Introducing guidelines for designing kinetic architectural structures

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-73).This thesis proposes guidelines for designing kinetic architectural structures, in which rules based on shape grammars, are used for motion capturing and design. There is an increasing demand for adaptive architecture that reconfigures itself physically to meet functional or climatic changes. These guidelines provide a way for the architect to describe and design novel kinetic structures based on s/he already has to meet required physical reconfigurations in these structures. Based on Shape Grammars, the rule A -> t(A) is introduced as a design guideline for designing kinetic architectural structures. (A) means here an Active Shape, that is a physical shape with motion observed or created by the designer. The Active Shape (A) could be composed from one physical component or several physical components together. t(A) means a new Active Shape produced by applying one or more transformations t on the original Active Shape to produce a novel motion. These transformations could be (1) a transformation of the arrangement of the components of the Active Shape, (2) a transformation of the motion control means between the components of the Active Shape, such as actuators, hinges and linkages, (3) a transformation of the geometry of the components of the Active Shape and any other applicable transformations such as a transformation in the materiality of the components of Active Shape (A). In order to test the abovementioned guidelines; two design experiments were set up, (1) a workshop with a group of students and (2) a self-study. The workshop consisted of four stages: two design stages and two reporting stages after each design stage. The participants were provided with samples of Active Shapes (A), and they were asked n the first stage to choose one active shape with two arrangements of its components, and design with this active shape a kinetic structure. After reporting what he designed, each participant was then asked to take a kinetic structure from the other participants and apply a transformation on the active shape of this structure, and then report what s/he has done. The self-study consisted of 2 projects designed by the author.by Dina E. El-Zanfaly.S.M

Embodied interaction in computational making and learning

Thesis: Ph. D. in Architecture: Design and Computation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 122-127).Despite advances in digital design and fabrication technologies, creative design practices still follow Alberti's separation of the design phase from the construction phase. This separation causes a reliance on digital fabrication machines that pushes human agency to the periphery of the making process. The interfaces of these technologies and their linear process of production create cognitive and perceptual obstacles, making it difficult for non-experts to create and improvise independently. Design and the ability to make are often thought to be intuitive, yet significant research has suggested that intuition is developed through skilled practice, interaction with materials, tools, and machines. Existing pedagogical approaches to design focus on outcomes and instructors' feedback to the students, neglecting the importance of the tools and the process itself. How, then, do we learn to make something? What are the potential roles of computational tools, theories, and practices in understanding, describing, and enriching the making and learning process? What can we learn from machines, and what can machines learn from us? Finally, what do we learn from making? Here, I introduce l³, a computational making methodology that enables emerging designers and makers to improvise and create on their own. I call this method F for its three-layer operation of Imitation, Iteration and Improvisation. Drawing upon research from other fields, this methodology for human-machine making and learning is based on a recursive process of embodied, situated interaction between learners, machines, materials, and the things-in-the-making. I describe the continuous process of developing and testing 1³ through experiments I conducted during the teaching of three courses for graduate and undergraduate students. The qualitative research I conducted shows that through using the 1³ methodology, students develop their spatial reasoning and decision-making skills while at the same time learning to use digital technologies as design companions.by Dina Ezz ElDin El-Zanfaly.Ph. D. in Architecture: Design and Computatio

Imipenem Resistance and BLAIMP Gene among Hospital Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at University Hospital in Egypt

Background: Imipenem (IMP) is considered the last resort for treatment of infections caused by resistant Gram negative bacteria in our setting. However, in recent times, multi-drug resistant strains of P. aeruginosa which are also imipenem (IMP) resistant have been isolated in our hospital. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of IMP resistance among P. aeruginosa strains isolated in our setting as well as assess for the presence of blaIMP gene among these IMP-resistant strains. Methods: The study was conducted at the Zagazig University Hospital, Egypt between February 2003-January 2004. All P. aeruginosa strains isolated from patients with nosocomial infections were studied. Disk diffusion method was used to determine susceptibility to IMP and other antimicrobials. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for IMP was determined by broth microdilution method and phenotypic screening for metallo-β-lactamases (MBL) was by E-test. Carriage of the blaIMP gene was detected by PCR. Results: Of the 261 P. aeruginosa strains studies 31 (11.9%), were IMP resistant, mostly from Intensive Care Unit patients. The IMP MIC range for resistant isolates was 8 - >128 µg/ml (MIC50:16 µg/ml and MIC90:32 µg/ml). These IMP-resistant strains were also resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents. Ten IMP-resistant strains were MBL-positive with only 8 demonstrating carriage of the blaIMP gene Conclusions: Our findings indicate the emergence of IMP-resistant Pseudomonas isolates in our locality and represents the first reported detection of blaIMP gene from Egyptian isolates of P. aeruginosa