Architectural Design Projects Research Articles

TRANSFORMING MEDELLÍN: ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN AS AGENTS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

This article examines the transformative impact of Sergio Fajardo’s mayoral administration (2003–2007) in Medellín, Colombia, focusing on architecture and urban design projects that have promoted equity. Central to this urban renaissance was the Proyecto Urbano Integral (PUI) Nororiental, which revitalized informal settlements in the city’s northeastern zone. The initiative leveraged financing from Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), a city-owned utility company, ensuring sustainable investment in public works without reliance on international loans. This financial model enabled the redistribution of funds to Medellín’s poorest neighborhoods, fostering transparency and combating corruption. Key to this urban strategy was the involvement of the Empresa de Desarrollo Urbano (EDU) which implemented the PUI with an intersectional planning approach combining public transit, education, culture, recreation, health, and safety initiatives. The PUI emphasized community participation through “Imaginary Workshops” promoting ownership and engagement among residents. The PUI Nororiental, enhanced by the Metrocable transit system and associated public spaces, has successfully integrated isolated neighborhoods while reducing violence and fostering social cohesion. Despite critiques of high costs, this article argues that quality public spaces and civic buildings promote community pride and destigmatization. Medellín’s “social urbanism” serves as a model for addressing inequity in Latin America and the broader Global South, demonstrating how architecture and urban design can drive social change.

Development of a Tabletop Hologram for Spatial Visualization: Application in the Field of Architectural and Urban Design

Architects, engineers, and designers normally visualize architectural, urban planning, urban design, or landscape design projects in different ways to present their ideas. At present, the two most widely utilized and accessible methods for spatial visualization are digital 3D modeling and physical 3D modeling. Despite their popularity, both approaches have intrinsic limitations. These shortcomings are progressively being mitigated through advancements in technology and digitalization. In this study, we propose the utilization of hologram technology as an innovative approach to overcome the limitations of both modeling methods mentioned. This research addresses two main points: the seamless integration of hologram production into the standard workflow of architectural and urban design projects, and the experimental creation of a tabletop hologram prototype using the most advanced stereoscopic visualization capabilities—CHIMERA hologram printer. The experiment’s results indicate that tabletop holograms’ visualization quality can potentially replace traditional methods in the near future. The process of creating holograms can be incorporated into the standard workflow of architectural and urban design projects and utilized in specific contexts.

RuiXue Multi-Hall-Human machine collaboration in reciprocal structures

This article centers on the RuiXue Multi-Hall architectural design project in Chengdu, China, with a specific focus on a comprehensive workflow framework that integrates reciprocal geometric design and digital construction methods, primarily within the context of shell structures. The research expands on the concepts of structural design, adjustments of performance parameters, and the optimization of free-form shells. In addition, it outlines the spatial design approach for the shell structure. The study delves into reciprocal geometric design for the existing shell structure, establishing a library of reciprocal geometric shapes suitable for architectural design. The primary focus is on the application of these shapes to the shell structure, optimizing parameters for several grids within the library, and comparing various design schemes. Furthermore, the article discusses digital construction methods for the existing shell space and reciprocal structure, with a specific emphasis on the material performance of timber components. This discussion includes reciprocal timber structures and 3D-printed roofs for shell surfaces, all guided by a geometric control system to facilitate an interactive design and construction process. This research on reciprocal geometric design and digital construction methods for shell structures holds dual significance. It not only traces the historical development of reciprocal structures but also explores innovative construction methods using digital technology. The establishment of a comprehensive framework for reciprocal geometric design-construction is expected to catalyze innovative breakthroughs in future architectural design, spanning aspects such as space, form, materials, and structure.

Mimetic Teaching Strategy in Design Education: Relationship Between Students Learning Style and Creativity

Mimetic Teaching Strategy in Design Education: Relationship Between Students Learning Style and Creativity

RESEARCH ON THE FORMATION MECHANISM OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNERS’ CREATIVE DEVIANCE - BASED ON THE PERSPECTIVE OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR THEORY

With the improvement of architectural design project management and the standardization of the design process, enterprises have encountered some obstacles on the road to innovation. Among them, the deviant innovation behavior, as an obscure independent innovation behavior, has gradually attracted the attention of scholars. The characteristic of deviant innovation behavior is that, in order to achieve the purpose of innovation, innovators will use various resources to support their innovative ideas. Among them, deviant innovation behavior not only promotes innovation but also brings management and risk challenges to enterprises. Therefore, only by clarifying the causes and conditions of the deviant innovation behavior can we truly manage the deviant innovation and do a good job in the innovation management of enterprises on the basis of reducing operational risks.
 Based on the current situation of high education levels and low innovation success rates among architectural designers, this study discusses the environmental factors contributing to deviant innovation behavior and explains its formation mechanism. In general, the contributions of this paper to existing research are as follows: 1) On the basis of the existing literature, this study reviews the relevant concepts and measurement methods of deviant innovation behavior and the influencing factors are discussed. 2) Based on the theory of planning behavior theory, the deviant innovative behavior model is constructed, which reveals the role of behavior attitude, subjective norms, and perceptual behavior control in affecting employee deviant innovative behavior. 3) Previous studies have directly applied the theory of planned behavior to the interpretation and prediction of behavior. This study complements and extends the boundary conditions, puts forward the view that task complexity will regulate the relationship between deviant innovation willingness and deviant innovation behavior, and has verified it.

Exploring Indonesia’s Recycled-Plastic Waste Material in Interior Design for Sustainable Interior Eco-Planning

The amount of plastic waste in the world has captured the attention of the world’s citizens. Creative solution is expected to develop plastic waste into sustainable products. Recycling process of plastic waste possibly will change the material into more useful raw material to be utilized into designed product. The concept of developing plastic waste as the raw material must accommodate the specific characteristic in terms of dimension, color, and the purpose of product. It is found that recycled plastic waste has opportunity to explore and apply in architecture and interior design projects, since it has strength and shape that can be modified based on demand. The focus of this research is the exploration of recycled plastic waste in interior design. How to design recycled-plastic waste for interior elements? The research method uses exploratory research, which the result of this study produces design sketches as a design proposal of plastic waste material exploration. It is to support the sustainable development goals where designers should contribute to achieve sustainable live for future generation. Global sustainability has become the main objectives of development in twenty-first century. Selected designs are proposed as the outcomes of this research. It is expected that recycled plastic waste will be recognized as potential material that likely to apply in interior design project as building material, interior, and furniture accessories.

Developing Adaptive Curriculum for Slum Upgrade Projects: The Fourth Year Undergraduate Program Experience

Slum formation is a visible outcome of population growth, rapid urbanization, economic and political policy. Currently, there are approximately one billion slum dwellers, representing approximately thirty percent of the global population. As evident, slums as a critical issue will remain in the upcoming decades. The discipline of architecture should consider the issue of a slum in its curriculum, especially within the design studios. This research attempts to integrate the slum topic within the fourth year undergraduate architecture curriculum and develop a pedagogical framework concerning architectural design projects that focuses on slum topic. The Graduation Research & Preparation (ARC 403) course and Graduation Project (ARC 402) course are modified in order to be responsive to the slum topic. The novelty of the framework can be categorized as follows: the proposed framework is context specific. It is based on an interdisciplinary approach to architecture and ethnography. It utilizes ethnographic tools for collecting data during fieldwork. It values research throughout the design process. A research-based approach prepares young architects for future complex challenges. It requires the young architects to utilize research and build an inventory of collected data, which can guide them during the design process as a reference point. It attempts to increase the awareness of the young architect regarding the discourse on social sustainability. It values social equity, quality of life, and well-being as core indicators of social sustainability and tries to integrate the indicators within the curriculum. The aforementioned indicators can guide young architects to reach strategic decisions to achieve sustainable design solutions.

Review: Maadi: The Making and Unmaking of a Cairo Suburb 1878–1962

Review: <i>Maadi: The Making and Unmaking of a Cairo Suburb 1878–1962</i>

Exploring the Principles of Design for Disassembly through Design-led Research

The construction industry is responsible for a significant portion of the solid waste that industrialised nations dispose of each year. One reason for this is the low rates of reuse and recycling, largely due to the difficulties in deconstructing buildings and an inability to easily separate materials and components. If buildings were designed to facilitate deconstruction and the easier separation of the parts, then future material and component recovery would be easier. Previous research into historic examples of deconstruction has identified numerous principles for design for disassembly. This paper presents research that expands on this understanding of design for disassembly though the application of these principles in architectural design projects. A methodology of ‘research through designing’ is implemented to explore the principles and assess their suitability for integration into mainstream construction practice. Several domestic scaled architectural projects were used to trial the principles and the overarching philosophy. This experimentation and research through creative practice, has confirmed the value of the principles of design for disassembly as strategies for the potential reduction of future demolition waste. Further to this, it has made explicit some of the otherwise unrealised consequences or constraints of designing for future disassembly.

Qualitative Research as a Tool to Carry out Architectural and Industrial Design Projects: A Vision from the Academic Perspective

Abstract In recent years, qualitative research has gained ground as one of the main tools to analyze reality and propose innovation projects. This qualitative methodology has strengthened an innovative pedagogical structure, within the teaching of design disciplines. This is the specific case of our educational activity in the Modular System (UAM X), which facilitates the application of these tools in the design process. Reviewing the data in the analysis in a more qualitative way, promotes a more credible, reliable and valid vision to propose solutions to the problems detected. Thus, achieving a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and considering the factors involved in order to generate more relevant solutions. Within architecture, some projects that are addressed, such as the historical and cultural heritage of spaces and cities, use qualitative research techniques to discover and interpret the real vision of the inhabitant/visitor of these spaces. It is essential to understand how the city is lived from the point of view of the different actors that interact in the space, in order to generate plans and projects that reinforce and enrich social interaction. In industrial design, the students take these tools and apply them to the first phase of their project in search of insights that will allow them to bring forward innovative products with a real impact on society. This paper addresses these two cases, highlighting the importance of these tools being internalized by our students completing their training with a research profile focused on design.

Selecting control strategies in projects of intangible outputs: empirical evidence from architectural and engineering design projects

PurposeProject managers rely on control strategies to deliver excellent outputs. However, little is known about how clients' project managers select control strategies in projects which are knowledge-intensive and have intangible outputs. This study aims to examine how clients' project managers select project control strategies in professional service projects.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey of 360 architectural and engineering (A/E) design projects was adopted. Data were analyzed through the hierarchical regression.FindingsBoth clients' knowledge of measuring outcomes and process uncertainty give rise to their project managers setting up behavior and social controls. Level of process uncertainty positively moderates the impact of client's knowledge of measuring outcomes on outcome control.Research limitations/implicationsThis study mainly examined the client's knowledge of measuring outcomes and process uncertainties. Future studies could be conducted to expand the scope by including other contextual factors, for instance market and regulatory factors.Practical implicationsFrom the client side, if they want to simultaneously adopt outcome, behavior and social controls, they would need to increase their knowledge of measuring outcomes by adopting established assessment tools or appointing a third party to assist in design outcome evaluation.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge by showing that the level of intangibility of project outputs influences the types of control system which project managers adopt.

STANDAR OPERASIONAL PROSEDUR (SOP) SISTEM PELAPORAN KINERJA SDM PADA PROYEK DESAIN ARSITEKTUR DALAM KAITANNYA DENGAN DISIPLIN KERJA

As part of Architecture, Engineering &amp; Construction (AEC), architectural design projects are carried out by an architectural design studio consulting firm, where within the company there is a design team consisting of human resources with expertise in design and project administration. The architectural design project is part of the Initiating and Planning process in the AEC project.&#x0D; In the framework of the Monitoring &amp; Controlling process, tools are needed in the form of Standard Operating Procedures in the form of steps and documents where assessment and reporting can be carried out properly.&#x0D; Method of creating SOP is to use a Flowchart, so that will be a concise and easy-to-understand flow can be made, so that analysis and evaluation can then be carried out based on the sequence of steps of a series of process activities.&#x0D; Several conclusions obtained from this study: previous research shows that work discipline has an influence on employee performance; the performance aspects assessed by members of the design team are the quantity of work (project scope), time to do the task, and quality of work (conformity with company quality standards); aspects of work discipline that are assessed by team members, namely discipline in working hours regulations, discipline in dress and behavior etiquette, discipline in interacting and coordinating with other work units, and discipline in following regulations; performance appraisal is carried out by a superior in the design department (principal architect), while the work discipline assessment is carried out by a supervisor from the HR development department.

Preliminary Investigation on Architecture Students’ Perceptions of Developing Hard and Soft Skills via Project-Based Learning

In ensuring competitiveness and employability, architectural graduates nowadays have been observed to acquire new skills to complement their conventional architectural trainings. The main purpose of this paper is to discuss the hard and soft skills acquired by the architectural students via the architectural design project requirements, which is also categorized as project-based learning. The study utilizes mixed-mode methods through questionnaire survey and in-depth interview. As this is a preliminary study, the number of respondents for the survey is 32, while for the in-depth interview, only eight students have participated. From the findings, it can be concluded that skills such as video presentation (hard skill), teamwork and communication skills (soft skill) are essential for architecture students undertaking project-based learning. The findings of this study will be used to benefit investigations in student’s skill developments in project-based learning with larger number of respondents. It is hoped that the findings will be adopted into the architectural education field to better equip future graduate architects with skills which are necessary for the industry.

Project value as practice: Interactive valuation practices in architectural design projects

In project research, value has been conceptualized either as something subjective in peoples’ minds or as an objective reality. However, in practice, project actors encounter, express, and negotiate value both subjectively (e.g., as ideals and beliefs) and objectively (e.g., as the price) depending on the evolving circumstances of real-life situations. To capture the project value phenomenon from project actors’ perspective, we adopt a projects-as-practice approach on project value, which puts the emphasis on the activity, process or practice of valuation rather than on value as something in itself. This suggests that project value must be understood with a focus on valuation practices, through which various project actors express what they value, and through which they evaluate the alternative ways of proceeding with the project tasks in hand. Using practice-level interaction data from three projects in an architectural practice, we reveal three nexuses of interrelated valuation practices with distinct practical rationalities, through which various considerations of project actors manifest themselves and get resolved in different ways. We argue that these valuation practices combined create an ongoing process of reconciliation in the observed projects and enact project value on an ongoing basis. We discuss how the cross-cutting issues of relational constitution of valuation practices, temporality as well as power relationships configure the practical rationality of valuation practices, thus determining the enacted project value. Our study complements the existing research on project value by establishing project value as practice, and by highlighting relational constitution, temporality, and power as key issues for the study of the project value phenomenon.

Architectural theory as a tool for architectural criticism necessarily employed for the betterment of architectural education

Criticism, or "to criticize" derives from the Greek krinein meant to distinguish, which is to separate, to silt, to make a distinction. The word "theory" comes from the philosophical Latin term "theoria" meaning spectator, while in modern days means the attempt to decide architectural right and wrong on a purely intellectual base. Pedagogically architecture students participating in a review learn from whoever provides useful criticism benefiting from critiques or reviews. This research in comparison to the ones that went through focuses on Architectural Criticism and Architectural Theory and which one stems from the other, their significance in architectural education in form of crit or review and shows a road map of how reviews are to take place by their different constituents. The purpose of the paper is to see whether the architectural theory is stemming from architectural criticism and whether it’s employed in architectural education. The methodology of this paper depends on both theoretical and analytical studies through three major fields; architectural criticism, architectural theory, and the analytical study of architectural education in form of critique or review. Finally, the paper concludes by linking architectural education mostly in its architectural design projects critique or review form with architectural theory and its dependence upon architectural criticism.

Reframing Architecture through Design

Reframing Architecture through Design

COMPUTER AIDED SCHEMATIC DESIGN: HOW TO MANAGE LARGE DATA IN THE EARLY STAGES OF URBAN DESIGN PROJECTS

The study was designed to research and analyse the existing methods used in the industry and propose alternative solutions that would meet the growing project demand. One of the major findings of this paper shows that 65% of interviewed architects and urban designers reported a lack of data accuracy in their concept design solutions, as well as dissatisfaction with the segregated concept design process. Having identified key inefficiencies in pre-design and the schematic design stages of urban design, the study develops a multiplatform web application - a space planning tool that is capable of assisting with data informed design decisions in the early stages of large-scale urban design projects. The alternative solution allows for the execution of concept stage prototyping through UI cell modification by integrating data and generating spatial solutions based on the adjacency requirements.&#x0D; Purpose: the purpose of this study is to understand, improve and eliminate inefficiencies in the early stages of the urban design process.&#x0D; Methodology: this study will first review existing inefficiencies of the architecture and urban design industry using 2 researched methods: non-participant observations and surveys. Non-participant observations were continuous and were carried out for a period of 9 months. The group that was studied involved 17 people that worked on the early-stage design stage of large-scale architecture and urban design projects. In addition to that, a survey was carried out to examine the identified inefficiencies further and to confirm the hypothesis. The survey involved 370 industry professionals from over 15 countries. Based on the developed understanding of project delivery inefficiencies, a classification will be developed to categorize the existing software. Finally, this study will conduct a series of experiments to develop a technical solution to meet current industry demands.&#x0D; Results: identification of key pre-design and the schematic design inefficiencies, development of a multiplatform web application.&#x0D; Practical implications: the application is being tested and used in the industry of architecture, urban and spatial design, it has the potential to save companies time and financial resources.&#x0D;

Variance in student and teacher roles in the contemporary Australasian architecture design studio context

PurposeThis study aims to expose the various roles that teachers and students adopt in the architecture design studio. It highlights how these roles change over time, through three distinct phases, which relate to the stages of the design project. This understanding of how roles change over the semester will guide academics in understanding how to better relate to students.Design/methodology/approachThrough a series of interviews and surveys, this study utilised a modified Delphi method to establish a consensus of opinion, both within and across the three stakeholder groups of students, tutors and coordinators/lecturers. Two rounds of data collection were conducted, with “expert” perceptions of the three stakeholder roles being established.FindingsThe roles that are adopted and perceived by students, tutors and coordinators/lecturers vary over time and respond to the stages of the design project. While there is general agreement between the perceptions of students and their teachers, there are some notable differences at key times.Originality/valueThis research builds upon previous studies into the roles of students and their teachers in the architecture design studio. It provides a nuanced map of how roles change and how interactions happen, over the duration and through the phases, of the architecture design project.

Filtering and Informing the Design Space

Building on the concept “prototypes that filter the design space,” we establish how other kinds of design artifacts and activities (e.g., sketching, tests, concept posters, metaphors, design tools) are equally critical in filtering the design space. We also suggest a parallel term, “informing the design space,” to define how design artifacts and activities expand the design space. We focus on a 16-month, full-scale media architecture design project and zero in on seven of its component events, and use design-space schemas to shed light on the dynamics of the design space with respect to informing and filtering the design space. Our concluding contribution is to propose design-space thinking as a sub-discipline of design research. We argue that this research perspective serves to address the creative aspects of the design process, the generative potential of design-space thinking, and the tools that support design-space thinking and research.

Students’ Choice of Final-Year Architectural Design Projects at Undergraduate Level in Architecture

Students’ Choice of Final-Year Architectural Design Projects at Undergraduate Level in Architecture