Experience of using building simulation within the design process of an architectural practice

This paper documents work that follows on from a previous study [Morbitzer et al 2001] on the implementation of a simulation-tool into anarchitectural practice at outline design stage. Theuse of simulation is now pervasively and routinely undertaken by designers within the company toevaluate energy and environmental performance oftheir design concepts. The paper documents the changes to the interface, based on the feedback from designers. It includes a case study of how these improvements have impacted on the degree-of-use of the simulation tool by designers, the impact of the tool on the design process and the design outcome, a discussion on the development of the simulation tool, and the issues facing the architectural practice with use of simulation

Towards homeostatic architecture: simulation of the generative process of a termite mound construction

This report sets out to the theme of the generation of a ‘living’, homeostatic and self-organizing architectural structure. The main research question this project addresses is what innovative techniques of design, construction and materials could prospectively be developed and eventually applied to create and sustain human-made buildings which are mostly adaptive, self-controlled and self-functioning, without option to a vast supply of materials and peripheral services. The hypothesis is that through the implementation of the biological building behaviour of termites, in terms of collective construction mechanisms that are based on environmental stimuli, we could achieve a simulation of the generative process of their adaptive structures, capable to inform in many ways human construction. The essay explicates the development of the 3-dimensional, agent-based simulation of the termite collective construction and analyzes the results, which involve besides physical modelling of the evolved structures. It finally elucidates the potential of this emerging and adaptive architectural performance to be translated to human practice and thus enlighten new ecological engineering and design methodologies

Interactive agent generated architecture

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-55).The thesis explores architectural form generation through two behavior based artificial intelligence approaches: the communication of agents in an unpredictable simulation system, and the codification of information within an evolutionary process. Both concepts stem from the evaluation of potentially definable mental constructions involving the process of translation and generation through base-level procedural methods. The experiments look towards the implementation of alternative computational processes regarding knowledge encapsulation, process recording, simulation environments, agent communication and interpretation from bottom up design approaches. The experiment explores alternative approaches to design theory within the discipline of architectural computation.by Jeffrey Charles Stanley Krause.M.S

Layered architecture for quantum computing

We develop a layered quantum computer architecture, which is a systematic framework for tackling the individual challenges of developing a quantum computer while constructing a cohesive device design. We discuss many of the prominent techniques for implementing circuit-model quantum computing and introduce several new methods, with an emphasis on employing surface code quantum error correction. In doing so, we propose a new quantum computer architecture based on optical control of quantum dots. The timescales of physical hardware operations and logical, error-corrected quantum gates differ by several orders of magnitude. By dividing functionality into layers, we can design and analyze subsystems independently, demonstrating the value of our layered architectural approach. Using this concrete hardware platform, we provide resource analysis for executing fault-tolerant quantum algorithms for integer factoring and quantum simulation, finding that the quantum dot architecture we study could solve such problems on the timescale of days.Comment: 27 pages, 20 figure

Simulation, no problem, of course we offer this service! (observations on firms who have worked to make this true)

The paper focuses on the practical experiences of a number of professional firms striving to use simulation to deliver information of value to their clients. It exposes issues such as limitations in existing working practices and the mismatch between language routinely used by facilitators and trainees as well as their different expectations. The paper also discusses the differences observed between incremental implementation of simulation within practices and firms who wished to "jump in at the deep end". Lastly, it addresses the dilemma of how to move simulation tools into the already busy schedules and overloaded programmes of design practices successfully

A multi-agent systems for design simulation framework:experiments with virtual-physical-social feedback for architecture

This paper presents research on the development of multiagent systems (MAS) for integrated and performance driven architectural design. It presents the development of a simulation framework that bridges architecture and engineering, through a series of multi-agent based experiments. The research is motivated to combine multiple design agencies into a system for managing and optimizing architectural form, across multiple objectives and contexts. The research anticipates the incorporation of feedback from real world human behavior and user preferences with physics based structural form finding and environmental analysis data. The framework is a multi-agent system that provides design teams with informed design solutions, which simultaneously optimize and satisfy competing design objectives. The initial results for building structures are measured in terms of the level of lighting improvements and qualitatively in geometric terms. Critical to the research is the elaboration of the system and the feedback loops that are possible when using the multi-agent systems approach