Designer's responsibility: methodological and ethical dimensions

A designer is one who designs, where “to design”—from Latin designare—means “to mark out”. Those who design professionally are professional designers who “see and seek value in new designs”. Seeing and seeking might be done in two ways: narrower or broader. According to the approach characteristic for design-methodological reductionism, those things that are designed are considered the designed objects. In this approach, the designer's task is limited to artifacts narrowly understood. Systemic design methodology describes that “what is designed” in terms of an object of design.In the domain of designing, like in any kind of human professional activity, two types of moral dimensions are identified: endo- and egzomorality. The first deals with the moral code of design activity, the second with social responsibility of what is done by professional designers. Both define elements of designer's accountability: first, in respect of truth and honesty in relation to the designer's product—a design, second, in respect to societal benefit and not harm, both in respect to relevancy of what is designed for practical use.Once, producing and teaching good science is the main tasks of scholars, those among the scholars who are involved in design science are responsible not only for producing good design science but also for educating designers as reflective practitioners conscious of what every designer should know about objects of design and ethics related to the profession.     

Wind response of large roofs of stadions and arena

The paper presents the experimental tests carried out in the boundary layer wind tunnel (BLWT) for the design of large roofs of the new Olympic stadium (Karaiskaki) in Pyraeus (Greece), Manfredonia (Italy) and “Delle Alpi” of Turin (Italy). In addition, a report about some results of the T.D. dynamic response analyses performed on the Karaiskaki structure and on the Olympic stadium in Rome will be given. The peculiar shape of these large structures and their particular location (two of them are in the immediate sea vicinity) let arise the question about the actual distribution of the wind loads, i.e., on the pattern of pressure coefficients (c_p) over the entire roof. For every wind direction investigated, the following quantities have been evaluated: mean values of the aerodynamic coefficients c_p, standard deviation of c_p and maximum and minimum values of c_p. Finally, the recorded data have been used for the numerical simulation of the dynamic response of the structure in Time Domain, whose aim is the definition of the design loads of the steel lattice structures. A numerical model of the “Delle Alpi” stadium is also in preparation, allowing results of dynamic response analyses, which are still in progress.     

Influence of wavelength-to-excavation span ratio on ground motion around deep underground excavations

Accurate estimation of ground motion around excavations is important for dynamic rock support design in deep civil tunnels and underground mines. Among the influencing factors, the wavelength-to-excavation span ratio (λ/D) has a large effect on ground motion. Using an advanced wave propagation simulation tool, we performed two series numerical experiments to study the effect of the λ/D ratio on ground motion near excavation boundaries. The modeling results reveal that the wave field becomes more complex as the λ/D ratio decreases. The absolute PPV (Peak Particle Velocity) values around an excavation are closely related to the intensity of the seismic source but the relative PPV value depends on the λ/D ratio. Amplification factors, defined as the PPV in the excavation model to the PPV in the background model without any excavation, are calculated for each case. The amplification factor around the excavation increases significantly as the λ/D ratio decreases. When the λ/D ratio is greater than 30, the wave amplitudes are less affected by the excavation and a seismic wave loading can be considered as “quasi-static.” When the λ/D ratio is less than 20, significant wave interaction occurs and the wave loading needs to be considered as “dynamic.” The numerical results provide additional insights into the ground motion behavior around excavations under both “quasi-static” and “dynamic” loading conditions.     

The Biography of Furniture

Abstract

The intimate relationship of the designer and the client has led me to a parallel practice of investigating the built form of biography. The notion of working with biography is a device for avoiding willful design. It provides a conceptual guidance to make decisions. The medium that has been used is “furniture,” which is a smaller and more direct vehicle for ideas than architectural space.     

Energy positive curtain wall configurations for a cold climate using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) approach

Curtain walls are believed to be “energy sinks” because of their relatively low thermal performance; however, the integration of energy generating technologies such as photovoltaic (PV) panels may enable converting these systems to “energy positive” curtain walls. A methodology using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) approach is developed and implemented to identify configurations of energy positive curtain walls by accounting for the complex interacting effect of facade design parameters. The “energy positive” curtain wall in this paper is defined as the energy generated by the curtain wall facade on an annual basis exceeds the energy consumption of a perimeter zone office enclosed by this curtain wall facade. Ten design parameters are studied, including glazing U-value, solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), and visible transmittance (T _v); U-value of the spandrel panel; U-value of the mullion; window wall ratio (WWR); infiltration rate; depth and inclination of overhang; and efficiency of PV modules. The significance of individual design parameters on the energy performance is ranked for four cardinal orientations based on the total sensitivity index. The WWR, U-glazing, and infiltration rate are the three most significant parameters influencing the total annual energy consumption of the office unit simulated, while the WWR, PV efficiency, and U-glazing are the most significant design parameters for achieving energy positive curtain walls. The methodology presented in this paper helps facilitate the design process to resolve the issues with conflicting effects of design parameters.     

Genetic programming approach for estimating the deformation modulus of rock mass using sensitivity analysis by neural network

We use genetic programming (GP) to determine the deformation modulus of rock masses. A database of 150 data sets, including modulus of elasticity of intact rock (Ei), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), rock mass quality designation (RQD), the number of joint per meter (J/m), porosity, and dry density for possible input parameters, and the modulus deformation of the rock mass determined by a plate loading test for output, was established. The values of geological strength index (GSI) system were also determined for all sites and considered as another input parameter. Sensitivity analyses are considered to find out the important parameters for predicting of the deformation modulus of rock mass. Two approaches of sensitivity analyses, based on “statistical analysis of RSE values” and “sensitivity analysis about the mean”, are performed. Evolution of the sensitivity analyses results establish the fact that variable of UCS, GSI, and RQD play more prominent roles for predicting modulus of the rock mass, and so those are considered as the predictors to design the GP model. Finally, two equations were achieved by GP. The statistical measures of root mean square error (RMSE) and variance account for (VAF) have been used to compare GP models with the well-known existing empirical equations proposed for predicting the deformation modulus. These performance criteria proved that the GP models give higher predictions over existing empirical models.     

Materials problems in space

This paper is intended to be a short survey of the materials problems associated with spacecraft design and manufacture. The space environment is first described and compared with the “Spacecraft Environment”, which is dependent upon the characteristic features of each individual vehicle.

Some areas of spacecraft technology, where materials properties are critical, are briefly described; the problems which can arise are then underlined. They are divided between “Classical” problems, not different from those which appear in a number of Earth technologies, and “Specific to Space” problems which are mainly created by vacuum exposure, radiation fluxes and thermal stresses.

The conclusions clearly indicate the necessity for proper methods of materials and processes selection for space applications and show that close cooperation between design engineers and materials specialists is absolutely essential.     

Broadcasting from the “Mediated Center:” Baltimore’s Candelabra Television Tower,circa 1959

ABSTRACT

The rise of post-WWII television markets around the world required new technical solutions for broadcast media. These solutions became novel examples of urban-scale infrastructure, including the “television tower” as a unique structure. Among early American examples is Baltimore’s three-mast “candelabra” television tower, completed in 1959. Although the project’s feasibility depended upon advances in structural design, its most significant innovation was institutional. As an early example of “infrastructure sharing,” Baltimore’s candelabra tower illustrates how innovative built form can engender a new relationship among technology, urban infrastructure, and the production of cultural capital.     

The panopticon prison as a “social condenser”: The study of the project for De Koepel prison by Rem Koolhaas/OMA (1979–1988)

Rem Koolhaas/OMA carried out the study for De Koepel prison throughout a decade (1979–1988). However, only its initial stages (1979–1980) were disclosed and have been investigated. The hypothesis presented in this article suggests that Koolhaas implemented his —then— recent thesis present in Delirious New York (1978) on “life in the metropolis” and the “Culture of Congestion” in the conception and design of this project. Thus, this article has the aim of examining —by means of the documents compelling the entire period of the study— how the project suggested transforming the domesticity of De Koepel prison into a “social condenser” of the contemporary metropolis. By doing so, it makes it possible to consider the role of this project within the first decade of Koolhaas' career as an architect (1978–1989), and to establish that Delirious New York is, in fact, the theory on which it was based on when first conceived. This project anticipated the strategy and the methodology he implemented, at a later time, in other projects, offering a different perspective. On this occasion, this diagrammatic investigation took place in Bentham's Panopticon; reason why, he was then able to develop the reflections on heterotopias and prisons carried out by Foucault.     

The case for residential back-alleys: A north American perspective

This article addresses the issue of accessduplication within North Americanneighborhoods. The author compares fiveresidential development models with distinctiveaccess patterns: one, the ubiquitous postwarsuburban “street-no-alley” neighborhood; two,the “open-back” neighborhood which providespedestrian access beyond rear property lines;three, the Radburn-style “open-front”configuration with vehicular access providedonly at the rear side of residences;four, the traditional “street-and-alley”neighborhood with detached houses; and five,the “street-and-alley” form with attached homesand higher residential densities. The author'scase study method seeks to understand andreveal the “behavioral landscape”. What are thestreets, alleys or pedestrian open spaces beingused for – which activities occur in whichplaces? How do residents perceive these spaces?The author maintains that in the contemporaryera, the street or alley/lane alone ishard-pressed to stage all the social-space andservice functions within a residentialcommunity. However, we might look to bothtraditional “alley-and-street” communities andthe “alley-no-street” example to gain anunderstanding of just how vital the diverselandscape of back-side connection among homescan be in supporting outdoor community sociallife. Finally, the case study of thehigher-density example suggests that here,block-scale community life is as muchstreet-based as it is alley-based, and theauthor's conclusion is that the greater densitymakes having both – street and alley – all the more important. When densities reach acritical mass, it becomes clear that accessduplication enhances both the range of residentchoices as well as the diversity of socialsettings available to residents.     

AIP Members in Armed Forces of the United States

Widely assumed in planning practice and theory is the “instrumental” view that planning can and must be limited to the “value-free” consideration of alternative public policy means. However, value-free planning is impossible in principle because planning is essentially political. In addition, attempts to deal with planning's “ethical” issues by pragmatic politics and claims to professionalism have been in adequate. More fundamentally, the work of contemporary philosophers suggests that, contrary to the “logical-positivist” position of the instrumental view, ethical decisions can be rationally justified in ways similar to those of the empirical sciences. This position provides the intellectual foundation for normative planning as the rational evaluation of both the means and ends of public policy.     

BFD curve: a new empirical model for fire compartment temperatures

The purpose of this paper is to describe and demonstrate the potential of a new and unique fire engineering design tool, which for discussion purposes in this paper has been given the name of “BFD Curve”. The research for this paper revealed four important facts. Firstly, BFD curve is a natural fire curve in that it fits the results of actual fire tests closer than previous known fire modelling methods. Secondly, the shape of the curve bears a strong relationship to both the pyrolysis coefficient (R/A_vh_v^0.5) and the opening factor F_O2. Thirdly, contrary to a number of other fire modelling curves, BFD curve does not need the use of time shifts. Finally, it uses a single equation to model the temperature of both the growth and decay phases of a fire in a building whereas the well publicised Eurocode 1 and Swedish curves require two equations. Only three factors are required: maximum gas temperature, the time at which this temperature occurs, and a shape constant for the curve.     

Development of an energetic diagnosis method for the buildings: example of the Perugia University

The paper suggests a methodology for energetic buildings diagnosis for the Perugia University [Energy Buildings 1436 (2002) 1; B. Puttinger, Guideline for implementing energy audits in public buildings, Landes Energie Verein; R. Recalcati, G. Dall’O’, Procedure for buildings energetic certification, Punto Energia, Brescia (1998)].All of the university buildings have been put into six poles according to their geographical location.First of all, the entire area was subdivided into blocks according to didactics, office, and research areas. On the basis of this division, the utilization coefficient of the specific areas was determined for each pole.The paper suggests a method for pole electric consumption dividing into the three terms related to didactics, office, and laboratory block by the definition of the three “area indexes” C_did.A, C_off.A, and C_lab.A which represent the specific consumption per square meter of dedicated area. Their values, and in particular C_lab.A value, vary according to the nature of the activities carried out in each pole. Starting from “area indexes”, the three “user indexes” (C_stu.U, C_per.U, and C_res.U) were then defined considering students, personnell, and researcher, separately.Area and user indexes’s yearly evaluation, dependent on the users number per typology and the blocks area, allows to identify the increasing or decreasing characteristic of the intensity of the activities carried out in each pole, to determine if consumptions depend mainly on class activities being carried out or on the use of electric heater and air conditioning systems.Finally, thermal consumptions were analyzed by evaluating the yearly energy amount and the specific consumption of each pole according to age and state of the buildings.     

When ‘knowing what’ is not enough: Role of organised simulations for developing effective practice

A decade on from the Rethinking Project Management (PM) network, concerns about the relevance gap continue with a number of multinationals looking explicitly to alternative strategies and forms of PM staff development. The literature is light on how project simulations can help the development of experienced managers as reflective experts. Few have examined the link between intended learning outcomes and real-time performance. Posing the question of “how easily is knowledge developed in the classroom transformed into effective practice?” the paper presents a chronological account of a 3-day simulated project by 25 experienced managers. Despite their prior experience and learning from shared problem-solving and structured reflections, participants struggled to deliver their projects as planned. Analysis referencing the knowledge epistemology and ambidexterity literatures yielded a number of design improvement opportunities and the insight that closing the knowing-doing gap requires courses to incorporate the ‘soft’ perceptual and attitudinal aspects underlying why people fail to convert their learning into effective practice.     

Do “creative” and “non-creative” workers exhibit similar preferences for urban amenities? An exploratory case study of Omaha,Nebraska

Research into the locational decisions of creative class or knowledge workers has indicated that “classic” or “hard” factors, particularly employment opportunity and social connections, generally take precedence over “soft”, “quality of place” amenities such as art and cultural venues, historical assets, and tolerance/diversity. However, “soft” amenities are expected to shape where creative class/knowledge workers live within cities, and potentially whether they remain in the community long-term, or seek opportunities elsewhere. In this study, an online survey and questionnaire were employed to explore whether residents living in downtown Omaha, Nebraska with “creative” occupations exhibit stronger preferences for urban amenities relative to those with “non-creative” occupations. Generally in support of Richard Florida’s creative class thesis, the results suggest that creative workers may exhibit a stronger affinity for certain, primarily “soft,” urban amenities and characteristics, such as dining establishments, “third places”, arts/cultural venues, unique sense of place, and the hip, trendy, and youthful feel of Omaha’s downtown neighborhoods.     

Investigating mix proportions of high strength self compacting concrete by using Taguchi method

In this study, mix proportion parameters of high strength self compacting concrete (HSSCC) are analyzed by using the Taguchi’s experiment design methodology for optimal design. For that purpose, mixtures are designed in a L₁₈ orthogonal array with six factors, namely, “water/cementitious material (W/C) ratio”, “water content (W)”, “fine aggregate to total aggregate (s/a) percent”, “fly ash content (FA)”, “air entraining agent (AE) content”, and “superplasticizer content (SP)”. The mixtures are extensively tested, both in fresh and hardened states and to meet all of the practical and technical requirements of HSSCC. The experimental results are analyzed by using the Taguchi experimental design methodology. The best possible levels for mix proportions are determined for maximization of ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and for the minimization of air content, water permeability, and water absorption values.     

Investigation into capital costs of HVAC systems

The initial capital outlay is one of the largest expenses of any HVAC system. Estimating these costs accurately is crucial to any HVAC economic analysis. In this article, initial cost models are investigated.A literature study reveals different methods for estimating initial costs. None of these are suitable for use during the conceptual design stage. They are either too simplified or require too detailed inputs. The use of “Pareto's Principle” to develop a suitable model is investigated in this paper.“Pareto's Principle” can be formulated to state that 20% of the equipment makes up 80% of the cost. This principle is tested by analysing some tender estimates. Although it appears to hold true, it is also evident that items like piping and ducting contribute significantly to installation costs. Accurate estimates can thus only be obtained by pricing each sub-system separately.Models are proposed for each subsystem of a typical HVAC system. All the proposed models are suitable for integration with QUICKcontrol and are applicable to a wide range of different HVAC systems.Estimating the costs of both the major capital equipment as well as the smaller sub-systems, is relatively simple. Air and water distribution systems are more problematic due to the number of variables. Without a fairly detailed design and costing model, no accurate cost predictions can be made.     

A method of reducing drag and fluctuating side force on bluff bodies

Measurements have been made of the forces imposed on typical two-dimensional bluff bodies with a small circular cylinder (here called a “rod”) placed upstream on the stagnation line. In most cases, the interaction was beneficial in that the drag of the overall system was lower with the rod than without it. Fluctuating side forces due to vortex shedding from the main body were also reduced for most rod positions and diameters.Three two-dimensional bluff bodies were investigated: a flat plate, a square and a circular cylinder. Reynolds numbers were in the range of 1 × 10⁴ to 7 × 10⁴.The measured overall drag coefficient at various rod spacing showed a discontinuous “jump” at some critical “jump” spacing. This change corresponded to the elimination of the usual single stagnation point on the bluff body centre line and the appearance of two stagnation points symmetrically placed, close to the lateral edges of the body.Significant drag reductions were obtained for all bluff body shapes when a front rod was located near the “jump” spacing. The fluctuating side force on the circular cylinder was reduced by the rod at high Re. On the square cylinder, the reduction in fluctuating side force was large (up to 90%) for any Re and rod size investigated.     

Grundwasserfauna als Indikator für komplexe hydrogeologische Verhältnisse am westlichen Kaiserstuhl

Shallow groundwater is exposed to influence from surface waters to various degrees. These can be streams as well as natural and artificial lakes, such as quarry ponds. The degree of influence can be evaluated by hydrological or hydrochemical methods. It remains unclear to date, whether around the periphery of quarry ponds – where the aquifer is exposed unprotected to the atmosphere – an impact to groundwater can be demonstrated by the composition and abundance of metazoan communities below ground. Fourteen groundwater wells around the periphery of the Burkheimer quarry pond in the Upper Rhine Valley were sampled three to four times in 2009. Samples were analyzed hydrochemically and also for their fauna. The complex hydrogeological patterns in the investigated area were best reflected by four fauna groups. However, hydrological exchange processes overlay possible effects downstream of the quarry ponds. The marked fauna groups are “stressed sites”, characterized by a depleted groundwater fauna, “alluvial sites” with a species-rich fauna, showing the influence of surface water, “upwelling groundwater” that are characterized by a species-rich and abundant groundwater fauna, and “Rhine”, a well situated directly beside the Rhine River, with a stable and low variance of groundwater fauna that also showed low species numbers. Results show that hydrological exchange processes can be indicated by the composition of groundwater metazoan communities. Nonetheless, this survey did not reveal any direct effects on the groundwater fauna by the quarry pond.     

Interior Design Dilemmas in a Shared Room of Silence

Abstract

This text sheds light on the delicate practice of including different religious as well as nonreligious expressions in a shared room. The effects of design decisions in a “room of silence” at a Swedish hospital are studied over a transitional period of renovation of the space. We observe the impact of materiality in the room’s establishment, renovation, and usage, and show how the room’s interior design, its decor and objects, are conditioned by ritual acts as well by practical and spontaneous place-making processes. By following how the negotiations of the interior space relate to presupposed separations of aesthetic and religious ideals, we see how the design of a room of silence can allow several religious groups to comfortably use one common room; but also how design can cause clashes between different interests and how materiality is forced in the end to advice a clear spatial distinction between different types of usage in the room.