Architectural intelligence最新文献

The aim of this study is to compare the difference in solar gain for an internal space when a novel Concentrated Photovoltaic Glazing (CoPVG) unit is compared against traditional glazing modules. The CoPVG is an innovative glazing system developed by Ulster University, that takes advantage of Total Internal Reflection (TIR) to direct solar radiation into the internal space during periods of low solar altitude (around winter) harnessing the thermal contribution of solar gain and daylight. During periods of higher solar altitude (around summer), the solar radiation is mostly directed onto embedded photovoltaic cells. Previous work assessed the concept’s optical functionality, through experimental measurement and computational ray-tracing. Dynamic simulation in Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) using a series of codes to represent the optical function of the CoPVG’s and Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IESVE) was validated by the experimental data. This work investigates methodologies in determining the transmissivty of the system in a dynamic simulation approach using ray tracing and Radiance in IESVE for visualisation, thereby building on the versability of this software to allow building designers and consultants to investigate energy and economic benefits of this system and systems like it in real building applications. The impact of integrating CoPVG as a replacement to traditonal glazing on a sun-facing building facade is assessed and the solar gain in the adjaciant space is compared throughout the year. During the summer months the integrated system reduces solar gain in the space by 34% but only 11% in the winter months, representing a reduction in the overall annual building energy needs. The study presents the potential economic and environmental savings provided by reduced cooling.

The dispersion of particulate pollutants around buildings raises concerns due to adverse health impacts. Accurate prediction of particle dispersion is important for evaluating health risks in urban areas. However, rigorous validation data using particulate tracers is lacking for numerical models of urban dispersion. Many prior studies rely on gas dispersion data, questioning conclusions due to differences in transport physics. To address this gap, this study utilized a combined experimental and computational approach to generate comprehensive validation data on particulate dispersion. A wind tunnel experiment using particulate tracers measured airflow, turbulence, and particle concentrations around a single building, providing reliable but sparse data. Validated large eddy simulation expanded the data. This combined approach generated much-needed validation data to evaluate numerical particle dispersion models around buildings. Steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (SRANS) simulations paired with Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT), and drift-flux (DF) models were validated. SRANS had lower accuracy compared to LES for airflow and turbulence. However, in this case, SRANS inaccuracies did not prevent accurate concentration prediction when LPT or a Stokes drift-flux model were used. The algebraic drift-flux model strongly overpredicted the concentration for large micron particles, indicating proper drift modeling was essential.

Free-form architectural design has gained significant interest in modern architectural practice. Due to their visually appealing nature and inherent structural efficiency, free-form shells have become increasingly popular in architectural applications. Recently, topology optimization has been extended to shell structures, aiming to generate shell designs with ultimate structural efficiency. However, despite the huge potential of topology optimization to facilitate new design for shells, its architectural applications remain limited due to complexity and lack of clear procedures. This paper presents four design strategies for optimizing free-form shells targeting architectural applications. First, we propose a topology-optimized ribbed shell system to generate free-form rib layouts possessing improved structure performance. A reusable and recyclable formwork system is developed for their effective and sustainable fabrication. Second, we demonstrate that topology optimization can be combined with funicular form-finding techniques to generate a rich variety of elegant designs, offering new design possibilities. Third, we offer cost-effective design solutions using modular components for free-form shells by combining surface planarization and periodic constraint. Finally, we integrate topology optimization with user-defined patterns on free-form shells to facilitate aesthetic expression, exemplified by the Voronoi pattern. The presented strategies can facilitate the usage of topology optimization in shell designs to achieve high-performance and innovative solutions for architectural applications.

Despite recent advances in additive manufacturing technologies, challenges remain to build 3D-printed structures at the architectural scale due to the high cost of large printing equipment. To address this challenge, modular construction has demonstrated its merit by making smaller prefabricated components and using on-site assembly. This paper presents a case study of a 3D-printed hypar shell structural art using modular construction. Guided by parametric design and structural analysis, we optimized the hypar shell to form a butterfly-like shape with a hollow-out pattern. The prefabrication of modular units was completed using commercial 3D printers to catch a limited production time. The prefabricated modular unit of the hypar shell was assembled on site for the Guangzhou International Light Festival, in which the lighting effect was added through the adjustable transparency of hollow spaces within the sandwiched panels. The 3D-printed hypar shell was also disassembled and rebuilt in the UK, showcasing the adaptability and flexibility of the modular design. The resulting 3D-printed structural art not only provides unique aesthetics for the built environment but also demonstrates the possibility of building large shell structures with a low budget by reducing complex falsework.

The present study introduces a novel approach for quantifying distances within constructed environments. A mathematical model was developed for distance estimation in image processing using width and height estimation. In order to determine distance, the study employed the use of visual angle and sky view factor (SVF). Additionally, a camera with capabilities similar to the human eye was utilized to capture 360-degree photographs from a fixed position within a virtual reality corridor. The technique of Sky View Factor (SVF) is employed in indoor environments with ceilings by eliminating windows, doors, and roofs, thereby simulating a virtual sky. This enables the calculation of various parameters such as the image's area, area fraction, and aspect ratio through the utilization of image processing methods. Distance estimation can be predicted through the utilization of the sky view factor and visual angle, employing a linear regression analysis. The method of virtual sky view factor (VSVF) has potential applications in the fields of Engineering, robotics, and architecture for the estimation of indoor distances.

An effective way to reduce the energy consumption of a building is to optimize the control strategy for the HVAC system. Load prediction is suggested and used to match the supply and demand for air conditioning and achieve energy savings. However, the gap between load prediction models and real-time optimal control of HVAC systems still exists. Hence, this paper proposed an optimization method for dynamically determining the best setpoints of chillers and chilled water pumps under a specific load. The energy consumption model of each equipment in the centralized cooling station is established and validated using the operational data. Then an optimization problem is defined to find the optimal setpoints for each equipment under certain load, to realize the lowest energy consumption. To verify the validity of the proposed method, a period of real operational data in an office park is used. The proposed method is applied on one centralized cooling station in the office park and results in an 4% lower overall energy consumption than the existing intelligent control strategies in the park. This method provides feasible directions and reference for realizing overall optimal control of the whole HVAC system in the future.

In the history of technologies and materials the transfer from soft to hard plays a central role. From a dialectic point of view it seems to be a clear-cut matter of one overpowering the other, yet conceptually things are more convoluted. What we call the chiastic model of history is driven by the exchange of empowerings where the one inhabits the other. By taking the most antithetical examples of materiality from architectural history, the plastic and the lithic, we begin to understand the psychological aspects of this exchange: a history of dreams, imagination and even hallucination. The technologies involving the plastic offer an enormous array of such imagery, which we start to analyze as part of a fundamental aspect of technology itself. Using the notion of the pharmakon, as developed by Derrida and Stiegler, we study its ambiguities: technology by its nature is both remedy and poison, cure and addiction. Accepting this ambivalence is the explicit goal of pharmacology, which makes the history of soft and hard one of prosthetic extension as much as of mimetic absorption. We will be guided by two architectural fantasists to investigate the what we call the pharmacology of architecture, J. G. Ballard’s fantasy of a house automaton in the case of the plastic, and G. B. Piranesi’s hallucinations of a reversed archeology in that of the lithic.

Inspired by intelligent skin, this research constructs a soft pneumatic robotic architectural system based on the interaction between inflatable material agents and the human body. It aims to provide flexibly changeable scene modes for dynamic inhabiting through responsive spatial performance. From the idea of the Fun Palace and the structure and performance spatial methodology to the proposal of responsive/soft architecture and relevant examples such as Furl and Robot Soft, the literature review provides the foundation and direction for the establishment of research experiments. The research methodology is based on structure and performance, oriented to explore soft material agents, link input information and output modules to realize the manifestation of human-space interaction and spatial performance and assemble the basic configuration of the system. As a result, a synergistic architectural interaction system like a media center that can provide a variety of adaptive space scenes is built, which can realize real-time perception and responsive control of the interactive process, and at the same time provide richness of scene performance beyond established architectural configurations, confirming the possibility of creating a behaviorally responsive architecture by integrating modularly morphing spaces, AI-sensing systems, and interaction technologies. This study explored responsive human settlements by expanding soft pneumatic robots in architecture. It can expand to fields such as machine cognition at the input level, further realize the real-time feedback system at the output level, and can evolve with the information interconnection of urban landscapes and residential communities in terms of spatial interaction. The work gives a convincing vision of architectural intelligence through soft robotics and is expected to continue to develop and bring more inspiring innovations with its integrated methods and connotations.

Mass customization of prefabricated architecture is becoming increasingly crucial for developing the architectural industry. Advanced technologies such as 3D printing and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has brought opportunities and challenges for traditional fabrication and construction methodology. Based on these emerging digital design tools and intelligent construction methods, this paper presents a novel methodology for fabricating single-layer 3D printing panels using UAV positioning technology, which has the potential to revolutionize the construction process and enhance the overall efficiency. This paper first provides a comprehensive review of the existing technologies in 3D printing and UAV positioning, highlighting their benefits and limitations in the context of construction applications. Next, a step-by-step process for fabricating single-layer 3D printing panels is introduced, detailing the optimal design parameters, material selection, and printing techniques. The utilization of UAV for precise positioning and alignment of the panels is then discussed, including the development of an on-site installation for accurate control. To validate the proposed method, a construction practice of the Chengdu Agricultural Expo Centre is produced o demonstrate the promising manufacturing and installation of single-layer 3D printed panels using UAV positioning technology. The results indicate that this method significantly reduces construction time, material waste, and labour costs, while also demonstrating significant customization and design flexibility.