Thermal simulation outputs: exploring the concept of patterns in design decision-making

This paper describes the ongoing development of a building performance simulation (BPS) knowledge management scheme for design decision-making. This knowledge management scheme is developed with reference to the patterns of Christopher Alexander and colleagues, which describe commonly recurring abstract problems in architectural design together with successful abstract solutions. As such they form a ‘repository of knowledge’ on architectural design. Patterns have been used in other fields such as software engineering where they also aim at capturing expert knowledge, and their potential to do the same for BPS is explored here. Decision support using simulation is introduced and the concept of patterns described. A pattern structure is developed and some examples given. Interviews with architectural practices investigated whether patterns could support design processes, and the further development of the concept is discussed

Thermal simulation software outputs: patterns for decision making

This paper describes a structure that enables simulation software developers and building designers to produce thermal simulation results meaningful to design decision making. The structure is based on the development of 'patterns' in which analysis processes are applied to thermal simulation outputs to produce relevant information to inform design actions and decisions. A discussion is made on how the patterns can be developed and examples illustrate the suggested development process and generation of simulation outputs. The patterns are intended to bridge the gap between the needs of the designer for useful design oriented software, and the needs of the software developer for technical information on exactly what is required by the user

Thermal simulation software outputs: what do building designers propose?

This paper describes the process used to develop a framework to produce thermal simulation post- processed information and data representation systems meaningful to design decision making. The framework comes from reverse engineering an empirical data set in which designers were invited to propose meaningful building thermal physics information to design decision making when requested to solve a design problem specifically tailored for this purpose. A combination of: Interaction Design. Information Visualization and Qualitative research methods from Social Science were used to undertake the analysis. Tins enabled theoretical aspects involved in how building designers solve design problems also to be taken into consideratio

Placing user needs at the centre of building performance simulation tool development: Using ‘designer personas’ to assess existing BPS tools

This paper explores the development of ‘building designer personas’ to illustrate how Building Performance Simulation (BPS) can engage with Human Computer Interaction (HCI) knowledge and methods to place its users at the centre of development of new tools. It explains this concept and sets up the fundamentals to develop it further based on previous work on meaningful information for design decision making (Bleil de Souza and Tucker 2014 and 2015). An example of a building designer ‘provisional persona’ in a specific scenario is developed in detail. This example is then used to assess how current BPS tools satisfy this user’s needs and to identify what is missing from BPS development through not carefully considering those needs. This concept can be applied to different types of BPS users and this paper briefly mentions how to explore it in future work

Placing User Needs at the Centre of Building Performance Simulation: Transferring Knowledge from Human Computer Interaction

This paper reviews and explores some principles and theories of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and the related field of Interaction Design in relation to Building Performance Simulation (BPS). HCI seeks to make computer systems and software more useable and more attractive to its users. The main focus of the paper is on the interaction between user and computer system and how interaction could facilitate the knowledge transfer of BPS procedures and processes from experts to non-experts. The paper discusses users and their tasks, designing for interaction, and the level of control different users might have over BPS. Design patterns are proposed as a means of interaction between user and computer system. The aim of the paper is to provide a platform for a future discussion on the extent to which BPS has engaged with HCI practices and principles, and the possibilities HCI holds for the further development of BPS. A number of research directions are identified

Occupants in the building design decision-making process

Building occupants affect building performance in many ways, depending on how the building design responds to what occupants need, the amount of control that building designers have afforded them, and how well the design team has anticipated the way they will want to interact with the building and its systems in the future. This chapter discusses the challenge of integrating considerations related to building occupancy and occupant behavior into the decision-making process of building designers. It outlines the role of information management in coordinating information needed by designers at different design stages and contexts, and the range of occupancy-related factors to be considered in design practice, to facilitate performance and risk assessment in relation to legislation, regulations, and the interests of the client. This practice-based context forms the background for a discussion on how information and decisions about occupants could flow throughout the design process in a coherent and coordinated way. It concludes by proposing a knowledge management template for recording and supporting information transfer regarding occupancy throughout the design decision-making process, which can fit within and support current industry tools such as building information modeling and building performance simulation

Was it Uruguay or Coffee? The causes of the beef jerky industry’s decline in southern Brazil (1850 – 1889)

What caused the decline of the beef jerky’s production in Brazil? The main sustenance for slaves, beef jerky was the most important industry in southern Brazil. Nevertheless, by 1850, producers were already worried that they could not compete with Uruguayan industry. Traditional interpretations impute the decline to labor markets differences in productivity, since Brazil used slaves while Uruguay had abolished slavery in 1842. Recent research also raises the possibility of a Brazilian “Dutch Disease”, resulting from the coffee exports boom. We test both hypothesis and argue that Brazilian production’s decline was associated with structural changes in demand for low quality meat. Trade protection policies created disincentives for Brazilian producers to increase productivity and diversify its cattle industry

Design Patterns for Low-Carbon Buildings: A Proposal

Design patterns as introduced by Christopher Alexander and colleagues are proposed in this paper as a means of guiding building designers through the often complex processes of low-carbon building design. The patterns are intended to be integrated into the Building Information Modelling (BIM) environments that are increasingly used in architectural and building engineering design practice, where patterns provide relevant information at appropriate times, carrying out environmental analyses as required, both as selected by the building designer and automatically. The paper provides examples of patterns from some of the various domains and disciplines that encompass low-carbon design of the built environment, as a means of exploring whether patterns could facilitate communication between those domains and disciplines. The focus is on low-carbon building design and building simulation, but patterns used in computer science and interface and interaction design are also discussed as these fit well with the object-oriented environment of contemporary software design and BIM systems

Mind the gap: state of the art on decision-making related to post-disaster housing assistance

A growing awareness of the long-term impact of disaster relief plans is shifting the focus of post-disaster housing studies towards integrated recovery and development. These would benefit from knowledge about decision-making challenges and dichotomies which determine the success or failure of housing assistance programs, and of methods and tools that can support their holistic resolution. To establish common grounds in this area, this paper systematically reviewed the literature on temporary housing built after sudden natural hazards, from a decision-making perspective, using reflexive thematic analysis methods. This enabled the identification of critical decision-making components (i.e. open challenges, trade-offs, dilemmas and contradictions) and necessary synergies at three levels: the operational, the managerial and the strategic. Results highlight the value of a meta-analysis of the literature to identify decision-making gaps and opportunities for knowledge integration across domains, besides the need of a constructive decision-making alignment at all decision-making levels to enable holistic recovery planning. Additionally, they show the importance of an in-depth examination of decision-making dichotomies for developing novel methods and tools, which respond to contextual needs and local dynamics. Being one of a few studies in a rather underexplored area of research, the primary aim of this review is to offer a broad and structured overview of decision-making issues documented in the literature to date, which connects both theory and practice. The results could be operationalised in future research aimed at supporting Build Back Better efforts towards a truly human-centred housing assistance culture, by investigating the connected decision-making dynamics in specific contexts

A User-Centred Approach to Design Transport Interchange Hubs (TIH): A Discussion Illustrated by a Case Study in the Russian Arctic

This paper proposes a user-centred approach to design Transport Interchange Hubs (TIH). It is based on a literature review of existing information related to TIHs outside the domain of transport engineering, so the focus is on the building and the usage of it by its main customers: the travellers. A literature review is used to extract high level information on travellers’ needs, technical and functional requirements of TIHs, constraints and design parameters. A product development approach is used to classify and combine this data so a proper set of design specifications to better address users’ needs is proposed. A case study in the Russian Arctic is presented to illustrate the discussion due to the complexity of needs, requirements and parameters involved in designing TIHs in extreme climates. A proof of concept, using Axiomatic Design, to develop design specifications and manage constraints is applied and discussed considering how different types of simulation tools, essential to assess performance of complex buildings, can be integrated to the design process. Robust specifications, despite being part of parametric design methods, are underexplored in the architecture design domain. This work intends to provide a contribution to the body of knowledge in this area opening avenues for further research in how to define common design targets and objectives for different stakeholders as well as to manage the collaborative work of consultants involved in designing complex buildings