The Scientific Session of the Fifth Scientific Conference on Architectural and Civil Engineering Was Held at the Cihan Academy Hall

Dr. Shaimaa Fadel Al-Kubaisi, the chair of the scientific session from Koya University, opened the second session of the Fifth Scientific Conference on Architectural and Civil Engineering at noon on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at the Cihan Academy Hall.

The session began with a speech delivered by the keynote speaker, Dr. Wan Shriehany Wan Muhammad from the Department of Architecture at Universiti Putra Malaysia, who highlighted the importance of engineering sciences in sustainable development. She reviewed the remarkable achievements that engineering sciences can attain in various fields of sustainable development. She also discussed modern teaching methodologies in engineering sciences, emphasizing the significance of aligning theoretical and practical courses in engineering education.

Next, Dr. Mohd Azli Bin Mohamad Jamil, from the Department of Architecture at Universiti Putra Malaysia, presented his research titled The Impact of Neighborhood Built Environment on the Sense of Community in Malaysia: A Qualitative Study. In this study, he examined the main issues faced by the community environment in some Malaysian neighborhoods. He considered these problems as general challenges faced by all countries attempting to modernize their infrastructure and proposed a valuable set of engineering suggestions to reduce the consumption of materials used and mitigate environmental pollution.

Subsequently, Dr. Ribwar Ismail Ibrahim from Cihan University-Erbil presented his research titled Evaluating Sustainable Urban Form in Residential Communities: Tools, Methodologies, and Perceptions, which was based on a scientific hypothesis that architecture can serve the indicators of sustainable development and a clean environment. He reviewed the engineering and architectural differences and evaluation indicators of urban patterns in residential communities in line with modern sustainable development pointers and their global metrics through the use of modern methodological and practical tools that contribute to re-evaluating existing structures following development and safety requirements. He provided a practical model through a study of the residential structures in the Cihan residential complex, demonstrating how to apply indicators of sustainable urban form to the reality of the complex’s structures.

Dr. Suhailah bint Abdul Rashid from Universiti Putra Malaysia presented her research titled Impact of Women’s Safety Perception on Behavior, where she introduced her main hypothesis that the perception of a safe engineering environment, particularly concerning crime risks, positively influences women’s general behavior. This, in turn, reflects positively on daily interactions with life circumstances. The researcher employed behavioral approaches alongside scientific research methodologies to explain the relationship between women’s positive performance evaluation and their sense of a secure environment. She discussed a case study of certain Malaysian neighborhoods characterized by demographic diversity and population density and how to design structures that reduce the likelihood of accidents while enhancing a safe environment for individuals.

Ms. Noor Haider Kamel, from the Department of Architecture at the University of Baghdad, presented her research titled Urban Space Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic, which was based on a scientific hypothesis suggesting a relationship between urban space resilience and ways of addressing emerging problems, with the COVID-19 pandemic being one of them. She discussed the various factors contributing to the adoption of highly flexible building systems in urban spaces, such as economic factors and certain social customs and traditions. She summarized the main findings of her research, noting that the expansion of space in urban structures significantly helps prevent pollution and avoid many public health issues.

Following that, Dr. Fatima Ayad Abdul Hadi from the University of Mosul presented her research titled Interactive Maps as a Technology for Improving the Safeguarding of Built ‎Heritage, emphasizing the importance of technology in assisting the design of interactive maps through artificial intelligence programs and helping to prepare proposals for significant interactive programs that serve engineering sciences in general. She used models of interactive maps to illustrate new perceptions of certain archaeological areas in Mosul and confirmed the possibility of applying them in various contexts, adapting to the area’s nature and its urban and social differences.

Dr. Raed Abdullah Hassan from the College of Engineering at Samarra University presented his research titled Assessment of the Noise of Heavy Vehicles on Residents Near Local Roads in Iraq: Samarra City as a Case Study. He pointed out the contributing factors to auditory and visual pollution from heavy vehicles passing through local roads, leading to increased disturbance for nearby citizens. He proposed a set of rules based on sustainable development indicators to reduce vehicle noise and redesign roads according to modern methods that could be more effective in preventing noise pollution.

The attendees provided their electronic evaluations for each presented research paper, and discussions were held on the research results and the key recommendations reached by the researchers throughout the various stages of their studies.