Housing Design Research Articles

Proposed Framework for Daylight-Focused Homes during Design Development

Solar decathlon is held biannually, and participant universities have a unique chance to locate solar houses on campus as a living lab after the contest. A variety of performance criteria are evaluated during the contest and daylighting is one among them. Complicated analysis tools, design solutions, and their effectiveness are major challenges during the design development of new solar houses. This challenge definition leads to developing a daylighting guideline for new solar house design. To provide a roadmap of validity of emerging daylighting metrics, demonstration of the daylighting performance of built-up solar houses, and daylighting guideline for design parameters with recent technology on new solar house design are the specific objectives of this study. The manuscript aims to examine the existing daylighting design tools while proposing a roadmap for how to use emerging metrics over solar house design. Three solar decathlon entries of Missouri University of Science and Technology are selected for post-occupancy evaluation to verify selected design tools. After analyze method, tools and final products are introduced which can be used on case studies, impact on research and education is discussed in the paper. Experiential method proposal for daylighting design have three phases and these are; the daylight metrics, the daylight performance and impact on research and education. It would be beneficial in the future to have this as a design guide, especially for any residential buildings rather than just solar houses.

Spatial synthesis for architectural design as an interactive simulation with multiple agents

Motivated by reflection-in-action in architectural design, this article introduces a spatial synthesis artifact that relies on multi-agent reinforcement learning to address spatial goals with fine-grained control in a simulation. It relies on parameter sharing with proximal policy optimization and a parameterized reward function to train robust agent policies in random environments with random spatial problems. The agents are evaluated in three design cases: a house design with 12 agents in three sites, a museum with 18 agents in an interstitial urban site, and a speculative design of a housing complex with 96 agents on a large empty site. The policies performed well in all the cases and produced morphologically consistent solutions. However, in cases with a larger number of agents, the system largely benefited from a spring layout algorithm for the initialization. Future research will address more complex spatial synthesis problems and mechanisms for human-computer interaction.

Design and delivery of national housing in the UAE: an alternative approach

The provision of national housing to citizens in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered a crucial topic. Over the past four decades, the process of developing national housing has emerged into multiple housing programs and schemes, all with the same aim of offering affordable and high-quality housing to citizens, in addition to meeting the needs of local families regarding spatial configurations while maintaining cultural values. However, despite all these efforts, the question has always remained: are the offered housing practices suited for family needs, socioeconomic trends, and environmental challenges? This study aims to offer an alternative approach for the design and delivery of national housing practices in the UAE. The proposed process is structured based on the following ethos: first, a conceptual approach for design flexibility toward offering customization while maintaining contextual and cultural qualities for inhabitants; second, a computational design strategy for facade optimization that illustrates the significance of incorporating environmentally conscious design strategies in response to local climatic conditions toward enhancing overall building performance; and third, a hybrid production model that relies on a prefabricated building approach that combines precast concrete systems with 3D printing technology. The efforts described in this article represent a significant phase of an ongoing research endeavor that explores how technological capacities could help rethink national housing in the UAE.

Analysis of Thermal Performance of Naturally Ventilated Residential Building in Tropical Climate: Case Study of Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Comfort of the building is one of the important factors that is hard to achieve for architects and engineers as it depends on both physic and psychological parameter. This paper discusses these two aspects on the thermal performance of residential building in context of hothumid climate. Three different types of residential buildings including townhouse, detached house and apartment building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia were chosen as the case studies. The analysis of thermal performance of each house is based on (a) the measurement of physical parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, air velocity), (b) occupants survey to compare with data from the measurement and (c) interview with the occupants to know about their satisfaction and sensation to the physical parameters. Impact of different designs of houses on thermal performance and the importance of influential physical parameters for tropical climate is analysed. Comparison of results to the Fanger’s model also indicate the importance of air velocity in thermal comfort for tropical region. The survey shows that in natural ventilation, women in their 20s to 30s feel comfortable with the temperature of 29 to 30°C and humidity of 73 to 75%.

Optimizing Modularization of Residential Housing Designs for Rapid Postdisaster Mass Production of Housing

Postdisaster housing reconstruction (PDHR) is a highly complex process because of the large number of recovery projects for affected communities and the shortage of resources after a disastrous event. PDHR also needs a strategy that reconsiders it as a large-scale integrated portfolio of projects instead of individual building reconstruction projects. However, this complexity and the lack of a holistic, systematic approach for planning frequently lead to an ad-hoc or case-by-case decision-making process. To resolve this critical challenge in postdisaster housing mass production, this study investigates and develops a systematic approach that optimizes the design modularization of housing recovery projects considering manufacturing, transportation, and assembly factors for a cost-efficient and sustainable implication of modular construction (MC) in PDHR. Using the genetic algorithm-based optimization method, the proposed method addresses the possible trade-offs between the commonality and suitability of the module configurations for PDHR projects. In addition, the authors used a set of feasible configurations of a variety of modular housing designs created from the AI-based generative design system and conducted the mass production scenarios after a disaster to validate the accuracy and robustness of the proposed methodology. The results clearly show that the proposed method significantly improved optimization and decision-making of MC design and construction processes and considerably enhanced rapid and logical responses to the demands of the postdisaster recovery process. The newly developed method is expected to assist the planners in formalizing the commonality concept in the PDHR process and achieving an optimal level of modularity and commonality that meet the required variation while maintaining the advantages of mass production.

Factors of cyclone disaster deaths in coastal Bangladesh

Bangladesh's success in disaster risk management is often evidenced by referencing the reduction of deaths caused by tropical cyclones — the Cyclone Gorky 1991 caused 147,000 deaths, the Cyclone Sidr 2007 caused 4500 deaths and only 6 deaths by the Cyclone Mora in 2017. This raises questions of how deaths occurred by tropical cyclones in the past and what factors still might contribute towards deaths from cyclone hazards? This study answers these questions through face-to-face interviews with 362 residents, field visits and observations across coastal Bangladesh. The findings indicate that there have been improvements in house structures and design, warning responses and evacuation processes to public cyclone shelters and informal cyclone shelter centres. In the past, due to a lack of built infrastructure, strong residential houses and public cyclone shelters, deaths occurred whilst living in fragile houses; attempting to survive through holding trees and floating in storm surges. The top ten factors that may still cause deaths by tropical cyclones include: (1) Living adjacent to the coast without an embankment or lack of embankment, or the failure of an established embankment; (2) the repeat of a 1991-like cyclone; (3) non-evacuation following early warning; (4) poor roads in remote areas to facilitate mass movement; (5) distance to and insufficient number of public cyclone shelters; (6) lack of protective measures for the rising number of elderly and disabled people; (7) community's unawareness; (8) communication failure during the emergency period; (9) failure to evacuate people from remote locations; and (10) Poor radio signal and mobile network issues resulting in no warning information being effectively and timely communicated. This study provides several key recommendations addressing these factors of deaths, to be implemented by individual, community, private sectors, non-government organisations (NGOs) and public sectors across coastal Bangladesh.

Designing and estimating an amphibious house using lightweight materials to mitigate the devastating effects of floods

Floods are the cause of massive-scale destruction. Flooding is a natural process that cannot be restricted or prevented from happening. Everyone must be prepared to minimize the damage caused in flood-prone areas. It is challenging to live against the water, but it is possible to live with the rising water. Due to rapid population growth, there is no more free land to live away from marine areas, so people are forced to live in areas near the sea or rivers. There is a law of nature: When the time comes, nature treats humans as humans have treated it. Misunderstanding human needs leads to the destructive use of new technology. In order to fulfill the unlimited desires of human beings, an imbalance is created in the environment, causing the temperature of the earth to rise and creating a problem such as global warming. Cloudbursts are also responsible for the occurrence of floods. Over 40 million hectares of the total 329 million hectares of geographical area are at risk of flooding. Floods in India over the past three decades have not only caused significant financial losses but also affected millions of people and claimed nearly 4,000 lives. Recently, after the cloudburst in Uttarakhand and Western Orissa, the situation was so bad that some people became homeless, and others lost their lives. This paper highlights the significant financial losses and the impact of flood disasters on the people of India. This paper presents amphibious house design as a potential solution, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions to address the challenges caused by flooding. Efforts have been made to focus on the construction of a house in flood-prone regions that ensures the safety of lives and assets. An amphibious house of 10 m * 10 m for EWS/LIG/ MIG has been designed, and the estimated cost is Rs 2,11,799.

A Meta-study of Architectural Design Processes in Post-disaster Housing Reconstruction in Iran

Background and objective Despite conducting numerous studies in the two areas of “architectural design process” and “post-disaster housing reconstruction” in recent years in Iran, limited studies have been conducted for the meta-study of these two areas. Therefore, to redefine the “post-disaster housing reconstruction” and strengthen the common theoretical foundations, the current study aims to review the related studies to obtain in-depth knowledge of the concepts common between post-disaster housing reconstruction and architectural design process, extract operational concepts, and formulate a proposed conceptual model. Method This is a mixed-method meta-study using an interpretive-naturalistic approach. The articles published in Persian over the last twenty years were searched using the keywords “housing architecture design process”, “post-disaster housing reconstruction,” and “participatory architecture design process and post-disaster housing “. The initial search yielded 168 articles. After several stages of screening, 66 articles were selected for further review. Quantitative analysis was done using descriptive statistics in Excel software. Qualitative analysis was done using the coding technique and MaxQDA software. Results The studies in the field of Iranian architecture are mainly subject-oriented and independent of time and place, based on theoretical knowledge along with the global knowledge of architecture and in line with the third generation of design processes (mental processes of architects). Meanwhile, the articles in the field of post-disaster housing reconstruction in Iran are mainly experience-oriented and location-oriented, with an applied design and using a case study method. Conclusion The “post-disaster housing design process,” due to its nature, includes all three generations of architectural design processes, including systematic, collaborative, and mental processes. Recognizing and redefining the “steps of post-disaster housing design and planning”, “roles and responsibilities”, and “managing the implementation of plans and programs” related to the systematic processes; “participatory design and participatory architects”, “participation in post-disaster design and supply of housing”, “effective factors, barriers, and facilitators of participation” related to the collaborative processes; and “architect- and problem-focused design factors”, “architect’s post-disaster knowledge and attitude towards the situation”, “redefining the post-disaster contextual architecture” and “ mentalizing factors of the architect and disaster survivors” related to the mental processes are the most important issues involved in the three generations of the post-disaster housing design process.

Future effectiveness of passive house design strategies

Passive architectural design strategies have been an effective response to the energy crisis of the 20th century. In temperate climates, their integration results in thermal behaviors that combine indoor comfort and energy efficiency. However, projected future climate change scenarios will not offer the same performances, resulting in such strategies being less effective. The objective of this work is to quantify the relative change in the effectiveness of passive design strategies in dwellings for arid temperate-cold climates (Bwk), taking the city of Mendoza (Argentina) as an example. Regarding future climate projections for warm arid climates (Bwh), using the CMIP5’s RCP8.5 scenario, equivalent to the IPCC’s CMIP6 SSP85 scenario, the results show a 20% decrease in the number of hours in annual comfort, with a 24% increase in the need for passive summer strategies.

Factors Affecting Design toward Affordable Sustainable Housing Delivery in South African Construction Industry

The purpose of this study is to establish the factors that affect the design toward affordable sustainable housing delivery because housing is delivered above budget and unaffordable for low-income earners in South Africa. A sequential mixed method involving qualitative and quantitative approach was engaged for this study, and construction professionals were selected as respondents from nine provinces of South Africa to answer four points Likert scale quantitative questionnaires. A total of one hundred and fourteen (114) questionnaires were appropriately completed and retrieved from the respondents. Data collected were analyzed with descriptive statistics which include PCA, correlation, and regression analysis tools on SPSS version 25 to determine factors that affect the design with the regards to affordable housing delivery in South Africa, interview process is used to validate the findings obtained. The findings indicated that improper design leads to failure in achieving client objectives and causes a change in design and demolition. Lack of design of first-rate living conditions for a healthy environment, design sufficiency, and adaptability to meet people’s demand for cost efficient housing were the major factors responsible for unaffordable housing in South Africa. The study recommended that government should establish key policies on housing design to control resource waste and limit construction costs within budget. This will encourage the sensitivity of construction operators about resources control at the planning and implementation stages of housing production.

Improving the quality of traction electric mo-tors for electric transportation

Problem. Despite the widespread use of asynchronous electric motors (ED) in electric transportation, they often fail to meet high reliability requirements. This is primarily due to their operation in a wide range of rotational frequencies, variable load modes, frequent stops and starts, and challenging road conditions. These factors result in significant vibrations of traction asynchronous EDs, leading to reduced reliability and service life. Goal: The goal of this study is to develop methods to enhance the reliability and longevity of traction asynchronous EDs by improving the design and manufacturing technology of the stator housing and rotor of the electric motor. Methodology: Analytical research methods were employed to investigate approaches for improving the quality of traction electric motors for electric transport. Experimental research methods were used to determine the technical condition of EDs based on their vibrodiagnostic parameters. Statistical methods were utilized to process experimental data. Results: Vibration levels, which are indicative of the technical condition of EDs, were selected as the primary criterion for assessing their quality. The proposed design and manufacturing technology for asynchronous electric motors enable the following: increased manufacturing and assembly precision of EDs, simplified assembly process, reduced number of sorted parts during inspection and bearing replacement, and the development of an asynchronous traction ED with a power capacity of 90 kW and a rotational frequency of 3000 rpm, meeting class D requirements with permissible vibration levels. Originality: This study presents developed methods for increasing the reliability and longevity of traction asynchronous EDs through experimental approaches. The one-sided arrangement of base surfaces in the stator housing and the attachment of rotor bearing units enabled the production of a vertical ED assembly consisting of two independently controlled units: a housing with a shield and a rotor with bearing units. Practical Value: The achieved reduction in vibration levels allows for a predicted 2-3 times increase in the lifespan of the developed ED, depending on operating conditions. Furthermore, the created ED meets all environmental standards' requirements for vibration levels.

THE YEMENI ARCHITECTURE INFLUENCED THE CULTURE IN THE TOWER HOUSE IN BAB AL YEMEN, SANA’A

This paper study on the traditional tower house in Old City Sana’a as known as Bab al Yemen. It focusing how the local context with lifestyle and culture determine the traditional architecture and design in Bab al Yemen and different regions of Yemen and Arab regions, according to nature, climatic conditions, culture, traditional values, and native knowledge. Overview for architecture and design during the twentieth century, civilisation and the Islam perspective in the Arab region, and selected the traditional tower house in Yemen as a case study. In addition to the analysis the traditional tower house form and layout in Sana’a city, the design and elements of the house; spatial organization, construction systems and building materials, and window openings included ornaments patterns. The study summarises the aspects of lifestyle and culture in the traditional house as an ancient traditional knowledge for character of architecture and design. In conclusion, the traditional tower house in Bab al Yemen, designed according to the local context and indigenous traditional knowledge, have influenced traditional tower house architecture; the house elements and design satisfies the lifestyle and culture aspects. This includes design aspects related to the house layout, the application of traditional design, the traditional building material, the Islamic values in house design, the exterior appearance of the house and lifestyle aspect. heritage and indigenous traditional knowledge toward sustainable architecture.

Design of Passive Solar Houses for Toilets in Rural Areas of Tibet

Passive solar houses are one of the main forms of solar heating. In order to fully utilize solar energy to solve the winter heating problem of toilet buildings, this article will compare and analyze different passive solar houses from three aspects: thermal characteristics, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency, select the most suitable technology, and further optimize and analyze the parameters, providing a basis for the subsequent use of active passive combined solar heating technology to improve the indoor thermal environment of toilets.

The Gordon Memorial Lecture: Laying hen welfare

ABSTRACT Preference tests remain a useful tool in the assessment of laying hen welfare and have been used to establish what types of resources and enrichments are most likely to meet the birds’ needs. Evidence on the underlying structure of bird preference suggests that hens make stable and reliable choices across time and context. This means that their preferences can also be used as a benchmark in the validation of other welfare indicators. Hens have sophisticated cognitive abilities. They are quick to form associations between events and they are flexible in how they apply their knowledge in different contexts. However, they may not form expectations about the world in the same way as some mammalian species. Limited research in this area to date seems to show that hens judge situations in absolute terms rather than evaluating how a situation may be improving or deteriorating. The proportion of hens housed in cage-free systems is increasing globally, providing birds with greater behavioural freedom. Many of the problems associated with cage-free systems, such as keel bone fractures, mortality and injurious pecking, are slowly reducing due to improved experience and appropriate changes in rearing practices, diet, housing design and alignment of breeding goals. However, much remains to be done. The design and performance of veranda-based systems which provide hens with fresh air and natural light is a promising avenue for future research aimed at optimising hen welfare and improving sustainability.

The emergence and evolution of workers’ villages in early New China

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the emergence of China’s workers’ villages, and their changes over time in the 1950s in terms of residential planning and housing design characteristics. The new socialist regime realized in the 1950s numerous workers’ villages around China. Along with the fluctuant Soviet impact and China’s domestic realities, workers’ villages built in different phases during this decade show diverse features in their plans and styles. In this article, the characteristics are analysed by selecting typical cases in each phase. The findings show the workers’ village in early New China was driven mainly by triple reason: realistic demand, political commitment, and ideological instruction. In the first years, before the design and construction were Sovietized, the neighbourhoods were realized by following a western way. Since 1952, Soviet models were applied in China’s workers’ villages. But quite rapidly Chinese architects nationalized the Soviet prototype. From the mid-1950s, workers’ neighbourhoods were gradually simplified due to political and economic policy adjustment. By analysing the evolution of worker villages impacted by multiple factors, this article sheds lights on China’s socialist architectural discourse and supplements the existing scholarship on the transnational socialist architecture.

THE CHARACTERISTIC OF DESIGN PLANS AND THE PROCESS OF MAKING “THE REFERENCE DESIGNS OF FARM HOUSES” (1925) BY KANAGAWA AGRICULTURE ASSOCIATION

This study aims to examine the characteristic of design plans and the process of making “the reference designs of farm houses”, Kanagawa agriculture association asked Kon Wajiro and Oya Nobuo, published in1925. Out of the 16 plans appeared, the 4plans are the smallest planned by Kon and Oya, the 6 are the new for the earthquake recovery conceived by Kon who experienced exploration of farm houses and the member of the lifestyle improvement association. The rest 6 are for the private houses in the disaster area. They can be identified by the documents of Kougakuin University Library.

The Effect of the Concept of Pandemic on Housing and Fictional Space Designs

The Effect of the Concept of Pandemic on Housing and Fictional Space Designs

OPTIMISATION OF A DESIGN-TO-FABRICATION FRAMEWORK FOR INDIVIDUALISED HOMELESS HOUSING DESIGN IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

AbstractDigital design tools and technologies offer new opportunities for designers to generate a diverse range of design solutions. Previous research have discussed the multifaceted use of such technologies for 1) rapid visualisations, 2) generating design options, and 3) predicting design solutions. However, such research have focused more on simplifying design for fabrication and less on the integration of individual needs in design processes. This research adopts a human-centric design approach to merge user-to-design and design-to-fabrication processes. Through a scoping review on homelessness, design, and fabrication, we contribute a user-design-fabrication framework devised for the specific and dynamic needs of homeless individuals living in Melbourne, Australia. Our findings suggests that to optimise digital design processes for individuals with specific and dynamic needs, designers need to understand, translate, and embed the social, design, and fabrication complexities of a design problem. Future research should therefore test the real-world application of our user-design-fabrication framework and evaluate the impact of such digital design processes, for the provision of more individualised homeless housing design solutions.

MENAKAR PENGARUH PERSONAL SELLING TERHADAP EVALUASI ALTERNATIF KONSUMEN DALAM PEMBELIAN RUMAH SECARA SYARIAH (Riset Di Perumahan Firdaus Garden Paku Haji Kabupaten Bandung Barat)

Evaluation alternative of the consumer is an activity of selecting two or more product choices with the same type, which requires consumers to consider a product to be purchased before making a decision. Evaluating all product alternatives, consumers will use the information from personal selling. This study aims to determine and analyze the magnitude of the influence of personal selling on the evaluation alternatives of the consumer in buying a house using KPR Syariah at PT. Arkon Multikarya Perdana (Firdaus Garden Pakuhaji in West Bandung Regency). This research is motivated by the problemof the decline in home sales due to weak personal selling strategies carried out by the company due to the presence of covid-19 so that it works with the Work From Home (WFH) system and limits face-to-face sales interactions. The research method used is a combination method or mixed methods with sequential explanatory models. The results of the final conditions of quantitative, the personal selling value are 84.7% and the alternative evaluation value is 84.3% of the ideal condition and qualitatively personal selling and alternative evaluation at PT. Arkon Muktikarya Perdana is good. The results of the research the effect of personal selling on the evaluation alternatives of consumer, with quantitative data the correlation value in the regression results of the number R = 0.599 means that the correlation between variables X and Y is 0.599. R Square is 0.359 or 35.9%, meaning that the percentage contribution of X's influence on Y is 35.9%, while the remaining 64.1% is influenced by other variables outside of this model. The results of the hypothesis t-test, the comparison is t count (6.396) ≥ t table (1.663) and the results of the F test show that F count (5.069) ≥ F table 2.326. This shows that Ha is accepted and Ho is rejected or it can be said that X has a contribution to Y. While the results of qualitative data, personal selling has a role as a bridge for consumers to get clear and detailed information to help consumers evaluate a product with the factors: a) approach; b) presentation; c) overcoming objections; d) close the sale. These factors correlate with the factors that influence the alternative evaluation variable of consumers with the indicators are a) quality of marketing; b) price; c) location; d) promotion. The cumulative results of quantitative data on personal selling variables obtained r count 0.6708 ≥ r table 0.213 and alternative consumer evaluation variables obtained r count 0.6572 ≥ r table 0.213, this shows that the correlation X to Y is included in the strong category. So it can be said that the greater the role of personal selling, the greater will be the evaluation of alternatives made by consumers in buying home products on a Sharia KPR basis. In addition, other variables influence the evaluation alternatives of consumer that are not examined in this study such as consumer finance, trust in property developers, specifications of materials used, house design and facilities provided. So the results of this study can be concluded that there are qualitative data that broadens and deepens quantitative data. Keywords: Personal Selling, Evaluation Alternatives of Consumer.

Critical factors to succeed in post-earthquake housing reconstruction in Iran

Iran has experienced significant earthquakes in the last three decades, which have caused significant damage and losses to Iranian society. Housing reconstruction is the most important and problematic issue in post-earthquake recovery programs in Iran. Delays in the provision, excess costs, and unexpected housing quality often cause the community's dissatisfaction with reconstruction programs. This research aims to study past experiences of housing reconstruction in Iran to identify critical success factors (CSFs) and ameliorate recovery programs in the future.For this purpose, three reconstruction sites for housing reconstruction in Iran are examined using a sequential mixed method. In this study, semi-structured interviews with experts were followed by a questionnaire survey. Thematic analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze qualitative and quantitative data.The results indicate 39 CSFs of housing reconstruction projects in Iran. They were categorized into four main themes, including “risk reduction,” “community participation,” “organizational design and procurement,” and “housing design and implementation.” These results are valuable because they are obtained by analyzing the opinions of experts and specialists who have been directly involved in Iran's most significant reconstruction projects in the last three decades. The study contributes to theory by providing a post-earthquake housing reconstruction model and contributes to practice by providing valuable tools and recommendations for stakeholders, and government officials to ensure the planning, designing, and implementation of successful housing reconstruction projects.