Parametric Design

In the hot, dry climate regions of Algeria, traditional buildings are constructed with cooling strategies to cope with harsh climatic conditions. The dominance of direct solar irradiance in these regions requires that building facades be well shaded, allowing for controlled solar transmittance to reduce cooling loads and minimise energy consumption. The Mashrabiya was one of the traditional shading strategies, controlling excess solar radiation and improving interior thermal comfort. Numerous studies have demonstrated that static shading can allow direct radiation to penetrate the building during overheated periods. Shading design must prevent this; however, during colder periods of the year, it is preferable to allow solar radiation to enter the building. This response can be achieved through dynamic shading systems with automated control. This research aims to evaluate the effect and performance of adaptive Mashrabiya as a kinetic sunscreen through parametric simulation, to improve indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency. These objectives are achieved by integrating solar control with parametric Mashrabiya design to regulate solar radiation intensity and minimise cooling demand. The simulation findings, using parametric tools (Geco and Honeybee plugins for Grasshopper), showed that direct radiation was reduced by 17.9%, resulting in a 43% reduction in energy consumption, accompanied by a corresponding decrease in indoor air temperature of between 4.0°C and 4.8°C. These simulation-based results suggest promising potential for improving building performance and provide valuable insights for early-stage design.

The archaeology of premodern urbanism is a growing field of research. In the cross-cultural and comparative study of the deep history of human settlement and activity, archaeology plays a pivotal role. It is the sole discipline capable of revealing alternative and heterogenous forms of urbanism, and of discovering surprising and unexpected cities in regions and periods that have been hitherto overlooked by traditional approaches. This multifaceted scenario encompasses a range of phenomena, including temporary agglomerations, low-density megasites, cities that precede the formation of states, and collective or acephalous forms of government. In recent years, there has been a notable shift in research focus towards the social aspects of coming together, both positive and negative. The first includes, for example, energized crowing, while the latter are the so-called ‘urban graveyard effect’ and the effects of scalar stress.

La presente investigación comprende el estudio de las condiciones térmicas en una vivienda prototipo, ubicada en Ecuador en la provincia de Pichincha en la Central del Bambú Andoas. Esta edificación fue elaborada con paneles de guadua con texturas y recubrimientos en las envolventes. Se emplea una metodología experimental basada en criterios bioambientales con registros de temperatura ambiental en los espacios de la vivienda, en un lapso de 7 días, para determinar el comportamiento térmico promedio de la construcción en guadua y comparar estos resultados con dos materiales comúnmente utilizados en la zona como son el bloque de hormigón alivianado y el ladrillo macizo, con el uso de simulaciones respectivas de cada material en un prototipo digital y comparar los comportamientos del  confort térmico en un día promedio. Así también comportamiento térmico de las superficies con el análisis termográfico en la envolvente edilicia. Los resultados obtenidos ponen en evidencia que los laminados en guadua, presentan mayor rango de horario de confort térmico en ambientes interiores con respecto a los materiales tradicionales utilizados en la construcción con sistemas de regulación térmica con sistemas pasivos, con una adecuada orientación en su implantación.

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Our paper presents research on the development of technologies and methodologies to support preliminary design phases through data based modelling. A digital parametric model informs costs evaluations and supports iterative and visual space exploration solutions. Thanks to associative modelling, the architectural conception is renewed and digital tools support design decision-making in a creative way. We propose to make project cost a design parameter through an interactive handling of a 3D geometric model that is relevant to strategic architectural intentions. In our experimentation, cost calculation spreadsheets are linked to a parametric models. An initial substructure of the building cost is defined based on the architectural concepts. The parametric tool directly informs the evaluation spreadsheet and a real time cost analysis is afforded to the designer. The tool supports the design process by displaying immediate feed back to the designer who can consider and control the financial implications of his hypothesis.

This work aims to apply parametric design in order to minimize the embodied greenhouse gas emissions and operational energy in a zero emission building in Oslo, Norway. An original generative workflow based on parametric design was developed in the Grasshopper environment to conduct energy analyses such as solar radiation and daylighting, and environmental impact analysis, in order to evaluate the embodied and operational greenhouse gas emissions of the building. The workflow was generated in order to parametrically control several building features while varying the building shape, the dimensions of construction components and the quantity of materials. The process leads to the generation of shapes with the least environmental impact. The workflow allows the modification of the initial shape of the Base Case by running iterative simulations through the Galapagos and Octopus evolutionary solvers. For each stage of the shape's optimization, through passive and active strategies, the embodied emissions and energy balances were estimated in order to evaluate how the building design would vary in terms of energy and environmental impact and to identify the implications for the design. This paper shows how design options with low levels of embodied emissions can be generated and optimized automatically, and also demonstrates how a parametric design approach provides the designer with suggestions of low-impact solutions, which can then be integrated and considered early in, and throughout, the design process in a holistic manner.

Throughout history, technology has had a crucial influence on the development of our society. Different eras have been defined by sets of technological advancements, which at the same time had a profound impact on the built environment and construction. It has been proposed that, after the internet age, we are entering a new era-the 'Augmented Age' (King, 2016), while physicist Michio Kaku argues for the future in which architects rely heavily on Augmented Reality technologies (Kaku, 2015). Machines have become an inseparable part of our daily life. We are immersing ourselves into rapidly developing mixed realities, with portable devices (smartphones, tablets etc.) augmenting our perception of the environment. Barriers between humans and machines are increasingly blurred, and the modes of interaction between them becoming progressively sophisticated at a rapid pace. The future of manufacturing jobs will be embedded with technological add-ons that will augment the capabilities of the workers. This augmentation will come from the XR devices, including (Augmented and Mixed reality) and human-machine collaboration and automation. This relation between technology and human labour will have a high impact on architecture. It will change the traditional roles in the production chain, affecting everything from the way we design to the ways we manufacture. Concepts like designer and artisan are again brought together through Immersive technology. In the same way, the barriers between user and designer are continuously diluted through these technological advances. This paper reflects on the current state of XR technologies in architecture and how they will influence design and production.

This study aimed to investigate the need for adaptive post-flood housing solutions in South Kalimantan's peatland regions, where low soil bearing capacity and frequent flooding required innovative construction methods. To achieve this objective, parametric design and digital fabrication were combined to optimize vernacular structures, improving resilience, efficiency, and adaptability. A control-parameter workflow was developed, involving structural profile recommendations, parametric modeling, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations, design iterations, and prototype fabrication. Tools such as Rhinoceros 3D, Grasshopper, and Karamba3D supported structural simulations, while Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and laser-cutting technologies enabled precise prototype fabrication. The results showed that optimizing the Kacapuri foundation reduced deformation, minimized material use, and improved load distribution. Local materials, including ulin and galam wood, improved environmental compatibility, reinforcing structure's suitability for peatland conditions. Scaled prototypes confirmed the system's ability to withstand critical loads, showing structural stability under simulated flood pressures. The study emphasized the effectiveness of combining modern computational tools with traditional construction methods, though further field testing was needed to validate the system's real-world performance. Therefore, future studies should explore alternative materials and incorporate machine learning to improve design flexibility. These results also contributed to the development of sustainable, disaster-resilient housing for vulnerable, flood-prone communities.

The increasing emphasis on sustainability and energy efficiency in the construction sector has driven the exploration of innovative solutions to enhance building performance. This study investigates the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) in constructing thermally efficient facade panels. Drawing inspiration from biomimetic principles, the research explores how hexagonal geometries, can optimise material usage and thermal performance while maintaining structural integrity; leveraging parametric modelling tools, such as Grasshopper, the study systematically iterates through geometric configurations to balance thermal resistance, material efficiency, and aesthetic objectives. The proposed panels incorporate surface reliefs and optimised internal voids to reduce heat transfer via conduction, convection, and radiation. A computational design framework integrates thermal simulations, solar radiation analysis, and structural considerations to validate design performance. Fabrication is executed using a robotic arm equipped with an extruder, enabling precise deposition of cementitious material and demonstrating scalable manufacturing processes without traditional formwork. Key findings highlight the interplay between geometry, material distribution, and robotic manufacturing, showing that advanced designs can achieve self-shading effects, reduce thermal bridging, and improve energy efficiency. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of surface texturing and cavity optimisation in minimising solar heat gain and enhancing insulation properties. Despite printing tolerances and prototype scaling challenges, the study validates the feasibility of creating customisable, sustainable facade solutions for diverse climatic contexts. This research underscores the transformative potential of integrating biomimetic design, parametric optimisation, and additive manufacturing to redefine energy-efficient building envelopes. It sets the groundwork for future advancements in scalable, sustainable construction practices that address contemporary environmental and performance-driven challenges.

La transizione digitale ha introdotto una dinamica di quotidiana convivenza e interazione tra la dimensione organica degli esseri viventi e la diversità inorganica di oggetti tecnologici 'senzienti' , ovvero in grado di registrare e reagire ai comportamenti biologici. Si tratta di un fenomeno il cui impatto sui modi di osservare e progettare il paesaggio è ancora in larga parte da esplorare. Il contributo riflette sulle possibilità di avvalersi delle capacità computazionali di tali strumenti come alleate nella costruzione di un progetto aperto e adattativo, capace di tenere insieme unicità e differenze biologiche, culturali e sociali. Al fine di invertire eventuali esiti omologanti della globalizzazione, ma anche della digitalizzazione stessa, se intesa solo come mero progresso tecnico guidato da logiche di ottimizzazione, si propongono possibili chiavi di lettura per immaginare nuove relazioni con l'alterità delle tecnologie digitali e per individuare alcune traiettorie utili ad ampliare il campo di azione del progettista.

Digital transition has introduced dynamics of everyday cohabitation and interaction between the organic dimension of living beings and the inorganic diversity of 'sentient' technological objects, able to record and react to biological behaviors. It is a phenomenon whose impact on ways of observing and designing the landscape is yet to be largely explored. The contribution reflects on the possibilities of using the computational capacity of digital technologies as allies for an open and adaptive project, capable of keeping together biological, cultural and social uniqueness and differences. To help reversing possible homologating impacts of globalisation, but also of digitalisation itself, if understood merely as a process of technical advancement pursuing optimisation logics, possible conceptual frameworks are proposed to imagine new relations with this technological otherness and to identify some trajectories useful to broaden the designer's field of action.

In urban planning, a common unit of measurement for population density is the number of households per hectare. However, the actual size of the households is seldom considered, neither in 2D nor in 3D. This paper proposes a method to calculate the average size of the household in existing urban areas from available open data and to use it as a design parameter for new urban development. The proposed unit of measurement includes outdoor and indoor spaces, the latter comprising both residential and non-residential spaces. As a test case, a to-be-planned neighbourhood in Amsterdam, called Sloterdijk One, was chosen. First, the sizes of "typical" households, as well as a series of KPIs, were computed in existing neighbourhoods of Amsterdam, based on their similarities with the envisioned Sloterdijk One plan. Successively, the resulting size of the household was used as a design parameter in a custom-made tool to generate semiautomatically several design proposals for Sloterdijk One. Additionally, each proposal can be exported as a CityGML model and visualised using web-based virtual globes, too. Significant differences among the resulting proposals based on this new unit of measurement were encountered, meaning that the average size of a household plays indeed a major role.

The scientific literature offers a wide range of studies evidencing the progress done in the retrofit actions dealing with the current building stock; however, renovations of hospitals are still an open field of research due to their typical complexity that is usually associated with a very challenging updating processes to maintain or increase operational level. The paper provides a synthesis of a study developed by a team of the Department of Architecture for Saint Orsola Hospital in Bologna with the scope to explore innovative retrofitting strategies. The brief provided by the management unit of the hospital was connected to the general renovation plan involving the entire site and particularly some existing buildings taking into account some limitations concerning budget availabilities and everyday activities needed to ensure acceptable service level for the end users. The design approach starts from defining a basic unit (a typical hospital room) that is deeply analyzed to report the starting conditions (indoor environmental parameters) and then used to simulate the potential impacts of retrofitting actions on its performances. The results allowed to parametrically develop a step by step strategy scaled on each building sector and on the building as a whole to evaluate the global impact on energy performances while considering time and costs of each retrofitting options.

The scientific literature offers a wide range of studies evidencing the progress done in the retrofit actions dealing with the current building stock; however, renovations of hospitals are still an open field of research due to their typical complexity that is usually associated with a very challenging updating processes to maintain or increase operational level. The paper provides a synthesis of a study developed by a team of the Department of Architecture for Saint Orsola Hospital in Bologna with the scope to explore innovative retrofitting strategies. The brief provided by the management unit of the hospital was connected to the general renovation plan involving the entire site and particularly some existing buildings taking into account some limitations concerning budget availabilities and everyday activities needed to ensure acceptable service level for the end users. The design approach starts from defining a basic unit (a typical hospital room) that is deeply analyzed to repo...

Exploring the Language of Music Through the Ages
From the chants of ancient civilizations to the bold innovations of Modernism, music has always been humanity’s universal language. Each era tells its own story through melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and the unique timbres of voices and instruments.
I’ve just completed a detailed compendium tracing the musical elements across history — not a “complete encyclopedia,” but a deep, engaging journey into how music evolved, shaped culture, and reflected the human spirit.
If you’ve ever wondered why Medieval chants sound so different from Romantic symphonies, or how instruments developed into the orchestra we know today, this work is for you.
Whether you’re a student, teacher, or lifelong lover of music, I invite you to explore and join the conversation about how these elements continue to resonate in our world today.
Music is more than sound — it is history, culture, and humanity expressed in harmony.
#MusicHistory #Education #Learning #Timbre #Melody #Harmony #Rhythm #Texture #Form

The research introduces a new methodology for developing a tracker based on the use of artificial intelligence technologies such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Fuzzy logic (FL) to track the Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) for Photovoltaic Systems (PV). The proposed neuronal-Fuzzy tracker action is achieved in two successive phases. In the first stage, the optimum operating tension (Voltage of Maximum Power Point, VMPP) for the PV system is estimated using a developed model of neural tension estimator (VMPP ANN Estimator, VMPP-ANNE), using the use of open circuit technology to obtain the database necessary to train the problem neural network for the neuronal estimator model. In the second stage, the value of the appropriate duty cycle is determined, using a developed model for the Fuzzy logic Controller (DFLC). Where the error in voltage and its variability is the input variables of the Fuzzy controller DFLC, which is used to determine the appropriate the duty cycle, which is used to control the DC-DC Boost Converter switching cycle. Thus, the proposed MPPT-ANN-DFLC is characterized by high MPP point tracking performance, on the one hand because it is based on the use of neuron networks that are characterized by high accuracy and very fast VMPP determination. On the other hand, the proposed tracker, is based on the use of Fuzzy logic that improves the dynamic performance of the DFLC controller. Simulation results performed in Matlab/Simulink environment showed the best performance of the proposed MPPT-ANN-DFLC tracker, compared to using several other reference tracker models.

Conforme pontua , a desigualdade social nas cidades se manifesta na segregação ambiental e na ocupação irregular do solo. Essa segregação ocorre quando parte da população, sem recursos para morar em áreas consolidadas, se desloca para regiões inadequadas, frequentemente em áreas de preservação, como várzeas e encostas. Essa situação se agrava durante eventos climáticos intensos, como chuvas, quando essas áreas fragilizadas pela ocupação estão mais suscetíveis a alagamentos e deslizamentos, colocando a vida dos moradores em risco. Este texto busca refletir sobre como a verticalização pode ser uma possível solução para os habitantes afetados por desastres naturais e políticas de habitação popular. A discussão será contextualizada através da cidade de Ipatinga-MG e viabilizada pela modelagem paramétrica, que cria cenários possíveis por meio da simulação computacional. Esse método flexível e automatizado ajusta parâmetros variáveis, permitindo que a modelagem acompanhe as mudanças. No planejamento urbano, essa ferramenta simula cenários e avalia os impactos dos parâmetros que moldam as cidades. O uso de meios computacionais no planejamento urbano é uma abordagem recente, que pode ajudar a solucionar problemas urbanos, proporcionando um controle dinâmico nas intervenções e avaliações de sistemas

This paper describes a framework of concepts and processes that support teams to construct and explore design spaces maximizing social, environmental, and economic value. The framework guides teams through processes of problem formulation, alternative generation, impact analysis, and value assessment. The paper describes an extensible supporting computational infrastructure based on a system integration approach and structured in four layers: parametric user interface, analysis engines, software interfaces, and data visualization. The paper describes implemented functionality in terms of goal and preference-setting, parametric modeling, energy, daylight, view, first cost, lifecycle cost and lifecycle carbon, and demonstrates application through a test case. The paper concludes with evidence about the power and flexibility of the DSC framework with the results of a professional case study, and a survey of professional and student architects who have been trained in constructing and e...

This paper presents the bioinformed design of tensegrities based in the application of configurative logics of biotensegrities. Its purpose is to accomplish dynamic tensegrities, potentially applicable in the design of innovative technological devices. This article presents the analysis and design of three types of models: a) the Universal Tensegrity Joints introduced by Fuller, b) the Abstract Dynamic Units, and c) Bioinformed Dynamic Units. The methodology is based on simulating movements with parametric modeling in Rhinoceros software, with the usage of Grasshopper and Kangaroo plugins. Thus, a first classification of UDAs and the first phase of UDB models for leg and shoulder were obtained.

Why AI is Suddenly Everywhere in
Architecture
The last decade has seen a convergence of three forces that made AI a practical partner for
architects:
Driver What it means for design
Explosion of data (BIM, IoT sensors, climate
databases)
Machines can learn from past projects,
performance logs, and urban datasets.
Advances in generative AI (large language
models, diffusion models, reinforcement
learning)
Designers can ask a system to “imagine” or
“optimize” solutions in seconds.
Computational design tools (Grasshopper,
Rhino, Revit APIs)
Seamless pipelines to feed AI-generated
geometry or parameters into the design
workflow.
What used to be a “nice-to-have” computational add-on is now a co-creative partner that can
affect every stage of the architectural process—from initial concept to post-occupancy tuning.

Due to insufficient stiffness of gear transmission and presence of backlashes, oscillations and reduced positioning accuracy may occur in automatic control systems. This paper gives an analysis of the impact mechanism of gear backlashes, as well as the ways of reducing or eliminating their influence on the system performance. Introduction of divided gears can eliminate backlash introduced effects but can also decrease the resonance maximum frequency and move it near the cut-off frequency or even in the pass-band of the system making it unstable. Examples and calculations are presented which show how to eliminate these problems.

Consider the set of monic fourth-order real polynomials transformed so that the constant term is one. In the three-dimensional space of the coefficients describing this set, the domain of asymptotic stability is bounded by a surface with the Whitney umbrella singularity. The maximum of the real parts of the roots of these polynomials is globally minimized at the Swallowtail singular point of the discriminant surface of the set corresponding to a negative real root of multiplicity four. Motivated by this example, we review recent works on robust stability, abscissa optimization, heavily damped systems, dissipation-induced instabilities, and eigenvalue dynamics in order to point out some connections that appear to be not widely known.

The advent and subsequent popularity of low cost, low power CMOS vision sensors enables us to integrate processing logic on the camera chip itself, thereby creating so-called smart sensors. They have an on-chip SIMD data processing array controlled by an off-chip controller. Smart sensors can execute low-level image processing routines as soon as one or more image lines are converted; they do not have to wait for the whole image. High level image processing like feature extraction and object detection and tracking can be performed with a separate powerful off-chip processor.

This paper explores the emerging role of artificial intelligence (AI) in architectural design, focusing on data-driven approaches that are transforming traditional workflows. As architectural challenges become increasingly complex-driven by climate change, urbanisation, and digital expectations-AI offers new possibilities for generating, analysing, and optimising spatial solutions. By evaluating current tools such as generative design algorithms, machine learning systems, and real-time simulation software, the study examines both the potential and the limitations of AI in shaping the future of architecture. The paper also considers ethical, social, and practical implications of AI integration within design processes.

Gothic architecture, and especially window tracery, exhibits quite complex geometric shape configurations. But this complexity is achieved by combining only a few basic geometric patterns. We present some principles of this long-standing domain, together with some delicate details, and show how the constructions of some prototypic Gothic windows can be formalized using our Generative Modeling Language (GML). The emphasis of our procedural approach is on modularization, so that complex configurations can be obtained from combining elementary constructions. Different combinations of specific parametric features can be grouped together, which leads to the concept of styles. They permit to differentiate between the basic shape and its appearance, i.e., in a particular ornamental decoration. This leads to an extremely compact representation for a whole class of shapes, which can nevertheless be quickly evaluated to obtain a connected manifold mesh of a particular window instance. The resulting mesh may also contain free-form surface parts, represented as subdivision surfaces.

The lightwell is an architectural solution to promote daylight into the internal spaces from the core of a building. The shaft configurations, such as geometry and reflectance can affect the performance of the daylighting entering the adjoining rooms under different conditions. This study aims to indicate the adequate architectural solutions to improve the daylighting performance of buildings with lightwells at three different southern latitudes. From a base model of 6-stories building, alternative cases were parametrically simulated using Rhinoceros, GrassHopper and ClimateStudio software. From variations in the lightwell geometry and walls reflectance, the cases were analyzed considering the lighting metrics UDI and sDA300. Results demonstrate that the daylighting is adequate on the floors near the top of the building and weakens towards the base of it. In Macapá, São Paulo and Chile, the sDA values reach 100 % on the top floor, but only 3 % on the first floor. It was also observe...

Three parametric design systems were tested by the authors to assess their suitability for undergraduate teaching. We used criteria taken from the 'cognitive dimensions' literature and an exercise of typical geometric operations in ascending order of complexity. For each system the cognitive barriers associated with the sequence of operations were plotted to create a 'learning curve'. Different parametric systems presented distinctly different learning curves. The test exercise had to be completed in its entirety to assess the potential challenges which students with different educational levels, skills and abilities might encounter, so a single expert user conducted the tests. This research is intended to develop methods, both design exercises and evaluative criteria that could be used in future empirical studies.

Three parametric design systems were tested by the authors to assess their suitability for undergraduate teaching. We used criteria taken from the 'cognitive dimensions' literature and an exercise of typical geometric operations in ascending order of complexity. For each system the cognitive barriers associated with the sequence of operations were plotted to create a 'learning curve'. Different parametric systems presented distinctly different learning curves. The test exercise had to be completed in its entirety to assess the potential challenges which students with different educational levels, skills and abilities might encounter, so a single expert user conducted the tests. This research is intended to develop methods, both design exercises and evaluative criteria that could be used in future empirical studies.

High-pressure die casting (HPDC) is a process used for creating complex components by injecting the molten metal inside the cavity at high pressure. Failure in die casting may reduce product mechanical properties, surface quality, and life cycle. In this paper, the die-casting process of an inspection instrument – test piece is investigated for parametric study and Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. Parameters used in the die-casting process are important since it affects the molten flow quality inside the cavity. Thus, a parametric study is done to investigate the optimum parameter use in the die-casting process of the test piece. Runner gating system design is also one of the important criteria to maintain the quality of products. This paper also investigated the effect of runner gating system design optimization in reducing gas porosity. The CT scan of the sample mold is included to compare the relationships between gas porosity occurrence with CFD results. This paper p...

Increasing living standards highlights the important role of daylighting in enhancing thermal, and visual comfort. Shadings, as well-known building facade elements, encourage efficient energy usage, can offer multiple health benefits to users, and help create more efficient working spaces by solving potential issues of glare and heat through daylight control.

Unfolding" is a pavilion comprised of six lightweight structures designed for the London Design Biennale 2021. "UnFolding" examines the potential for using engineered timber with digital tools to produce flexible interiors. The pavilion is folded through kerfing methods into fractal-based structures. Extensive research, testing and sample fabrication to acquire optimal flexibility of different timber members through kerf patterns was accomplished for the project.

This paper summarizes the ongoing research done on The Bishopsgate Tower in the City of London using parametric design methodologies. The process is indicative of how computational methods will develop in the future and help designers find solutions for increasingly complex spaces.

This paper summarizes the ongoing research on the Bishopsgate Tower in the City of London designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. We present a prerational geometry computational solution targeting a constraint-aware exploration of the architectural design-space, while interactively optimizing building performance in terms of constructability and cost-efficiency. We document a novel approach in building metrics optimization supported by parametric technologies and embedded analytical algorithms. The process is indicative of how computational methods will develop in the future and help designers find solutions for increasingly complex spaces.

The use of parametric modeling and calculation tools to assess the insolation characteristics of architectural objects allows us to make a qualitative assessment of the degree of heating of the building exterior, which therefore accelerates the stage of preliminary design of sun protection elements and clearly demonstrates their effectiveness. Rhino and grasshopper are convenient tools that can be used for this purpose. Using grasshopper plug-ins, we have a visually clear diagram that demonstrates the stability of the use of various additional facade solutions. Optimization and improvement of the exterior helps to avoid energy loss, which contributes to savings and improves environmental friendliness, this allows architects to follow global trends in energy efficiency sustainability.

Daylighting provision is an efficient approach in achieving a healing environment. Several researches praised the effect of daylight on stress reduction, shorter hospital length of stay, and the increasing of patients’ satisfaction. The building façade has the primary role in controlling the indoor environment. In addition to daylighting, Double-Skin Façade (DSF) is an approach that can create a balance between patients’ needs without sacrificing energy reduction and thermal comfort in the hot arid desert climate. This paper aimed at investigating the effect of fixed horizontal louvers integration in a multi-story double-skin façade to enhance daylighting performance and visual comfort in south-oriented patient rooms located in Cairo, Egypt. Rhinoceros software was used for modeling the proposed designs coupled with Diva-4-Rhino for daylighting simulations. The effect of changing louver’s depth and slats’ number resulted in 16 designs that were modeled for examination. Daylighting p...

Additive Manufacturing (AM) offers transformative opportunities to create functionally hybridized, insulating, monolithic AM wall elements. The novel fabrication methods of AM allow for the production of highly differentiated building components with intricate internal and external geometries, aiming for reduced material use while integrating and enhancing building performance features including thermal insulation performance. This study focuses on integrating such thermal insulation performance by leveraging the individual features of three distinct AM processes: Selective Paste Intrusion (SPI), Selective Cement Activation (SCA), and Extrusion 3D Concrete Printing (E3DCP). Using a simulation-based parametric design approach, this research investigates 4,500 variations of monolithic AM façade elements derived from a generative hexagonal cell layout with differing wall widths, the three respective AM processes, different material compositions with and without lightweight aggregates, and three different insulation strategies, namely, airfilled cells, encapsulated lightweight aggregates, and additional insulation material within the cavities. Thermal performance feedback is realized via 2D heat flux simulations embedded into a parametric design workflow, and structural performance is considered in a simplified way via geometric and material-specific evaluation. The overall research goal is a multi-objective design optimization, particularly identifying façade configurations that achieve a U-value of less than 0.28 W/m 2 K and a theoretical compressive strength exceeding 2.70 MN per meter wall length. The results of this study detect 7% of all generated variations in line with these thermal and structural requirements, validating the feasibility of monolithic, thermally insulating AM

The laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) method, more commonly known as selective laser melting (SLM), is one of the most common metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes. It is a layer-by-layer fabrication process where each powder layer is melted and fused by a laser beam, which traverses over the designated part geometry cross-section, as defined by a sliced CAD model. The LPBF process is being popularly used to manufacture end products of intricate geometry for various industries, such as the automobile, aerospace, defence, and biomedical industries. In designing parts, the topology optimisation (TO) technique can be effectively employed to optimise the distribution of material throughout the part and obtain the minimum volume/weight without compromising the mechanical performance of the component. This study focusses on the design optimisation and validation of the optimisation approaches used for LPBF-printed AlSi12 metal parts. The mechanical performance of three different topolo...

A nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO 2 ) powder, with Zr (0.5-1 %) and Nb (0.5-1 %) impurities, is fabricated using a modified hydrothermal method, with lowgrade mineral precursors. Samples were then sintered at 600, 800, and 1,000 • C, then analysed using XRD (crystallite size and phase conversion temperature), scanning electron microscope (SEM) (morphology), N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms (surface area), and UV-vis-NIR (absorbance and optical transmission) to study the effects of sintering on the structural and optical properties of the synthesized nanopowders. It was discovered that sintering to 1,000 • C reduces the surface area by 99 %, and increases the crystallite size by almost 2,000 %. Meanwhile, the phase conversion temperature of this sample is 33.3 % higher than that reported in the literature for 600 • C. SEM shows an extensive agglomeration and uneven distribution of nano-TiO 2 particles before sintering. However, the sintered sample shows uniformity in particle size and distribution, and even though it is reduced significantly, agglomeration is still present. The absorbance of the samples is red-shifted towards the visible region (i.e., 380-700 nm), with the optical band-gap reduced by 10 %,

Beyond its widespread use for representing technical aspects and matters of building and construction science, Building information modeling (BIM) can be used to represent architectural relationships and rules drawn from aesthetic theory. This research suggests that BIM provides not only vocabulary but also syntactical tools that can be used to capture an architectural language. In a case study using Richard Meier's language for single-family detached houses, a BIM template has been devised to represent the aesthetic concepts and relations therein. The template employs parameterized conceptual mass objects, syntactical rules, and a library of architectonic elements, such as walls, roofs, columns, windows, doors, and railings. It constrains any design produced using the template to a grammatically consistent expression or style. The template has been used as the starting point for modeling the Smith House, the Douglas House, and others created by the authors, demonstrating that the aesthetic template is general to many variations. Designing with the template to produce a unique but conforming design further illustrates the generality and expressiveness of the language. Having made the formal language explicit, in terms of syntactical rules and vocabulary, it becomes easier to vary the formal grammar and concrete vocabulary to produce variant languages and styles. Accordingly, this approach is not limited to a specific style, such as Richard Meier's. Future research can be conducted to demonstrate how designing with BIM can support stylistic change. Adoption of this approach in practice could improve the consistency of architectural designs and their coherence to defined styles, potentially increasing the general level of aesthetic expression in our built environment.

Parametric modeling and Building Information Modeling (BIM) present opportunities to radically change the architectural design process, which has similarly radical implications upon design education. These processes and technologies are demanding a broader knowledge base and deeper skill set. The same technologies and processes create opportunities to meet and surpass the traditional architectural knowledge base that forms the basis for design education. Outlined in this paper are the results of three studies that employed BIM and parametric modeling within the context of simulated professional project delivery and compares the results using the new process to the NAAB Student Performance Criteria. From these studies, it appears that the alternative design method that employs BIM and parametric modeling is more rigorous and effective than the traditional method of instructing students with respect to the Student Performance Criteria in Realm B: Integrated Building Practices.

Manufacturing industries typically have a strong history and focus on development and production of physical products as their strategic core competence. However, today due to more and more software within mechatronic products one can recognize a rethinking towards interdisciplinary product development. Further, in many areas of manufacturing industries the pure product-oriented focus shifts to the stakeholder (customer) needs. Those two aspects drive the need to describe the physical product not only by geometry and properties, but also by its structure and behavior, as well as to interpret and predict the product and its behavior. This paper is a concept paper to discuss the evolution of virtual product modelling and model management in order to determine potential areas of future research and discussion. Previous and ongoing research work and projects are referenced and brought in context. Moreover, a framework is introduced which helps to position previous, ongoing and future research work as well as industry concepts. Further, it provides boundaries of future steps of evolution in the field of virtual product modelling and model management towards "Digitized Engineering".

The research presented here reports on current advances in tying simulation and analysis of environmental building performance to design authoring software. A brief review of developments leading up to the convergence between design authoring and environmental performance testing helps to explain the current status-quo. Many of the applications available today are rooted in early research efforts that date back to the early days of Personal Computers (or even before). A small case study complements the historic review and offers some perspectives about tool selection in an educational design-studio setting.

With academic curricula for architectural education increasingly packed with new and expanding fields of inquiry, questions emerge on how to incorporate the ever-growing number of subjects that tackle the use of computational tools for design and delivery. This paper analyses approaches to blended learning under a semi-flipped classroom model where learning content gets divided into complementary in-class and online components. The author describes the epistemological challenges in curating the blended-learning mix and discusses ways to optimise learning outcomes while minimising the effort for custom content-development of training material. Two subjects taught at the author's home institution (one in Computational Design and the other for BIM education) serve as case studies to test the flipped classroom approach and to derive feedback from students about their preferred method of delivery.

The increased proliferation of computational tools for building performance evaluation during conceptual design has led to a fundamental transformation in architectural education over the past decade. Morphological exploration and form-finding in the studio setting now gets more and more enriched by environmental performance feedback that allows students to test their design in unprecedented ways. This paper contextualises the underlying developments leading to this changed context that results in greater convergence of information from various software applications, facilitated via digital means. The author presents the process and the outcomes of a recent architectural design studio as an example of how this convergence unfolds in an academic setting. The studio example highlights how the fluid interaction between parametric design techniques and environmental performance feedback enriches the students' abilities to engage with their design processes in innovative ways.

The investigation presented in this paper focuses on the following questions: How can engineering and architectural expertise guide a process of digital optimisation and add structural 'awareness' in real time to aesthetic considerations (or vice versa)? How can building geometry be set up computationally in order to render it 'sensitive' to structural input? Which tools are required to foster this interaction? The authors of this paper form a team of researchers and practitioners from architectural and engineering background who combine their efforts to address the issue of interconnecting design intelligence across disciplines and advancing work methodologies in practice assisted by academic research. A live case study project is presented as a test scenario in order to find answers the above questions.

This paper explores the pedagogical context for the inclusion of daylight and wind simulation as part of architectural design-studio teaching. The author describes both challenges as well as opportunities encountered by architecture students who applied high-end technology for optimizing environmental conditions during the conceptual design of a residential project within a thirteen week studio. Students located their projects in an inner urban context in a 'Temperate' climate zone, meaning that they had to account for hot conditions in summer while considering wind-chill factors in winter. Based on the studio experience, the paper scrutinizes how students tackled Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and daylight analysis on different scales of their project. The paper explores how the engagement with latest tools available to architecture students changes their ability to discuss building physics with engineers and question precedence typology. The author describes the pedagogical challenges when helping architecture students to overcome obstacles in communicating engineering aspects inherent to the design process.

In contemporary building practice, the hegemony of 2D-based design communication is gradually being challenged by the possibilities offered by integrated 3D design environments and digital interfaces. The upcoming application of building information modeling (BIM) offers a way out of the current Babylonian plurality of non-compatible modeling-languages in order to push software developers and users to convert towards one common industry standard for data exchange. It is a clear aim of those propagating the use of BIM to strengthen the interaction of design teams and to assist facilities management through common standards for increased interoperability and data-management from the early design stage to completion and operation of a building. Current BIM capabilities rather seem to lie in the area of design documentation and post-design rationalization than triggering new design solutions. This paper sheds light on the status-quo of BIM and questions how designers can complement the current BIM capabilities to increase design-communication and a more seamless flow of information between various parties in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC).

The research presented here reports on current advances in tying simulation and analysis of environmental building performance to design authoring software. A brief review of developments leading up to the convergence between design authoring and environmental performance testing helps to explain the current status-quo. Many of the applications available today are rooted in early research efforts that date back to the early days of Personal Computers (or even before). A small case study complements the historic review and offers some perspectives about tool selection in an educational design-studio setting.

This paper describes the usage of parametric design and evolutionary optimisation techniques in architect-engineer collaborations. It discusses the apparent challenges in setting up a trans-disciplinary working-platform that cuts across profession-specific boundaries and negotiates between the otherwise distinct work-methodologies through the use of intelligent CAAD applications. Two approaches to architectural form finding have been combined in this research. The first, parametric design, uses a proprietary package as a key element to the organisation and reorganisation of architectural design. By doing so, it is providing it with intrinsic flexibility allowing designers to go beyond form and accommodate performance data for versioning. The second, ESO (Evolutionary Structural Optimisation), is an engineering tool based on the use of finite element analysis (FEA) capable of optimising the formal geometry of an object to obtain minimum volume under even stress-distribution through a...