Visualizing high-rise building construction strategies using linear scheduling and 4D CAD

Project teams face ever increasing pressure to deliver projects as quickly as possible. To meet these demands, contractors are faced with the need to explore various construction strategies in order to meet delivery dates, and to assure themselves as to the achievability and quality of a schedule. Various visual representations of a project's schedule and associated information combined with visual representations of the project in progress, i.e. 4D CAD, can assist with these tasks of identifying effective construction strategies for shortening project duration, assessing their workability, and judging schedule quality. Such visual representations aid communication amongst project staff and facilitate brain-storming, and, implemented well they can provide clear, fast, and multi-dimensional feedback to the project team. In this paper, we describe aspects of our work which is directed at formulating a dynamic visualization environment that links 3D CAD, a generalization of traditional CPM which embraces linear scheduling, dual product representations (scheduling and CAD system) and their mapping onto each other, and schedule and CAD graphics in a manner which facilitates the relatively rapid exploration of alternative construction method and scheduling strategies for large scale linear projects (e.g. high-rise buildings, bridges, etc.). Requirements of such an environment include quickness, treating scale, working at multiple levels of detail, dealing with design variability, and realistic representation of the work. Use is made of a realistic example to highlight aspects of our approach and identify important issues that must be addressed if a visualization environment useful for construction professionals is to be developed.     

Conservation and modern architecture. Fortune and misfortune of the School of Mathematics at Rome University (G. Ponti, 1932–1935)

The framework of the Italian restoration doctrine is based on the reception and transmission of the memory of the past. However, interventions in modern architecture represent a radical drift in the sense that they mostly consist of reconstructions, refurbishments, and renovations. Such work disregards the sense of value acknowledgment that is implicit in architectural conservation and neglects the importance of material conservation. The uneven fortune of the School of Mathematics at Rome's University Campus illustrates this situation. This predicament is similar to that of many other modern buildings that have been declared “monuments” by mouth but are actually bent to listless and insensible use, mistreated, and hardly maintained. The recent work carried out at the School of Mathematics proves that interventions on modern buildings are mostly insensitive to their true significance and are often carried out in extreme urgency for mere practical reasons, if not for political opportunities. Modern buildings can be true architectural monuments that express great esthetic potentials and retain notable historical weight in the history of architecture; therefore, they should be regarded as highly representative of our recent past and maintained as such.     

Coveting your neighbour’s house: understanding the positional nature of residential satisfaction

Abstract

Do the characteristics of our neighbour’s house affect how we view our own home? In this paper, I examine the importance of local comparisons in housing assessments by testing whether the size of one’s home relative to others in their neighbourhood influences their housing satisfaction. I use a unique feature of the 1993 American Housing Survey, in which the US Census Bureau randomly surveyed 988 housing units around the country and a cluster of approximately 10 of their nearest neighbours. I use these data to test whether a unit’s relative size in its neighbourhood influences the occupant’s housing satisfaction while controlling for a series of occupant and unit characteristics. I find evidence that relative position matters. Those living in comparatively small houses are more likely to express dissatisfaction with their home than people living in units that are large relative to other houses in their neighbourhood cluster.     

Holistic study of a timber double skin faade: Whole life carbon emissions and structural optimization

The upkeep of existing buildings has a great role to play in reducing the carbon emissions of the built environment. Fac,ade upgrade represents one of the most effective interventions to improve both thermal efficiency and aesthetic appeal of existing buildings. Double Skin Fa c,ades( DSFs) have much to offer due to their use of solar and w ind energy to passively heat and cool indoor spaces,whilst guaranteeing freedom and flexibility in the aesthetic design of the refurbished building. How ever,DSFs also bear an increase in the embodied energy and carbon due to the additional materials required for the extra skin throughout all life cycle stages.In this article,life cycle assessment( LCA) and dynamic energy modelling have been combined through a parametric approach to obtain figures for the w hole-life cycle carbonassessment of 384 different configurations of an innovative,timber-made DSF for UK low-carbon refurbishments. Additionally,the structural design of the fac,ade w as also investigated through a structural optimisation procedure w hich takes into account all relevant loads and ensures minimal use of the structural material.Results show that operational savings outw eigh the embodied impacts and therefore the proposed DSF is a viable and effective solution for net carbon-negative refurbishments. The operational energy modelling also contributes to the characterisation of DSFs thermal behaviour in temperate climates.     

Balancing energy and daylighting performances for envelope design: A new index and proposition of a case study in Hong Kong

The upkeep of existing buildings has a great role to play in reducing the carbon emissions of the built environment. Fac,ade upgrade represents one of the most effective interventions to improve both thermal efficiency and aesthetic appeal of existing buildings. Double Skin Fa c,ades( DSFs) have much to offer due to their use of solar and w ind energy to passively heat and cool indoor spaces,whilst guaranteeing freedom and flexibility in the aesthetic design of the refurbished building. How ever,DSFs also bear an increase in the embodied energy and carbon due to the additional materials required for the extra skin throughout all life cycle stages.In this article,life cycle assessment( LCA) and dynamic energy modelling have been combined through a parametric approach to obtain figures for the w hole-life cycle carbonassessment of 384 different configurations of an innovative,timber-made DSF for UK low-carbon refurbishments. Additionally,the structural design of the fac,ade w as also investigated through a structural optimisation procedure w hich takes into account all relevant loads and ensures minimal use of the structural material.Results show that operational savings outw eigh the embodied impacts and therefore the proposed DSF is a viable and effective solution for net carbon-negative refurbishments. The operational energy modelling also contributes to the characterisation of DSFs thermal behaviour in temperate climates.     

Accommodating the discarnate: thai spirit houses and the phenomenology of place

ABSTRACT

In Thailand, many homes possess small shrines for locality and guardian spirits. In Thai the shrines are known by various names denoting the ethereal occupants and their various spheres of influence. In English they are referred to collectively as “spirit houses.” By exploring the ways in which these shrines are used by Thai people through two case studies, this article addresses the prevalence of spirit houses in contemporary urban locations, an area which scholarship on Thai popular religion has largely neglected. Based upon eighteen months of fieldwork in three Thai cities, the article argues that the ornate shrines which adorn many house compounds in contemporary urban Thailand tie into local understandings of the social character of places. It is suggested that the persistence of spirit houses can be partly understood through their roles as mediators of the phenomenological experience of certain places. Spirit houses are one part of a gathering process that imbues places with significant meaning. The shrines exemplify that culturally specific interactions and engagements with spirits associated with certain places influence how the phenomenological qualities of these places are constructed and experienced.     

临时用房的雷电防护探讨

随着社会经济的快速发展、自然灾害的频繁发生等因素,需要搭建的各种临时用房越来越多。但由于临时用房不是永久性的建筑,使用时间有限,由于建设工期紧迫以及建设单位节约建造成本等原因,使其很多方面都不完善,其中的防雷设施往往容易被忽略。临时用房常常搭建在空旷的野外或近水的河边,处于易被雷击的区域。因此,本文针对临时用房的直击雷和雷电波侵入防护进行了探讨,希望能对临时用房的雷电防护起到积极的作用。     

浙东南传统民居生态适应性研究

浙东南传统民居是浙江民居的重要组成部分,同时又有着自身的特色。气候、地理等生态要素对浙东南传统民居有重要的影响。浙东南传统民居的选址环境、形体布局、结构构架、节点构造、材料利用等方面都体现了对生态的适应。研究浙东南传统民居如何适应当地生态有助于深入认识传统民居地域性。     

Urban Real Estate in Ghana: A Study of Housing-related Remittances from Australia

A combination of rapid population growth and low incomes results in housing shortages in Ghana. Migration to Europe, America and Scandinavia has provided a way for some Ghanaians to escape this housing problem, as they take advantage of salaries there in order to save and build houses much quicker back home. This study of Ghanaian migrants in Sydney shows that by keeping at two or more jobs and saving about 33 per cent of their incomes, they are able to build houses worth US$100 000 in Ghana within 3–6 years. How these Ghanaians acquire land, how they build and their experiences after completing their houses provide clues on how to improve housing policy in Ghana.     

Invisible lines: patterns of alignments in the renderings of Frank Lloyd Wright's Wasmuth Portfolio

This article analyses Frank Lloyd Wright's composition techniques in the renderings of his Wasmuth Portfolio by diagramming perspective drawings of the K. C. De Rhodes and Victor Metzger houses. Previous studies of Wright's drawings have focused primarily on his graphic devices, whereas this article demonstrates how he employed patterns of alignments systematically to arrange key elements in the picture into geometric relationships. Additionally, in comparing the pattern system used in Wasmuth renderings with that in Japanese woodblock prints, this article provides new insights on Wright's artistic debt to the latter, and Utagawa Hiroshige's work in particular. In revealing the underlying patterns of Wright's renderings, this study contributes to a refreshed and more nuanced perspective of Wright's work and advances our understanding of the role of patterns in architectural representations.     

Who are you designing your tunnel for?

This conference will cover many aspects of tunnel use and design. Experts from a broad range of disciplines will share with us their experiences and no doubt, at times their frustrations encountered in getting the job done. Most will focus only on their particular field. Some however will be responsible for the eventual overall outcome which is the ongoing life of the tunnel and its intended use. We each have our barrow to push, and in the case of emergency services it's the safety of the tunnel user and emergency service workers called in when things go wrong. In this paper I will attempt to explain where we are coming from and why. To this end the paper is not a technical one but intended more as a guide on the needs and processes. At the end of this conference I hope it will be clearer to all of us who we are designing tunnels for.     

Aging in place and housing over-consumption

Societies are aging and the number of households with heads or even all members over 65 is increasing rapidly. Many of these households are well established in the housing market and occupy housing at the apex of the housing choice process. These houses are large, nearly always owned and with substantial equity value. The households that occupy such dwellings have lower mobility rates than households in general and are likely, with low mobility rates, to continue to occupy their houses even when they no longer need the same space as when they were raising families. The paper examines the extent of this phenomenon in the Netherlands and traces under what circumstances older households are exchanging these large houses. The data, derived from the Housing Demand Survey in the Netherlands, reveal that older households occupy very spacious housing, that they have relatively long durations of stay, and that owners over 60 are nearly certain to be ‘over-consuming’ housing with respect to equilibrium consumption. At the same time, when older households do move, they reduce the amount of space they consume. The issue for society at large is whether the low mobility rates create a bottleneck in access to spacious housing by younger families.This paper was originally designed and initiated in collaboration with Frans Dieleman. We wish to acknowledge our long time collaboration with Frans. We will miss his insight and creativity.     

陕南天井式民居研究——以青木川为例

天井是我国传统民居中的常见元素,该文以青木川为例,对陕南的天井式民居进行了深入分析,认为该地区的天井建筑受到了不同地区建筑文化的影响,并在适应地理环境和气候特征的过程中形成了自己的地域性特点,体现了我国民众适应自然、改造环境、以人为本的建筑设计思想。     

Improvement of indoor air quality in four problem homes

The occupants of six houses suffered from symptoms which improved upon leaving their houses. In a previous study, tests were conducted in these six houses to measure various physical parameters related to their indoor environments. Four of these houses were subsequently renovated to improve indoor air quality. Tests were repeated on the four houses to assess the effectiveness of the applied remedial measures. The post-renovation tests which were identical to the pre-renovation tests, included measurements of air temperature, relative humidity, ventilation rates, air distribution patterns, levels of carbon dioxide, concentrations of formaldehyde, and concentrations of volatile organic compounds.This paper describes the remedial measures applied to these houses. Also presented is a comparison of the ventilation conditions, and concentrations of chemical contaminants in the houses before and after the renovation.     

住宅的多样性——日本集合住宅的借鉴

以西安目前住宅市场发展的现状及其存在的弊端为例 ,说明我国目前住宅需求的多样化和设计手法的单一化之间的矛盾 ,论述了与我国有着相似文化背景的日本在解决不同住宅需求时采用形式多样、功能各异的集合住宅的理念 .试图以此借鉴 ,使我国建筑设计界了解日本集合住宅的发展演变过程 ,吸取他们的经验 ,为我们在住宅多样化研究和设计时提供一种不同的思路和方法 .     

The development and testing of low-cost insulation for shacks

Tin shacks and squatter houses, by virtue of their design and construction, are very thermally inefficient. Inhabitants of these dwellings can spend up to 20% of their disposable income on space heating during winter months. Space heating is usually achieved by burning bio-fuels like wood, coal and paraffin. This heating process produces indoor pollution, and the pollution levels in informal low-cost houses are up to 10 times higher than prescribed by the World Health Organisation. The solution to this problem is to make the houses more energy efficient, and studies have shown that the best way to do this, is to insulate the houses. The aim of this study was to develop a low-cost insulating material for this purpose. It was decided that to make the material economically feasible, a waste product of some type should be used. Used tyres were selected as the waste material, processed to produce a granular rubber, and then combined with additives to produce sheet rubber. One hundred and thirty-one experiments were performed to try and optimise the ratio of solvents, fire retardants, foaming agents and colourants. The experiments, and several computer simulations, showed that energy savings in the region of 45% could be realised using the material. This amounts to a saving of US$91.5-million each winter if all the informal low-cost houses in Gauteng alone were to be insulated. The material was developed into a workable form during this study, but work still needs to be done to improve the flammability, toxic gas emissions, and fire retardancy.     

Platform and receptacle: Musings of modernity arising from Utzon's own houses

Utzon throughout his life time designed and built three houses for himself and his family. As tudy of these houses shows the slow development of a doubt, albeit understated, on his early architectural belief that was much celebrated in his public buildings, such as the Sydney Opera House. But Utzon is not unique in this instance.Some other modern architects too had experienced a similar change, gradual or sudden,in their attitudes towards life and the world, hence the transformation of their architecture as a consequence.This change, on the surface and as represented in architecture,is from a building that boldly embraces outside vista to that of a more internalized receptacle. But unlike Corbusier, Utzon,instead of acomplete transformation, showed an inner conflict arising from this doubt,which is between the modern urge to conquer the capacious space out there and a yearning for an interior life.     

Effects of flood hazard visualization format on house purchasing decisions

ABSTRACT

We investigated how decision-making is affected by the visual presentation of flood hazard information. We exposed participants to different formats of flood hazard information while they simulated selecting a property to purchase. We compared three flood hazard formats: (i) maps currently used by the UK Environment Agency, (ii) tables that present flood level and frequency information and (iii) graphical representations depicting the level-frequency combination using a cartoon house image as a physical referent. In the experiment participants were presented, via computer screen, side-by-side information about two houses in a series of trials. Participants made a forced choice preference judgement between 108 different pairs of houses to indicate which they would purchase. Our findings indicate that when hazard information is presented in map format, individuals are less accurate in selecting lower-hazard houses, compared to when the same information is presented as a graphic representation of a house or as a table.     

Do green roofs really provide significant energy saving in a Mediterranean climate?Critical evaluation based on different case studies

Green roofs represent a growing technology that is spreading increasingly and rapidly throughout the building sector. The latest national and international regulations are promoting their application for refurbishments and new buildings to increase the energy efficiency of the building stock. In recent years, vegetative coverings have been studied to demonstrate their multiple benefits, such as the reduction of the urban heat island phenomenon and the increase in the albedo of cities. On the contrary, this study aims to verify the actual benefit of applying a green roof on a sloped cover compared with installing a highly insulated tiled roof. The EnergyPlus tool has been used to perform dynamic analyses, which has allowed to understand the behavior of two different stratigraphies in accordance with weather conditions, rain, and irrigation profiles. Results have shown that the installation of a green roof cannot always be considered the best solution for reducing building energy consumption, especially if compared with a classic highly insulated clay tile roof. In terms of summer air conditioning, the maximum saving is 0.72 kWh/m2. The presence of water in the soil has also been proven a crucial factor.     

The sustainability cycle of historic houses and cultural memory: Controversy between historic preservation and heritage conservation

Historic preservation and heritage conservation are two mainstream concepts related to the sustainability and renewal of historic houses. With the aim of enhancing the sustainability of historic houses, this article criticizes the view of historic preservation that insists on preserving historic houses with their old appearances, which does not fully develop their sustainability. In contrast, the article provides support for the view of heritage conservation that aims to promote the sustainability of historic houses and related legislation. In the second and third parts, this article examines the theoretical origin of historic preservation, which emphasizes and summarizes the one-way protection of cultural memory via historic houses. In the fourth part, the article turns to heritage conservation, highlights the sustainable cycle between historic houses and cultural memory, and underlines the advantages of this sustainable cycle. In the fifth part, this article presents a sustainable approach to heritage conservation and related legal safeguards by taking the renewal of historic houses in China's Bagua Village (or “Eight Diagrams Village”) as an example. In the last part, this paper summarizes the theoretical value, practical value and limitations of this article. The findings can facilitate the UN's sustainable development of social inclusion, economic growth, and environmental protection to promote the heritage legislation and policy of present and future generations.