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  |  Channel: 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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  |  Channel: 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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  |  Channel: Research Journals

UNDERSTANDING GLARE: Design Methods for Improving Visual Comfort

Daylight harvesting in architecture is a complicated task as the most prominent characteristic of daylight is its variability. There are many methods of estimating how daylight will benefit spaces, but too often the potential for glare is not properly addressed during design. This is especially prevalent in office space environments. A far too common scene... Read more »

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  |  Channel: Design Process, Energy, Research Journals

PARAMETRIC CONTROL OF BIM ELEMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE DESIGN IN REVIT: Linking Design and Analytical Software Applications through Customization

Using analytic data as a driver to control the geometry of BIM elements is currently a promising method for parametric creation of design elements such as sun shades, which respond to environmental constraints such as incident solar radiation or solar angles. This can be done qualitatively, but evaluating multiple options with many variables is time... Read more »

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  |  Channel: 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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  |  Channel: Energy, Research Journals, Workplace

A STUDY OF OCCUPANT ENGAGEMENT: Energy Reduction Using an Online Competition Dashboard

It is well known that occupant behaviour is a factor that affects a building’s energy performance. While a good deal of study and research has been done on residential energy use, less research has focused on the behaviour of commercial office occupants. This paper explores how occupant engagement, coupled with a web-based energy challenge, can... Read more »

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  |  Channel: 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 »

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  |  Channel: Design Process, Research Journals

THE INFORMATION CONTENT OF BIM: An Information Theory Analysis of Building Information Model (BIM) Content

The application of general information theory to pragmatic problems within the architecture, engineering, construction, owner and operator (AECOO) industry is explored in this article. Some basic principles about the nature of information and how it provides value are defined and applied to current issues in the use of building information modeling (BIM) and integrated project... Read more »

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  |  Channel: Education, Human Experience, Research Journals

uPOD: A MODULAR LIVING ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS: The Case for Today’s Community

Institutions have prioritized the development of new residence halls that respond to incoming student classes who expect more privacy, social space, technology and fewer boundaries than any previous generation. To address the difference between student expectations with the current built norm, we have envisioned a new living model that can be implemented in new or... Read more »

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  |  Channel: Design Process, Research Journals

PERFORMANCE-DRIVEN DESIGN AND PROTOTYPING: Design Computation and Fabrication

This article discusses performance-driven design and fabrication as one of the emerging approaches in architectural design, where computational tools are used for integrated design exploration, analysis and fabrication. It discusses development of a new course that integrates simulations into the design process with special consideration for parametric design. Simulations and digital modeling are used to... Read more »

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  |  Channel: Education, Research Journals

A DESIGN-BASED APPROACH TO COLLECTING EVIDENCE: Translating Design Investigation into a Valid Research Model

Evidence Based Design (EBD) research analyzes the built environment through a very rigorous lens, one that takes its methodology from scientific protocol. Most environmental designers are not well versed in the utility of scientific methodology for demonstrating design efficacy, even though they employ a similar method of questioning. Using a previously published study as a... Read more »