Year: 2017

Architectural Technology is a relatively new discipline and relates to the anatomy and physiology of buildings and of their production and performance. The practice of Architectural Technology is underpinned by the application of science, engineering and technology and is closely aligned to industry. Architecture Technology is also set within an industry that is under capitalised,…

The filter in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is the first line of defence to maintain a healthy indoor environment from airborne particle pollutants. The work focuses on the analysis of indoor/outdoor airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations and materials accumulated on HVAC filters. We used optical particle counters/sizers to monitor the PM number…

As the population ages, the demand for suitable rental housing will increase. Suitable housing means housing that can accommodate those impairments that typically correspond with ageing. This paper explores the quality of life (QoL) requirements of the elderly with high‐care needs who live in rental housing. It identifies important design considerations through a qualitative case…

As wind environment is one of the key elements in the sustainable and environmental design, there is a need to study local wind environments of modern cities. In urban areas, especially when the density of city is increasing, the influence from buildings to wind environment is becoming higher and higher. This paper presents a literature…

There are over 400,000 persons with dementia in Australia. This figure is projected to increase by 90% to more than 760,000 in the next 20 years and exceed 1.1 million by 2056. Due to the significant increase in the number of people with dementia, the demand for memory support residential facilities is expected to increase….

Rapid intensification of Auckland has made our visual awareness of the outdoor environment (windowscapes) more confined and restricted. The recent changes of Auckland’s windowscapes have made the shortcomings of New Zealand Building Code more apparent. This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of windowscapes in urban dwellers’ life and to suggest some changes to current…

This conference paper is the first of two papers that discuss the outcomes of a long‐term pedagogical research project into the integration of interdisciplinary design‐research, and making practices into the content of second‐year architecture studios. This paper focuses specifically upon one studio involved in the design of responsive systems and electronic spatial interfaces. The studio…

The effect of moisture in New Zealand homes is a topic which has been studied intensely, yet problems still arise from excess moisture. The effects that moisture can have in homes is well documented; however very few studies exists on sources of moisture created by occupants. Typically, studies have focused on removing moisture after its…

This study aimed to analyse the thermal comfort level of students in primary school classrooms in the tropical region with the case studies done in Makassar, Indonesia. The data collection was done through a survey in the six selected primary schools in Makassar. The study involved 1,111 students from 33 classrooms. The recorded data includes…

Common problems of winter indoor micro‐climatic conditions of Auckland houses are low air temperature and high relative humidity. Winter indoor air temperature and relative humidity are mainly impacted by house design with different insulation in their envelopes, different space heating methods and how much energy is used for space heating. The three Auckland houses, with…

The term “citizen science” broadly describes public engagement in scientific research in collaboration with professional scientists. This paper discusses the application of citizen science in microclimatic research for a project recently funded by the Australian federal government. The aim of the project is to engage local communities across Australia in urban microclimate research and empower…

Information on indoor environmental conditions in Australian and New Zealand school classrooms is limited. The indoor environments in schools are less studied compared to other building types such as offices. Limited data and scientific studies on measurements of school environments, particularly on thermal conditions and indoor air quality (IAQ) are available. Moreover, majority of the…

This study investigates the acoustic conditions of reading spaces in a public library in Melbourne. An acoustics performance survey for library users was developed to evaluate library use, sound environment and noise, and a face‐to‐face survey was conducted in the library. The library users described their sound environment as ‘pleasant’, ‘appropriate’ and ‘calm’. The respondents…

Fisherman settlements at the eastern coast of Surabaya are characterized by densely populated areas, some substandard houses and poor infrastructure conditions. Since some houses are crowded and substandard, innovation of the settlement and houses become very important. The innovation, as the process of introducing new idea should be directed to create more healthy and comfortable…

In recent years, there has been an increase in discussion of the role transdisciplinary research can play in many fields of study, opening the questions of its definition, similarities and differences with other seemingly similar approaches. This paper discusses the importance of the transdisciplinary research using the example of integration of medical and architectural information…

In Australia, the current Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme adopts a variation of the ASHRAE 55‐2013 adaptive thermal comfort method with a criterion of 90% acceptability. It has been debated that such a high acceptability requirement may be too strict for residential buildings, and a criterion of 80% or even 70% acceptability may be adequate….

Healthcare design is a growing field of research with recent studies revealing the impact the built environment has on occupants’ health and well‐being. In a qualitative mixed methods case study, data was collected from a spatial evaluation and focus group interview with nursing staff from the Royal Adelaide Hospital Emergency Extended Care Unit in Adelaide,…

Systematic literature reviews originated in biomedical science. They are methods to systematically identify, select and critically appraise evidence. They form the foundation of the process reported here which has investigated whether there is any evidence in the literature showing that biomimicry might be a generalizable principle that could assist designers to improve the thermal performance…

The impact of IEQ (daylight, temperature, acoustics and indoor air quality) in school settings is a subject of concern for many scholars and parents and teachers. This review has appraised the breadth of studies that have examined the influence of IEQ on learning performance and health in schools. Using the replicable search processes of a…

The increase in building code requirements of modern buildings are correlated with increased overheating, particularly in apartment buildings. This research addresses the comparative performance of the Australian apartment stock with international heat wave regulations, six apartment buildings were performance modelled based on the extremes of the 2009 Victorian heatwave that began on the 27 January…

This study aims i) to characterize the ratios of bioaerosol levels in a meeting room to outdoor levels and ii) to investigate the impact of two factors, air‐conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) operation status and human occupancy, on time‐resolved relationship between indoor and outdoor bioaerosols. Using an ultraviolet‐light induced fluorescence (UV‐LIF) technique, we measured number…

In Japan, a radical experiment has been going on for more than one thousand years: wooden structures are built and dismantled every twenty years in an ongoing renewal process without a known beginning or end. We will look into the Ise shrines not as buildings but as genetic sequences or generative lines of code. As…

Since 2002, multi residential developments proposals are assessed under the State Environmental Policy No 65 (SEPP 65) which measures apartment design quality according to nine design principles. The introduction of the SEPP 65 has improved the quality of apartment designs, however, it has also introduced the challenge of collecting data and analysis for assessment. Current…

While indoor environment quality (IEQ) measurement is an established process, it omits the sensory pleasure of interior environments, possibly due to perceived subjectivity in the context of objective productivity. Given the significant commercial interior renovation industry, the developing evidence linking sensory pleasure to thermal comfort, the known complexity of indoor habitation, and the growth of…