Design Process Lab.

A "design process" includes many steps needed to design and construct a built environment. This includes everything from initial data-mining and schematic design all the way through to construction and post-occupancy evaluation. As built environments become more complex, building performance demands increase, and work schedules compress, project teams need to be more effective and efficient at every stage of this process.

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Research Journals

AUTOMATING PRACTICE: Defining Use of Computation in the Architectural Design Workflow

Computation in architectural design, specifically algorithmic/generative design, is a byproduct of advances in software development that have enhanced the digital tools available for explorations in all design disciplines. It is also quickly becoming a sub-discipline with a broad inter-disciplinary range. Currently, computational design methods have extended design and analytical capabilities in software tools available to... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Innovation Incubator, Research Journals, Resilience, Sustainable Communities

URBAN WASTEWATER: A Renewable, Reliable Water Resource for Urban Farming

This article proposes a new urban ecological paradigm that values urban wastewater as a renewable, reliable, freshwater resource for urban farming. The potential benefits of time-tested solutions applied in urban settings have been largely unexplored due to lack of societal acceptance. The research presented herein investigates various aspects of closed-loop systems that localize wastewater treatment... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Energy, Research Journals

HYGROSCOPIC CLIMATIC MODULATED BOUNDARIES: A Strategy for Differentiated Performance Using a Natural Circulative and Energy Captive Building Envelope in Hot and Moisture Rich Laden Air Environments

The operation and construction of buildings account for almost half of the energy use in the United States. To meet global climate change targets, energy consumption of buildings in the long term must be reduced as well as carbon dioxide emissions. This article explores a theoretical building envelope that generates energy and produces water by... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Energy, Research Journals

CELL WALL: Resolving Geometrical Complexities in the Shanghai Nature Museum Iconic Wall

The “Cell Wall” is the iconic feature of the Shanghai Nature Museum and the main design feature from the initial competition phase. It is comprised of three layers, each with its own unique geometrical pattern and organic form, organized in an elliptical cone shape envelope of the atrium. At the core is the main layer,... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Research Journals, Water

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR POOL ENVIRONMENTS: Cold Climates

The natatorium environment is one of the most challenging environments to design and build in northern climates. This is due to the large swings in levels of humidity and temperature between interior and exterior conditions. The challenge remains how to balance the interior pool environment, requiring a consistent temperature and humidity level with the exterior; while taking into... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Energy, Research Journals

ENERGY MODELING GUIDANCE: Guidelines for Energy Analysis Integration into an Architectural Environment

Designing energy efficient buildings requires an understanding of the energy impact of design features and how they interact with each other during the design process. This article outlines how and when an energy analysis can be conducted including guidelines for what to expect in an energy modeling analysis and how to interpret and understand the results. Guidance is... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Education, Human Experience, Research Journals

STUDENTS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW: Discovering How and Where They Learn Best

This article explores various educational theories, research and factors that can be correlated to or have an impact on the physical spaces in which learning takes place. As school design and planning becomes more in tune with the influences that affect education, the connection between physical space and the learning process becomes more relevant. Drawing from sources such... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Research Journals

EXPLORATION OF COMPLEX CURTAIN WALL SOLUTIONS: Shanghai Fisherman’s Wharf Iconic Tower

This article explores the various curtain wall façade system solutions as developed for the Shanghai Fisherman’s Wharf project’s iconic skyscraper. The high-rise tower comprises a curvilinear nautical shape, nicknamed “The Fish” and is the main iconic identity of the large-scale mixed-use project. Cladding this morphic building shape involved an intense exploration of 2D and 3D curtain wall... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Energy, Research Journals

BUILDING PERFORMANCE PREDICTIONS: How Simulations Can Improve Design Decisions

This article discusses relationships between building performance simulations and design decisions and how building performance predictions can improve the design outcomes. The first part of the article discusses why we need to quantify building performance and predict how a building as a whole or its components will function. Then, relationships between Building Information Modeling (BIM) and analysis software... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Research Journals

GLOBAL DESIGN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A Case Study for Kenya Women and Children’s Wellness Centre

This article discusses several key principles for foreign architects doing work overseas in the global workplace. The article uses the Kenya Women and Children’s Wellness Centre as a case study in the development of techniques for the appropriate design process in Kenya. Although targeted specifically to Nairobi (Kenya), the information gathered and the processes established... Read more »

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  |  Lab: Design Process, Research Journals

BIM ON THE WAN: Autodesk’s Revit and the Wide Area Design Problem

As architects computerize their design practices they are faced with unique networking challenges. One of these is the “wide area design” problem. This is the problem of collaborating on large architectural projects from geographically dispersed locations. Revit, in particular, presents acute collaboration challenges owing to its large monolithic file sizes and its rigid synchronous database... Read more »