Early Stages Of Architectural Design Research Articles

Optimising thermal-daylight performance in tropical open-plan offices: A coupled OTTV and daylight prediction approach

In tropical climates, the thermal performance of air-conditioned commercial building envelopes, particularly offices, is commonly assessed using the Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV). Designing office buildings in these regions requires meticulous attention to achieve the optimum thermal-daylight balance, which often has conflicting characteristics. This study aims to enhance the thermal-daylight performance optimization process for open-plan office building envelopes in tropical climates, with Kuala Lumpur as a specific case study. The methodology involves parametric thermal and daylight simulations, incorporating an extensive global sensitivity analysis (GSA) based on the Monte Carlo method. Next, the most critical design parameters affecting daylight provision are identified and used to develop a prediction formula for daylight provision assessment. Finally, the exploration further examines the impact of dominant parameters on energy consumption across diverse urban densities. The results pinpointed the Shading Coefficient (SC1) and Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR) as pivotal factors affecting heat gain. At the same time, obstruction angle (Theta), WWR, and Visible Transmittance (Tvis) significantly influence daylight provision. Furthermore, the developed daylight prediction formula consists of a fast method that can be coupled with OTTV to evaluate and optimise the thermal-daylight performance in the early design stage of office buildings. Moreover, the study reveals potential energy savings of up to 8 %, 4.83 %, and 4 % in very low, medium, and very high urban densities, respectively. These insights and the daylight prediction formula provide valuable tools for optimising building envelope thermal-daylight performance during the early stages of architectural design, offering practical guidance for both practitioners and researchers.

Classification of artificial intelligence techniques for early architectural design stages

Classification of artificial intelligence techniques for early architectural design stages

Multi-objective early-stage design optimization of multifamily residential projects

The aim of this study is to find a building form and plan layout that can be used in the early stages of architectural design, where criteria such as daylight, view, sun-hour, sales area, and cost are optimized according to the different expectations of different housing type users. This study proposes a multi-objective early-stage design optimization for a real estate development project based on the NSGA2 genetic algorithm, considering weighted user preferences for different housing types. The framework is implemented using the platforms Rhino and Grasshopper; Wallacei is used for NSGA2, and Viktor.ai is used to deploy the app. Tested on six sample plots, the model was able to find architecturally optimized results that respond to different user expectations. While the model successfully demonstrated responsiveness to parameters, its focus on Pareto-optimal solutions limited the diversity of unit mixes generated. The model has been tested by professionals on a sample plot and is found to be important for architects and investors to generate ideas at an early stage of architectural design.

Research on the Energy Consumption Influence Mechanism and Prediction for the Early Design Stage of University Public Teaching Buildings in Beijing

The public teaching buildings of universities have a large flow of people, high lighting requirements, and large energy consumption, which present significant potential for energy saving. The greatest opportunity for integrating “green” architectural design strategies lies in the design phase, especially the early stage of architectural design. However, current designers often rely on experience or qualitative judgment for decision-making. Thus, there is a pressing need for rational and quantitative green architectural design theories and techniques to guide and support decision-making for the design parameters of teaching buildings. This study, based on field surveys of 40 teaching buildings, constructs building archetypes regarding energy consumption including 28 typical values. Based on the “Rectangle”, “L”, “U”, and “Courtyard” archetypes, through batch energy consumption simulation and multiple regression methods, the influence mechanisms of nine energy consumption influencing factors on four types of building energy consumptions were explored, and energy consumption prediction models were derived. The findings of this research can serve as factor evaluation and selection in the early stage of architectural design for public teaching buildings at universities, and the prediction model can assist in the early estimation of energy consumption. This aims to enrich and supplement green architectural design methods by supporting the design of green public teaching buildings and providing reference and application for relevant engineering practices.

Optimizing Built Environment in Urban Negative Spaces Using Parametric Methods—Research on a High-Density City in China

In the early stage of architectural design, addressing the challenges posed by negative spaces in high-density urban environments is crucial for enhancing spatial efficiency and building sustainability. Multiple studies employed digital methods and tools to address these issues, such as parametric design, simulation, and genetic algorithms, to investigate architectural generation approaches for urban negative spaces. This article proposes an integrated design process that involves finding the location and form of negative spaces, generating solutions using slime mold and wasp algorithms, and optimizing and analyzing solutions using the Wallacei plugin in Grasshopper. This comprehensive approach underscores the potential of parametric design to yield a multitude of solutions while also acknowledging the convergence challenges encountered during simulations, particularly in optimizing for optimal sunlight exposure during the winter solstice and minimal solar radiation in the summer. Analyzing the optimization goals and parameter values of the 15th Pareto optimal solution in the 100th generation reveals: (1) a higher number of units leads to positive correlation growth in both objectives; (2) within a certain number of units, parametrically generated solutions facilitate the convergence of optimization goals, yielding optimal outcomes. Therefore, factors such as the range of unit quantities and proportions need consideration during early-stage parametric design and simulation. This study explores a design methodology for negative spaces in high-density urban cities, validating the feasibility of various mainstream generation methods and offering insights for future research.

Research on Energy-saving Design for University Library Spaces in Cold Regions

With the popularization of open-shelf reading in university library, the change of use mode leads to the change of space mode, and gradually develops from corridor mode to large-scale and deep composite centralized space organization mode. However, the large and deep open reading space and atrium space in university libraries increasingly rely on artificial lighting, mechanical ventilation and mechanical temperature regulation to meet the comfort needs of space thermal environment. Moreover, the improper control of passive design strategy in the early stage further leads to the reduction of indoor thermal environment comfort and the increase of building energy consumption. In the early stage of architectural design, through reasonable passive space layout design, the use of air conditioning equipment can be greatly reduced, energy consumption can be reduced, and the goal of green development can be achieved. Through extensive collection and analysis of 23 university libraries built in cold climate region, by making a statistical study on the building type, building area, number of floors, building scale and building plane aspect ratio, summarizing and extracts the prototype. Referring to the typical cases in cold climate area, two core groups that reading spatial variable group and atrium spatial variable group are proposed by controlling a single variable, in which each group has four plane layout modes. The dynamic energy consumption simulation software DesignBuilder is used to simulate the annual cooling, heating and lighting load of each group in cold climate region, and the results are converted into energy consumption values for analysis. The final results show that among the four combination modes of reading spatial variable group, the overall energy consumption of compound type is the smallest, and the energy-saving rate is the highest, up to 3.71%. The overall energy consumption of parallel type and surround type is little difference, and the overall energy consumption of surround type is the highest. The energy-saving rate of the four groups of reading modes is as follows: compound type > decentralized type > parallel type > surround type. The total energy consumption of the atrium partial staggered floor group is lower than that of the non staggered floor group. Among the four combination modes of the atrium spatial variable group, the overall energy consumption of the organization form of the atrium partial staggered floor to the south is the smallest, the energy-saving rate is the highest, reaching 5.84%, and the energy-saving rate of the atrium partial staggered floor to the north is the lowest. Therefore, in the preliminary scheme design stage, low-performance spaces such as traffic auxiliary space can be placed at the building boundary to form a buffer zone similar to the transition space, so as to alleviate the negative impact of the external adverse climate environment on the internal space. At the same time, it can be considered to carry out partial staggered floor design of the atrium, and give priority to arranging the atrium on the south side, which is not only conducive to reducing the overall energy consumption of the building and achieving the energy-saving goal, but also enhance the diversification of vertical sections and promote the interest of the internal space of modern university libraries.

Integrating building services in the early stages of Architectural design: A primer for Architects and Architectural students

This paper delves into the pivotal role of building services in the initial stages of architectural design, with a primary focus on architects and architecture students. Recognizing the critical interplay between architectural design and building services, this study aims to guide professionals and aspiring architects toward the development of functional and sustainable buildings. In the contemporary architectural landscape, the integration of building services is increasingly recognized as fundamental to the success of any construction project. As buildings become more complex and sustainability gains precedence, architects must adeptly incorporate building services considerations from the project's inception. The paper begins by highlighting the key building services involved in the early stages of design, encompassing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and other essential systems. Emphasis is placed on the synergy between architectural aesthetics and the seamless integration of these services, promoting an interdisciplinary approach that optimizes both form and function. The educational dimension of this paper is tailored to architecture students, addressing the gap in curricula that often neglects the intricate relationship between architectural design and building services. By incorporating real-world examples and interactive learning exercises, the paper seeks to empower the next generation of architects with the knowledge and skills needed to create spaces that are not only visually compelling but also functionally efficient and environmentally sustainable. Ultimately, this paper advocates for a paradigm shift in the architectural design process, where building services are not treated as mere appendages but as integral components shaping the very essence of architectural creations. Through a collaborative and informed approach, architects and students alike can contribute to the realization of buildings that stand as testaments to both visionary design and responsible, sustainable construction practices. Key Words: Building services, architectural design, HVAC, lighting, plumbing, fire safety.

Exploration of Building Information Modeling and Integrated Project Cloud Service in early architectural design stages

In the evolving Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Integrated Project Cloud Service (IPCS) has become crucial. These tools are particularly essential during the early design stages, as they enable comprehensive management and integration of project information, thus promoting effective decision-making throughout project lifecycles. This combined approach enhances inter-organizational collaborations, improves design and construction practices, and creates a communal data platform for stakeholders. This research explores the effectiveness of the BIM-IPCS system in streamlining data exchange and information flow during early design, suggesting ways to minimize errors, speed up processes, and reduce construction costs through dependable networks. Conclusively, this study underscores the significant impact of the BIM-IPCS system on project management, ensuring well-coordinated and informed construction while advocating for its role in driving innovative and efficient project delivery in the AEC industry.

Identifying Visualization Opportunities to Help Architects Manage the Complexity of Building Codes.

We report a study investigating the viability of using interactive visualizations to aid architectural design with building codes. While visualizations have been used to support general architectural design exploration, existing computational solutions treat building codes as separate from, rather than part of, the design process, creating challenges for architects. Through a series of participatory design studies with professional architects, we found that interactive visualizations have promising potential to aid design exploration and sensemaking in early stages of architectural design by providing feedback about potential allowances and consequences of design decisions. However, implementing a visualization system necessitates addressing the complexity and ambiguity inherent in building codes. To tackle these challenges, we propose various user-driven knowledge management mechanisms for integrating, negotiating, interpreting, and documenting building code rules.

AI art in architecture

Recent diffusion-based AI art platforms can create impressive images from simple text descriptions. This makes them powerful tools for concept design in any discipline that requires creativity in visual design tasks. This is also true for early stages of architectural design with multiple stages of ideation, sketching and modelling. In this paper, we investigate how applicable diffusion-based models already are to these tasks. We research the applicability of the platforms Midjourney, DALLcdotE 2 and Stable Diffusion to a series of common use cases in architectural design to determine which are already solvable or might soon be. Our novel contributions are: (i) a comparison of the capabilities of public AI art platforms; (ii) a specification of the requirements for AI art platforms in supporting common use cases in civil engineering and architecture; (iii) an analysis of 85 million Midjourney queries with Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods to extract common usage patterns. From this we derived (iv) a workflow for creating images for interior designs and (v) a workflow for creating views for exterior design that combines the strengths of the individual platforms.

Operative generative design using non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II)

Massing studies during the early stages of architectural design play an essential role in determining the final building’s performance across design objectives. This paper aims to answer the question: How can early-stage architectural design workflows be translated into a generative design process to create valuable massing solutions? In response, a new application of the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) using the Pymoo framework is proposed for the field of Operative Design. Nine experiments are discussed that test the algorithm’s geometry optimization capabilities based on objective functions reflecting common architectural design goals, including Floor Area Ratio (FAR), Non-Passive Zone (NPZ), Roofs and Best Oriented Surfaces (RBOS), and Usable Open Space (UOS). Selected cases are visualized among non-dominated solutions in each experiment demonstrating the trade-offs between different objectives while programmatically generating successful building designs. In the future, the proposed generative design workflow can be implemented to run optimizations independently from other software within immersive environments.

Application of AI in Construction

At present, the application of BIM is in the ascendant, and 5G, the Internet of Things, and big data are also rising. AI is gradually influencing and innovating the construction field, and releasing the productivity of the industry from BIM, Internet of Things, big data and other aspects. The paper starts from the current situation of the construction industry, focusing on the integration of building construction, and tells how AI helps design in the early stage of architectural design to intelligent construction assistance in the later stage of the building. The use of AI can bring about the liberation of labor, improve the efficiency of the building from the beginning of the design to the final construction of the process and other advantages, and there are shortcomings such as excessive costs. In the future, AI applications may develop further when the time benefits can outweigh the cost benefits.

Towards an earthquake-resistant architectural design with the image classification method

ABSTRACT Architectural design is an interdisciplinary process which involves multiple stages that are interconnected. In this process, it is common for major decisions to be changed during the final stage, the analysis of the structural system. After making substantial corrections, the architect has to revisit the early stages, the preliminary project. This back-and-forth process can result in significant losses in time and cost. The proposed Irregularity Control Assistant (IC-Assistant) aims to provide architects with feedback on the conformity of structural system decisions to the irregularities defined in the Turkish Building Earthquake Code (TBEC-2018), using image processing methods at the early stages of the design process. The IC-Assistant was preliminarily created to evaluate the torsional irregularity of plan organization using deep learning methods. In this study, the results of the IC-Assistant were verified by structural analysis with the Prota-Structure program. The novelty of this study is the use of the image-classification method in earthquake-resistant architectural design. Up to this point, the method has been mainly used in facial recognition systems. This method minimizes time, human error, and cost losses and includes awareness of load bearing and earthquake resistance as inputs in the early stages of architectural design.

AUGMENTED MASONRY DESIGN - A DESIGN METHOD USING AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) FOR CUSTOMIZED BRICKLAYING DESIGN ALGORITHMS

The Augmented Masonry Design project presents experimental research about developing and applying Augmented Reality (AR) technology for customized design algorithms, exploring a real-time, interactive, and spatial-free design method for the early architectural design stage. We aim to resolve the current 2D-based design limitations and provide architects with a 3D-4D immersive perception in AR for a practical and easy-to-use design method. Furthermore, with reference to the Covid-19 pandemic, we propose that this method could break through site accessibility and constraints by breaking the barriers of physical space. Towards this aim, we apply the Augmented Masonry Design into two prototypes: a) user interface (UI) immersive design, in which interactive inputs will communicate with design algorithms in AR through the inputs from the screen-based UI on mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets); b) intuitive interaction immersive design, in which interactive inputs will be translated to design algorithms directly in AR through hand gestures on head-mounted devices (HMD) (e.g., Microsoft HoloLens). Our Findings highlight the advantages of immersive design in the initial stage of architectural drafts, which gives designers better spatial understanding and design creativity, as well as the challenges arising from the limitations of current AR devices and the lack of real physical simulation in the design system.

A Review of Advanced Façade System Technologies to Support Net-Zero Carbon High-Rise Building Design in Subtropical China

While net-zero carbon buildings have been the focus of many previous studies, existing research tends to focus on low-rise buildings in temperate climates with cold winters. However, much of current building activity across the world, particularly in China, is located in hot and humid subtropical climates and typically features high-rise buildings. This review article systematically surveys recent literature on advanced façade systems that have been widely used across Europe and North America to determine their suitability for implementation in the subtropical climatic environment of southern China. To support the further research and design of net-zero carbon buildings in this context, this paper reviews existing technologies enabling zero carbon buildings, particularly those related to high-performance building facades, with a focus on South China. To this end, we present a systematic literature review of relevant studies in English conducted in the past 10 years. Following a definition of the scope of zero carbon building and design factors related to such building types, the paper discusses the rationale and mechanisms of key advanced facade technologies and their suitability for high-rise buildings in the hot and humid subtropical climate of South China, including double-skin façades, building integrated photovoltaics, façade greening systems, advanced shading systems, phase-change materials, and smart windows. The results of the review illustrate a shortage of relevant studies as well as a shortage of design tools supporting the integration of key technologies in the early architectural design stages, where decisions will have a significant impact on a building’s subsequent performance.

Low Carbon Building Design Optimization Based on Intelligent Energy Management System

The construction of relevant standards for building carbon emission assessment in China has just started, and the quantitative analysis method and evaluation system are still imperfect, which hinders the development of lowcarbon building design. Therefore, the use of intelligent energy management system is very necessary. The purpose of this paper is to explore the design optimization of low-carbon buildings based on intelligent energy management systems. Based on the proposed quantitative method of building carbon emission, this paper establishes the quota theoretical system of building carbon emission analysis, and develops the quota based carbon emission calculation software. Smart energy management system is a low-carbon energy-saving system based on the reference of largescale building energy-saving system and combined with energy consumption. It provides a fast and effective calculation tool for the quantitative evaluation of carbon emission of construction projects, so as to realize the carbon emission control and optimization in the early stage of architectural design and construction. On this basis, the evaluation, analysis and calculation method of building structure based on carbon reduction target is proposed, combined with the carbon emission quota management standard proposed in this paper. Taking small high-rise residential buildings as an example, this paper compares and analyzes different building structural systems from the perspectives of structural performance, economy and carbon emission level. It provides a reference for the design and evaluation of low-carbon building structures. The smart energy management system collects user energy use parameters. It uses time period and time sequence to obtain a large amount of data for analysis and integration, which provides users with intuitive energy consumption data. Compared with the traditional architectural design method, the industrialized construction method can save 589.22 megajoules (MJ) per square meter. Based on 29270 megajoules (MJ) per ton of standard coal, the construction area of the case is about 8000 m2, and the energy saving of residential buildings is 161.04 tons of standard coal. This research is of great significance in reducing the carbon emission intensity of buildings.

Pragmatic Design Decision Support for Additive Construction Using Formal Knowledge and Its Prospects for Synergy with a Feedback Mechanism

The construction industry has long been labor-intensive, with slow productivity growth and a significant environmental impact. In this regard, the ever-increasing practices of additive manufacturing (AM) in construction have presented a variety of advantages and are deemed one of the critical technologies for the concept of Construction 4.0. Building information modeling (BIM) as an enabler for the digital transformation in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) domain provides a framework for considering novel AM methods during the early stages of architectural design. It is known that decisions during early design stages significantly impact the subsequent planning and construction phases, whereas missing AM knowledge by architects and engineers could in turn impede the adoption of AM technologies when the early determination of appropriate manufacturing methods needs to be made. Meanwhile, the early stages of architectural design are characterized by vagueness, uncertainty, and incompleteness, which have to be clarified iteratively by both architects and domain experts. To this end, this paper introduces a knowledge-driven design decision support that prospectively incorporates an adaptive feedback mechanism under the BIM methodology. As such, architects can be assisted in choosing appropriate construction methods during the early stages of architectural design.

Suggestions for solution space exploration in the early stage of architectural design based on a literature review

Early design decisions have higher potential to influence building performance compared with the decisions made at later design stages. Performance simulation and optimization algorithms have been integrated to assist early design in reducing carbon emissions, improving indoor thermal comfort, etc. However, early decision making within a limited time frame is still challenging due to the large number of design options, the lack of decision-making guidance, and the trade-offs among various requirements. Selecting appropriate methods to explore design space is the key to find an ideal solution. This paper reviewed the challenges and identified the key questions to access the ability of existing decision-making methods to cope with different challenges. It is concluded that the interactive exploration of design space could be more effective and efficient by (1) combining the surrogate models and the automated optimization algorithms to improve the efficiency of the building performance calculation and the optimal design space position; and by (2) extending the optimal design space to increase the solution diversity, and (3) filtering the near optimal design space with consideration of the stakeholders’ preferences and values. Further integration of tools for building performance simulation, diversity description and decision-making guidance is needed to support the decision -making process.

Optimizing Buildings’ Life Cycle Performance While Allowing Diversity in the Early Design Stage

The main considerations in the early stage of architectural design are usually related to form and function. At the same time, with the growing concern regarding energy saving and carbon emission reduction, the parameters for the construction and physical quality of buildings are receiving more attention at the conceptual and schematic design stages. Diverse design options can emerge with the large number of variables to be considered in these stages. Moreover, the combined efforts to reduce buildings’ life cycle environmental impacts and cost, as well as the non-linear and often tradeoff relationship between the two objectives, make finding optimal design solutions for buildings’ life cycle performance complicated. Previous studies have established workflows to optimize buildings’ life cycle energy consumption, GWP, and/or cost; however, architectural design diversity has not been sufficiently discussed at the same time. In this study, a parametric optimization design process is established, aiming at minimizing the building’s operational energy consumption, life cycle environmental impacts, and life cycle cost. The setting of variables, as well as the workflows of the optimization process, is discussed from the perspective of both life cycle performance and architectural design diversity. A small-scale exhibition hall in China’s cold climate zone is selected as a case study. To approach the best design process applicable to this case, the optimal solution sets from different workflows under different variable settings are compared. The results show that by setting geometric and material variables in different steps in the entire optimization process, the resulting solutions can be a balance of architectural design and performance. In this case study, optimizing all of the design variables in one-step turned out to provide the best balance between design diversity and life cycle performance in the early design stage.

The Sustainable Aspect of Safety in Architectural Early Design: An Introduction to Prevention through Design (PtD) Concept

Architects must have an adequate and relevant understanding of Prevention through Design (PtD) to execute essential design decisions during the early design stage.The understanding of PtD as a proactive safety intervention throughout the design process has been supported in various studies, but there has been little research incorporatingPtDin design practices by the architectandprovisionalarchitectural safety design parameter on the Occupational Safety andHealth (OSH)matters, thus, leadingto the gap in this study.ConsideringthePtD concept as part of the sustainablestrategy into thearchitecturalearly design stages may significantly enhance the building's life cycle and safety performance, particularly during the operational and maintenance phase of the buildingprojects. Therefore, thesystematicreview was motivated by the belief that the early architectural design stage is one of the key factors improving safety performance in the practice of PtD.This review begins by analysing literature from 2011 to 2021 with relevant keywords related to the architectural design aspect that contributes to building safety performance, followed by characterising the safety aspect atthe early architectural design stage. The findings were identified and clustered into the following five categoriesof the architectural design parameters: 1) Site planning, 2) Space Planning, 3) Building envelope, 4) Design for Visibility, and 5) Environmental DesignParameters. This finding is hope to be able to providean architectural frame of reference on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) matters, allowing future researchers and practitioners to addresssustainable aspectof safety in the early architectural design practicesof PtD while optimising building safety performance across the building life cycle projects.