Creativity as a Part of the Post-Pandemic Architectural Education: A Brief Discussion

The current study discusses the importance of the creativity in architectural education, with a focus on the challenges and their implications on students, educators, and institutions. This study revisits a vision of an educational model for post-pandemic architecture education and discuss the necessary approaches for educators and educational institutions to foster creativity. This study directly reacts to the demand on the pandemic's effect on conventional education by using an instructional approach. This paper contributes to reconceptualizing of a novel approach that is targeted to tackle architectural education challenges in a post pandemic age through foster creativity models. The proposed creativity models are creative and critical thinking, neutral and positive stress, and objective-based creativity. These models are further developed using a thematic analysis process to be integrated in the educational model

An ethnographically informed analysis of design intent communication in BIM-enabled architectural practice

The building information model (BIM) is assumed to encompass all the required parameters, rules and attributes about a design product and process for Architecture-Engineering-Construction (AEC) practitioners in a way that is comprehendible by all participants sharing the model and that communicates their needs and intentions. The socio-cognitive day-to-day interactions that occur in the workplace imply however that there are discrepancies between what is exchanged as design information when sharing a model and what is exchanged as goals, needs and possibly conflicting intentions and interests when sharing a common ill-structured problem. The findings of an ethnographic study are presented. The study investigates affordances and limitations in BIM-enabled practice regarding the communication of design intent among design teams in the context of an architectural project. Grounded theory coding was used as a basis for analytic induction through constant comparison and examination of data from field observation, interviews and design meetings, to identify emergent conceptual categories central to the research inquiry. A "thick description" was provided that took into account the dynamic interactions among teams, including interdisciplinary, intradisciplinary and non-disciplinary interaction. By dissecting hypothetical models of shared project information offered by BIM, the dissertation identified interfaces of information exchange, states of the BIM model as a boundary object, and emergent and overlapping communities of practice that delineate the degree of completeness and correctness of a BIM model and describe its effectiveness in capturing and conveying the intent of participants upon interaction. To draw parallels to other contexts, the assumptions central to the study were discussed in relation to a spectrum of possible scenarios within the larger population of AEC firms. In light of the findings and "persona" descriptions identified in the study, the dissertation examined and proposed amendments and richer descriptions to existing surveys and market reports that address the use and benefits of BIM in the AEC industry, including topics such as the internal business value of BIM, top ways to improve value of BIM, and impact of project factors on BIM value.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Nersessian, Nancy; Committee Member: Akin, Omer; Committee Member: Do, Ellen; Committee Member: Eastman, Charles; Committee Member: Johnston, George; Committee Member: Newstetter, Wend

Smart Management of the Reconstruction Process of Post-Conflict Cities

Cities lying within conflict zones have continually faced hardships of both war aftermath and long-term sustainable reconstruction. Challenges have surpassed the typical question of recovery from post-conflict trauma, preserving urban heritage and iconic elements of the built environment, to face issues of critical decision making, rebuilding effectiveness and funding mechanisms, leading to time-consuming processes that lack adequate consistent long-term management. Some approaches have explored methods of effective long-term city reconstruction management but have not fully developed comprehensive approaches that alleviate the management of such complex processes. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: The authors devise an approach for the smart management of post-conflict city reconstruction. The authors focus on evaluation, strategic planning, reconstruction projects and implementation. The authors integrate building information modeling and geographic/geospatial information systems in a platform that allows for real-time analysis, reporting, strategic planning and decision making for managing reconstruction operations and projects among involved stakeholders including government agencies, funding organizations, city managers and public participants. Findings: The approach suggested a smart management system for the reconstruction process of post-conflict cities. Implementing this system was shown to provide a multi-objective solution for post-conflict city reconstruction based on its interlinked modules. Research limitations/implications: Results may lack generalizability and require testing on several cases to provide rigorous findings for different case studies. Practical implications: Implications include developing smart management systems for use by city managers and government authorities in post-conflict zones, as well as bottom-up decision making by including participant citizens especially populations in the diaspora. Originality/value: The approach offers an integrated platform that informs city reconstruction decision makers, allowing for strategic planning tools for efficient planning, monitoring tools for continuous management during and after reconstruction, and effective platforms for communication among all stakeholders

Programmable Passive Actuation for Adaptive Building Façade Design using Hygroscopic Properties of Wood

This paper exploits the hygroscopic properties of wood and its passive response to fluctuation of relative humidity to develop a framework for programmable actuation in adaptive building façade design. This responsive shape shifting mechanism is specifically employed for the embedded actuation of dynamic shading configurations. Utilizing the hygroscopic properties of wood in adaptive shading devices embraces passive motion with a low-cost and low-tech approach, as a response to rapid climatic changes. Using physical experiments and image analysis, changes in the deflection and angle of curvature of wood samples in response to fluctuation in relative humidity were measured and tracked. A set of controlled hygroscopic parameters affecting the motion response of wood were deduced, including the fixation position, fixation type, and percentage and location of isolated areas of wood samples, thus achieving more control of response behavior and multiple shading percentages. A parametric script was developed using Grasshopper graphical algorithm editor and Ladybug environmental plugin to simulate shading configurations for the identified control parameters in the summer and winter solstices for an adaptive façade prototype