From collection to reflection : on designing Freed, a tool for free and flexible organization of designers' digital work

Designers collect a lot of information during the design process, such as background research, ideas, notes, sketches, photos, videos and feedback from various stakeholders. A large part of this information gets lost in folders on individual computers, inside documents and presentations, or on pages in designers' notebooks. This is wasteful, because this information can be used for reflection. Reflection enables designers to give meaning to their experience and to develop. When reflecting designers think about what, how and why they design, or more specifically: It allows them to gain overview of, gain insight in and give direction to their design process, ideas, designs, skills, knowledge, interests, ambitions, identity and community. Reflection concerns integration, i.e., to explore relations, and diversity, i.e., to explore new perspectives. Reflection has a dual nature. On the one hand, it is an explicit action that requires designers to step out of the flow of designing. On the other hand, it is an implicit process that happens automatically while designing. This dual nature also holds true for how reflection can be supported. On the one hand, one can specifically dedicate time for reflection. On the other hand, reflection can be captured ¿in the action', during or right after other activities that are part of the design process. This project adopts a Research-through-Design approach: By designing and evaluating a software application called Freed, insight is gained in how designers' reflection can be supported by means of their digital collections. Freed is discussed and evaluated with design students and designer-researchers at the department of Industrial Design at the Eindhoven University of Technology. This context, which has strongly inspired and influenced this work, is introduced in the first chapter. In the second chapter, the foundations, goals and approach of this research are outlined. Based on the goal of supporting both integration and diversity, the case is made for free and flexible organization. Freedom is defined as the possibility to let structure and meaning emerge during interaction, instead of being imposed by the structure of the application. It can also be referred to as the openness of the application, or its ability to be appropriated and used in diverse situations. Flexibility is defined as the possibility to easily reorganize and reuse design work and to switch between perspectives on this work. Related work concerning reflection, design and collection, is discussed in the third chapter. This chapter ends with the conclusion that design is about action and exploration, and that reflection cannot be seen independent from action. Opportunities for reflection can be provided by a flexible person- and context- dependent design process that allows for many switches between activities, and regular reframing of the design situation. A system for supporting reflection should fit this flexible nature, and give designers the freedom to use the system for their own purposes. This desired combination of freedom and flexibility is not found in existing tools and systems. For example, existing tools and systems include elements that may inhibit free and flexible organization of the collection, such as similarity criteria, IBIS notations, and hierarchical relations. The main process of design and evaluation is discussed chronologically in chapters four to seven. The fourth chapter introduces initial design concepts, and argues for a focus on software. A first software prototype called ¿The Magnetic Collage Software' is discussed, along with a personal reflection on the use of it. From this reflection is concluded that the initial prototype works well for gaining overview quickly, but that it needed to be improved in order to support more active exploration of relations and perspectives. In chapter five the initial version of Freed is discussed. The main elements of Freed are a zoomable unconstrained canvas, a forcebased layout, and the possibility to create multiple organizations of the same content. The purpose of the force-based layout, in which related content attracts each other and non-related content repulses each other, is to encourage the exploration of relations and different spatial organizations. These organizations, or ¿views', can for example be used for a specific design activity or project phase (e.g. presenting, mapping related work), for creating an overview of the entire design process, for a portfolio of multiple projects, or for explaining the perspective of a given designer or stakeholder. The chapter concludes with a discussion of first feedback from design students and a case study in which the software was used for building a presentation and collection of the research group in which this research is carried out. The case study showed how the activities of building a presentation and collection can support each other and how this active, integrated use can lead to reflection. Chapter six focuses on the use of Freed during the design process. It discusses a design iteration, an introductory workshop and questionnaire, and a semester-long evaluation during student design projects. This evaluation showed that Freed was valued as a tool for gaining overview of and revisiting design work and process. Additionally, it showed that in order to support more exploration and reflection during and after the design process, the threshold for documentation and communication needed to be lowered, a better balance between organization and visualization needed to be obtained, and the integration and overview of views needed to be improved. Chapter seven focuses on using Freed as a tool for exploring relations and perspectives. It discusses a final design iteration, an evaluation during which students used Freed to explore their personal views on design theory, a case study of designerresearchers using the software for organizing student projects, and a reflection on personal use of Freed. These cases showed how Freed provides the freedom to be used differently by various design students and how multiple views can help to integrate work and to explore relations and perspectives. They also showed that both freedom and structure are needed for reflection, and how Freed can be used complementary to other activities such as physical diagramming or clustering. For example, physical clustering (e.g. of Post-it notes or printed images) helps to quickly gain consensus among a group and to make decisions, while Freed provides input for more dynamic discussions, allows for personal exploration (i.e. to temporarily loose the group consensus), and allows for insight to develop gradually. Chapter 8 concerns a reflection on this research as a whole, and discusses ¿conditions for collection and reflection', future work, and Research-through-Design. The main conclusions are that reflection builds on active use of a digital collection, that active use benefits from having a rich, visual, integrated collection, that reflection requires both freedom and structure, that structure emerges from direct, expressive local interaction, and that using a digital collection for reflection requires time and skill. In future work, there's a need to move beyond the confinements of a single software application, and to explore how to design for systems that integrate diverse products and applications. Additionally, there's a need to explore the integration of collection and reflection in a collaborative setting (and) in design practice

Teacher's guide book for primary and secondary school

There is an urgent need for collective action to mitigate the consequences of climate change and adapt to unavoidable changes. The complexity of climate change issues can pose educational challenges. Nonetheless, education has a key role to play in ensuring that younger generations have the required knowledge and skills to understand issues surrounding climate change, to avoid despair, to take action, and to be prepared to live in a changing world. The Office for Climate Education (OCE) was founded in 2018 to promote strong international cooperation between scientific organisations, educational institutions and NGOs. The overall aim of the OCE is to ensure that the younger generations of today and tomorrow are educated about climate change. Teachers have a key role to play in their climate education and it is essential that they receive sufficient support to enable them to implement effective lessons on climate change. The OCE has developed a range of educational resources and professional development modules to support them in teaching about climate change with active pedagogy

Intégration des aspects énergétiques et du confort ambiant passif dans la conception de l'habitat en milieu aride

La consommation énergétique excessive dans l’habitat en milieu aride renvoie à une réflexion à l’architecture vernaculaire par ses qualités intrinsèques d’adaptation au climat qui peut fortement contribuer à une stratégie d’économie d’énergie, dont l’objectif d’améliorer les besoins énergétiques de l’habitat du présent sans nuire aux générations futures. Cependant, le concepteur n’a souvent pas les connaissances ni l’accès aux diverses informations nécessaires pour faire ces choix adéquats entre plusieurs alternatives. Cette thèse a pour but de développer une méthodologie qui permet d’intégrer les aspects énergétiques et du confort ambiant passif dans la conception de l’habitat. Pour répondre à l’objectif de la recherche, ce travail est structuré en trois parties qui constituent les principaux axes de la thèse. Un inventaire des dispositifs et stratégies vernaculaires a été réalisé, suivi d’une analyse de la complexité de l’intégration des aspects énergétiques et du confort de l’usager dans les différents cas de figure en milieu aride, basé sur la structure morphologique du bâtiment proposé. Les résultats issus de cette analyse illustrent concrètement d’une part, l’interrelation entre la problématique énergétique et les différents choix de conception et d’autre part, de quelle façon le choix des dispositifs vernaculaires peuvent conditionner le comportement énergétique de l’habitat. La combinaison correspond aux deux cas de figure : cas d’intégration en interaction de stratégies et dispositifs et cas d’intégration en corrélation de stratégies et dispositifs. Le processus global développé, centré sur l’intégration de ces dispositifs et stratégies vernaculaires dans la conception de l’habitat, permet d’améliorer la performance énergétique de l’habitat et d’assurer le confort de l’occupant. Les résultats de ces travaux sont présentés dans cette thèse sous forme de trois articles. Bien que cette thèse ait contribué à faire avancer les connaissances relatives aux performances énergétiques de l’habitat en milieu aride, des limites liées à d’autres besoins de l’usager comme l’éclairage naturel et le concept d’évaluation de ces impacts ont été identifiées. En plus de proposer des pistes pour y remédier, la thèse présente des perspectives de recherche, telles que le processus conceptuel de l’éclairage naturel en adéquation avec le confort ambiant passif et l’efficacité énergétique, ainsi que l'évaluation intégrée des performances énergétiques, de l’éclairage naturel et le confort de l’usager au moyen de la présente méthodologie. Au final, les concepteurs et les professionnels de l’habitat du milieu aride sont mieux informés de l’état des performances énergétiques des dispositifs et stratégies vernaculaires par rapport aux pratiques actuelles, ainsi que sur les priorités d'actions visant à améliorer leurs performances

Technik-Ästhetik: Zur Theorie techno-ästhetischer Realität

Von Technik und Ästhetik zu sprechen, heißt, sich bereits begrifflich auf ein Feld einzulassen, das mindestens zwei divergente Perspektiven gemeinsam denkt. Dabei haben das Technische wie das Ästhetische die Bedeutung einer Interdependenz aufzuweisen: Das Technische konstituiert einerseits Funktionen, Formen und Gebrauchsaspekte - ästhetische Zustände evozieren andererseits zeichenhafte Realisierungen, phantasmatische Urteile und wahrnehmungsvermittelte Phänomene des Erscheinens. Die Beiträger*innen des Bandes zeigen, wie bei der Konfrontation von Technik und Ästhetik eine Art Verkopplung und intrinsische Dynamik qua techno-ästhetischer Evokation entstehen kann

Stages of captivity : Napoleonic prisoners of war & their theatricals, 1808-1814

In 2011, the Performance and Theatre Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London acquired an archive of materials relating to the French prisoners of war held at Portchester Castle from 1810 to 1814. This archive consisted of scripts, playbills, and abstracts from the prisoners’ Théâtre des Variétés built and operated in the basement of the castle’s keep. These materials have provided new and unique insights into the experiences of Napoleonic prisoners of war and have served as a catalyst for this first major critical study of Napoleonic prisoners-of-war theatricals. The majority of the theatre’s sociétaires were captured in the French defeat at the Battle of Bailen in July 1808. This study will be charting the journey of these French prisoners through their captivity in Spain, the Baeleric Islands, and Britain. While this particular group of prisoners has been the subject of previous historic surveys, their theatrical endeavours have been sidelined or relegated to footnotes or dismissed as a way to pass the time. In this study I will draw the prisoners’ theatricals to the centre of critical discussion examining their repertoire in greater detail underlining the vital role that theatre served in the prisoners’ emotional and psychological survival in captivity

M & L Jaargang 29/5

Piet Geleyns - Unesco Werelderfgoed in Vlaanderen: een inleiding. [UNESCO World Heritage in Flanders: an introduction.]Naast Belforten van België en Frankrijk, de Historische binnenstad van Brugge en het Plantin-Moretus complex in Antwerpen prijken ook de Vlaamse Begijnhoven op de prestigieuze lijst van het UNESCO Werelderfgoed. Piet Geleyns geeft duiding over de relevante wet- en regelgeving ter zake.Suzanne Van Aerschot-Van Haeverbeeck Vlaamse begijnhoven Werelderfgoed. [Flemish beguinages as Word Heritage.]Vlaanderen telt 26 beschermde begijnhoven, maar toch kwamen er maar de helft in aanmerking voor opname op de werelderfgoedlijst. Suzanne Van Aerschot-Van Haeverbeeck licht de representativiteit van de 13 geselecteerde hoven toe, waarbij ligging, herkenbaarheid, typologie, toestand en bewaarde hoofdcomponenten getoetst werden aan de strenge criteria.Suzanne Van Aerschot-Van Haeverbeeck De restauratie/renovatie van het Leuvense Groot Begijnhof (1963-1993) een laboratorium op wereldniveau. [The restauration/renovation of the Louvain Great Beguinage (1963-1993), a world class laboratory.]Als bewoonster en dus geprivilegieerde toeschouwer beleefde Suzanne Van Aerschot-Van Haeverbeeck de langdurige en goed overdachte werkzaamheden en herbestemming van het Leuvense Groot Begijnhof van binnenuit mee. Bouwhistorisch onderzoek, instandhouding van bijna verloren vakmanschap en het Charter van Venetië waren sleutelbegrippen van deze ook internationaal niet onopgemerkte restauratie.Dieter Nuytten Onderhoud en restauratie in het Groot Begijnhof in Leuven in de periode 1999-2009/2010. [Maintenance of the Great Beguinage in Louvain in the period 1999-2010.]Als erfgoedconsulent beseft Dieter Nuytten maar al te goed het belang van constant en doorgedreven onderhoud na restauratie. Hij licht een tip van de sluier op van de goed geoliede \u27machine\u27 die het onderhoud van het Leuvense begijnhof verzekert.Els Verbert Het Begijnhof van Herentals: herwaarderingsplan als uitgangspunt voor het beheer. [The Herentals beguinage: revaluation as basic principle for a management plan.]Hoewel het Herentalse begijnhof voor de werelderfgoedlijst buiten de prijzen viel, verdedigt Els Verbert toch met enthousiasme het belang van een herwaarderingsplan om de erfgoedkwaliteit van dit beschermd stadsgezicht te vrijwaren en te verhogen.Thomas Coomans en Anna Bergmans Het begijnhof Sint-Agnes van Sint-Truiden: een nieuwe studie. [The Sint-Truiden beguinage: a new study.]De aanwezigheid van een belangrijke cyclus muurschilderingen woog zwaar door op de selectie van het begijnhof van Sint-Truiden voor de UNESCO-lijst. Thomas Coomans en Anna Bergmans lichten de resultaten van de onlangs gepubliceerde multidisciplinaire studie toe, meteen de eerste wetenschappelijke monografie over een begijnhof als geheel.Summar

Impact of the parameters of passive solar design and active solar systems on energy use in office buildings

Recent recast of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, requesting all new buildings in the EU to consume `nearly zero' energy after 2020, requires the coherent application of passive and active design strategies in reducing heating, cooling and lighting loads and utilization of renewable energy. A necessary step in this process is application of the optimal combination of passive design measures, foremost among them being passive solar design measures, which aim to use the solar energy as much as possible in establishing thermal comfort in buildings, without the use of electrical or mechanical equipment. Although it is relatively simple to reduce the energy use up to some extent by applying individual measures, very high levels of energy performance require application of the optimal combination of several different measures. Building energy simulation plays a fundamental role in this process, since the energy use depends in a complex way not only on applied passive solar design strategies, but also on local climate factors. Purpose of this work is to study relationships between the parameters of passive solar design and the heating, cooling and lighting energy loads in office buildings, through a parametric study of a model of an office building located in Belgrade. The case study is a four-story office building, rectangular in shape, with longer sides facing south and north, with windows present at southern and northern facades only. The design parameters include six types of southern glazing types and of northern glazing types, seven values of windows-to-wall ratio for southern and for northern windows ranging from 25% (in order to satisfy minimal daylighting regulations) to 100%, presence of external shading at southern windows, as well as three U-values of external walls. In total, 10,584 building variants have been simulated in EnergyPlus. Analysis of simulation results leads to findings on the optimal windows-to-wall ratio and the optimal glazing choice for southern and northern facade, as well as on the influence of external shading on lowering cooling energy load. Additional simulations of a photovoltaic plant installation on the building model show that a significant number of building variants may became positive energy building with an integration of the photovoltaic plant in the roof of the building