Knowledge practices in design: The role of visual representations as 'epistemic objects'

We use a detailed study of the knowledge work around visual representations to draw attention to the multidimensional nature of `objects'. Objects are variously described in the literatures as relatively stable or in flux; as abstract or concrete; and as used within or across practices. We clarify these dimensions, drawing on and extending the literature on boundary objects, and connecting it with work on epistemic and technical objects. In particular, we highlight the epistemic role of objects, using our observations of knowledge work on an architectural design project to show how, in this setting, visual representations are characterized by a `lack' or incompleteness that precipitates unfolding. The conceptual design of a building involves a wide range of technical, social and aesthetic forms of knowledge that need to be developed and aligned. We explore how visual representations are used, and how these are meaningful to different stakeholders, eliciting their distinct contributions. As the project evolves and the drawings change, new issues and needs for knowledge work arise. These objects have an `unfolding ontology' and are constantly in flux, rather than fully formed. We discuss the implications for wider understandings of objects in organizations and for how knowledge work is achieved in practice.

Design and management of sustainable built environments

The United Nation Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it clear that climate change is due to human activities and it recognises buildings as a distinct sector among the seven analysed in its 2007 Fourth Assessment Report. Global concerns have escalated regarding carbon emissions and sustainability in the built environment. The built environment is a human-made setting to accommodate human activities, including building and transport, which covers an interdisciplinary field addressing design, construction, operation and management. Specifically, Sustainable Buildings are expected to achieve high performance throughout the life-cycle of siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance and demolition, in the following areas: • energy and resource efficiency; • cost effectiveness; • minimisation of emissions that negatively impact global warming, indoor air quality and acid rain; • minimisation of waste discharges; and • maximisation of fulfilling the requirements of occupants’ health and wellbeing. Professionals in the built environment sector, for example, urban planners, architects, building scientists, engineers, facilities managers, performance assessors and policy makers, will play a significant role in delivering a sustainable built environment. Delivering a sustainable built environment needs an integrated approach and so it is essential for built environment professionals to have interdisciplinary knowledge in building design and management . Building and urban designers need to have a good understanding of the planning, design and management of the buildings in terms of low carbon and energy efficiency. There are a limited number of traditional engineers who know how to design environmental systems (services engineer) in great detail. Yet there is a very large market for technologists with multi-disciplinary skills who are able to identify the need for, envision and manage the deployment of a wide range of sustainable technologies, both passive (architectural) and active (engineering system),, and select the appropriate approach. Employers seek applicants with skills in analysis, decision-making/assessment, computer simulation and project implementation. An integrated approach is expected in practice, which encourages built environment professionals to think ‘out of the box’ and learn to analyse real problems using the most relevant approach, irrespective of discipline. The Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environment book aims to produce readers able to apply fundamental scientific research to solve real-world problems in the general area of sustainability in the built environment. The book contains twenty chapters covering climate change and sustainability, urban design and assessment (planning, travel systems, urban environment), urban management (drainage and waste), buildings (indoor environment, architectural design and renewable energy), simulation techniques (energy and airflow), management (end-user behaviour, facilities and information), assessment (materials and tools), procurement, and cases studies ( BRE Science Park). Chapters one and two present general global issues of climate change and sustainability in the built environment. Chapter one illustrates that applying the concepts of sustainability to the urban environment (buildings, infrastructure, transport) raises some key issues for tackling climate change, resource depletion and energy supply. Buildings, and the way we operate them, play a vital role in tackling global greenhouse gas emissions. Holistic thinking and an integrated approach in delivering a sustainable built environment is highlighted. Chapter two demonstrates the important role that buildings (their services and appliances) and building energy policies play in this area. Substantial investment is required to implement such policies, much of which will earn a good return. Chapters three and four discuss urban planning and transport. Chapter three stresses the importance of using modelling techniques at the early stage for strategic master-planning of a new development and a retrofit programme. A general framework for sustainable urban-scale master planning is introduced. This chapter also addressed the needs for the development of a more holistic and pragmatic view of how the built environment performs, , in order to produce tools to help design for a higher level of sustainability and, in particular, how people plan, design and use it. Chapter four discusses microcirculation, which is an emerging and challenging area which relates to changing travel behaviour in the quest for urban sustainability. The chapter outlines the main drivers for travel behaviour and choices, the workings of the transport system and its interaction with urban land use. It also covers the new approach to managing urban traffic to maximise economic, social and environmental benefits. Chapters five and six present topics related to urban microclimates including thermal and acoustic issues. Chapter five discusses urban microclimates and urban heat island, as well as the interrelationship of urban design (urban forms and textures) with energy consumption and urban thermal comfort. It introduces models that can be used to analyse microclimates for a careful and considered approach for planning sustainable cities. Chapter six discusses urban acoustics, focusing on urban noise evaluation and mitigation. Various prediction and simulation methods for sound propagation in micro-scale urban areas, as well as techniques for large scale urban noise-mapping, are presented. Chapters seven and eight discuss urban drainage and waste management. The growing demand for housing and commercial developments in the 21st century, as well as the environmental pressure caused by climate change, has increased the focus on sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). Chapter seven discusses the SUDS concept which is an integrated approach to surface water management. It takes into consideration quality, quantity and amenity aspects to provide a more pleasant habitat for people as well as increasing the biodiversity value of the local environment. Chapter eight discusses the main issues in urban waste management. It points out that population increases, land use pressures, technical and socio-economic influences have become inextricably interwoven and how ensuring a safe means of dealing with humanity’s waste becomes more challenging. Sustainable building design needs to consider healthy indoor environments, minimising energy for heating, cooling and lighting, and maximising the utilisation of renewable energy. Chapter nine considers how people respond to the physical environment and how that is used in the design of indoor environments. It considers environmental components such as thermal, acoustic, visual, air quality and vibration and their interaction and integration. Chapter ten introduces the concept of passive building design and its relevant strategies, including passive solar heating, shading, natural ventilation, daylighting and thermal mass, in order to minimise heating and cooling load as well as energy consumption for artificial lighting. Chapter eleven discusses the growing importance of integrating Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) into buildings, the range of technologies currently available and what to consider during technology selection processes in order to minimise carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. The chapter draws to a close by highlighting the issues concerning system design and the need for careful integration and management of RETs once installed; and for home owners and operators to understand the characteristics of the technology in their building. Computer simulation tools play a significant role in sustainable building design because, as the modern built environment design (building and systems) becomes more complex, it requires tools to assist in the design process. Chapter twelve gives an overview of the primary benefits and users of simulation programs, the role of simulation in the construction process and examines the validity and interpretation of simulation results. Chapter thirteen particularly focuses on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation method used for optimisation and performance assessment of technologies and solutions for sustainable building design and its application through a series of cases studies. People and building performance are intimately linked. A better understanding of occupants’ interaction with the indoor environment is essential to building energy and facilities management. Chapter fourteen focuses on the issue of occupant behaviour; principally, its impact, and the influence of building performance on them. Chapter fifteen explores the discipline of facilities management and the contribution that this emerging profession makes to securing sustainable building performance. The chapter highlights a much greater diversity of opportunities in sustainable building design that extends well into the operational life. Chapter sixteen reviews the concepts of modelling information flows and the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), describing these techniques and how these aspects of information management can help drive sustainability. An explanation is offered concerning why information management is the key to ‘life-cycle’ thinking in sustainable building and construction. Measurement of building performance and sustainability is a key issue in delivering a sustainable built environment. Chapter seventeen identifies the means by which construction materials can be evaluated with respect to their sustainability. It identifies the key issues that impact the sustainability of construction materials and the methodologies commonly used to assess them. Chapter eighteen focuses on the topics of green building assessment, green building materials, sustainable construction and operation. Commonly-used assessment tools such as BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED) and others are introduced. Chapter nineteen discusses sustainable procurement which is one of the areas to have naturally emerged from the overall sustainable development agenda. It aims to ensure that current use of resources does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Chapter twenty is a best-practice exemplar - the BRE Innovation Park which features a number of demonstration buildings that have been built to the UK Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes. It showcases the very latest innovative methods of construction, and cutting edge technology for sustainable buildings. In summary, Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environment book is the result of co-operation and dedication of individual chapter authors. We hope readers benefit from gaining a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of design and management in the built environment in the context of sustainability. We believe that the knowledge and insights of our academics and professional colleagues from different institutions and disciplines illuminate a way of delivering sustainable built environment through holistic integrated design and management approaches. Last, but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the chapter authors for their contribution. I would like to thank David Lim for his assistance in the editorial work and proofreading.

The 'veil' of control: exploring the attitudes and perceptions of UK design controllers

In the UK, architectural design is regulated through a system of design control for the public interest, which aims to secure and promote ‘quality’ in the built environment. Design control is primarily implemented by locally employed planning professionals with political oversight, and independent design review panels, staffed predominantly by design professionals. Design control has a lengthy and complex history, with the concept of ‘design’ offering a range of challenges for a regulatory system of governance. A simultaneously creative and emotive discipline, architectural design is a difficult issue to regulate objectively or consistently, often leading to policy that is regarded highly discretionary and flexible. This makes regulatory outcomes difficult to predict, as approaches undertaken by the ‘agents of control’ can vary according to the individual. The role of the design controller is therefore central, tasked with the responsibility of interpreting design policy and guidance, appraising design quality and passing professional judgment. However, little is really known about what influences the way design controllers approach their task, providing a ‘veil’ over design control, shrouding the basis of their decisions. This research engaged directly with the attitudes and perceptions of design controllers in the UK, lifting this ‘veil’. Using in-depth interviews and Q-Methodology, the thesis explores this hidden element of control, revealing a number of key differences in how controllers approach and implement policy and guidance, conceptualise design quality, and rationalise their evaluations and judgments. The research develops a conceptual framework for agency in design control – this consists of six variables (Regulation; Discretion; Skills; Design Quality; Aesthetics; and Evaluation) and it is suggested that this could act as a ‘heuristic’ instrument for UK controllers, prompting more reflexivity in relation to evaluating their own position, approaches, and attitudes, leading to better practice and increased transparency of control decisions.

Fractal geometry and architecture design: case study review

The idea of buildings in harmony with nature can be traced back to ancient times. The increasing concerns on sustainability oriented buildings have added new challenges in building architectural design and called for new design responses. Sustainable design integrates and balances the human geometries and the natural ones. As the language of nature, it is, therefore, natural to assume that fractal geometry could play a role in developing new forms of aesthetics and sustainable architectural design. This paper gives a brief description of fractal geometry theory and presents its current status and recent developments through illustrative review of some fractal case studies in architecture design, which provides a bridge between fractal geometry and architecture design.

Acoustic Design in Urban Development : analysis of urban soundscapes and acoustic ecology research in New York City

The world is urbanizing rapidly with more than half of the global population now living in cities. Improving urban environments for the well-being of the increasing number of urban citizens is becoming one of the most important challenges of the 21st century. Even though it is common that city planners have visions of a ’good urban milieu’, those visions are concerning visual aesthetics or practical matters. The qualitative perspective of sound, such as sonic diversity and acoustic ecology are neglected aspects in architectural design. Urban planners and politicians are therefore largely unaware of the importance of sounds for the intrinsic quality of a place. Whenever environmental acoustics is on the agenda, the topic is noise abatement or noise legislation – a quantitative attenuation of sounds. Some architects may involve acoustical aspects in their work but sound design or acoustic design has yet to develop to a distinct discipline and be incorporated in urban planning.My aim was to investigate to what extent the urban soundscape is likely to improve if modern architectural techniques merge with principles of acoustics. This is an important, yet unexplored, research area. My study explores and analyses the acoustical aspects in urban development and includes interviews with practitioners in the field of urban acoustics, situated in New York City. My conclusion is that to achieve a better understanding of the human living conditions in mega-cities, there is a need to include sonic components into the holistic sense of urban development.

Ergonomic research applied in the design of pre-school furniture: The Mobipresc 3.6

This research describes the application of a scientific and technological model of Ergonomics in the design of pre-school furniture. The constant presence of the desk in early education and its influence in the relationship between the user and his educational environment determined the necessity of this project. The pre-school desk was considered as a work station, where the joint aspects of education and child anthropometry substantiate the problem. The review of the Historical application of Ergonomics in the Design of children's products consolidated the importance of this report. The development of ergonomic research, characterised by investigations of the Brazilian child's Anthropometry Data and Biomechanical Features, resulted in dimensional parameters of the user and physical characteristics of the present furniture. These elements, together with a comprehension of activities and needs in the pre-school, were connected with aspects of bibliographical revision to result in a series of recomendations for design. Through the methods of Ergonomic Design, a new proposal for the pre-school desk was developed, denominated Mobipresc 3.6.

Subjetividade e complexidade em design: um mapeamento acerca do design de relações

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A representação gráfica na Revista Projeto & Design.

Esta pesquisa inicia-se pelo estudo das diferentes maneiras de representação de um projeto arquitetônico: desenhos analógicos e digitais, desenhos naturais e técnicos, desenhos auxiliados por computador, maquetes físicas e modelos digitais. Teve como objetivo analisar a representação gráfica utilizada nas publicações de obras arquitetônicas em mídias impressas especializadas, tendo sido selecionada a Revista Projeto & Design como estudo de caso. Com este estudo foi possível, por meio de bibliometria gráfica, verificar as contribuições das representações na compreensão e leitura dos projetos arquitetônicos, elencando-se e exemplificando-se as tipologias de imagens utilizadas nas últimas décadas, bem como relacionar os resultados com o momento histórico em que foram projetadas ou publicadas.

An Instrument Design for Space-Based Optical Observation of Space Debris

Currently, observations of space debris are primarily performed with ground-based sensors. These sensors have a detection limit at some centimetres diameter for objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and at about two decimetres diameter for objects in Geostationary Orbit (GEO). The few space-based debris observations stem mainly from in-situ measurements and from the analysis of returned spacecraft surfaces. Both provide information about mostly sub-millimetre-sized debris particles. As a consequence the population of centimetre- and millimetre-sized debris objects remains poorly understood. The development, validation and improvement of debris reference models drive the need for measurements covering the whole diameter range. In 2003 the European Space Agency (ESA) initiated a study entitled “Space-Based Optical Observation of Space Debris”. The first tasks of the study were to define user requirements and to develop an observation strategy for a space-based instrument capable of observing uncatalogued millimetre-sized debris objects. Only passive optical observations were considered, focussing on mission concepts for the LEO, and GEO regions respectively. Starting from the requirements and the observation strategy, an instrument system architecture and an associated operations concept have been elaborated. The instrument system architecture covers the telescope, camera and onboard processing electronics. The proposed telescope is a folded Schmidt design, characterised by a 20 cm aperture and a large field of view of 6°. The camera design is based on the use of either a frame-transfer charge coupled device (CCD), or on a cooled hybrid sensor with fast read-out. A four megapixel sensor is foreseen. For the onboard processing, a scalable architecture has been selected. Performance simulations have been executed for the system as designed, focussing on the orbit determination of observed debris particles, and on the analysis of the object detection algorithms. In this paper we present some of the main results of the study. A short overview of the user requirements and observation strategy is given. The architectural design of the instrument is discussed, and the main tradeoffs are outlined. An insight into the results of the performance simulations is provided.

Towards architectural foundations for cognitive self-aware systems

In this talk we address a proposal concerning a methodology for extracting universal, domain neutral, architectural design patterns from the analysis of biological cognition. This will render a set of design principles and design patterns oriented towards the construction of better machines. Bio- inspiration cannot be a one step process if we we are going to to build robust, dependable autonomous agents; we must build solid theories first, departing from natural systems, and supporting our designs of artificial ones.

3D teaching: the ideal complement for professionals in design and construction

Today, the requirement of professional skills to university students is constantly increasing in our society. In our opinion, the content offered in official degrees need to be nourished with different variables, enriching their global professional knowledge in a parallel way; that is why, in recent years, there is a great multiplicity of complementary courses at university. One of the most socially demanded technical requirements within the architectural, design or engineering field is the management of 3D drawing software, becoming an indispensable reality in these sectors. Thus, this specific training becomes essential over two-dimension traditional design, because the inclusion of great possibilities of spatial development that go beyond conventional orthographic projections (plans, sections or elevations), allowing modelling and rotation of the selected items from multiple angles and perspectives. Therefore, this paper analyzes the teaching methodology of a complementary course for those technicians in the construction industry interested in computer-aided design, using modelling (SketchupMake) and rendering programs (Kerkythea). The course is developed from the technician point of view, by learning computer management and its application to professional development from a more general to a more specific view through practical examples. The proposed methodology is based on the development of real examples in different professional environments such as rehabilitation, new constructions, opening projects or architectural design. This multidisciplinary contribution improves criticism of students in different areas, encouraging new learning strategies and the independent development of three-dimensional solutions. Thus, the practical implementation of new situations, even suggested by the students themselves, ensures active participation, saving time during the design process and the increase of effectiveness when generating elements which may be represented, moved or virtually tested. In conclusion, this teaching-learning methodology improves the skills and competencies of students to face the growing professional demands of society. After finishing the course, technicians not only improved their expertise in the field of drawing but they also enhanced their capacity for spatial vision; both essential qualities in these sectors that can be applied to their professional development with great success.

Design America /

"June 1990."

Green Peter Reservoir, Middle Santiam River, Oregon; design memorandum.

no. 4. Right Bank Road [and] 4 supplements.--no. 8. Clearing: Green Peter Dam.--no.9. Geology and foundations--no. 10. Concrete dam.--no. 11. Powerhouse and switchyard; preliminary design report [and [suppl] 1. Powerhouse; structural and architectural design. [suppl] 2. Powerhouse; mechanical design. no. 13. Fish facilities.--no. 14. Concrete aggregates.

Building by design /

Cover title.

Building by design /

A grants program supported by Build Illinois, and the National Endowment for the Arts.