification and analysis process carried out to resolve the damaged condition of structural elements of the building to maintain its authenticity as memorials building for the community. Identification is also required to anticipate the new function of the building by providing a new structure or reinforcement to govern the future activities during the operation period of the building. Cultural and structural analysis is carried out to improve the function of the building and the surrounding area into a cultural space that enhances its image as a public space.

The design and build projects (DB) have increased in numbers in the last few decades. DB method is becoming more popular than the traditional method in Malaysia, especially in national projects.However, design-build projects may suffer from a significant number of problems, such as conflicts between the project parties (designers, contractors, and owners), resulting in poor performance and poor quality. One common cause of project failure of conventional projects is poor coordination and communication process. It has been found that no such study has been found to identify the coordination factors that might affect the project’s success. To fill this gap, this research aims to establish a framework of coordination factors affecting DB projects’ performance in Malaysia. This study uses a mixed methodology approach to identify critical coordination factors by a comprehensive review of the literature. The identified factors were categorized, ranked, and prioritized according to their influence on project performance using a quantitative approach. It is found that scheduling and planning, human resource coordination, documentation & records coordination, contract implementation coordination, value engineering and quality assurance, technical coordination, design coordination, management coordination, and external coordination are the significant factors of coordination that may affect the performance of construction projects. This study provides empirical evidence by correlating the identified coordination factors with DB project performance. Identification of coordination factors will help in enhancing and improving the performance of design and build projects.