Building Design Practice Research Articles

Tailoring a future overheating risk tool for existing building design practice in domestic and non-domestic sectors

The Low Carbon Futures Project, as part of the Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (ARCC) programme, has developed an overheating tool, based on probabilistic UK Climate Projections (UKCP09), to provide design advice for building adaptations in future. For dwellings this tool, initiated by a single simulation, relies on just hourly climate information to predict the internal temperature profile and for a non-domestic building, it includes internal activity profiles to account for lighting, equipment, metabolic gains and air change. To produce a tailored design tool, a qualitative investigation has been carried out to understand current building practices. This investigation shows that the two sectors take a significantly different approach to design, where dynamic building simulation is rare for domestic developments. The diversity of the non-domestic building stock poses different challenges and requires more detail to perform any overheating analysis, with dynamic building simulation playing a key role. The suitability of this tool, and the need to balance complexity and detail with usability and applicability, will be explored for the two sectors, with an approach for implementing this in the future proposed. Practical application: This paper compares current overheating analyses, as reported through correspondence with practitioners, with a suggested approach for a more detailed future overheating assessment using the latest climate projections. The required steps to bridge the gap between current and possible future design methods are explored for both the domestic and non-domestic sectors, with a prototype tool proposed that has been formulated with the aid of industry feedback. The described project is therefore able to translate complex building and climate science into an approach that is potentially useful for building practitioners.

Beyond the buildingcentric approach: A vision for an integrated evaluation of sustainable buildings

The available sustainable building evaluation systems have produced a new environmental design paradigm. However, there is an increasing need to overcome the buildingcentric approach of these systems, in order to further exploit their innovate potential for sustainable building practices. The paper takes this challenge by developing a cross-scale evaluation approach focusing on the reliability of sustainable building design solutions for the context in which the building is situated. An integrated building–urban evaluation model is proposed based on the urban matrix, which is a conceptualisation of the built environment as a social–ecological system. The model aims at evaluating the sustainability of a building considering it as an active entity contributing to the resilience of the urban matrix. Few holistic performance indicators are used for evaluating such contribution, so expressing the building reliability. The discussion on the efficacy of the model shows that it works as a heuristic tool, supporting the acquisition of a better insight into the complexity which characterises the relationships between the building and the built environment sustainability. Shading new lights on the meaning of sustainable buildings, the model can play a positive role in innovating sustainable building design practices, thus complementing current evaluation systems.

Future Direction of Sustainable Buildings in Japan

Amidst growing concern about the sustainability of human society, architecture studies are focusing increasingly on the means to achieve sustainable buildings. While various forward-looking studies are ongoing in this field, it is also important to realize that critical lessons may be learned from historical buildings that have withstood the test of time. Many traditional wooden buildings in Japan provide excellent examples of sustainable building design and production practices that are inherently flexible and therefore highly resistant to obsolescence. This paper first summarizes a recent lecture by Utida outlining his research into the flexibility and durability of modern buildings, which is based on comparisons with Japan's traditional wooden buildings. It is based on the results of Open Building researches in Japan, especially works in Utida laboratory of Tokyo University (1970-1986) and in AIJ Open Building Sub Committee. This is followed by an overview of the flexibility and material/social lifespan of buildings, and of the developmental trends seen in builders' organizations. And lastly, the future direction of the Japanese detached housing industry is explored. Specifically, the paper traces the changes in the Japanese detached housing industry between 1970 and 2010, and shows how the industry has been shifting toward a sustainable business model. Problems arising from these changes and possible solutions are discussed with concrete examples, and one specific business model is singled out and defined as a promising solution.

Green Building Design Practices - Analysis of the Design of Leisure Office Center

Through the design practice of the green Leisure office center building, the paper discusses the technical measures of ecological architecture, and makes an in-depth analysis of the use of solar energy, natural ventilation and daylighting technology, water conservation measures, material recycle technology, sound insulation technology and other energy saving technologies. In addition, the paper summarizes the technical measures suitable to China's national conditions, which can be regarded as a reference for other design practice so as to promote the development of green building.

Wind-induced vibrations of buildings: role of transient events

The design of tall buildings, in many cases, is governed by habitability limit states, where accelerations predicted from wind tunnel studies emulating stationary, boundary layer flows associated with synoptic winds are compared to accepted standards for occupant comfort. In both the accelerations predicted for these design limit states and the criteria they are evaluated against, tall building design practice has consciously neglected other types of responses that result from more transient wind events, such as thunderstorms, owing to their short duration. In fact, these types of events and the impulse-like responses they induce in dynamically sensitive structures were not even considered in occupant comfort tests on human subjects until very recently. However, full-scale monitoring programmes on tall buildings, and anecdotal reports from their occupants, have verified that these events do occur regularly and are capable of producing accelerations that exceed those generated by their stationary synoptic counterparts at comparable wind speeds, thus generating perceptible motions on more frequent recurrence intervals. Therefore, it becomes important to investigate the dynamic behaviour of tall buildings under transient wind events and to attempt to gain some understanding of the mechanisms causing these large acceleration responses. The present study attempts to do just that, developing analysis frameworks appropriate for non-stationary records and applying them to full-scale data to enable rare insights into the dynamics of tall buildings under transient wind events, particularly those buildings with marked amplitude dependence and coupling between lateral and torsional modes.

A Study on Innovation in Technology and Design Variation for Super Tall Buildings

The paper presented Design Variation and Technology for Super Tall Buildings, the topic presented in the 12th International Symposium of Korea Super Tall Building Forum by Hyeong-il Kim. In this paper, author review examples of technological innovations in tall building design, illustrating the interaction between architectural form and design tools. It also traces current approaches in architectural form generation and possible design solutions. It is a multidisciplinary problem and an integrated work that involves engineering, architecture, state-of-art construction technology and digital design tools.The study will show a clear linkage of generative design encouraged by technological innovations to design problems in tall building design practice, in addition to its diversely effected results by computerized design tools and construction using CAD/CAM technology.

Integral design pedagogy: Representation and process in multidisciplinary master student projects based on workshops for professionals

AbstractThe development in (Dutch) building practice necessitates developments in other aspects, besides specialized and professional skills, a new integral approach in education and the introduction of such an approach into building design practice. In 2005, the Faculty of Architecture, Building, and Planning of the University of Technology Eindhoven commenced a multidisciplinary master project on integral design focused on a sustainable climatic design. Students of architecture, building technology, structural engineering, and building services participated in these multidisciplinary master projects. The students began with a 2-day learning-by-practice workshop that was implemented and tested in collaboration with experienced professionals from the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects and the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers. These workshops have become part of the permanent educational and professional program of the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects. This is one of the few projects in which the practical experience is transferred into the educational academic program and vice versa; normally this process functions only in one of the two directions. The theoretical basis of the design method on which the education of students and professionals is based is discussed and results presented.

The Green Building Design Principle and Practice Model for Bangladesh

The Green Building Design Principle and Practice Model for Bangladesh

Wood Frame Building Response to Rapid-Onset Flooding

Floods are considered to be among the deadliest, costliest, and most common natural disasters. Rapid-onset, catastrophic floods inundate the shore quickly and manifest as deep water with high velocities, inflict great pressures and forces on the built and natural environments, and pose a threat to human safety. Current building codes, design practices, and disaster planning methods account for potential earthquake and wind loads on simple wood-frame buildings typical of North American residential construction. However, flood impacts have not been considered to the same degree of detail. A theoretical model is developed that describes flood impacts on wood-frame residential buildings and relates building response to flood depth and velocity. The failure mechanisms considered and the model logic are described and applied to assess the response of a typical Canadian wood-frame home to flood conditions that might be experienced in a rapid-onset flood event.

Evaluating user experience in green buildings in relation to workplace culture and context

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the relationship between green building design and workplace design practice, and to examine the role of organizational culture in shaping design and operation decisions with consequence for user experience.Design/methodology/approachA literature review and introduction of key concepts establish the foundation for the research and provide a context for interpreting results. Empirical findings are presented from a pre‐ and post‐occupancy evaluation of a company's move to a new headquarters building designed both to shift organizational culture and to meet environmental objectives.FindingsThe paper demonstrates that, while there are potentially significant gains to be made from integrating green building with workplace design strategies from the outset, there are many other factors beyond the quality of the space, which may play a role in shaping user experience. Links are drawn between improved occupant comfort, health and productivity in the new headquarters building, and organizational culture and contextual factors accompanying the move. The findings raise a number of important questions and considerations for organizational and workplace research, and post‐occupancy evaluation of buildings.Research limitations/implicationsThe research and findings focus on the experience and context of one company's move to a new headquarters building and cannot be extrapolated. Given the mainstreaming and merging of green building design with workplace design practice, more research and studies are needed to advance this important line of inquiry.Originality/valueThe paper brings together the two agendas of workplace design and green building design, which have until very recently progressed along separate paths.

A critical and theoretical analysis of current proposals for integrating building thermal simulation tools into the building design process

This article critically examines the main trends in attempting the integration of building thermal simulation tools throughout the whole building design process, focusing on studies related to building design only, not addressing studies related to heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and servicing engineering design. It presents a review of the research literature on the issue showing that, so far, attempts have been concentrated in propositions to improve thermal simulation tools data interpretation as well as propositions to improve the role of tools in building design practice. Examples of the literature related to the two topics are critically examined by considering their effectiveness in addressing the interdisciplinary problem of integration. This critical examination leads to a thorough mapping of specific reasons about why integration is not happening, complementing the current information provided from empirical studies on the matter. Even though the author recognizes integrated design should account for HVAC and servicing, it is necessary to first have a discussion that addresses assimilating simulation tools into the design process if proper integrated design is to happen.

Creating healthier buildings

Some conventional building design, construction and maintenance practices create conditions that are capable of causing illness in healthy individuals or exacerbating illness in already sensitized individuals. Staying in faulty building environments may unnecessarily prolong environmental-related illness. Physician and patient awareness of such common building failures may help to diagnose environmental triggers of current illness. Architects would benefit from collaboration with environmental physicians to understand the importance of healthier building design to building occupants. Architectural education and practice is slowly incorporating better methods, often in the context of greening and sustainability. Architects are presently being advised that the needs of approximately 15% of the general population who are significantly sensitive cannot be ignored in building design. The author reviews a number of building failures and itemizes a set of relatively simple principles and design concepts that would help create new and renovated buildings that are healthier than current buildings.

Impact of Green Building Design and Construction on Worker Safety and Health

Sustainable, or “green,” rating systems, such as the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), are leading to changes in the way owners, designers, and contractors approach the design, construction, and operation of buildings. The processes and features included in green design and construction may have positive and/or negative impacts on construction worker safety and health. This paper presents the findings of a research study of the impact of green building design and construction practices on construction worker safety and health. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable and lost time injury and illness data from green projects (as identified by LEED) and from nongreen projects was collected through a structured questionnaire survey. The data collected was analyzed to test for the presence of a difference in OSHA recordable incident rates (RIRs) and lost time case rates (LTCRs) between green and nongreen projects. It was found that there was suggestive, but inconclusive evidence of a statistically significant difference in the RIRs of the green and nongreen building projects included in the study. No statistically significant difference was found between the LTCRs for the green and nongreen projects included in the study. The study findings provide valuable information to the construction industry for the purposes of project safety planning and the assessment of safety and health on projects.

Seismic Performance Evaluation of Facilities: Methodology and Implementation

Performance-based earthquake engineering aims to quantify performance of facilities using metrics that are of immediate use to both engineers and stakeholders. A rigorous yet practical implementation of a performance-based earthquake engineering methodology is developed and demonstrated for an idealized building. The methodology considers seismic hazard, structural response, resulting damage, and repair costs associated with restoring the building to its original condition, using a fully consistent, probabilistic analysis of the associated parts of the problem. The methodology can be generalized to consider other performance measures such as casualties and down time, though these have not been pursued. The proposed procedure is consistent with common building design, construction, and analysis practices such that it can be readily adopted in earthquake engineering practice today.

Towards a New Model for Climate Responsive Design at the University of the Sunshine Coast Chancellery

Abstract The ecology and climate of South East Queensland has inspired the development of innovative building design and construction practices for well over a century. A modern regional architecture has evolved since the 1970s where the building form and fabric embrace a climate responsive approach to design. This is becoming an increasingly important part of creating ecologically sustainable buildings and development. A core philosophy is to harmonise the building form and fabric with the site and climate thereby reducing ecological impacts and achieving energy efficiency whilst providing human health and comfort and creating opportunities for social interaction and a productive learning environment. The University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, has embraced an ecological vision from its inception. From the first steps of its master planning through to its newest building, the Chancellery, the University demonstrates an evolution of innovation that embodies the principles of climate res...

Framework for Multihazard Risk Assessment and Mitigation for Wood-Frame Residential Construction

Wood-frame residential construction represents a major investment in the United States, which, when exposed to hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural hazards, may sustain substantial damage. Although in many parts of the country one natural hazard dominates, in certain areas multiple hazards may pose a significant threat to buildings. Building design and construction practices should address the overall risk to residential construction from multiple hazards to achieve design strategies and risk levels that are consistent with occupant expectations and social objectives. This paper presents a framework for multihazard risk assessment using hurricane and earthquake hazards as an example. Structural reliability-based methods that describe natural hazard and structural system response probabilistically are essential for quantifying expected losses from natural disasters and for developing appropriate strategies to manage risk. The framework permits the main sources of uncertainty that affect building performance to be identified, and provides insight on strategies for effective multihazard mitigation efforts.

The Influence of Non-Structural Components on the Serviceability Performance of High-Rise Buildings

In the last decade there has been an enormous increase in the number of high-rise buildings constructed worldwide. Current Australian high-rise building design practice is to assume that the structural skeleton of a building provides resistance to any lateral forces that might occur. The overall design of high-rise buildings is usually dominated by serviceability limit state considerations rather than the ultimate limit state factors. This study demonstrates the influence of non-structural components (NSCs) (for example, partitions, doors, windows, and fagades, etc.) on the lateral stiffness of high-rise buildings, with an emphasis on checks of the design at the serviceability limit state. This paper provides an overview of the design philosophy of high-rise buildings, details of a case-study project, and the results from a detailed parametric study of the case study structure, using a finite element model to identify the influence of the NSCs on the lateral stiffness. Parameters representing NSCs were varied in turn to replicate the reasonable variation that might be found in current Australian practice. Based on the analyses, the influence of NSCs on the lateral stiffness, for example storey drift, was seen to be significant. From a modal analysis, it was observed that there are no significant contributions from the NSCs to the natural frequency of the high-rise building if the NSCs were installed only along the loading direction. However, the second and third modes of the high-rise building increased due to the inclusion of the NSCs. If these components were included in the direction that is orthogonal to the loading direction, obvious changes of the fundamental frequency could be realised by the infill walls.

An interdisciplinary heuristic evaluation method for universal building design

This study highlights how heuristic evaluation as a usability evaluation method can feed into current building design practice to conform to universal design principles. It provides a definition of universal usability that is applicable to an architectural design context. It takes the seven universal design principles as a set of heuristics and applies an iterative sequence of heuristic evaluation in a shopping mall, aiming to achieve a cost-effective evaluation process. The evaluation was composed of three consecutive sessions. First, five evaluators from different professions were interviewed regarding the construction drawings in terms of universal design principles. Then, each evaluator was asked to perform the predefined task scenarios. In subsequent interviews, the evaluators were asked to re-analyze the construction drawings. The results showed that heuristic evaluation could successfully integrate universal usability into current building design practice in two ways: (i) it promoted an iterative evaluation process combined with multi-sessions rather than relying on one evaluator and on one evaluation session to find the maximum number of usability problems, and (ii) it highlighted the necessity of an interdisciplinary ad hoc committee regarding the heuristic abilities of each profession. A multi-session and interdisciplinary heuristic evaluation method can save both the project budget and the required time, while ensuring a reduced error rate for the universal usage of the built environments.

Component-oriented decomposition for multidisciplinary design optimization in building design

The potential of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) is not sufficiently exploited in current building design practice. I argue that this field of engineering requires a special setup of the optimization model that considers the uniqueness of buildings, and allows the designer to interact with the optimization in order to assess qualities of aesthetics, expression, and building function. For this reason, the approach applies a performance optimization based on resource consumption extended by preference criteria. Furthermore, building design-specific components serve for the decomposition and an interactive way of working. The component scheme follows the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) as a common Building Information Model (BIM) standard in order to allow a seamless integration into an interactive CAD working process in the future. A representative case study dealing with a frame-based hall design serves to illustrate these considerations. An N-Square diagram or Design Structure Matrix (DSM) represents the system of components with the disciplinary dependencies and workflow of the analysis. The application of a Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) leads to demonstrable results.

Incorporating information literacy into the building plan

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how, in planning and building a new library at a US‐style higher education institution in the Middle East, special attention was paid to the need to encourage and enhance student information literacy competencies. This was a core purpose behind the building design, activity zones and Information Commons layout.Design/methodology/approachLibrarians visited a wide range of academic libraries in the USA and Canada as a means of benchmarking best practice in space and building design. Extensive feedback was also gathered from the campus community and their desires reflected in the final design.FindingsThe library classrooms and adjacent Information Commons are key components in facilitating student information literacy skills.Practical implicationsStudent attainment of core information literacy skills can be facilitated and enhanced through library facility design, particularly through the careful placement of instruction classrooms and a central computing or information commons area.Originality/valueThe paper shows how planning a new library at a US‐style higher education institution in the Middle East incorporated the need to encourage and enhance student information literacy competencies