Year: 2001

This paper proposes an integrative model for architectural education. It is argued that to re-gain a leading position in the building process modern-day architects need to re-integrate building knowledge and skills in the architectural curriculum. The paper outlines objectives for architectural education, defining aims, content and methods. A move is suggested to shift architectural education…

Urban environments require careful consideration of numerous design factors in order to provide unique character, attractive settings and amenities, as well as safe surroundings. Appropriate lighting design is one of the factors contributing to successful urban environments. Wellington’s Civic Centre in the heart of New Zealand’s capital city serves as the setting for a case…

The case study examines development work on the application of light pipe technology for a new bioclimatic high rise building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The paper outlines the architectural and environmental issues associated with the design of this building. It presents theoretical modelling and simulation work done to test the feasibility of using light pipes…

A paper by Williamson at the most recent ANZAScA conference speculated from limited data that the Australian Nationwide Home Energy Rating scheme (NatHERS) failed its commonly held objective because there was most likely little correlation between the rating and actual household heating and cooling energy consumption. Data has now been collected from a sample of…

We review experience over ten years of using computer mediated learning in key aspects of formmaking, and more recently construction and decision making processes in the built environment in architectural education. This has been a typical process of reflective practice (Schon, 1983), where designing and running classes, and monitoring results, has informed the gradual development…

This paper describes an innovative learning environment, which integrates the Internet, 3D-CAD, and simulation tools in a web based learning system to ensure a better understanding of light perception in architectural space. The learning system comprises of a virtual laboratory, in which architectural planning examples can be represented three-dimensionally and be changed interactively. A developed…

This paper discusses an application of embodied energy analysis in the design of small-scale framed buildings. Discrete design project assignments in a second year Building Technology unit and Lawson’s, ‘Building Materials Energy and the Environment’ (1996), are used to introduce the concept of embodied energy in construction and demonstrate the application of embodied energy analysis…

An innovative architectural design studio at the University of Auckland in which virtual reality software developed for commercial computer games was utilised as the design medium is described. The studio was proposed as a consequence of problems that students were experiencing with standard modelling and animation software – steep learning curve and lack of immediacy….

The days when the project procurement game had only two players – Architect and Client are becoming a thing of the past. With the advent of democracy, citizens now demand a broader participation in general decision-making. They want their voice to be heard in the arena of Architectural design too. Their participation is required not…

Building designers continue to confront the opposing demands for increased performance from building services and for reduced impact of the building on the environment. New design philosophies and skills enable the generation of superior solutions to those created with conventional philosophies. Several emerging trends discussed include: – • the responsibility to integrate architectural & engineering…

The design of an urban house located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia has been completed as an exemplar of ESD. The home is an essay in design synthesis: designed to integrate existing principles with state of the art environmental technologies and a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the performance of these technologies. The aim of…

Several new algorithms have been developed for the RADIANCE lighting simulation program to better simulate new daylighting devices. Developments include algorithms to accurately simulate two new daylight redirecting devices. Measurement of devices’ luminous outputs, sensitivity studies and improved sky models were also developed. Further investigations focussed on more accurate material modelling, and validation assessment techniques….

This paper examines the evocation of architectural craft in a digital age. Malcolm has McCullough provided a description of craft in the context of an electronic medium with the observation that craft defends personal accountability in a work, and that this is newly practical with the computer. The implication for craft, with its historical associations…

Investigation of nocturnal cooling on both exposed and wind-screen metallic radiators, with and without air as working fluid, has been experimentally conducted at James Cook University of Australia. A warm and humid tropical region, summer nights in the region are typically calm and with a high level of humidity. Experimental results indicate that night-time cooling…

As technology moves forward, new construction materials and methods are constantly being introduced. The possibilities for moving away from conventional timber construction and utilising prefabricated components manufactured from varied materials may be the way of the future. The performance of a prefabricated extruded aluminium corner connection and its ability to provide an equal means of…

This paper describes the principal features of a design decision support tool to be used by building designers. These features form the detailed conclusions to case study research of practitioners’ and consultants’ use of simulation. It posits a test that might be used for Quality Control in digital simulation of building performance as a necessary…

The acoustics of a university council chamber room in a retrofitted and restored woolstore building presented a problem of speech intelligibility. A decision was made by the university to engage the Built Environment Research Group (BERG) in an acoustical analysis of the space before the installation of a costly sound amplification system. This analysis included…

One of the greatest delights for practicing Architects is to see their own creations come to life – either in reality, or (more often) on the office computer screen. We love it. We like nothing better than to admire our handiwork amidst the latest computer generated images (CGI’s). As a medium for expressing design ideas,…

Three computer laboratory spaces, each with four different lighting conditions, were modelled and rendered using ‘Lightscape’ software. These computer models were checked for photometric accuracy by comparing computed luminance values with measurements in the real situations. Corrections were made to the models where necessary; and then comparisons were made between subjective assessments for specific viewpoints…

K2vi virtual reality software was originally developed and built by the departments of Geodesy and Technical Informatics of the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. It is being further developed for commercial applications in a joint venture with Asset Information Systems in New Zealand. The original aim of K2-vi was to integrate GIS, CAD, video and…

This paper discusses the emerging possibilities of a relationship between manual techniques and digital techniques in the construction of drawings. The authors will draw on experiences in teaching students in architecture and building science, experience in practice and recent literature, highlighting the unique advantages of manual and digital means as well as their shortcomings. The…

This paper aims to quantitatively evaluate the issues of lifestyle, energy use and embodied energy, in a typical household in a temperate zone. Technical research into energy in buildings previously has focussed on two aspects: the embodied energy in materials used in construction and in the energy used to heat and cool a building. This…

This paper explores different scales of sustainability demonstrating the interconnection between the natural environment, building design and technology. The integration between these different scales, the urban scale, the building scale and the scale of the component is considered critical to the design of a “sustainable system”. The case studies discussed in this paper aim to…

In the course of a broader study of the expression of thermal environmental control systems, the author paid personal visits to a large number of recently completed major buildings worldwide, conducting formal taped interviews of a principal architect (and engineer) involved in each of them. While all of the buildings were notable for their use…