Investigations on road noise level spatial variability within a specially designed acoustic balcony

An investigation into the spatial distribution of road traffic noise levels on a balcony is conducted. A balcony constructed to a special acoustic design due to its elevation above an 8 lane motorway is selected for detailed measurements. The as-constructed balcony design includes solid parapets, side walls, ceiling shields and highly absorptive material placed on the ceiling. Road traffic noise measurements are conducted spatially using a five channel acoustic analyzer, where four microphones are located at various positions within the balcony space and one microphone placed outside the parapet at a reference position. Spatial distributions in both vertical and horizontal planes are measured. A theoretical model and prediction configuration is presented that assesses the acoustic performance of the balcony under existing traffic flow conditions. The prediction model implements a combined direct path, specular reflection path and diffuse reflection path utilizing image source and radiosity techniques. Results obtained from the prediction model are presented and compared to the measurement results. The predictions are found to correlate well with measurements with some minor differences that are explained. It is determined that the prediction methodology is acceptable to assess a wider range of street and balcony configuration scenarios

South Bank Corporation's Draft Ecologically Sustainable Development Policy and Implementation Strategy

The Centre for Subtropical Design has reviewed the Draft Ecologically Sustainable Development Policy and Implementation Strategy provided by South Bank Corporation by gathering a team of QUT experts to comment on the full range of sustainability aspects covered by the policy. The Centre has prepared this submission to assist South Bank Corporation to finalise an ESD policy and implementation strategy which will create a truly sustainable, prosperous, and liveable urban parkland precinct

Computer Aided Shading Analysis of Buildings

Computer Aided Shading Analysis of Building

What is that place? Observations of the impact of environment colour through photographic analysis

Isolating the impact of a colour, or a combination of colours, is extremely difficult to achieve because it is difficult to remove other environmental elements such as sound, odours, light, and occasion from the experience of being in a place. In order to ascertain the impact of colour on how we interpret the world in day to day situations, the current study records participant responses to achromatic scenes of the built environment prior to viewing the same scene in colour. A number of environments were photographed in colour or copied from design books; and copies of the images saved as both colour and black/grey/white. An overview of the study will be introduced by firstly providing examples of studies which have linked colour to meaning and emotions. For example, yellow is said to be connected to happiness1 ; or red evokes feelings of anger2 or passion. A link between colour and the way we understand and/or feel is established however, there is a further need for knowledge of colour in context. In response to this need, the current achromatic/chromatic environmental study will be described and discussed in light of the findings. Finally, suggestions for future research are posed. Based on previous research the authors hypothesised that a shift in environmental perception by participants would occur. It was found that the impact of colour includes a shift in perception of aspects such as its atmosphere and youthfulness. Through studio-class discussions it was also noted that the predicted age of the place, the function, and in association, the potential users when colour was added (or deleted) were often challenged. It is posited that the ability of a designer (for example, interior designer, architect, or landscape architect) to design for a particular target group—user and/or clients will be enhanced through more targeted studies relating colour in situ. The importance of noting the perceptual shift for the participants in our study, who were young designers, is the realisation that colour potentially holds the power to impact on the identity of an architectural form, an interior space, and/or particular elements such as doorways, furniture settings, and the like

"I'm a designer, get me out of tech class!": closing the gap between design and technology education

The following paper explores the use of collaborative pedagogical approaches to advance foundational architectural design education, by linking design process to sustainable technology principles. After a brief discussion on architectural design education, the mentioned collaborative approach is described. This approach facilitates students’ exchange of knowledge between two courses, despite no explicit/assessable requirement to do so. The result for the students is deeper learning and a design process that is enriched through collaboration with sustainable technology. The success of this approach has been measured through questionnaires, evaluation surveys, and a comparative assessment of students common to both courses. The paper focuses on the challenges and innovations in connecting architectural design and technology education, where students are encouraged to implement lessons learnt, thereby closing the gap that these courses have traditionally represented

Achieving Sustainability in Architecture: The Approach of Architects to Climate Responsive Building Design Practice in South-east Queensland

Research is carried out in the form of a survey, which attempts to explore and demonstrate the approach of architects to climate responsive building design practice in South-East Queensland. The hypothesis for the survey is to identify if architects take climate responsive design (CRD) principles into consideration during the design stage of a project. Results indicate that architects understand the importance of designing in response to the environment; they value CRD as important and believe that CRD strongly contributes to good design; there will be a need for specialised consultants for large-scaled projects to aid in dealing with sustainable ideas. However, there is a decline in the commitment from beginning to the end of the project and they believe that the main hindrances are the client (budgetary constraints, lack of understanding) and Town Planning rather than their own lack of understanding. They also think that clients must be educated in how to maintain climate responsive processes of the building

The Role of Architectural Science In Interior Design

Historically, Interior Design is one of the youngest proffessions, although its roots can be traced back as far as the origins of architecture itself

A Study on Sizing Solar Apertures for Ankara

This study aims to find optimum values for sizing the windows and Trombe walls and to develop rules of thumb for the climatic conditions of Ankara, which has cold and long winters and hot summers. On a test building having a floor area of 100 m² and a test room with a floor area changing from 10 to 50 m², the effect of the size of windows and Trombe walls on heating, cooling, and total energy needs of the room have been analysed by the help of the computer program named "SUNCODE". Computer simulations are carried out and optimum values for energy demand are obtained and tables are prepared

Climatic Considerations in the Formation of Vernacular Architecture of Turkish Arid Zones

Throughout history human beings have tried to overcome the restrictions of the natural environment and to shape it according to their needs. The traditional forms of shelter were formed according to socio-cultural forces and as an appropriate reponse to bio-climatic regions. Looking at examples of vernacular architecture it can be seen that the harsher the environmental conditions,the more interesting and richer is the architecture. Within the framework of this paper those dwellings of Turkey occuring in hot-arid regions are described. The subject of the paper is centuries old inward looking courtyarded buildings from Sanliurfa, Mardin, and Diyarbakir as well as coniformed or "beehive" houses of Harran. These buildings have many interesting features like water elements in the form of public and private wells, selsebil, pools; vegetation in the form of shrubs, just one or two trees depending on the existing amound of water; materials like the magnificent stonework of arches, vaults, and domes or wooden engraved and latticework, sun dried mud and straw bricks; separation of spaces as winter and summer quaters and as open, semi-closed and enclosed spaces; large earthen jars installed into the ceilings; top windows about main windows; projecting kiosks showing beautiful blend of the culture, religion, as well as the response to climate

The Potential for Increasing Thermal Comfort through Selection of Construction Types in Brisbane

The parametric study explores the potential for reducing cooling and heating loads through changes in construction types for dwellings in Brisbane. Based on a previous study completed at QUT, a plan type and building materials is used as the base case of the computer runs. Various combinations of roof, floor, and wall construction form the control variables. Comparative results exhibit even the simplest changes can help providing an increase in thermal comfort of the occupants and cause a decrease in the dependence on mechanical heating and cooling systems. The study also includes a comparative economic analysis. This approach can provide an increase in occupant satisfaction and result in considerable savings in domestic energy consumption