Housing Design Research Articles

Influence of Indian Chettiyar community heritage on Chettie house architecture of Malaysia

The Indian Chettinadu cultural legacy was introduced to Malaysia by Indian merchants who made their home there. The aim of this research is to examine the impact of Indian Chettinadu culture on the architecture of Chetti Melaka houses in Malaysia, as well as its continued significance in the modern era. A qualitative approach is used. There was observation, documentation, and open-ended interviewing. There is documentation about the Chetti's residence at Gajah Berang, Melaka, Malaysia, and the Chettiyar residence in Pallathur, Karaikudi, India. To comprehend how users, Chettiyar culture, and architecture relate to one another, the data triangulation method is used. The findings demonstrate how Indian Cettinadu culture has influenced Malaysian home design. But there is an enormous concession made about the size of the house and intricate decorations. In both situations, the local climate and user requirements have an impact on the house's design. The study's findings are used to propose house design guidelines that might be used in a modern setting.

How Socio-Economic and Cultural Factors Shape Privacy in Ibadan's Public Housing Estates

This study investigates the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of residents in selected public housing estates in Ibadan, focusing on the privacy regulatory mechanisms they adopt. By employing a mixed-methods approach, the research involved administering questionnaires to 565 household heads and conducting in-depth interviews with eight key informants from neighbourhood associations. The findings indicate a significant majority (92.00%) of respondents have adopted privacy regulating mechanisms, with personal space and territorial behaviour being the most common. ANOVA results reveal a significant relationship between these mechanisms and the residents' socio-economic and cultural characteristics. Qualitative insights from key informants' interviews provided a nuanced understanding of residents' privacy needs, highlighting emotional and behavioural cues, as well as verbal and non-verbal data. The study concludes that privacy regulation in public housing varies across different estates and is influenced by nine socio-economic and cultural factors, offering guidance for sustainable housing design that considers contemporary urbanization's socio-economic impacts. These findings can inform architects and policymakers in creating housing designs that respect privacy and enhance the quality of life for residents.

Proposal for zero energy housing designs in Jordan

BackgroundAchieving zero-energy targets in residential buildings is challenging due to improper energy design and the selection of energy-related systems. Moreover, the absence of benchmarks for zero-energy residential buildings, along with the scarcity of studies tailored to diverse climates and building characteristics, highlights the urgent need for further research. This study aimed to address these gaps by designing zero-energy buildings to suit diverse climate zones in Jordan, acting as benchmarks to enhance energy efficiency and promote renewable energy use in the residential sector.MethodsEnergy simulation tools were employed to design and verify zero-energy systems. The energy use intensity (EUI) results from the IDA ICE tool were compared with the reported targets and OpenStudio tool outcomes, ensuring that deviations among the proposed designs within the same climate zone consistently remained within acceptable limits, averaging 2, 1, and 1 kWh/m2 year in 1B (very hot dry), 2B (hot dry), and 3B (warm dry), respectively. Additionally, an economic evaluation was conducted by comparing the cost estimates of a Jordanian code-compliant house and the most acceptable proposed zero-energy design.ResultsThe proposed designs exhibited average EUI values of 64.4, 64, and 60 kWh/m2 in diverse climate zones. Outperforming typical Jordanian houses by 56%, 55%, and 60% in 1B, 2B, and 3B, respectively, these designs surpassed national and international benchmarks by at least 35%. Notably, the proposed zero-energy designs achieved substantial cost savings of 1938 USD, equivalent to 11 USD per square meter, throughout the construction phase.ConclusionsConsidering Jordan’s ambitious energy strategy for 2030 and the significant energy consumption in the residential sector, the proposed zero-energy building designs play a crucial role in advancing the national transition towards zero-energy buildings. This study provides valuable insights by presenting precise designs, benchmarks, and a comprehensive guide tailored to Jordan’s distinctive building and climate characteristics with potential applications beyond its immediate context.

Neighborhood housing design using fifth generation manifesto towards nearly zero energy urban developments

Abstract Since cities are growing faster than ever before, this paper traces directly that the fifth generation of sustainable city dimensions is not a prosperous idea or a welfare mode of sustainability but a vital effective way to adapt to Climate change, provide energy production, increase carbon reduction, and enhance pedestrian-occupant thermal comfort. It is a systematic method to alleviate urban canyon temperatures, maximize shading in summer, enhance energy production, and minimize heat transfer. It shows better results than designing apartment buildings with parcel planning with its four wall surfaces absorbing heat all day long. Early from schematic design, the emphasis is based on freehand sketching, adjusting urban aspect ratio, courtyard housing closure ratio, compactness degree, and microclimatic orientation, then adding a layer of humanization with green corridors, and tree species numerically modeled based on microclimate with courtyarded passive housing clusters, moving towards detailed design execution with SCEB bearing wall construction having the majority of its mixture of clay which enhances thermal mass insulation, climate adaptation, indoor thermal comfort, and a green job opportunity. Afterward adding energy plus BIPV on the whole constructed microclimatic-based roof to twist the neighborhood into a power bank saving energy consumption, and to work as a double roof shading. It shows on the other urbanism coin side walkability, sequential visual order, urban identity, and architectural character. Numerical outdoor-indoor coupled simulations took place using Envi-met and DesignBuilder while meteorological and biometeorological parameters were measured. The new recipe ignites a sense of harmonizing results in enhancing environmental sustainability measures.

An exploration of live–work housing conditions of low-income older people in Bangkok, Thailand

ABSTRACT This article explores live–work housing conditions for low-income older residents in an informal settlement in Bangkok called Klong Toey (KT) via interviews with 12 participants. The aim is to understand the housing and livelihood situation of older low-income inhabitants of KT, to assess the suitability of their physical environment and areas that could be improved to enable it to serve as live–work housing and to facilitate aging in place, and to inform future work. Participants were asked about the housing conditions in KT and their impact on residents; types of housing for older people in KT; design guidelines for live–work housing; and any lessons from other low-income housing projects. The study used content analysis to examine the interview transcripts. Four organizing themes were used to analyze the responses: housing conditions and relation to live–work; situation and requirements of older people’s housing; live–work housing design guidelines; and solutions to older people’s live–work housing. Finally, four global conceptual domains of live–work housing were constructed from mapping the basic themes. The global conceptual domains include “space,” “livelihood,” “support,” and “services” that are essential to the provision of live–work housing in KT.

The Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Algorithm in the Parametric Optimization of Lithium-Ion Battery Housing in the Multiple-Drop Test

Recent developments in lithium-ion batteries have improved their capacity, which allows them to be used in more applications like power tools. However, they also carry higher risks, such as thermal runaway, which can happen if they are damaged. To make these batteries safer, it is important to improve the design of their housings subjected to multiple drops during their use. This article introduces a new method for optimizing the design of lithium-ion battery housings using a Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Algorithm (QEA). Previously used mainly in theoretical settings, the authors have adapted QEA for practical engineering tasks. Multiple-drop test simulations were performed, and QEA was used to identify the best housing designs that minimize damage. To support this, a program was developed that automates all drop tests and rebuilds the model. The damage is obtained on the basis of the finite element method (FEM) analyses. The findings show that the algorithm successfully identified designs with the least damage during these tests. This research helps make battery housings safer and explores new uses for QEA in mechanical engineering.

Exploring Visual Features of Ecological Design in Private Housing: Search for Visual Principles.

Background: Changing consumer attitudes toward the natural environment are reflected in an increase in demand for environmental design of private houses, which requires the definition of some general principles of such design, particularly graphic design. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to highlight and determine the fundamental features of the visual component of the ecological design of private houses. Objectives: Present the characteristics of the countries of the world in accordance with the application of eco-design and sponsorship of green construction; identify visual principles that characterize the ecological design of private houses. Methods: The study is based on mixed qualitative analysis. The authors of the study used statistical from statista.com concerning the number of LEED certified projects during 2018 to 2021. Statistical indicators of countries is used to select houses for research, an assessment of a group of experts of photo-interview methods is used to determine the main trends in visual environmental design. Results: It was possible to systematize the world experience in designing private homes using an ecological approach. They categorized the basic principles of visualization of functional-planning, technological and artistic-esthetic solutions in the interior design of a private residential building; compliance with appropriate esthetics; functional design solutions of the interior space, modularity, compactness, responsible and rational architecture; and interior design, preferably with the possibility of moving housing to another place in case of forced relocation. Conclusions: The results obtained can be used in the framework of theoretical and practical design of private residential buildings.

Study on Gear and Surface Pressure Strength in the Housing Design of a Hydraulic Auxiliary Braking System

Study on Gear and Surface Pressure Strength in the Housing Design of a Hydraulic Auxiliary Braking System

The experience of a dweller: exploring the concept of modernist planning in Ataköy housing

ABSTRACT Designed by local urban planners and architects in the 1950s, led by Italian architect Luigi Piccinato, the Ataköy housing in İstanbul has become a modernist landmark. While Ataköy satellite city has received criticism for its urban form and impact on the texture of urban life, in today’s globalised world, the specificity of place is often lost, and Ataköy satellite city can evoke and strengthen a sense of place and belonging. This article addresses the concept and experience of home in Ataköy and as experienced through autoethnographic analysis. Given the lack of an ‘insider’ understanding of home in the existing literature, this article makes a unique contribution to the literature by providing an autoethnographic account of Ataköy. The analysis illustrates that architecture and urbanism are more than just design fields, strategies or narratives generated by planners; they are lived realities experienced and felt by those who inhabit spaces. By considering my own lived experiences and those of the dwellers and incorporating these into placemaking, I aim to develop an ‘insider’ approach to evaluating housing design that transcends and integrates the deficiencies commonly identified in modernist environments. This approach helps to develop a more comprehensive understanding of housing in urban environments.

From Cave to Cage? The Evolution of Housing Complexity and the Contemporary Dead End for the Human Brain

ABSTRACT The evolution of the ever-changing neuroplastic human brain is inseparably linked to its environment. While early humans evolved in response to nature’s complexity and unpredictability, over millennia, the housing trajectory has increasingly prioritized sedentary behaviors, predictability, and comfort at the expense of cognitive stimulation. Modern life stress, mental health issues, and cognitive decline are markers of a poor environment. The pandemic lockdown has implicitly exposed that we need better houses for our brains. This paper goes back in time, navigating the cross-cultural evolution of environmental complexity to escape the contemporary dead end for the human brain that needs to evolve further. The paper advocates for a paradigm shift in housing design, emphasizing the need to foster neuroplasticity rather than constrain it. By reconceptualizing houses as architects of our brains, architecture becomes an independent variable embedding what the brain needs rather than embodying what the brain wants.

Analysis of the Decoration Design of the Resettlement Model Houses

Analysis of the Decoration Design of the Resettlement Model Houses

Radical homemaking in Mumbai, India and Brighton, United Kingdom: rearticulating design and policy in housing

Radical homemaking in Mumbai, India and Brighton, United Kingdom: rearticulating design and policy in housing

Housing design quality in Finland: Room for improvement

Housing design quality in Finland: Room for improvement

‘Rightsize’: a housing design game for spatial and energy sufficiency

‘Rightsize’: a housing design game for spatial and energy sufficiency

Developments and evolution of housing architecture in the post-Corona era with a health-oriented approach

This research, with a descriptive-analytical approach and in a pragmatic way, examines the evolution of housing architecture after COVID-19. Thirty experts in architecture and urban planning made up its statistical population. A combination of artificial intelligence algorithms, tree data mining techniques, and the FTOPSIS multi-criteria decision analysis method have been applied to the information analysis process. A panel of experts was formed to gather information, and the criteria of housing design that had evolved in the post-corona period were identified by designing a questionnaire on the Likert scale (i.e., a psychometric scale named after its inventor)—the primary influential factors in the pattern of housing architecture after the Corona period were determined. The findings showed a significant correlation between housing architecture in the post-corona period and people's health patterns. Results showed that the factors that have the most significant impact on the evolution of housing in the region under investigation include the new function of housing (0.152), changing behavioral interactions (0.152), design criteria (0.145) and the passive ventilation factor with a score of 0.113. Other results showed that the physical distance as well as quarantine and isolation components obtained a score of 0.359 and 0.328, respectively, and were identified as the most critical developments in housing architecture. Finally, data mining findings showed that the spatial quality variable in the first phase had the most significant influence on the growth and fortification of the evolution of housing components at the study area level and the promotion of the health of people in the community in the post-pandemic period.

Examining the Relationships Between Indoor Environmental Quality Parameters Pertaining to Light, Noise, Temperature, and Humidity and the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of People Living With Dementia: Scoping Review.

A common challenge for individuals caring for people with Alzheimer disease and related dementias is managing the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Effective management of BPSD will increase the quality of life of people living with dementia, lessen caregivers' burden, and lower health care cost. In this review, we seek to (1) examine how indoor environmental quality parameters pertaining to light, noise, temperature, and humidity are associated with BPSD and how controlling these parameters can help manage these symptoms and (2) identify the current state of knowledge in this area, current gaps in the research, and potential future directions. Searches were conducted in the CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases for papers published from January 2007 to February 2024. We searched for studies examining the relationship between indoor environmental quality parameters pertaining to light, noise, temperature, and humidity and BPSD. A total of 3123 papers were identified in the original search in October 2020. After an additional 2 searches and screening, 38 (0.69%) of the 5476 papers were included. Among the included papers, light was the most studied environmental factor (34/38, 89%), while there were fewer studies (from 5/38, 13% to 11/38, 29%) examining the relationships between other environmental factors and BPSD. Of the 38 studies, 8 (21%) examined multiple indoor environmental quality parameters. Subjective data were the only source of environmental assessments in 6 (16%) of the 38 studies. The findings regarding the relationship between agitation and light therapy are conflicted, while the studies that examined the relationship between BPSD and temperature or humidity are all observational. The results suggest that when the environmental factors are deemed overstimulating or understimulating for an individual with dementia, the behavioral symptoms tend to be exacerbated. The findings of this scoping review may inform the design of long-term care units and older adult housing to support aging in place. More research is still needed to better understand the relationship between indoor environmental quality parameters and BPSD, and there is a need for more objective measurements of both the indoor environmental quality parameters and behavioral symptoms. One future direction is to incorporate objective sensing and advanced computational methods in real-time assessments to initiate just-in-time environmental interventions. Better management of BPSD will benefit patients, caregivers, and the health care system.

Using the Knowledge to Action framework to improve housing and support for people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Background People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) have unique housing and support needs that are essential for maintaining independence at home; however, there is limited research to guide the design of community living options for this population. The aim of this study was to examine housing and support needs and preferences of people with MS with the intention to inform the planning of a co-designed intervention based on the study's findings. Methods Using the Knowledge to Action (KTA) framework, quantitative (n =79) and qualitative (n =6) data from people with MS were extracted and integrated from projects completed by the research team that explored the housing and support needs and preferences of people with disability. Results were synthesised and presented to a reference group for validation, contextualisation, and adaptation to the Australian context. Results High physical support needs were common across participants. People most commonly required home modifications to improve accessibility, such as ramps, equipment such as heating and cooling, and assistive technology. Many people required more than 8 hours per day of paid support. Moving into individualised housing facilitated independence and community reintegration. People reported gaps between what they wanted from support workers and what they received, citing individual and systemic barriers. Conclusion People with MS have support needs that require proactive and responsive funding arrangements, housing design and support provision. In line with KTA principles, findings will inform the planning of a co-designed intervention that involves people with lived experience of MS and other stakeholders to influence policy and improve home and living outcomes for this population.

Human-centered design for flexible and inclusive housing

ABSTRACT Studies on collective housing rarely adopt a human-centered perspective. This study introduces a model for designing and analyzing residential buildings based on the user experience (UX) of apartments. The analysis focuses on two areas: a morphological review of the conditions of flexibility and adaptability of fundamental areas of households and a UX analysis with a functional evaluation of basic daily uses of the apartments, displayed through a graphic assessment during the project definition stage. Applied to residential projects in Barcelona, this analysis shows endemic defects in housing design, such as dimensional deficiencies, a lack of spatial versatility, and unforeseen functionalities, which pose a risk to gender hierarchies at home.

Design, analysis and development of a proton exchange membrane in fuel cell

This research presents the design and fabrication of a Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) utilising open pore cellular metal foam as the material for the flow plate. Efficient housing designs are suggested for both the hydrogen and oxygen sides, achieved by implementing. The study identifies the flow regime via the open pore cellular metal foam flow plate using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modelling and analysis techniques. Energy, environmental and economic analyzes (4E) and multi-objective optimization of a PEM fuel cell equipped with coolant channels Energy analysis of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with an open-ended anode using agglomerate model: A CFD study A transient heat and mass transfer CFD simulation for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) with a dead-ended anode channel. This research can provide appropriate references and recommendations for future Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) flow channel designs. The performance improvements of flow channel designs become significant at elevated current density, and with the output voltage increasing to 25.8 %. The estimated performance power of the fuel cell was 6 W, meaning that it was unlikely that the 10 W target would be achieved. In reality, the designs proved to have an excellent open circuit voltage of over 0.9 V, however, the maximum current achieved was below the target, and thus limiting the power to only about 2.1 Watts. The purpose of this paper is to give a general theoretical guidance for current and future relevant R&D activities aiming at high-performance, durable, and low-cost fuel cells as well as a thorough overview of the issues, advancements, and perspectives of the flow-field designs for bipolar plates in PEMFC.

Impact of the Built Environment on Ageing in Place: A Systematic Overview of Reviews

Background: As the global demographic shifts towards an ageing population, the significance of the built environment in facilitating ageing in place gains prominence. This study addresses the critical question of how a built environment can support older adults’ independence and enhance their quality of life. Method: Utilising a systematic review of review papers, this research scrutinises existing literature to uncover the influence of urban planning, physical accessibility, and residential design on the older people’s physical and mental well-being. More specially, the study methodically examines existing review articles that span various aspects of the built environment related to ageing in place. Results: The analysis reveals that specific elements of the built environment, notably rational urban planning and accessible urban spaces, as well as adaptable housing designs, significantly impact ageing individuals’ health, social engagement, and overall satisfaction with life. It also identifies contradictions in the effects of environmental features on cognitive health and well-being, underscoring areas that warrant further exploration. Conclusions: The study concludes that thoughtful urban and housing designs are pivotal in creating age-friendly environments that support ageing in place. It emphasises the need for future research and policy development aimed at enhancing the living conditions of older adults within their communities.