Designing with Medium: Exploring the Agency of Representational Media in Architectural Design

This study attempts to elucidate the relative impact of the designated representational medium on architectural design knowledge during design activity by focusing on the relation between designers' cognitive processes and revealed design information corresponding to different representational media during the design process. The assertion here is that designing, specifically the act of representation, occurs absolutely with the existence of a medium and that representational media have agency, which affects the information content of the designers during design activity. Designing is defined as a process of construction of representations, where the act of representing facilitates a reflective dialogue between the designer and the object of representation. The framework of the study is aimed at revealing the agency of representational media through a community of practice within the shared sociocultural, and environmental contexts. The interaction between the designer and the media of representation has been structured upon the theoretical model -Activity Theory-, which offers a framework for analyzing human actions oriented toward specific purposes through instruments within particular conditions. Within the framework of the article, two workshop sessions and semi-structured interviews related to the sessions were conducted. The data derived from the interviews are examined using the reflexive thematic analysis method; information content related to various representational media within the common sociocultural and environmental context are revealed

Building Energy Performance Gap: A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Review of Global Research Themes

  Building energy simulations are useful for analyzing decisions impacting energy performance. However, significant discrepancies exist between simulated building energy performance and real-world measured performance, thus inhibiting progress towards sustainability. This paper examines recent Building Energy Performance Gaps (BEPG) research trends using bibliometric measures. It also aims to assess global research trends by examining global research engagement and thematic development to build a more comprehensive understanding of BEPG. The systematic review of the Web of Science (WoS) database identified 331 relevant articles published between 2012 and July 2023. A quantitative approach of bibliometric procedures (including title, abstract and keywords) was used for analyzing the documents, alongside the VOSviewer software program. This methodology enabled the authors to produce scientometric maps, showcasing the relationships in authorship, citation, occurrences, and bibliometric coupling. The results indicate that BEPG research is primarily conducted in more developed regions such as Europe and North America, while severely lacking in many developing countries within the Global South (GS). Results further indicate a broadening research scope, with less than ten percent of the 1,118 keywords used by authors three times or more. Solutions towards resolving BEPG need to be highly contextualized. Therefore, this study identifies major BEPG research areas and highlights the multidisciplinary nature of the field. Additionally, fostering international collaborations and developing building energy performance standards could aid in creating a more sustainable built environment and developing capacities, focusing critically on the needs of GS countries

Bridging The Digital Divide: Methodological Strategies For Conducting Remote Urban Research

  This article examines methodological approaches for conducting community-engaged research remotely with participants who have limited internet access. Community-based urban research must include the voices of all stakeholders to ensure representation and equitable decision-making. The digital divide, characterized by varying levels of digital literacy and limited access to technology, often excludes disadvantaged stakeholder groups from remote data collection. While extensive studies have been conducted on both analog and digital data collection methods, few have focused on adapting these approaches to include digitally marginalized groups in architecture and urban studies. This article reflects on data collection adaptations made to bridge the digital divide in a project that was designed before, but conducted during, the COVID-19 pandemic, between November 2020 and May 2021. Grounded in a mixed-income, informally developed settlement in India, the study aimed to examine how residents in informal settlements met their social and recreational needs. The pandemic lockdowns made on-site data collection infeasible, prompting the research to be adapted for remote implementation using a mixed-methods approach tailored to participants’ levels of digital literacy and access. Multiple strategies were employed to collect representative data and ensure data validity, including online and telephone-based surveys, telephone interviews, and participant-generated visual data. Residents with phone and internet access were employed as intermediaries to help navigate trust and accessibility challenges and to recruit participants without digital access. In addition to presenting the study’s remote data collection methods, this article also identifies ethical challenges that may arise when using intermediaries to bridge the digital divide in qualitative research where the researcher is not physically present

Perception Of Healing Architectural Elements In Women’s Healthcare Facilities In Lagos, Nigeria

  This study looked at the use and influence of healing elements in the Women’s Health Facilities (WHFs) architecture in Lagos, Nigeria. It investigated the extent to which healing architecture has been adopted and its implications on patient healing by assessing their perception and the perspectives of practitioners on its effect on patients. The study collected data from selected WHFs in Lagos using a questionnaire-based survey, allowing for an in-depth examination of the efficacy of healing architectural elements in enhancing patient and practitioner experiences. It employed structured questionnaires shared among 101 respondents out of the estimated 237 users in the seven WHFs by assessing the perceptions of two key respondent groups, patients and healthcare practitioners, on the effect of healing architectural elements. Data were analysed based on themes and statistical software (SPSS v26) for descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that most users were highly aware of the adopted healing elements, and practitioners reported significant effects of these elements on the patients’ stress levels, blood pressure, heart rates, autonomic function, and mental engagement. Based on these findings, proposals for advancing the inclusion of healing elements in WHFs are given, including the use of natural elements, flexible spaces, colour and cultural sensitivity, and highlighted useful insights for future design considerations and healthcare practices

Urban Transformation Towards Premature Obsolescence Of Buildings

  A circular development in cities aims to create ecologically regenerative and resilient environments to transition towards a more sustainable future. This involves rethinking how we design, build, and disassemble, favoring reuse and regenerative cycles. The result is longer building lifespans and, therefore, helps reduce CO₂ emissions from the construction sector. For architects and city planners, the challenge lies in balancing between developing densification strategies to limit urban sprawl with preserving the built environment by extending lifecycles. How does densification affect the demolition and lifespan of buildings in neighborhoods, and what are the possible circular transformations? The objectives of this research are to discuss changes in the built environment in relation to densification strategies and reflect on how these changes might support or hinder circular practices. The paper explores the evolution in building stock over time, using the city of Trondheim, Norway, as a case study. First, data on the existing building stock is analyzed to understand the location and age of various building types across different neighborhoods. Buildings are classified into five categories: low-density housing, high-density housing, public services, industrial and work-related buildings, leisure, and smaller constructions (such as garages, cabins, or sheds). This data is then compared with historical records of buildings being demolished and newly built structures from 2012 to 2021 to trace the transformation of the built environment. It includes information on building type, square meters, construction and demolition dates, and location. The data collected from the municipal cadaster is visualised using Geographical Information System (GIS) software to support a spatial neighborhood-based analysis. The results first present differences in the number of demolitions, building projects, and densification across city areas. Next, the study examines the age distribution within the five building categories. Two main findings emerge: variations in the neighborhood densification over the past decade, and differences in building lifespans across areas. This analysis supports projections for future urban developments, and identifies opportunities for circularity. Additionally, comparing the age of the current building stock with that of demolished buildings highlights the premature obsolescence of certain building types. The findings show that some categories are more prone to demolition or new construction. These results are discussed alongside urban planning and densification strategies, offering policy insights and supporting a contextualised approach to circular development

Building Integrated Transparent Photovoltaic as a Strategy Towards Net Zero Energy Building in the Tropics: Considerations, Approach, and Feasibility based on Energy Performance

Previous studies have found the potential of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) implementation on vertical facades. The implementation was suggested for buildings with a minimum of 45 percent window-to-wall ratio (WWR). This number is quite challenging for tropical buildings where the suggested WWR ranges around 20 to 40 percent. Furthermore, the installation may appear less efficient due to the lower irradiance received on tropical vertical facades. Given the abundance of vertical facades in tropical high-rise buildings, there exists an opportunity to offset power reduction. Therefore, this study aims to determine the feasibility, influencing factors, and approach for installing building-integrated thin film transparent photovoltaics (BITPV) in tropical regions, focusing on energy production. The objective is achieved through a combination of literature review and simulation. Three layout configurations on three different geographical locations, which present a typical classroom module for school buildings, are observed. Treatment is applied based on orientation, WWR, and the cell coverage ratio. The feasibility is shown by at least 23 percent energy substitution promoted by several configurations. East is suggested for classrooms with 1:1 and 3:2 modules, while north is suggested for classrooms with 2:3 modules. For buildings with minimum WWR (20 percent), TPV installation with ≥40 percent cell coverage ratio (on the specified orientation) is suggested to achieve the mixenergy use target. Additionally, this study presents the influencing factors and design approach for BITPV to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject

Navigating a Climate in Crisis through a Biomimetic Epistemology: Rethinking Design Education in the Anthropocene

We have entered a geological epoch where environmental change is driven primarily by human activity. The technology-centric approach to sustainable development as the dominant model of innovation in industrialized countries has led to expansive ecological degradation. This paper critiques this paradigm and builds on existing literature from environmental philosophy to propose a new model of ethical, bio-inspired architectural thinking. Though Biomimicry is often celebrated as a model for nature-inspired innovation, it can inadvertently reinforce notions of mastery over nature, a harmful phenomenon that environmental philosopher Freya Mathews calls ‘anthropocentric triumphalism.’ In response to those challenges, this paper explores the philosophical underpinnings of bio-inspired design to advocate for a transformative pedagogical model within architectural education and practice. By exploring the conflicts implicit in biomimetic processes, we aim to disentangle students’ thinking from techno-centric models and prepare them for the broader societal implications of a necessary energy shift. This exploration emphasizes the importance of cultivating a holistic understanding of ecological systems, urging designers to appreciate the intricate relationships within ecosystems rather than viewing them solely as sources of technological inspiration. By addressing the conflicts inherent in biomimetic processes, this paper calls for a more comprehensive and ethical approach to biomimicry – one that emphasizes both the source of knowledge as well as its application. Ultimately, we seek to foster a responsible relationship between architecture and the natural world, paving the way for a sustainable future that goes beyond mere imitation to encompass true coexistence

Between Objective and Subjective Architectural Experiences: Conceptualizing Refractive Neuroarchitecture Phenomenology

This analytical essay is aimed at developing a conceptual framework to assess how people experience the built environment both objectively and subjectively through a critical literature review of neuroarchitecture, architectural phenomenology, and neurophenomenology. Whereas both modes of human experience with the built environment are inseparable in real life, they have often been evaluated as seemingly antithetical and distinct approaches. Our experiences with the environment are mediated by our brains, for instance, our brain’s neurophysiological responses to colors, shapes, or heights. Such experiences are universal. Also, our experiences are constantly refracted by our unconscious subjective and intersubjective sense-making filters in the brain. Based on the critical literature review and synthesis, this study conceptualizes a refractive neuroarchitecture phenomenology, which is defined as a study of humans’ subjective and intersubjective architectural experiences through an epistemological and methodological convergence of the first- and second-person phenomenological and third-person neuroscientific methods. This conceptualization would provide intellectual significance as it attempts to integrate both objective and subjective epistemology and methodology into architectural research. For a practical implication, it is expected to demonstrate the importance of the phenomenological aspect of architectural efficacy and ways of applying neuroscientific research for place-making, including urban renewal and historic preservation

The Scalability of Urban Agriculture: Chicago Case Studies

Urban farming and community gardening are gaining popularity as strategies to address food insecurity and inequities in city life. Urban agriculture has been proposed as a way to enhance a city’s resilience. This concept is not new, as Ludwig Hilberseimer and Alfred Caldwell demonstrated in the 1940s when they envisioned a more resilient city for the industrialized world utilizing a decentralized, linear development model within a productive living landscape. In asserting that “small farms could solve mass poverty, mass unemployment and inflation– our great national disasters,” Caldwell presented a vision of small-scale farming as an act of resistance and empowerment for individuals, with the goal of initiating large-scale social and environmental transformation. This study takes Caldwell’s assertion as a starting point to investigate what we can learn from existing examples of urban agriculture in order to enhance urban resilience. The research examines three distinct approaches to urban farming currently implemented in Chicago, aiming to extrapolate their scalability and impact on broader societal and environmental change. The selected cases represent a range of farming practices and organizational types, encompassing conventional raised bed farming, aquaponics, hydroponics, and permaculture. Organizational diversity is reflected in the inclusion of a large non-profit organization, a local community group, and a private entrepreneur. Each case is analyzed based on a) The specific approach to farming technologies and practices, b) The corresponding development and implementation process leading to fruition, c) Evaluation of its transformative effects on individuals and its broader societal and environmental impact, d) Identification of perceived opportunities or barriers to growth and long-term success. The study identifies numerous opportunities for scaling up and emphasizes the varied objectives in urban agriculture. To support the growth of urban agriculture within resilient cities, a comprehensive multi-faceted, multi-scalar framework is necessary

Analysing the role of the perceptual dimension in the formation of the urban third place

Urban third places like parks, plazas, and cafes play a significant role in fostering social interaction, community engagement, and a sense of belonging in contemporary society, and this recognition is growing. It has been a subject of critical analysis across multiple disciplines and intellectual traditions. Although the term 'Third Place' has been the subject of considerable research for some time, a sensible investigation into the psychological needs of users broadens the study's scope, adding a new dimension to the research. This study's perceptual dimension focuses particularly on an individual's perceptions of the built environment of the urban third place. It deals with how people perceive and experience these places. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the contribution of the perceptions that users generate in the formation of urban third places. Research begins with an understanding of this term and its significance in an urban environment. The theoretical approach interprets a perceptual dimension by analysing an individual's 'Sense of Place' in relation to the urban third place. A projective survey questionnaire further explores the concept. We decipher the qualitative observations of the survey using Nvivo, a software tool that supports both descriptive and inferential statistical inferences. The consideration of age versus the diverse perceptual needs of the users explains the interrelationship while making it convenient for the statistical analysis of the study's observations. As a result, this research examines the significance of associations, identifies dominant perceptions, and analyses the possible patterns of the same across the identified age groups of the sample population. A statistical analysis of these observations offers insights to designers, planners, and policymakers in terms of prioritising users' experiences, needs, and preferences, i.e., sense of place, to accommodate the contemporary needs of the users in the practice of urban design at the human scale