A generative design system applied to Sizaís school of architecture at Oporto

A new generative design system based on a genetic algorithm is tested within the framework of Alvaro Siza’s School of Architecture at Oporto, Portugal. The system works over a detailed three-dimensional description of the building and uses natural lighting and overall environmental performance as objective functions to guide the generation of solutions. This paper researches the encoding of architectural design intentions into the system, using constraints derived from Siza’s original design. Experiments using this generative system were performed on three different geographical locations to test the algorithm’s capability to adapt solutions to different climatic characteristics within the same language constraints

Design and Production of Complex Architectural Forms with Ceramic Elements

This paper describes a studio experiment developed with the aim of exploring the design and fabrication of complex architectural forms using ceramic elements. History has examples of double-sided curved forms built in ceramics. Such examples would not fulfill contemporary functional and aesthetic principles, neither would they be feasible or cost-effective considering current construction standards. There are recent examples of such forms built in other materials. These examples are difficult to emulate when ceramics is concerned, as they imply the fabrication of unique parts and sophisticated assembly techniques. Creating a double-curved surface in ceramics thus seems a difficult task. There are, however, advantages to such a formulation of design problems. They prompt the questioning of traditional wisdom, the rejection of accepted types, and the raising of interesting questions. What are the design strategies that should be followed when creating ceramic free-forms? What is the design media required to design them? And what are the techniques needed to fabricate and construct them? These are the questions investigated in the design project pursued jointly by students at an American and a Portuguese school, in collaboration with a professional research center and a ceramics factory. The students tested various possibilities, and in the process learned about state-of-art design and production techniques. The final projects are very expressive of their investigations and include a twisted glass tunnel, large-scale ceramic ‘bubbles,’ a rotated-tile wall, and a load-bearing wall

An evolution-based generative design system : using adaptation to shape architectural form

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2001.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 284-291).This dissertation dwells in the interstitial spaces between the fields of architecture, environmental design and computation. It introduces a Generative Design System that draws on evolutionary concepts to incorporate adaptation paradigms into the architectural design process. The initial aim of the project focused on helping architects improving the environmental performance of buildings, but the final conclusions of the thesis transcend this realm to question the process of incorporating computational generative systems in the broader context of architectural design. The Generative System [GS] uses a Genetic Algorithm as the search and optimization engine. The evaluation of solutions in terms of environmental performance is done using DOE2.1E. The GS is first tested within a restricted domain, where the optimal solution is previously known, to allow for the evaluation of the system's performance in locating high quality solutions. Results are very satisfactory and provide confidence to extend the GS to complex building layouts. Comparative studies using other heuristic search procedures like Simulated Annealing are also performed. The GS is then applied to an existing building by Alvaro Siza, to study the system's behavior in a complex architectural domain, and to assess its capability for encoding language constraints, so that solutions generated may be within certain design intentions. An extension to multicriteria problems is presented, using a Pareto-based method.(cont.) The GS successfully finds well-defined Pareto fronts providing information on best trade-offs between conflicting objectives. The method is open-ended, as it leaves the final decision-making to the architect. Examples include finding best trade-offs between costs of construction materials, annual energy consumption in buildings, and greenhouse gas emissions embedded in materials. The GS is then used to generate whole building geometries, departing from abstract relationships between design elements and using adaptation to evolve architectural form. The shape-generation experiments are performed for distinct geographic locations, testing the algorithm's ability to adapt buildings shape to different environments. Pareto methods are used to investigate what forms respond better to conflicting objectives. New directions of research are suggested, like combining the GS with a parametric solid modeler, or extending the investigation to the study of complex adaptive systems in architecture.by Luisa Gama Caldas.Ph.D

AnUrban Grammar for the Medina of Marrakech: Towards a Tool for Urban Design in Islamic Contexts

This paper describes research carried out to develop a parametric urban shape grammar for the Zaouiat Lakhdar quarter of the Medina of Marrakech, in Morocco. The goal is to create the basis for a system that could capture some features of the existing urban fabric and apply them in contemporary urban planning

State of XR research in architecture with focus on professional practice - A systematic literature review

peer reviewedImmersive technologies are not only gaining popularity in various fields but are also heralded as the obvious next step in architectural practice. Now that almost five years have passed since the release of more accurate and affordable headsets, a review focusing on immersive technology applications in the architectural field is needed to reflect the current fields investigated. This systematic literature review discusses the sample used in the 201 selected studies about immersive technologies published from 2015 to 2019. The study identifies gaps in the current literature. The results highlight that professional architects are almost never queried in searches conducted over the past five years in the selected database. It unveils the necessity to take into consideration the context of studies in order to develop tools truly dedicated to the real practices of professional architects. This paper constitutes a reference for further researches by facilitating their contextualization within the research landscape

CARACTERISTICAS SOCIOECONÓMICAS DE FAMILIAS Y VIVIENDAS EN LA COMUNIDAD URBANA AUTOGESTIONARIA DE HUAYCÁN 2014

Desde el marco de la medicina familiar sostenida en el modelo biopsicosocial que incluye científicamente el dominio humano en el proceso salud-enfermedad se plantea la iniciativa de la vivienda saludable como estrategia para la promoción de la salud de la población. El presente estudio describe las características socioeconómicas de la población sujeto a estudio e identifica los riesgos en la comunidad autogestionaria de Huaycàn con la finalidad de implementar un plan de intervención. El objetivo delainvestigación es determinar las características socioeconómicas de familias y viviendas en la Comunidad Urbana autogestionaria de Huaycán 2014. Material y métodos. El tipo de estudio es descriptivo observacional exploratorio de corte transversal. La técnica utilizada fue la observación y la encuesta, con la aplicación de una ficha de viviendas y familias saludables del Ministerio de Salud. El periodo de estudio ha sido de marzo a junio del 2014. La Escuela Académico Profesional de Obstetricia de la Universidad Alas Peruanas a través de los docentes y estudiantes de la asignatura de introducción a la Salud pública recopilaron los datos mediante el instrumento mencionado.La muestra es de 207 familias con el mismo número de familias de 5 sectores de la comunidad autogestionaria de Huaycán. Previa a la aplicación del instrumento se realizó coordinación con los líderes, el mapeo y la identificación de familias de manera aleatoria ResultadosDe los 710 habitantes de las 207 viviendas, corresponden el 23,38% (166) población de 10 a 19 años es decir adolescente, el 18,73% (133) población joven entre los 20 a 30 años de edad, como también el 18,45% población entre los 31 a 40 años.