The Optimized Social Distance Lab:A Methodology for Automated Building Layout Redesign for Social Distancing

The research considers buildings as a test case for the development and implementation of multi-objective optimized social distance layout redesign. This research aims to develop and test a unique methodology using software Wallacei and the NSGA-II algorithm to automate the redesign of an interior layout to automatically provide compliant social distancing using fitness functions of social distance, net useable space and total number of users. The process is evaluated in a live lab scenario, with results demonstrating that the methodology provides an agile, accurate, efficient and visually clear outcome for automating a compliant layout for social distancing

Design of socio-spatial networks and practices for hybrid cities

Urban space and city living are being redefined in the context of hybrid cities – the realm where the physical and online worlds exist intertwined and interact. The emerging socio-spatial networks and practices create new possibilities for resilient, adaptive cities (and citizens) but at the same time raise questions on rights to the city, digital civics, openness and privacy. Human activities create, often unconsciously, an unprecedented amount of data turning humans into gullible data producers. Nonetheless, the ownership, interpretation, and management of data are under the control of few commercial entities. This research adopts a critical realist approach to the design of the future hybrid cities’ networks and practices to create a paradigm shift towards transforming people from “homo-datum” to “human-nodes” – conscious creators, developers and users of data. This study addresses the following themes: 1) What approaches in the design of hybrid cities would enable cities to reflect the complexity and plurality of people and societies? 2) How could technology assist human citizens with managing and interpreting in the correct context the increasing amount of data? 3) How can we move from current socio-economic models towards building new socio-spatial networks that will better represent future societies? 4) What is the role of non-human citizens and how would they interface with “human-nodes”? 5) Finally, what are the necessary conditions for transforming current cities and living into participatory hybrid cities and sustainable lifestyles

Discursive design thinking: the role of explicit knowledge in creative architectural design reasoning

The main hypothesis investigated in this paper is based upon the suggestion that the discursive reasoning in architecture supported by an explicit knowledge of spatial configurations can enhance both design productivity and the intelligibility of design solutions. The study consists of an examination of an architect’s performance while solving intuitively a well-defined problem followed by an analysis of the spatial structure of their design solutions. One group of architects will attempt to solve the design problem logically, rationalizing their design decisions by implementing their explicit knowledge of spatial configurations. The other group will use an implicit form of such knowledge arising from their architectural education to reason about their design acts. An integrated model of protocol analysis combining linkography and macroscopic coding is used to analyze the design processes. The resulting design outcomes will be evaluated quantitatively in terms of their spatial configurations. The analysis appears to show that an explicit knowledge of the rules of spatial configurations, as possessed by the first group of architects can partially enhance their function-driven judgment producing permeable and well-structured spaces. These findings are particularly significant as they imply that an explicit rather than an implicit knowledge of the fundamental rules that make a layout possible can lead to a considerable improvement in both the design process and product. This suggests that by externalizing th

Computer models of saliency alone fail to predict subjective visual attention to landmarks during observed navigation

In this study, it was aimed to understand whether or not computer models of saliency could explain landmark saliency. An online survey was conducted and participants were asked to watch videos from a spatial navigation video game (Sea Hero Quest). Participants were asked to pay attention to the environments within which the boat was moving and to rate the perceived saliency of each landmark. In addition, state-of-the-art computer saliency models were used to objectively quantify landmark saliency. No significant relationship was found between objective and subjective saliency measures. This indicates that during passive observation of an environment being navigated, current automated models of saliency fail to predict subjective reports of visual attention to landmarks

Living in Houses:A Personal History of English Domestic Architecture

This book presents a rich and rewarding history of houses in England through the stories of nine houses, dating from the 1700s to the 1980s, which have been inhabited by the author, a practising architect. Chronologically ordered, the book covers rural vernacular houses from the 17th Century, Georgian and Victorian townhouses, villas and converted industrial buildings, Edwardian semis and 20th Century council housing and part-private new developments. Firstly reflecting on the author’s own experience of the house, each chapter then examines its historical context, before making a detailed analysis of the buildings design and layout, usefully illustrated with architectural drawings. Each chapter concludes with a useful discussion of lessons learnt from each house/historic period and compares them with contemporary houses which use similar materials, construction techniques or ideas. It not only details the evolution of the design and construction of houses through the centuries, but also includes concise but highly informative sections on the history of various types of construction and materiality, such as brickmaking and timber and steel frame; sections on conversion and adaptive reuse and what works and what doesn't; the evolution of styles; housing density; ownership; and the three broad waves of council/social housing etc. On reflecting on her own experiences, the author provides useful insights into how we relate to our homes, how they shape and affect us and the value and meaning of the home

Exploring the relationship between children’s physical activity levels and their obesity status in urban and rural areas: a review of the existing literature

The relationship between children’s obesity and their physical activity levels has been widely studied in urban areas; however, the literature related to rural areas is much more limited. In this review study, we will focus on papers that compare children’s physical activity levels with their obesity status in both urban and rural areas to understand the consensuses and gaps in the literature, and to define the factors that can be used to analyse the environments. The review will start by considering papers on children’s body mass index (BMI) and physical activity levels in urban and rural areas in general, and it will then focus on how children travel to school in urban and rural areas and how this relates to BMI. In addition to a list of environmental measures, the impacts of sedentary behaviour and socio-economic status will also be explored. This review is expected to be significant since it does not only focus on urban areas, but it examines the situation in both urban and rural areas to provide insights for future studies