Interdisciplinary process driven performative morphologies: A morphogenomic approach towards developing context aware spatial formations

Architectural praxis is in continuous state of change. The introduction of information technology driven design techniques, constantly updating building information modeling protocols, new policy demands coupled together with environmental regulations and cultural fluctuations are all open-ended dynamic phenomena within which contemporary architectural constructs have to efficiently perform. This dynamic meta-context brings about with it a vital thrust on developing digitally driven adaptive design processes and techniques for the production of performative architectural morphologies. Conceiving the built form (at variable scales) as an ambitious exercise in digitally driven bottom-up associative, context driven formations of inter-dependent, ubiquitously communicating spatial components rather than focusing on the development of a top-down form centered approach thus attains a vital interdisciplinary process driven research and design position in the contemporary. This research article exemplifies upon one such novel information integrated, contextual data driven generative design process: Morphogenomics, being experimented with at Hyperbody, TU Delft, under the author’s guidance. Morphogenomics deals with the intricacies of morphological informatics, specifically outlining the relationship between contextual information and its associative linkage with the generation of performative morphology. The research article puts forth a logical underpinning of spatially distributed ubiquitous communication and parametric computational frameworks by means of two research cases: a. The development of Performative Skin systems (at a component scale) b. The development of a distributed network city along the A2 highway, Netherlands (at an architectural and urban scale).Building TechnologyArchitectur

Outdoor thermal comfort: Analyzing the impact of urban configurations on the thermal performance of street canyons in the humid subtropical climate of Sydney

The quality of outdoor space is becoming increasingly important with the growing rate of urbanization. Visual, acoustic, and thermal balance degradation are all negative impacts associated with outdoor comfort in dense urban fabrics. Urban morphology thus needs assessment and optimization to ensure favorable outdoor thermal comfort (OTC). This study aims to evaluate the thermal performance of streets in residential zones of Liverpool, NSW, Australia, and tries to improve their comfort index (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) to reveal optimum urban configurations. This evaluation is done by investigating the following urban design factors affecting OTC using computational simulation techniques: street orientation, aspect ratio, building typology, and surface coverage. Our findings reveal that street canyon orientation is the most influential factor (46.42%), followed by aspect ratio (30.59%). Among the influential meteorological parameters (air temperature, wind speed, humidity and solar radiation), wind velocity had the most significant impact on the thermal comfort of the outdoor spaces in this coastal region, which typically experiences intense airflow. The results of our analysis can be utilized by multiple stakeholders, allowing them to understand and extract the most vital design factors which contextually influence the thermal comfort of outdoor spaces. Outdoor thermal comfort has a direct effect on the health and wellbeing of occupants of outdoor spaces

Energy-Efficient Retrofit Measures to Achieve Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

Considering the 2021 IPCC report that justly attributes our deteriorating climatic condition to human doing, the need to develop nearly zero energy building (nZEB) practices is gaining urgency. However, rather than the typical focus on developing greenfield net-zero initiatives, retrofitting underperforming buildings could create significant scale climate positive impacts faster. The chapter accordingly discusses energy-efficient retrofitting methods under three categorical sectors—visual comfort (daylight-based zoning, shadings); thermal comfort and ventilation (solar radiation-based zoning, central atrium plus interior openings, insulation, and window replacement); energy consumption (efficient lighting system, and controllers, material and HVAC system optimization, PV panels as the renewable energy source). This chapter further substantiates these theoretical underpinnings with an implemented design scheme—an educational building within a cold semiarid climatic condition—to showcase the on-ground impact of these retrofitting strategies in reducing the energy used for heating and cooling and lighting purposes

Real-time interactive multimodal systems for physiological and emotional wellbeing

There has been lately significant progress in the design of clinically assistive technologies for physiological and emotional wellbeing, driven by developments in Human Computer Interaction, Virtual Reality systems for rehabilitation and social interaction and Rehabilitation Robotics. The clinical, task-driven nature of such systems though often affects negatively the user acceptance of technology, resulting in lesser interactions with the user. At the same time, interactive environments which are not constructed for strictly medical applications, can also instigate interaction dialogues which generate physiological and emotional benefits for the user, while also incorporating a more playful dimension. As there is currently lack of communication channels between Clinically Assistive technologies and Socially Interactive Design Systems, the chapter attempts to merge these domains by identifying parameters related to physiological and emotional wellbeing that could inform the design of interactive systems for health and wellbeing at variable scales. These parameters are presented as a set of guidelines for Interaction design for healthcare and wellbeing, and the chapter elaborates on their practical application through three case studies: RoboZoo, Textrinium and Reflectego. All the presented case studies operate as public indoor or outdoor installations and have been tested in different contextual conditions, in Netherlands, Spain and France

A smart mobility and living system for smart city and fragile territories regeneration based on permaculture and biomimicry

"Understanding the logic of obtaining, managing and consuming local natural resources, "particularly plants, energy, water and food, and try to use and recycle every object without leaving a trace, is crucial for ensuring sustainability of human life and a key for the survival of territories. Permaculture (permanentͲagriculture), has an essential role to play in the conscious redesign of our fragile territories, (both rural, urban or suburban), designing and managing landscapes so they are able to satisfy population’s needs as food, water and energy and at the same time to preserve the resilience, wealth and stability of natural ecosystems. Through the principles of permaculture and circular economy, this pilot project is designed to establish new ecosystems defining best practices for safeguarding biodiversity, local knowͲhow and the sustainable use of natural resources in a way that fosters the economic, environmental and social reͲdevelopment of territories and cities in transition. It anticipates the accelerated release of technology beneficial to all life, focused on the provision of basic needs such as housing, water, food, energy, community, information and mobility.

Algae Building: Is This the New Smart Sustainable Technology

Building energy use contributes around 40% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (UNEP 2009) and reducing building-related GHG emissions could mitigate global warming significantly. With a three degree increase in global temperature by 2100 predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change we need to explore ways to mitigate these impacts. An option for the built environment is to build and retrofit using innovative technologies to adopt onsite energy generation and reduce energy use (UNEP 2015). Increasing energy efficiency and using renewable energy are ways to reduce GHG emissions. Technological innovations change over time, and innovations that start as expensive and inefficient can become economic and highly productive, solar energy is an example. In the mid 1800s the photovoltaic (PV) effect was discovered but it took a century to invent a suitable storage device, after which rapid innovation in efficiency and costs followed. Could the same happen for bio-energy? Global biomass energy production reached 88 GW in 2014 (Rosillo et al, 2016); and bio-energy is no longer a transition energy source. In 2013, a residential building in Hamburg Germany adopted algae, as a renewable energy source. Several questions arise; how does algae produce energy for buildings? And how much energy is produced? How does it compare to other renewable energy sources? Furthermore, which building types are suited to adoption of algae as an energy source? This chapter explores the feasibility of algae building technology explaining the technology and how it works; the strengths and weaknesses. Then the chapter sets out the drivers and barriers to adopting Algae Building Technology, and; to assesses opportunities across a range of building types

Urban Health and Wellbeing in the Contemporary City

This paper explores and debates the intricate connection between our built environment and an increasingly technocentric approach to distinguish health and wellbeing from a multidisciplinary perspective. The authors profess the dire need for rethinking the ‘smart’ within the city by reconsidering models of urban development and focusing on the democratisation of technology for the purpose of enhancing our lived urban experience and psychophysiological wellbeing