Performance-driven design methodology for habitation shell design in extreme conditions on Mars

The research project illustrates how performance-driven design tools can be con-ducted as an architectural design methodology that suggests an innovative approa...     

Data-driven placemaking: Public space canopy design through multi-objective optimisation considering shading,structural and social performance

In the context of ongoing densification of cities and aging urban populations, public spaces are a crucial infrastructure to support the physical and mental wellbeing of urban residents. The design of public space furniture elements is often standardised, and not considered in relation to environmental conditions and mechanisms of social interaction. This article presents a digital workflow to generate site-specific designs for shaded public seating, considering the relationships of local public places to their surroundings. A strategy for customised and site-specific design is developed through the use of multiple software tools, employing evolutionary algorithms and multi-objective optimisation. The method is applied to a small public space canopy prototype installed within a public housing estate in Hong Kong, incorporating additional criteria to achieve a low-cost and light-weight structure. Through multiple stages of refinement and optimisation, a material, structural and social performance-driven outcome was achieved that creates a shaded space for public seating, people watching and social interaction. As part of a larger research agenda exploring architectural form-finding and environmental psychology, the project represents potential new applications in the emerging field of socially driven computational design.     

Performance-driven architectural design and optimization technique from a perspective of architects

Performance-driven architectural design emphasizes on integrated and comprehensive optimization of various quantifiable performances of buildings. As the leading profession of a project team, architects play a vital role in guiding and conducting the performance-driven design. Methodology and techniques start emerging both in literature and practice. However, architects often find them difficult to use for various reasons. Therefore, developing an effective technique to conduct performance-driven design and optimization from the perspective of architects is necessary. This paper starts from discussing the concept of performance-driven architectural design. Existing methodology and techniques are reviewed. The focus is on selecting a basic platform suitable for architects, upon which the technique can be developed. Rhinoceros, an architectural modeling program, is used, along with its graphical algorithm editor Grasshopper, to establish such technique by incorporating three performance simulation programs, namely Ecotect, Radiance, and EnergyPlus. Design cases are presented to demonstrate the technique and its effectiveness.     

Integrated life-cycle design of building enclosures

In spite of the progress in developing methods and tools to support sustainable building design, there is still a lack of a formal approach to bridge the “no man’s land” gap between the traditional building engineering disciplines, and between these and the architecture, to achieve the level of building integration required for sustainability. This paper presents an integration framework that aims at facilitating the inclusion of life-cycle considerations in the design process from the outset, so that materials and systems are selected not only from environmentally friendly resources, but most importantly, to match service life performance expectations. The framework describes an iterative methodology to evaluate these expectations in practice, which is based on an understanding and modeling of the dynamics of the built environment to which materials, components, and systems are exposed. Quantitative methods and test protocols can be incorporated into the framework for assessing function-performance aspects of alternative solutions. Due to its complexity stemming from its inherent exposure to variable environmental loads and its multi-functionality, the framework focuses on addressing the life cycle of the building enclosure system. It is expected that the organization of the underlying principles of building life-cycle performance described in this paper will become a knowledge core that will facilitate a more integrated treatment of buildings in research, education, and practice.     

Coupling analysis of finite element and finite volume method for the design and construction of FPSO crane

The aim of this study is to establish a procedure for systematic design and performance evaluation of an offshore platform (FPSO; Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading) crane using a computational approach. Coupling analyses of the finite element and finite volume methods, which are applicable for ensuring robust design under the consideration of nonlinear environmental effects, were carried out. In order to investigate the effects of dynamic loading, the boundary conditions of an offshore platform crane having a lifting capacity of 100 tons were studied. In the finite volume method, a series of analyses were carried out using the computational fluid dynamics code, FLUENT. The crane's weight, maximum lifting load, calculated wind pressure and boundary conditions such as the inclination of the deck due to the extreme roll motion of FPSO were also considered in the finite element analyses using the commercial code, MSC/NASTRAN. Deformation, stress distribution, as well as fatigue life estimation were conducted under the unified computational environment. An advanced procedure for evaluating design concept validation was proposed for the application of FPSO design and construction.     

Toward a Northern Architecture: The Microrayon as Arctic Urban Prototype

During the twentieth century, two trajectories of urban development in the Arctic, Ralph Erskine's social and environmental project for a new town in Resolute, Canada, and the massive industrial city of Norilsk in the Soviet Union, converged on a set of ideas that define a unique typology of urban and architectural design in extreme northern climates. Best described as a microrayon—a Soviet planning concept that originated in the late 1950s—that has been adapted and transformed to accommodate environmental and social conditions in the extreme north, these two projects share many similarities despite their vastly different scales, and social, political, and economic contexts. Their evolution and development establishes an important precedent for urban design in extreme northern climates and future Arctic cities.     

Interactive expert support for early stage full-year daylighting design: A user's perspective on Lightsolve

Designing spaces that are able to balance illumination, glare and solar gains over a year is a real challenge, yet a problem faced every day by building designers. To assist them, a full year, climate-based daylighting simulation method, called Lightsolve, was developed, providing design guidance regarding daylight performance by combining temporal performance visualization over the year with spatial renderings. This paper focuses on the user's perspective for Lightsolve. After a summary of its foundational concepts, it discusses the results of several user studies conducted in educational contexts. As a core element of the paper, the results of an original, design-oriented user study on Lightsolve's expert system are discussed, conducted to determine how well its decision-making algorithm would work when independent human interactions were included. It demonstrated that the expert system shows a high educational potential and is generally successful as a performance-driven design guidance tool, respectful of its non-deterministic nature.     

Co-operative design of children'sinteraction in museums: a case studyin the Hunt Museum

This paper reports research conducted in collaboration with the Hunt Museum, Limerick, Ireland, which examined how children's interaction in museums could be augmented through co-operative design. The paper describes the participatory design process that was undertaken over a two-year period, involving key informants and stakeholders, including teachers, docents (specialist museum guides) and curators. The designers also explored the potential of ubiquitous computing to enhance children's interpretive experience in museums, and this is also described. The research reported in this paper was supported within the EU disappearing computer (DC) initiative, specifically the SHAPE project. The goal of SHAPE, Situating Hybrid Assemblies in Public Environments, was to explore how emerging, novel computer technologies could be deployed in public spaces to enhance interaction and learning. The project culminated in the deployment of an innovative, large-scale computer-augmented exhibition, Re-Tracing the Past, in the Hunt Museum. This novel exhibition was open to the public from 9 to 19 June 2003. This paper documents the design process from initial scenario elaboration through to final deployment of novel technology in the museum. Evaluation data are also discussed, and the paper concludes with some insights for participatory design of technology to enhance children's interaction in museums. Furthermore, the review of evaluation data illustrates how the design themes that informed the extensive design process were successfully embodied in the final exhibition in the museum.     

A multi-objective feedback approach for evaluating sequential conceptual building design decisions

Conceptual design decision-making plays a critical role in determining life-cycle environmental impact and cost performance of buildings. Stakeholders often make these decisions without a quantitative understanding of how a particular decision will impact future choices or a project's ultimate performance. The proposed sequential decision support methodology provides stakeholders with quantitative information on the relative influence conceptual design stage decisions have on a project's life-cycle environmental impact and life-cycle cost. A case study is presented showing how the proposed methodology may be used by designers considering these performance criteria. Sensitivity analysis is performed on thousands of computationally generated building alternatives. Results are presented in the form of probabilistic distributions showing the degree to which each decision helps in achieving a given performance criterion. The method provides environmental impact and cost feedback throughout the sequential building design process, thereby guiding designers in creating low-carbon, low-cost buildings at the conceptual design phase.     

Urban design and Japanese older adults' depressive symptoms

Despite associations found between physical activity and depression, and the built environment and physical activity, there appears to be inconclusive evidence regarding the role of built environment attributes with preventing depression among the elderly. This is mainly because few studies exist on this topic. In addition, the majority of existing studies have been conducted in Western countries; and there is a dearth of studies in other regions, where the built, social, and cultural environment is different than Western countries. Using data from Japanese older adults, this study examined the associations between objectively-assessed built environment attributes and depressive symptoms. We examined these associations stratified by gender, since research has well-documented gender differences in depression. Data were from 328 older adults living in Japan. Built environment attributes were objectively calculated and Walk Score^® ratings were obtained from the website. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the GDS-15. Gender-stratified regression models were used to estimate the associations. We found that a walkable environment characterized by a high population density and proximate local destinations to be supportive for a better mental health among older adults, in particular for women. These findings suggest that walkable built environment attributes may influence depression among older women in an Asian urban context. This study contributed to the literature by examining how walkable urban design may influence elderly's depression in a setting with extreme level of environmental attributes. Investing in urban design to promote walkability may help in reducing the observed gender gap in depression in the Japanese population.     

武汉天河国际机场T3航站楼钢屋盖结构设计

武汉天河国际机场T3航站楼属于特大型枢纽航空港,屋面为自由双曲面,总投影面积约23.7万m²,檐口悬挑最大39m,采用两向正交正放空间网格钢结构体系,屋面外围护系统采用直立锁边金属屋面系统,外墙围护系统为玻璃索网幕墙。介绍了T3航站楼屋盖结构分区、结构体系、结构计算设计、节点分析及试验研究等。针对本工程复杂的屋盖曲面建模,自主开发了建模软件,大幅提高了结构建模精度及效率;为了解决普通相贯节点强度不足的问题,采用了自主创新的带暗节点板的相贯节点和铸钢节点,并进行有限元分析和节点试验验证其安全性;创新设计的檩条连接节点,有效地减小了温度作用对钢屋盖的影响及屋面施工标高误差;钢结构健康监测系统的合理设计,确保了钢结构的施工质量和其在投入使用中的安全性及耐久性。     

Computer-aided design decision support: interfacing knowledge and information

Computer-aided design decision support has proved to be an elusive and intangible project for many researchers as they seek to encapsulate information and knowledge-based systems as useful multifunctional data structures. Definitions of `knowledge', `information', `facts', and `data' become semantic footballs in the struggle to identify what designers actually do, and what level of support would suit them best, and how that support might be offered. The Construction Primer is a database-drivable interactive multimedia environment that provides readily updated access to many levels of information aimed to suit students and practitioners alike. This is hardly a novelty in itself. The innovative interface and metadata structures, however, combine with the willingness of national building control legislators, standards authorities, materials producers, building research organisations, and specification services to make the Construction Primer a versatile design decision support vehicle. It is both compatible with most working methodologies while remaining reasonably future-proof. This paper describes the structure of the project and highlights the importance of sound planning and strict adhesion to library-standard metadata protocols as a means to avoid the support becoming too specific or too paradigmatic.     

工程结构可持续性设计理论架构

工程结构设计以安全和可靠性为基本属性,在人本化关切层面不断进步,但对工程结构造成环境影响的忽视致使工程建设热潮成为环境退化诱因之一。近年兴起的生命周期评价研究致力改善这一现状,依此可建立工程结构的环境可适应性设计,实现生命周期环境影响调控,引导环境友好的工程进步。然而长期以来,工程结构设计与环境影响设计的研究进展处于两条近乎平行的轨道,两类单向设计在实践中常相互制约。工程结构与环境系统的同步可持续是土木工程可持续发展的必然要求,因而亟需构建结构与环境相容共生理论体系。基于此,提出可持续性作为结构设计的控制属性,给出可靠性满足的前提下,工程结构对环境影响在环境系统中的可承受程度。通过建立基本耦合关系和动态相容耦合关系,关联可靠性与可适应性,反映结构-环境共生体的动态反馈影响机制,构建双向设计的基本路径。进一步,定义碳强度和碳容度,提出可持续性目标选取与简化实现建议,列出多层次操作要点,为绿色建造提供理论基础。     

Integrating building information modelling with sustainability to design building projects at the conceptual stage

Lately the construction industry has become more interested in designing and constructing environmentally friendly buildings (e.g. sustainable buildings) that can provide both high performance and monetary savings. In general, sustainability integrates the following three related components: (1) environmental, (2) economic, (3) social well-being. Incorporating these components at the conceptual stage is achieved by using sustainable design, through which designers must identify associated materials and systems based on any selected certification (rating) system. The use of building information modelling (BIM) concepts helps engineers design digital models that allow owners to visualize the building before the physical implementation takes place. To apply BIM concepts, designers use tools to create 3D models of buildings where the design materials and systems are selected from the built-in database of these tools. Designers will not be able to quantify the environmental impacts of these materials to support the decisions needed to design sustainable buildings due to the following reasons: (1) a lack of information about the sustainable materials that are stored in the database, (2) a lack of interoperability between the design and analysis tools that enable full life cycle assessments (LCAs) of buildings. This paper presents a methodology that integrates BIM and LCA tools with a database for designing sustainable building projects. The methodology describes the development and implementation of a model that incorporates a database in which information about sustainable materials is stored and linked to a BIM (3D) module along with an LCA module and a certification and cost module. The goal of this model is to simplify the process of creating sustainable designs and to evaluate the environmental impacts (EI) of newly designed buildings at the conceptual stage of their life. An actual building project is presented in order to illustrate the usefulness and capabilities of the developed model.     

多筒体支承的大跨空间结构设计与研究

简上体育综合体项目高54m,垂直叠加多种功能的体育活动场馆,通过沿东侧及南侧叠落退让,形成块体穿插的建筑造型.针对这个特殊的建筑体型及功能要求,结构设计采用多筒体支承的大跨空间桁架结构,利用筒体间桁架将上部3～5层重力荷载传递至落地筒体.6个钢筋混凝土筒体由多榀大跨桁架连成整体,通过楼盖的协同作用,共同抵抗水平力.重点...     

Returning Genius to the Place

Advocates of sustainable design since the early 1990s, HOK are intent on disseminating new research, resources and tools across their global design teams. Mary Ann Lazarus , Sustainable Design Director at HOK, and Chip Crawford , Planning Group Director at HOK, describe a particularly innovative project that the two groups have collaborated on with the essential input of the Biomimicry Guild (see p 44). Addressing critical environmental issues at the habitat scale and performance standards, they have developed ecological design tools that have been employed on masterplans for Lavasa, India, and Langfang, China. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of enhanced design and build system a case study of a hospital project

This study involves an investigation of a hospital project which adopted an ‘enhanced design and build’ form of building procurement. The paper assesses the procurement system from the perspectives of the client, client's consultants, contractor, contractor's consultants, and contractor's subcontractors. A detailed case study of North District Hospital is described to illustrate the process of this procurement system. All the interviewees generally agreed that the hospital project was successful in meeting the time, cost, quality, functional and safety requirements set by the client. As the first project adopting the ‘enhanced design-build’ procurement system in Hong Kong, the benefits of applying this innovative procurement system were demonstrated.     

Manipulating the flow of design information to improve the programming of building design

The increasing complexity of modern buildings and the use of fast-track methods of procurement systems has meant the expeditious and successful completion of the design phase of a project has become ever more important. This paper describes a research methodology that can help plan the building design process. Design models, based on data flow diagrams, have been developed to map information flows during the design of a modern building. These models are analysed using Steward's design structure matrix, which allows ordering of the tasks to produce schedules or design plans based solely on information flowing between design tasks. Traditional ordering is based on experience but modern complex projects require a more rigorous approach. Design is an inherently iterative activity and design structure matrix analysis reveals how to order most efficiently interdependent tasks and use estimates of design information further to improve the scheduling of design tasks.     

高速公路绿化设计浅析

结合安徽省高速公路绿化设计实践,根据高速公路美化环境的要求从植物生物学、生态学及环境美学的角度,阐述了公路工程沿线路基、互通式立体交叉、服务区、隧道洞口等区段的绿化设计要点,以完善公路景观设计。     

Physiological and cognitive discontinuities: From mythical mediation to implicit discretization of architectural design tools

In architectural design, representation tools are often compared according to their alleged effects on the creativity of designers. Moreover, their mediating capacities are often mythicized, to such an extent that one might surmise the direct transmission of the mental images from the designer's consciousness to an external representation. In this speculative essay, we demonstrate that the process of representation at work in architectural design originates from the designer's consciousness natural cognitive ability, rather than from the use of a specific mediation tool between the designer and his environment, between the mentally constructed architectural project and its representation. The effects of any tool of representation—analog or digital—on our perceptual apparatus depend primarily on the cognitive mechanisms affecting the discontinuous flow of internal representations formed by our consciousness. In other words, we propose to shed a new light on these limitations through the heuristic modeling of an architectural project designer confronted with his own cognitive biases, and the limits of the representation processes. In the present essay, the discontinuities and uncertainties inherent to the processes of representation are reintegrate in the models.