Year: 2013

The premise of this paper is to explore the future of LEED green building rating scheme in Asia. This paper analyses LEED rated projects in countries without an independent national rating system, and countries with established national rating systems, taking into consideration number of registered projects, type of rating schemes pursued and other governing factors….

Energy consumption attributed to the residential sector makes up around 8% of the total consumption in Australia. Roughly a third of all houses built in Victoria are done so by the largest 20 builders. These volume builders keep costs down by offering a selection of ‘clone’ designs from which the client can choose, however they…

Currently, being at the beginning of next generation of buildings, buildings with various degrees of high technology (Hi-Tech), which possess quite ecological behaviour and are capable of reacting to direct and indirect variations of their surrounding and adapting themselves with appropriate conditions by utilizing compatible materials intellectually and performing properly, are of especial importance. “Smart…

It has been known that rapid urbanization has caused the raising urban warming phenomenon, which had been named ad Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI). By static analysis and dynamic analysis based on RS and GIS method, this paper revealed the relationship of UHI and land-use trends of Guangzhou between 2001 and 2009. To conclude, temperature…

China just announced that in the next 12 years 250 million of rural population would move to the city. The last time in history we experienced similar population growth in cities was during the Industrial Revolution. However, by comparison with what happening in China today, population increase due to the Industrial Revolution looks trivial. And…

A discursive grammar is a generative design method that is capable of deriving architectural forms from design semantic requirements, one of which is spatial topology. Topology (spatial connectivity) is one of the conventional properties considered as part of the discursive grammar process. However, in past research using this approach, the impact of visual, rather than…

Sustainable design concepts should be tracked in all stages of the design process in an architectural firm. This research will examine how the lean design approach can help in enhancing the efficiency of the design flow. This study aims to understand the design process pitfalls and provide a systematic recommendation in the design process for…

The emergence of computational parametric design tools, a method that allows the design of element behaviour thru linkage methods with changing dimensions, it’s enabling the use of complex geometries, and has recently produced a multitude of highly suggestive freeform projects. This research theorizes that parametric design it’s not just a product of digital intelligence, but…

Using a number of literary sources with sustainable design and architectural phenomenology as their foundation, this paper uses Integral theory, drawing on the writings of Ken Wilber and Mark DeKay to justify the importance of human architectural experience in the holistic view of sustainable design. The literature critiques modern practices and ideas of sustainability and…

The research presented is about digital revolution in architecture, due to the entry of computing in a design development, which has contributed to the birth of a new figurative trend, we can call Digital Expressionism. The work was conducted through the definition of a framework to identify and classify architectural design elements that should be…

This paper investigates the magnitude of influence of climate, architectural design and occupants on thermal comfort and final energy consumption in offices in different climates. A parametric study for a typical cellular office room has been conducted using the simulation software EnergyPlus. Two different occupant scenarios are each compared with three different architectural design variations…

Attempts to integrate performance analysis with architectural design process have been commonly restricted to final design stage assessments when it is too late for major modifications in buildings’ form. Similarly, enhancement of wind power production in high-rise architecture via optimization of buildings’ aerodynamic behaviour has been problematically incorporated in the schematic design stage. Therefore, these…

As experiencing fast ongoing modernization in Dhaka, local architects and designers are continuously experimenting with building envelopes without pointing out the outdoor and indoor climate relationship and hence energy issues are always left unanswered. In such a context, integration of the traditional envelope elements, materials and construction (based on their thermal performance) is important and,…

In this paper, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of using a web 2.0-based social-geographic platform to enhance design learning. We base our arguments on our recent findings from an experimental urban design studio and reveal our observations relating to the nature of learning that took place in it. In brief, the web platform enabled…

Static, dynamic and aerodynamic effects of wind and the response of tall buildings can be mitigated and controlled using the architectural and structural strategies. Modifying the form and geometry, such as tapering, setback and aerodynamic form are considered architectural concepts; whereas, determining appropriate lateral-load based structural systems, such as tube systems, core-supported outrigger and diagrid…

The paper investigates integration of thermal mass for passive climate modification in compact house forms found in historic world heritage site, Galle Fort in Sri Lanka. The work involves a field investigation and simulation on the thermal performance of thermal mass integrated with the building design for passive climate modification in warm humid climates.  

A leading factor in reshaping boundaries between participatory design and co-creation is the power of crowd-sourcing; however crowdsourced design often produces less innovative results than smaller expert design teams. In design, representation plays a fundamental role whilst in crowdsourced design the collective interaction with representations is restricted. We propose more effective design in collective intelligence…

This paper identifies the limitations of conventional simulation and presents an alternative approach in regards to Morphogenetic design. Rather than attempting to exhaustively model all environmental phenomena, this approach treats the selection of the simulation criteria as part of the design process. By minimizing the amount of simulation in initial design phases, proposals are more…

In recent years, the design industry and design education has experienced a major epistemological shift in the architectural design process, triggered by Building Information Modeling. Since its inception, BIM has developed into an acceptable concept, implemented by a range of software vendors around the world. The mainstream adoption of BIM has disrupted the traditional methods…

All builders in New Zealand doing certain restricted building work are now required to be licensed. The passing of the Building Amendment Bill No. 3 in March 2012 enshrines this requirement into the Building Act 2004. The licensing of building practitioners marks a significant retreat from the strong pioneering tradition of self-help building that historically…

In this paper, an innovative steel reticular system (named AJ), dismountable and reusable, is presented. It consists of modular spatial elements made of stainless steel connected by means of special spherical joints. The approach adopted in the design, based on the idea of “reusability”, allows the environmental impact of the system to be reduced. The…

In this paper, the authors discuss research on the structural properties of textured stainless steel sheeting, which typically is used for skinning and other non-structural purposes. Investigators conducted performative analyses of the material, and verified the results through full-scale prototyping. Structural studies relied on scale shifts that began with molecular composition and culminated with large-sale…

Since Australia’s acknowledgement of climate change and its need to reduce greenhouse gas emitting activities, the national construction regulations have included residential thermal performance requirements. The improvement from no thermal performance regulation to the 5 Star minimum requirements could be met by increasing levels of floor, wall and ceiling insulation and improved glazing. However, the…