Building simulation as assistance in the conceptual design

In order to realize the “design by simulation” concept in the building design, the methodology of applying the building simulation in the building’s conceptual design stage is the main theme discussed in this paper. The conceptual design stage is divided into four sub-stages, and the framework of the design is built by way of the simulation in the conceptual design stage. Moreover, the energy saving potential assessment by the simulation in the preliminary conceptual design stage is also discussed in detail, including the input/output information, the calculation method and procedure, and the requirements and information from architects, etc. The natural ventilation design is used as the first trial in this study, and the difference between the detailed conceptual design and the preliminary conceptual design is also discussed, and the new simulation methodology is further described. The main objective of this paper is to help avoid an incorrect decision in the conceptual design stage, as well as to provide a better base for the energy efficient design in the next stage by means of the building simulation tool.     

高层建筑结构概念设计中相关的几个问题应用分析

本文通过工程设计实践,总结了高层建筑结构概念设计的一些相关问题,并就这些问题进行了较为详细的分析,以保证高层建筑结构设计结果的合理性、安全性和可靠性。     

Thermal simulation software outputs: a conceptual data model of information presentation for building design decision-making

Building simulation outputs are inherently complex and numerous. Extracting meaningful information from them requires knowledge which mainly resides only in the hands of experts. Initiatives to address this problem tend either to provide very constrained output data interfaces or leave it to the user to customize data organisation and query. This work proposes a conceptual data model from which meaningful dynamic thermal simulation information for building design decision-making may be constructed and presented to the user. It describes how the model was generated and can become operational, with examples of its applications to practical problems. The paper therefore contains useful information for software developers to help in specifying and designing simulation outputs which better respond to building designers’ needs.     

Recapturing meaning: Toward a new material-based design theory for architecture

Architects and students of architecture today are less physically engaged with modeling and drawing representations of proposed things and increasingly rely on digital means and methods that are transforming their embodied interactions with actual materials. The result is that meaning, which makes architecture so central to our cultures, is being diminished. It is being replaced by a misplaced belief that “better” buildings and architecture result from increased use of digital tools. To recapture meaning will require a new design theory for architecture that builds on material engagement theory and the critical role of resistance and sensuous reasoning in the design process, which material has historically provided.     

Computational design in architecture:Defining parametric,generative, and algorithmic design

Computation-based approaches in design have emerged in the last decades and rapidly became popular among architects and other designers. Design professionals and researchers adopted different terminologies to address these approaches. However, some terms are used ambiguously and inconsistently, and different terms are commonly used to express the same concept. This paper discusses computational design (CD) and proposes an improved and sound taxonomy for a set of key CD terms, namely, parametric, generative, and algorithmic design, based on an extensive literature review from which different definitions by various authors were collected, analyzed, and compared.     

Integrated design of transport infrastructure and public spaces considering human behavior: A review of state-of-the-art methods and tools

In order to achieve holistic urban plans incorporating transport infrastructure, public space and the behavior of people in these spaces, integration of urban design and computer modeling is a promising way to provide both qualitative and quantitative support to decisionmakers. This paper describes a systematic literature review following a four-part framework. Firstly, to understand the relationship of elements of transport, spaces, and humans, we review policy and urban design strategies for promoting positive interactions. Secondly, we present an overview of the integration methods and strategies used in urban design and policy discourses. Afterward, metrics and approaches for evaluating the effectiveness of integrated plan alternatives are reviewed. Finally, this paper gives a review of state-of-the-art tools with a focus on seven computer simulation paradigms. This article explores mechanisms underlying the complex system of transport, spaces, and humans from a multidisciplinary perspective to provide an integrated toolkit for designers, planners, modelers and decision-makers with the current methods and their challenges.     

Effort and effectiveness considerations in computational design evaluation: a case study

Computational building evaluation tools have the potential to provide an effective means to support informed design decision making. Computational modeling, however, comes with a cost. Thereby, the most important cost factor is not software acquisition, but the time needed for learning and using the software. The extent of required time and effort is believed to be one of the main hindrances toward the pervasive use of computational building performance assessment tools by designers: Currently, modeling applications are mostly used, if at all, in the later stages of design and by specialists, rather than architects. However, few studies have explicitly dealt with the ascertainment and quantification of the actual effort needed to understand, master, and apply computational building evaluation tools. Thus, little factual information is available as to the cost and burden of computational building evaluation and its effectiveness in building design support. In this context, the present paper describes a case study, whose motivation was to estimate the time and effort needed by novice designers to computationally evaluate the performance of building designs. A group of senior architecture students participated in the study, learning and using a software application to assess the energy performance of six project submissions for a school building design competition. The outcome of this study (time investment ranges for various components of the modeling activity) was evaluated and further extrapolated to estimate the effort needed for a more comprehensive computational assessment of the environmental performance of these designs.     

弹性地基梁杆系有限元法在深大基坑工程支护设计中的应用

由于弹性地基梁法能够反映支挡结构与土的相互作用,并可有效考虑基坑开挖、回填过程中各种基本因素和复杂情况对支护结构内力和变形的影响,本文根据Winkler弹性地基梁的计算原理和方法,编制了弹性杆系有限元计算程序,对深圳市民广场深大基坑桩锚支护结构进行了设计计算,获得了支护桩桩身位移和弯矩随开挖过程的分布变化规律,计算结果有效指导和优化了基坑支护设计,保证了基坑和邻近基坑的地铁区间隧道结构的安全,支护设计取得了显著的经济效益。     

The utopia of order versus chaos: A conceptual framework for governance,organizational design and governmentality in projects

Images of utopia of order and chaos can serve to depict paradoxes observed in projects by illustrating the ongoing challenges presented by formal organization and informal social structure at the interface of temporary/permanent organizing. This paper develops a conceptual framework that shows that governance, organizational design and governmentality are all essential to an understanding of projects. We seek to clarify these concepts and to consider temporalities in the organizational project management context. This implies examining temporary/permanent organizing interaction at macro-meso-micro levels and challenging the traditional categorization of the formal and the informal aspects into two different and isolated streams of research. The paper offers a theoretical contribution to project studies by creating a bridge between process theory, the sensemaking perspective and the study of organizational project management. It also contributes to practice through the framework's analytical potential and improved understanding of the relationship between governance and organizational design.     

Comparison between design and actual energy performance of a HVAC-ground coupled heat pump system in cooling and heating operation

This work compares the experimental results obtained for the energy performance study of a ground coupled heat pump system with the design values predicted by means of standard methodology. The system energy performance of a monitored ground coupled heat pump system is calculated using the instantaneous measurements of temperature, flow and power consumption and these values are compared with the numerical predictions. These predictions are performed with the TRNSYS software tool following standard procedures taking the experimental thermal loads as input values. The main result of this work is that simulation results solely based on nominal heat pump capacities and performances overestimate the measured overall energy performance by a percentage between 15% and 20%. A sensitivity analysis of the simulation results to changes in percentage of its input parameters showed that the heat pump nominal coefficient of performance is the parameter that mostly affects the energy performance predictions. This analysis supports the idea that the discrepancies between experimental results and simulation outputs for this ground coupled system are mainly due to heat pump performance degradation for being used at partial load. An estimation of the impact of this effect in energy performance predictions reduces the discrepancies to values around 5%.     

Case study: the performance and design outline of a buffering stormwater drainage system for a low-lying area

Performance evaluation and safety assessment of a buffering stormwater drainage system (BSDS) for a low-lying area are discussed in this paper. Unlike a conventional pump drainage system, the BSDS, which drains stormwater runoff of a low-lying area to a nearby channel system through underground conduits with gravity, and then buffering peak flows with the storage capacity of a channel system, will discharge stormwater to rivers outside the low-lying area with pumps or flood gates if necessary. This kind of drainage system is considered to be environment friendly and economic both in terms of capital cost and operating & maintenance expenses. To investigate the design parameters and evaluate the performance and safety of BSDS, a hydraulic model coupling the conduit systems and a channel system was developed in this paper, and a case-study approach based on field investigation and simulation test was used. Moreover, the design requirements for safety of BSDS were drawn through a simulation test.     

藏风纳气 内外相融——以郑州某剧院为例探讨方案设计的绿色策略

从中西方传统建筑理论中对气候的适应性入手,研究不同季节的气流、降水、日照等气候因素对建筑环境和舒适度的影响,以及绿色建筑对气候环境的应对策略。同时,以郑州某剧院方案设计为例,以气候、场地基础条件分析为契入点,通过对风环境、光环境和降水等气候要素的模拟分析,探讨了绿色建筑从策划、设计到运营管理的技术要点,以实现建筑全生命周期的可持续性。     

Urban design in the digital age: a literature review of telework and wired communities

To understand the future direction of urban design in the digital age, this paper reviews the relation between telework – as one aspect of telecommunication – and wired residential communities – as one type of new settlement. It begins with a brief review of cities and telecommunication, and focuses on teleworkers' characteristics in the literature that affect their urban preferences in wired residential communities. The paper addresses the fundamental lifestyle transformation caused by telecommunication technology through changing live/work arrangements to recognize the key design attributes that play different roles. It concludes with a new priority for urban design in the digital age where diversity goes beyond all other design attributes, and notes a negative emphasis on physical accessibility which could be compensated through telecommunication. This review of the literature opens discussion on the future direction of urban design based on teleworkers' lifestyle that needs to be corroborated in future empirical studies.     

Perceptions of architectural design and project risk: understanding the architects' role in a PPP project

Southern Cross Station is one of the largest public–private partnership (PPP) projects undertaken in Australia. In this project the architects played a significant role in developing an iconic design which has received international professional design awards and much media attention. In the media the architects' design was perceived as having impacted negatively on capital costs. Given these contradictory perceptions, the aim of this study was to better understand perceptions of the architects' role in relation to project risks arising out of their design. A survey of key project executives working in the PPP consortium responsible for delivering the project was undertaken. The survey was structured by a framework combining the PPP life cycle, project risks and the idea that architectural design can be viewed as a research and development activity rather than simply as a problem‐solving activity. The survey responses point to the fact that the architects mitigated technical and operating risks and their activities had little bearing on the project's substantial write‐downs. This counters media perceptions of the project that the design activities of the architects created more risks than they mitigated.     

Thermal zoning and interzonal airflow in the design and simulation of solar houses: a sensitivity analysis

Many assumptions must be made about thermal zoning and interzonal airflow for modelling the performance of buildings. This is particularly important for solar homes, which are subjected to high levels of periodic solar heat gains in certain zones. The way in which these passive solar heat gains are distributed to other zones of a building has a significant effect on predicted energy performance, thermal comfort and optimal design selection. This article presents a comprehensive sensitivity analysis that quantifies the effect of thermal zoning and interzonal airflow on building performance, optimal south-facing glazing area, and thermal comfort. The effect of controlled shades to control unwanted solar gains is also explored. Results show that passive solar buildings, in particular, can benefit from increased air circulation with a forced air system because it allows solar gains to be redistributed and thus reduces direct gain zone overheating and total energy consumption.     

Cities and memory: a history of the role of memorials in urban design from the Renaissance to Canberra

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, there has been a significant revival of interest and growth in numbers of public memorials – sculptures and structures in public spaces that convey information and social attitudes about past persons, events and ideas. This renaissance has been most marked in national capital cities. To better understand this recent revival of interest in memorials, and their potential to reproduce or transform social and spatial relationships within cities, this paper examines the historical evolution of the role and form of memorials within the overall planning and development of Western capital cities, both existing and new, from their origins in Ancient Rome and through their later development from the Renaissance to the beginning of Modernism. It charts memorials’ ongoing contribution to the role of the capital city as a diagram that defines and communicates national history, identity and politics, contrasting this to ways that memorials have adapted to changing technological and political realities of land development and management.     

研究性学习方法在空间认知与设计训练系列教学单元中的实践与应用——以建筑设计基础教学为例

天津大学建筑学院在建筑设计基础课程中,通过借鉴认知学理论和研究性学习理论,设立以空间为核心的空间认知与设计训练系列教学单元,进行相关教学实践。教学单元系列由人体尺度认知、城市认知与分析、经典建筑作品学习与分析、立方体空间设计、空间组合和空间建造六个单元组成,形成符合学生认知特点的序列,同时在教学中贯穿以研究性学习为主体的学习方法,取得了很好的教学效果。     

Strategic decision-making for intelligent buildings: Comparative impact of passive design strategies and active features in a hot climate

In the past years, there has been a growing interest among architects and entrepreneurs to include intelligence in buildings, as a way for achieving energy-efficient buildings that comply with stringent energy codes and national goals of reducing dangerous emissions, together with improving corporate image.     

Thermal behavior of building walls in summer: Comparison of available analytical methods and experimental results for a case study

There is a wide variety of thermal analyses that can be used to characterize the thermal behavior of a wall under certain outdoor conditions. The selection of a particular wall configuration for a building project involves not only the outdoor climate, but also the whole building characteristics, orientation, percentage of glazed areas, occupation periods, lifestyles, etc. In this paper we apply common available methods for wall thermal analysis to two particular wall types, a massive brick wall and an insulated brick wall, in order to compare the information given by each method and to evaluate how these methods can help in the selection of a certain type of wall. The studied methods include the estimation of the wall time lag and decrement factor, the harmonically heated slab model, the Athanassouli’s method, and numerical simulations. The study was performed for the walls of a residence for university students and it was built in La Pampa (Argentina). Once the building was finished, the transient thermal behavior of two walls was monitored during one summer week. The experimental results are presented and the fitting with the thermal behavior predicted by each method is discussed. The thermal comfort indicators PMV (predicted mean vote) and PPD (predicted percentage of dissatisfied) were calculated for two flats, at ground floor and first floor respectively.     

纵横结合的数字建筑设计教学体系探索——以华南理工大学建筑学院为例

数字建筑设计是建筑学教育发展的重要趋势之一,数字设计和传统的建筑设计教学体系如何有效整合,也是当前国内各高校本科教学改革中持续探索的热点课题。文章对华南理工大学建筑学院以"纵横结合"为特色的数字建筑设计教学体系进行简要介绍,分析该体系通过"纵向"的进阶式数字设计主干课程和"横向"的融合式数字设计专题训练,实现与原有设计教学体系衔接与适应的具体模式和实施经验,以期为相关的教学研究和创新实践提供参考。