A toolkit for collaborative design: envisioning and sharing the identity of place through traditional and emergent techniques of simulation

This paper presents the outcomes of an ongoing co-design process and aims to demonstrate the efficacy of novel urban simulation techniques beside traditional forms of representation for fostering citizen inclusion in decision-making processes. The activities involve researchers, students, citizens, and local authorities, collaborating to give a new identity to an urban street. Different forms of representation and simulation have been tested among different actors aiming to support the dialogue, from observing the current condition to defining a shared scenario that will guide the design phase and the evaluation of proposals. The contextual use of multiple forms of representation was a crucial element of the applied methodology; in fact, we argue that depicting the environment in several ways and through various modes altogether, can support an effective understanding of the future transformation, and can contribute to overcoming the intrinsic limits of a single representation mode. Traditional plans and sections are still essential, but new techniques can easily enhance design thinking in all its forms. We tested the proposed approach on the case-study area of a street during public events and on social media. The first results indicate that being physically present and direct interaction are crucial for achieving public involvement, while emerging forms of digital simulations are greatly efficient for an effective understanding of the place, and especially of its future transformation. Several techniques, like Augmented Reality, enable people to get closer to the realistic perception occurring in the future environment

Multi-Media Guidelines for Instructing Urban Design Contests

The investigation of novel modalities and procedures to construct and make use of guidelines for urban design contests on the basis of perceptual representation principles is presented in this paper as a result of our research experience and the applications carried out over time. The paper firstly addresses a theoretical framework that highlights the importance of including representation values and tools in design contests; the second part illustrates applications of design guidelines to real case studies, such as design contests and workshops. Findings show that implementing additional information based on perceptual values is feasible, can enrich the knowledge about the design site and lead to more informed design solutions, thus indirectly increasing the overall quality of schemes

Urban Design and Representation. A Multidisciplinary and Multisensory Approach

This book explores how environmental urban design can benefit from established and emerging representation and simulation techniques that meet the need for a multisensory approach. Bringing together contributions by researchers and practicing professionals that approach the topics discussed from both theoretical and practical perspectives and draw on case-study applications, it addresses important themes including digital modeling, physical modeling, mapping, and simulation. The chapters are linked by their relevance to simple but crucial questions: How can representational solutions enhance an urban design approach in which people’s well-being is considered the primary goal? How can one best represent and design the ambiance of places? What kinds of technologies and tools are available to support multisensory urban design? How can current and future environments be optimally represented and simulated, taking into account the way in which we experience places? Shedding new light on these key questions, the book offers both a reference guide for those engaged in applied research, and a toolkit for professionals and students

Experiential Walks for Urban Design. Revealing, Representing, and Activating the Sensory Environment

International audienceThe edited volume explores the topic of experiential walks, which is the practice of multi- or mono-sensory and in-motion immersion into an urban or natural environment. The act of walking is hence intended as a process of (re-)discovering, reflecting and learning through an embodied experience. Specific attention is devoted to the investigation of the ambiance of places and its dynamic atmospheric perception that contribute to generating the social experience. This topic is gaining increasing attention and has been studied in several forms in different disciplines to investigate the particular spatial, social, sensory and atmospheric character of places. The book contains chapters by experts in the field and covers both the theory and the practice of innovative methods, techniques, and technologies. It examines experiential walks in the perspective of an interdisciplinary approach to environmental and sensory urban design by organising the contributions according to three specific interrelated focuses, namely the exploration and investigation of the multisensory dimension of public spaces, the different ways to grasp and communicate the in-motion experience through traditional and novel forms of representation, and the application of the approach to urban participatory planning and higher education

Emotional Cities: imaginary future of ambiances explored in the Mobiance workshop

Part of topic : Projecting and manufacturing the ambiances of tomorrowInternational audienceMobiance, a mix between Mobile and Ambiance, is a research and creation process on the impacts of the uses of mobile tools on urban design. The second Mobiance workshop, held in Nantes, France, at the beginning of October 2015, focused on captors/actuators interacting in/with cities. Captors/sensors stand for connected devices, private and public ones, mobiles and fix ones, visible and invisible ones, interacting in the public space. This paper first presents the context of the workshop and the proposals produced by the participants; then it develops an analysis of these proposals and compares them to the outcomes of the first Mobiance workshop held in 2013

Évaluation quantitative et qualitative du système anidolique sous un climat chaud et aride

The system presented in this study, called Anidolic integrated ceiling (AIC) is one of the advanced Day lighting systems used to capture, channel and distribute day lighting to the interior space. The present paper gives a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of anidolic integrated ceiling. This device was designed with regard of luminous climate of the city of Biskra (Algeria), installed in the north façade and their luminous performance is assessed experimentally by using scale model, for a 12m deep room. The results of this experimental analysis have shown that the Anidolic Integrated Ceiling offers a great potential for increasing the illuminance level in deep-plan building under hot and dry regions (intermediate sky conditions). In addition, the spherical image shown that the integration of this system provides a good ambiances result by uniform luminance distribution throughout the room which produces a visual satisfaction compared to the reference model

Envisioning Future Urban Scenarios: The outcomes of the international Mobiance 3 workshop on Sharing Cities, Ambient Commons and Urban Futures

International audienceNew digital devices, mainly mobile ones, raise new questions on architectural and urban design practices. People became ''sensors", being at the same time able to move into the city and to move into the information space. Mobiance, a mix between Mobile and Ambiance, is a research and creation process focused on the impacts of innovative ICT technologies, especially mobile, on urban design. This paper first presents the context of the third workshop based on the topic, then it introduces the proposals produced by participants; to conclude the contribution develops an analysis of these proposals based on the sharing society paradigm

Envisioning Future Urban Scenarios: The outcomes of the international Mobiance 3 workshop on Sharing Cities, Ambient Commons and Urban Futures

International audienceNew digital devices, mainly mobile ones, raise new questions on architectural and urban design practices. People became ''sensors", being at the same time able to move into the city and to move into the information space. Mobiance, a mix between Mobile and Ambiance, is a research and creation process focused on the impacts of innovative ICT technologies, especially mobile, on urban design. This paper first presents the context of the third workshop based on the topic, then it introduces the proposals produced by participants; to conclude the contribution develops an analysis of these proposals based on the sharing society paradigm

Envisioning Future Urban Scenarios: The outcomes of the international Mobiance 3 workshop on Sharing Cities, Ambient Commons and Urban Futures

International audienceNew digital devices, mainly mobile ones, raise new questions on architectural and urban design practices. People became ''sensors", being at the same time able to move into the city and to move into the information space. Mobiance, a mix between Mobile and Ambiance, is a research and creation process focused on the impacts of innovative ICT technologies, especially mobile, on urban design. This paper first presents the context of the third workshop based on the topic, then it introduces the proposals produced by participants; to conclude the contribution develops an analysis of these proposals based on the sharing society paradigm