Indoor environments : design, productivity and health

In a typical large office block, by far the largest lifetime expense is the salaries of the workers - 84% for salaries compared with : office rent (14%), total energy (1%), and maintenance (1%). The key drive for business is therefore the maximisation of the productivity of the employees as this is the largest cost. Reducing total energy use by 50% will not produce the same financial return as 1% productivity improvement? The aim of the project which led to this review of the literature was to understand as far as possible the state of knowledge internationally about how the indoor environment of buildings does influence occupants and the impact this influence may have on the total cost of ownership of buildings. Therefore one of the main focus areas for the literature has been identifying whether there is a link between productivity and health of building occupants and the indoor environment. Productivity is both easy to define - the ratio of output to input - but at the same time very hard to measure in a relatively small environment where individual contributions can influence the results, in particular social interactions. Health impacts from a building environment are also difficult to measure well, as establishing casual links between the indoor environment and a particular health issue can be very difficult. All of those issues are canvassed in the literature reported here. Humans are surprisingly adaptive to different physical environments, but the workplace should not test the limits of human adaptability. Physiological models of stress, for example, accept that the body has a finite amount of adaptive energy available to cope with stress. The importance of, and this projects' focus on, the physical setting within the integrated system of high performance workplaces, means this literature survey explores research which has been undertaken on both physical and social aspects of the built environment. The literature has been largely classified in several different ways, according to the classification scheme shown below. There is still some inconsistency in the use of keywords, which is being addressed and greater uniformity will be developed for a CD version of this literature, enabling searching using this classification scheme.

Virtual design process : design validation tool schematic approach in car carrier

An important aspect of designing any product is validation. Virtual design process (VDP) is an alternative to hardware prototyping in which analysis of designs can be done without manufacturing physical samples. In recent years, VDP have been generated either for animation or filming applications. This paper proposes a virtual reality design process model on one of the applications when used as a validation tool. This technique is used to generate a complete design guideline and validation tool of product design. To support the design process of a product, a virtual environment and VDP method were developed that supports validation and an initial design cycle performed by a designer. The product model car carrier is used as illustration for which virtual design was generated. The loading and unloading sequence of the model for the prototype was generated using automated reasoning techniques and was completed by interactively animating the product in the virtual environment before complete design was built. By using the VDP process critical issues like loading, unloading, Australian Design rules (ADR) and clearance analysis were done. The process would save time, money in physical sampling and to large extent in complete math generation. Since only schematic models are required, it saves time in math modelling and handling of bigger size assemblies due to complexity of the models. This extension of VDP process for design evaluation is unique and was developed, implemented successfully. In this paper a Toll logistics and J Smith and Sons car carrier which is developed under author’s responsibility has been used to illustrate our approach of generating design validation via VDP.

Parametric building development during early design stage

Objectives The objectives of this project were two-fold: • Assess the ease with which current architectural CAD systems supported the use ofparametric descriptions in defining building shape, engineering system performance and cost at the early stages of building design; • Assess the feasibility of implementing a software decision support system that allowed designers to trade-off the characteristics and configuration of various engineering systems to move towards a “global optimum” rather than considering each system in isolation and expecting humans to weigh up all of the costs and benefits. The first stage of the project consisted of using four different CAD systems to define building shells (envelopes) with different usages. These models were then exported into a shared database using the IFC information exchange specifications. The second stage involved the implementation of small computer programs that were able to estimate relevant system parameters based on performance requirements and the constraints imposed by the other systems. These are presented in a unified user interface that extracts the appropriate building shape parameters from the shared database Note that the term parametric in this context refers to the relationships among and between all elements of the building model - not just geometric associations - which will enable the desired coordination.

Aging in China and its impact on vehicle design

This study contributes to the growth of design knowledge in China, where vehicle design for the local, older user is in its initial developmental stages. Therefore, this research has explored the travel needs of older Chinese vehicle users in order to assist designers to better understand users’ current and future needs. A triangulation method consisting of interviews, logbook and co-discovery was used to collect multiple forms of data and so explore the research question. Grounded theory has been employed to analyze the research data. This study found that users’ needs are reflected through various ‘meanings’ that they attach to vehicles – meanings that give a tangible expression to their experiences. This study identified six older-user need categories: (i) safety, (ii) utility, (iii) comfort, (iv) identity, (v) emotion and (vi) spirituality. The interrelationships among these six categories are seen as an interactive structure, rather than as a linear or hierarchical arrangement. Chinese cultural values, which are generated from particular local context and users’ social practice, will play a dynamic role in linking and shaping the travel needs of older vehicle users in the future. Moreover, this study structures the older-user needs model into three levels of meaning, to give guidance to vehicle design direction: (i) the practical meaning level, (ii) the social meaning level and (ii) the cultural meaning level. This study suggests that a more comprehensive explanation exists if designers can identify the vehicle’s meaning and property associated with the fulfilled older users’ needs. However, these needs will vary, and must be related to particular technological, social, and cultural contexts. The significance of this study lies in its contributions to the body of knowledge in three areas: research methodology, theory and design. These theoretical contributions provide a series of methodological tools, models and approaches from a vehicle design perspective. These include a conditional/consequential matrix, a travel needs identification model, an older users’ travel-related needs framework, a user information structure model, and an Older-User-Need-Based vehicle design approach. These models suggest a basic framework for the new design process which might assist in the design of new vehicles to fulfil the needs of future, aging Chinese generations. The models have the potential to be transferred to other design domains and different cultural contexts.

Generic skills in design teams : literature review

Recent developments in networked three dimensional (3D) virtual worlds, and the proliferation of high bandwidth communications technology, have the potential to dramatically improve collaboration in the construction industry. This research project focuses on the early stages of a construction project in which the models for the project are developed and revised. The project investigates three aspects of collaboration in virtual environments: 1. The processes that enable effective collaboration using high bandwidth information communication technology (ICT); 2. The models that allow for multiple disciplines to share their views in a synchronous virtual environment; 3. The generic skills used by individuals and teams when engaging with high bandwidth information communication technology. The third aspect of the project, listed above, led by the University of Newcastle, explores the domain of People and the extent to which they contribute to the effectiveness of virtual teams. This report relates, primarily, to this aspect.

Generic skills in design teams

Recent developments in networked three dimensional (3D) virtual worlds and the proliferation of high bandwidth communications technology have the potential to dramatically improve collaboration in the construction industry. This research project focuses on the early stages of a design/construction project in which models for a project are developed and revised. We have investigated three aspects of collaboration in virtual environments: 1. The processes that enable effective collaboration using high bandwidth information communication technology (ICT); 2. The models that allow for multiple disciplines to share their views in a synchronous virtual environment; 3. The generic skills used by individuals and teams when engaging with high bandwidth information communication technology.

Sustainable subdivisions – energy efficient design

Australia’s current pattern of residential development is resulting in urban sprawl and highlights the necessity for development to be more sustainable to avoid unnecessary demand on natural resources and to prevent environmental degradation and to safeguard the environment for future generations. This report summarises the results from a series of cases studies that examined the link between sub-divisional layout and dwelling energy efficiency, the possibility for a lot-rating tool and the potential for on site electricity generation.

Final report : task 2 : design guidelines for delivering high quality indoor environments

This report is for one of the four Tasks of the CRC project ‘Regenerating Construction to Enhance Sustainability’. The report specifically addresses Task 2 ‘Design guidelines for delivering high quality indoor environments’.

Re-Lifing commercial buildings : design and construction solutions for existing buildings

The resources listed in this document describe the design and construction opportunities available to building owners who wish to re-Life their properties. They do not yet examine management opportunities, which may also help owners improve the efficiency of their existing stock.

Sustainable subdivisions : energy-efficient design report to industry

This report summarises the findings from the Sustainable Subdivisions: Energy-Efficient Design project. As new energy-efficiency regulations are developed, there will be a significant demand for information on available assessment tools for rating energy-efficient dwellings, and subdivisional issues such as orientation and solar access will become increasingly important. There will also be increased pressure for products that deliver energy efficiency, such as solar technology, glazing systems, insulation and low-energy building products and materials. The objectives of the Sustainable Subdivisions: Energy-Efficient Design project were to:

Necessary skills and practices required for effective participation in high bandwidth design team activities

Technology is continually changing, and evolving, throughout the entire construction industry; and particularly in the design process. One of the principal manifestations of this is a move away from team working in a shared work space to team working in a virtual space, using increasingly sophisticated electronic media. Due to the significant operating differences when working in shared and virtual spaces adjustments to generic skills utilised by members is a necessity when moving between the two conditions. This paper reports an aspect of a CRC-CI research project based on research of ‘generic skills’ used by individuals and teams when engaging with high bandwidth information and communication technologies (ICT). It aligns with the project’s other two aspects of collaboration in virtual environments: ‘processes’ and ‘models’. The entire project focuses on the early stages of a project (i.e. design) in which models for the project are being developed and revised. The paper summarises the first stage of the research project which reviews literature to identify factors of virtual teaming which may affect team member skills. It concludes that design team participants require ‘appropriate skills’ to function efficiently and effectively, and that the introduction of high band-width technologies reinforces the need for skills mapping and measurement.

Designers' experience and collaborative design : two case studies

Experience underlies all kinds of human knowledge and determines how people interact with products and environments. It also influences designers’ knowledge and their design process. An issue not fully addressed in current literature is about the way in which designers’ individual experience influences design tasks. This paper presents two qualitative design case studies that involve experiments employing collaborative design approaches. Case study one focuses on product usability and case study two, sustainable design. Both studies applied an empirical approach; data collected consisted of sketches and audio- and video-recordings. The studies share a common research approach that opens the discussion about designers’ interactions; the way those interactions reveal knowledge and experience, the influence of these interactions upon the design process and approach to design tasks. This paper will present the correlations and discrepancies between these two case studies and the collaborative design approach used in each study, outlining future research endeavors.

Studying collaborative design in high bandwidth virtual environments

In today’s global design world, architectural and other related design firms design across time zones and geographically distant locations. High bandwidth virtual environments have the potential to make a major impact on these global design teams. However, there is insufficient evidence about the way designers collaborate in their normal working environments using traditional and/or digital media. This paper presents a method to study the impact of communication and information technologies on collaborative design practice by comparing design tasks done in a normal working environment with design tasks done in a virtual environment. Before introducing high bandwidth collaboration technology to the work environment, a baseline study is conducted to observe and analyze the existing collaborative process. Designers currently rely on phone, fax, email, and image files for communication and collaboration. Describing the current context is important for comparison with the following phases. We developed the coding scheme that will be used in analyzing three stages of the collaborative design activity. The results will establish the basis for measures of collaborative design activity when a new technology is introduced later to the same work environment – for example, designers using electronic whiteboards, 3D virtual worlds, webcams, and internet phone. The results of this work will form the basis of guidelines for the introduction of technology into global design offices