Building simulation tools can empower architects to evaluate and optimize the performance of their designs. Thus, it is essential to integrate building performance simulation modeling from an early design stage. A critical piece of the simulated environment is the weather file. It is a compilation of 20- 30 years of historical weather and hourly data... Read more »
This paper explores through professional case studies how design solutions produced by expert teams compares to those developed through systematic parametric analysis. While the expert intuition of either single designer or teams helps to rapidly identify relevant aspects of the design problem and produce viable solutions, it has limitation to address multi-criteria design problems with... Read more »
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are a near future reality and the implications of AVs on city development and urban form, while potentially widespread and dramatic, are not well understood. This report describes the first order impacts, or the broad ways that the form and function of cities are already being impacted by forces of change including—but... Read more »
In order to stay innovative, it is crucial that we keep asking ourselves the disruptive questions, which form the basis of great architecture. The more we share knowledge, talk about and discuss architecture on a daily basis, the more likely we are to remain critical, come up with innovative solutions, create social engagement and bring... Read more »
Arenas are large, expensive, non-continuously-used, energy-intensive luxuries. To date, there have been no arenas built that meet any definition of “zero net energy building.” How do we move beyond the AIA 2030 Challenge, and design ecologically sustainable Net Zero energy Arenas? While Perkins and Will has generally made great progress towards meeting the 2030 goals,... Read more »
Urban areas are often times subject to elevated levels of noise pollution. Urban noise levels exceeding 55 decibels (dB) can result in negative public health outcomes through chronic/long-term exposure. The design of urban open spaces and parks has been shown to help decrease noise pollution. What remains unclear is to what extent parks attenuate noise pollution and what... Read more »
In the U.S., the average rate of escalator incidents per year equals 0.221 accidents per escalator; 0.442 accidents per escalator pairing. Campus wide, a large medical center in the southern United States has reported 19 separate escalator incidents between July 2018 to July 2019—with 9 of those incidents occurring within an on-campus outpatient care clinic. At almost... Read more »
This article questions the direct connections between geometry and material behavior of plywood and latex composite, and its structural performance relevance employing an architectural solution. Biology makes use of only remarkably few materials; thus, this investigation works with simple morphological fibers differentiation, density and arrangement to create form with performance, just as successfully observed in nature. The CNC... Read more »
What is the future of the net-zero building? It is not a super-tall tower predicated on technology that does not exist but instead a more thoughtful integration into the existing urban fabric that considers people, communities, and density. This new building typology will be prevalent where governments are encouraging resilient zoning overlays, developers are creating new neighborhoods... Read more »
With the increasing number of international students in academic institutions, there is a new emphasis for academic facilities to accommodate this population’s needs. Many international students face cultural, financial, social and academic challenges. It takes time to adjust to a new environment, navigate a new city, and find a home. Loneliness, disorientation and detachment are common. While... Read more »
The most common approach for calculating thermal resistance (R-value) of building facades is based on the additive method, where material components of the facade in sectional view, their relative thickness and thermal conductivity are considered. However, in order to account for thermal bridging caused by framing, area-weighted approach should be used to determine more accurate R-value. This... Read more »
