Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA)
The dualities of "humanity and nature," "organic and inorganic," and "artificial and synthetic" a... more The dualities of "humanity and nature," "organic and inorganic," and "artificial and synthetic" are themes that have permeated architectural discourse since the beginning of the 20th century. The interplay between nature and machine can be directly related to the 19th-century discussion of nature and industrialism that was exemplified in the works of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright that spawned the organic architect movement. Echoes of these dichotomous themes have been resuscitated with the introduction of computational and information processing as a fundamental part of contemporary theory and critical praxis. The ability to go beyond simplistic dualities is promised by the introduction of data-informed multivariable processes that allow for complex parametric processes that introduce a range of criteria within evaluative design frameworks. The investigations detailed herein focus on surface morphology development that are explored and evaluated for their capacity to reintegrate ideas from genetic and developmental biology into an architectural discourse that has historically been dominated by the mechanistic metaphor perpetuated throughout the modern era. Biological analogs in nature suggest that the zone of decoration plays an important role in the environmental response and climate adaptability of architecture. The building envelope represents the greatest potential energetic gain or loss, as much as 50 percent; therefore, the architectural envelope plays the most significant role in the building's energy performance. Indeed, from an environmental performance standpoint, the formal response of the envelope should tend toward complexity, as biology suggests, rather than the reduced modernist aesthetic. Information architecture coupled with environment and contextual data has the potential to return the focus of design to the rhizome, as the functional expressions of climatic performance and thermal comfort interplay within other cultural, social, and economic frameworks informing the architectural artifact. Increasing the resolution that ornament requires in terms of geometric surface articulation has a reciprocal effect on the topological relationship between surface and space: the architectural envelope can respond through geometry on the surface scale in order to more responsively interface with the natural environment. This paper responds to increasing computational opportunities in architectural design and manufacturing, first by exploring the historical trajectory of discourse on nature vs. machine in architecture, then by exploring the implications for utilizing environmental data to increase the energy performance of architecture at the building periphery, where building meets environment and creates the synthetic built ecology.
A concentrating photovoltaic (PV) system is being developed as a dynamic day-lighting system for ... more A concentrating photovoltaic (PV) system is being developed as a dynamic day-lighting system for box-window curtain wall assemblies in buildings. The IC system is composed of multiple concentrator modules that are situated within a glass façade or glass atrium roof of a building and are mounted on a highly accurate, inexpensive tracking mechanism. (See Figure 1.) The system capitalizes on the structural components, encasements and maintenance schedules of the existing façade systems and uses minimal and inexpensive materials. Many of the impediments previously facing the commercialization of concentrating systems are addressed by system integration into the substantial surface areas of large building structures that are not subject to wind and particulate loads or maintenance requirements of the stand-alone concentrators. The architectural integration of the IC system ensures an efficient transfer of electric and thermal energy into interior applications while reducing solar gain an...
A concentrating photovoltaic (PV) system is being developed as a dynamic day-lighting system for ... more A concentrating photovoltaic (PV) system is being developed as a dynamic day-lighting system for box-window curtain wall assemblies in buildings. The IC system is composed of multiple concentrator modules that are situated within a glass façade or glass atrium roof of a building and are mounted on a highly accurate, inexpensive tracking mechanism. (See Figure 1.) The system capitalizes on the structural components, encasements and maintenance schedules of the existing façade systems and uses minimal and inexpensive materials. Many of the impediments previously facing the commercialization of concentrating systems are addressed by system integration into the substantial surface areas of large building structures that are not subject to wind and particulate loads or maintenance requirements of the stand-alone concentrators. The architectural integration of the IC system ensures an efficient transfer of electric and thermal energy into interior applications while reducing solar gain an...
Thursday, January 7, 2016 8:20 10:00 Session 1 ~ Assessing the Global Emergy Baseline Integrating... more Thursday, January 7, 2016 8:20 10:00 Session 1 ~ Assessing the Global Emergy Baseline Integrating Emergy into LCA: progress made and challenges ahead Marco Raugei, Benedetto Rugani, Enrico Benetto, Wesley Ingwersen, Alejandra M. González-Mejía, Maddalena Ripa, Salvatore Mellino, Sergio Ulgiati, Mark T. Brown 1 Oxford Brookes University, Wheatley (Oxford), UK Center for Life Cycle Analysis, Columbia University New York, NY, USA Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Luxembourg 4 US EPA, Cincinnati, OH, USA Sêr Cymru National Research Network for Low Carbon, Energy and Environment, Wales, UK 6 School of Environment, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy 8 School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, China University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA The rationale for integrating emergy into life cycle assessment (LCA) has been expounded in previous contributions to this same series of conferences over the last decade,...
Emergy analyses (EMA) of buildings and architectural designs account for the materials and energy... more Emergy analyses (EMA) of buildings and architectural designs account for the materials and energy flows that go into the construction, operational life and decommissioning of a building. Many literature sources exist that reflect the UEVs for more typical building materials. However, these UEVs are often siteand time-specific, and cannot be easily extrapolated, particularly when the transportation and labor factors are taken into consideration. Furthermore, in the process of analyzing new and novel building systems, which aim to remedy the carbon and energy balance of buildings during the operational stage of their life span, we realized that many UEVs do not exist for newer more complex material systems. A study of a building-integrated solar PV system highlighted these two points. Here, many values were taken from literature to estimate the appropriate UEVs, based on life cycle analysis (LCA) databases and various studies. This led us to a deeper reflection on the opportunity of i...
Conformement a un mode de realisation, l'invention porte sur un article qui comporte : un mat... more Conformement a un mode de realisation, l'invention porte sur un article qui comporte : un materiau qui ajuste au moins une propriete de surface en reponse a une condition climatique, afin d'avoir une incidence sur l'echange d'energie entre l'exterieur et l'interieur de l'article. Conformement a un autre mode de realisation, l'invention porte sur une structure qui comporte : une enveloppe de facade de bâtiment, comportant un materiau, l'enveloppe ajustant au moins une propriete de surface en reponse a une condition climatique, afin d'avoir une incidence sur l'echange d'energie entre l'exterieur et l'interieur de l'enveloppe.
The qualification of predicted building performance through quantitative methods is as challengin... more The qualification of predicted building performance through quantitative methods is as challenging as it is crucial to the meeting of the mandate to design buildings better adapted to their bioclimatic conditions. Methods for the visualization of building performance data that have found success in the past struggle in the contemporary context of large computational data sets. While application of building performance simulation to architectural design is highly context-sensitive, existing approaches to the visualization of simulation results are generalized and provide the designer with a preconfigured battery of visualizations that are, by definition, not calibrated to specific questions or contexts. This paper presents a new prototyping visualization toolkit, developed for the Grasshopper (Rutten 2013) visual programming environment, which enables the situational development of information graphics. By enabling more nuanced and customizable views of complex data, the software des...
The qualification of predicted building performance through quantitative methods is as challengin... more The qualification of predicted building performance through quantitative methods is as challenging as it is crucial to the meeting of the mandate to design buildings better adapted to their bioclimatic conditions. Methods for the visualization of building performance data that have found success in the past struggle in the contemporary context of large computational data sets. While application of building performance simulation to architectural design is highly context-sensitive, existing approaches to the visualization of simulation results are generalized and provide the designer with a preconfigured battery of visualizations that are, by definition, not calibrated to specific questions or contexts. This paper presents a new prototyping visualization toolkit, developed for the Grasshopper (Rutten 2013) visual programming environment, which enables the situational development of information graphics. By enabling more nuanced and customizable views of complex data, the software des...
L'invention concerne une lentille de Fresnel comprenant : une partie de concentration sensibl... more L'invention concerne une lentille de Fresnel comprenant : une partie de concentration sensiblement polygonale concue pour concentrer le rayonnement solaire dans une zone possedant la meme geometrie que la partie de concentration de la lentille ; et un module solaire comprenant la lentille collectrice de Fresnel et une cellule photovoltaique sensiblement polygonale. Cette cellule polygonale est montee a une certaine distance de la lentille collectrice de Fresnel, si bien que la taille de la zone coincide sensiblement avec celle de la cellule photovoltaique. Par ailleurs un panneau solaire possedant de multiples modules integres a un systeme d'enveloppe de bâtiment vitre est prevu. Ce panneau solaire est dote d'un mecanisme d'actionnement integre au systeme d'enveloppe de baies vitrees. Le mecanisme d'actionnement est connecte operatoire a la pluralite de modules solaires et est concu pour deplacer les modules solaires et suivre le soleil.
Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 2016
Applying bio-mimicry intelligence to the aerodynamic performance of tall slender buildings has po... more Applying bio-mimicry intelligence to the aerodynamic performance of tall slender buildings has potential to lead to not only improved response to wind loading, but generate savings in material and construction costs, affect energy consumption by providing self-shading and controlling local air flow to promote local wind energy generation and ventilation strategies. To this end, the alongwind and crosswind responses of high aspect ratio (15:1) cylinders, (smooth, roughened and grooved) were obtained from wind tunnel tests in simulated smooth and rough atmospheric boundary layer flows. The influence of top, flat or domed was also studied. The Saguaro cactus-inspired cylinder with 24 circumferential grooves was seen to have large reductions ($ 20%) for mean and fluctuating alongwind base shear (drag) and overturning moments in comparison with smooth cylinders and is in agreement with 2D studies in uniform low turbulence flow. Domed tops also led to reduced drag over flat tops. Differences in fluctuating crosswind base shear (lift) and overturning moment were much less marked. In spectral terms the amplitudes of response near the pronounced vortex shedding frequency were almost unchanged, however the cactus-shape had a higher Strouhal Number indicating a shift to a higher frequency as might be attributed to a narrowing of the wake.
Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 2016
Applying bio-mimicry intelligence to the aerodynamic performance of tall slender buildings has po... more Applying bio-mimicry intelligence to the aerodynamic performance of tall slender buildings has potential to lead to not only improved response to wind loading, but generate savings in material and construction costs, affect energy consumption by providing self-shading and controlling local air flow to promote local wind energy generation and ventilation strategies. To this end, the alongwind and crosswind responses of high aspect ratio (15:1) cylinders, (smooth, roughened and grooved) were obtained from wind tunnel tests in simulated smooth and rough atmospheric boundary layer flows. The influence of top, flat or domed was also studied. The Saguaro cactus-inspired cylinder with 24 circumferential grooves was seen to have large reductions ($ 20%) for mean and fluctuating alongwind base shear (drag) and overturning moments in comparison with smooth cylinders and is in agreement with 2D studies in uniform low turbulence flow. Domed tops also led to reduced drag over flat tops. Differences in fluctuating crosswind base shear (lift) and overturning moment were much less marked. In spectral terms the amplitudes of response near the pronounced vortex shedding frequency were almost unchanged, however the cactus-shape had a higher Strouhal Number indicating a shift to a higher frequency as might be attributed to a narrowing of the wake.
International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2015
Emerging materials present opportunities to fundamentally shift current expectations of dynamic b... more Emerging materials present opportunities to fundamentally shift current expectations of dynamic building envelope functionality towards systems that can respond to occupant needs while meeting the energy demands of buildings. In order to assess the environmental, social, and architectural opportunities that are increasing with responsive building envelopes, new tools are needed to simulate their multi-performance capabilities. This paper describes a computational design framework to support human interaction with environmentally-responsive electroactive dynamic daylighting systems. The objective is to develop algorithms for variable solar control and visible transmittance that simultaneously address occupant preferences for visual effects and interaction. Results demonstrate that energy performance and user satisfaction are not mutually exclusive and can be co-optimized. The effectiveness and limitations of the computational framework in assessing strategies to balance environmental...
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2011, 2011
Human health and energy problems associated with the lack of control of sunlight in contemporary ... more Human health and energy problems associated with the lack of control of sunlight in contemporary buildings have necessitated research into dynamic windows for energy efficient buildings. Existing window technologies have made moderate progress towards greater energy performance for facades but remain limited in their response to dynamic solar conditions, building energy requirements, and variable user preferences for visual comfort. Recent developments in electropolymeric display technology provide opportunities to transfer electroactive polymers to windows that can achieve high levels of geometric and spectral selectivity through the building envelope in order to meet the lighting, thermal and user requirements of occupied spaces. Experimental simulations that investigate daylight quality, energy performance, and architectural effects of electropolymeric glazing technology are presented.
paper examines the technical intricacies linking system variables with visual comfort, daylight q... more paper examines the technical intricacies linking system variables with visual comfort, daylight quality, and pattern design of the proposed electropolymeric dynamic facade technology.
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2020
Current architectural design practice is limited in its consideration and understanding of life-c... more Current architectural design practice is limited in its consideration and understanding of life-cycle energy flows which comprise multiple phases, from material resource extraction, construction, building occupation within the built environment, and after demolition. Furthermore, bioclimatic environmental flows interact with the buildings, particularly at the building envelope, making it a rich interface for shaping energy flows towards buildings that are energy self-sufficient with clean on-site energy resources. The buildings we inhabit directly affect the greater built environment which is an inherent part local ecosystems that compose part of larger ecologies at global scales, ultimately affecting the overall biosphere. As a result, the buildings we construct, directly and indirectly, affect our economies, the health, and well-being of our societies and our natural environments. This paper explores the development of a computational framework that allows designers to visualize, ...
Architecture directly contributes to climate change by shaping material and energy flows within t... more Architecture directly contributes to climate change by shaping material and energy flows within the built environment. However, current architectural design practice is limited in its consideration and understanding of these flows. Typically, there is a focus on characterizing the building’s operational energy requirements without accounting for the full extent of the ecological and environmental impacts of building design decisions. This critical omission leads to an underestimation of the socioeconomic value of material and energy systems driven by renewable sources (sun, rain, wind, biologicals) within the conventional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Embodied Energy analyses. However, Emergy Evaluation could provide this criteria as it takes both human-applied and ecological resources into consideration. Conversely, the current process of collecting and calculating material and energy data and subsequently measuring emergy, is cumbersome, thereby reducing its accessibility to arc...
Currently, most approaches to graphic evaluative frameworks (GEFs) for the early-stage evaluation... more Currently, most approaches to graphic evaluative frameworks (GEFs) for the early-stage evaluation of bioclimatic design strategies adopt a design-tool metaphor, wherein a battery of analytical routines is performed by a software tool based upon a standardized weather file from which a stock set of graphic material is produced. In seeking to evaluate a broad range of climates and to address a wide variety of passive design strategies, existing climate visualization and evaluation tools position themselves far outside of the context of a situated design problem. Remaining agnostic to the particularities of site, program, tectonic system, and material behavior these tools become, by definition, generic. As a consequence, while such design-tools can be effective in evaluating particular relationships between environmental resource, demand profile, and built-system, they maintain a potential to be rendered ineffective in any outlying cases not specifically anticipated by their authors . ...
Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA)
The dualities of "humanity and nature," "organic and inorganic," and "artificial and synthetic" a... more The dualities of "humanity and nature," "organic and inorganic," and "artificial and synthetic" are themes that have permeated architectural discourse since the beginning of the 20th century. The interplay between nature and machine can be directly related to the 19th-century discussion of nature and industrialism that was exemplified in the works of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright that spawned the organic architect movement. Echoes of these dichotomous themes have been resuscitated with the introduction of computational and information processing as a fundamental part of contemporary theory and critical praxis. The ability to go beyond simplistic dualities is promised by the introduction of data-informed multivariable processes that allow for complex parametric processes that introduce a range of criteria within evaluative design frameworks. The investigations detailed herein focus on surface morphology development that are explored and evaluated for their capacity to reintegrate ideas from genetic and developmental biology into an architectural discourse that has historically been dominated by the mechanistic metaphor perpetuated throughout the modern era. Biological analogs in nature suggest that the zone of decoration plays an important role in the environmental response and climate adaptability of architecture. The building envelope represents the greatest potential energetic gain or loss, as much as 50 percent; therefore, the architectural envelope plays the most significant role in the building's energy performance. Indeed, from an environmental performance standpoint, the formal response of the envelope should tend toward complexity, as biology suggests, rather than the reduced modernist aesthetic. Information architecture coupled with environment and contextual data has the potential to return the focus of design to the rhizome, as the functional expressions of climatic performance and thermal comfort interplay within other cultural, social, and economic frameworks informing the architectural artifact. Increasing the resolution that ornament requires in terms of geometric surface articulation has a reciprocal effect on the topological relationship between surface and space: the architectural envelope can respond through geometry on the surface scale in order to more responsively interface with the natural environment. This paper responds to increasing computational opportunities in architectural design and manufacturing, first by exploring the historical trajectory of discourse on nature vs. machine in architecture, then by exploring the implications for utilizing environmental data to increase the energy performance of architecture at the building periphery, where building meets environment and creates the synthetic built ecology.
A concentrating photovoltaic (PV) system is being developed as a dynamic day-lighting system for ... more A concentrating photovoltaic (PV) system is being developed as a dynamic day-lighting system for box-window curtain wall assemblies in buildings. The IC system is composed of multiple concentrator modules that are situated within a glass façade or glass atrium roof of a building and are mounted on a highly accurate, inexpensive tracking mechanism. (See Figure 1.) The system capitalizes on the structural components, encasements and maintenance schedules of the existing façade systems and uses minimal and inexpensive materials. Many of the impediments previously facing the commercialization of concentrating systems are addressed by system integration into the substantial surface areas of large building structures that are not subject to wind and particulate loads or maintenance requirements of the stand-alone concentrators. The architectural integration of the IC system ensures an efficient transfer of electric and thermal energy into interior applications while reducing solar gain an...
A concentrating photovoltaic (PV) system is being developed as a dynamic day-lighting system for ... more A concentrating photovoltaic (PV) system is being developed as a dynamic day-lighting system for box-window curtain wall assemblies in buildings. The IC system is composed of multiple concentrator modules that are situated within a glass façade or glass atrium roof of a building and are mounted on a highly accurate, inexpensive tracking mechanism. (See Figure 1.) The system capitalizes on the structural components, encasements and maintenance schedules of the existing façade systems and uses minimal and inexpensive materials. Many of the impediments previously facing the commercialization of concentrating systems are addressed by system integration into the substantial surface areas of large building structures that are not subject to wind and particulate loads or maintenance requirements of the stand-alone concentrators. The architectural integration of the IC system ensures an efficient transfer of electric and thermal energy into interior applications while reducing solar gain an...
Thursday, January 7, 2016 8:20 10:00 Session 1 ~ Assessing the Global Emergy Baseline Integrating... more Thursday, January 7, 2016 8:20 10:00 Session 1 ~ Assessing the Global Emergy Baseline Integrating Emergy into LCA: progress made and challenges ahead Marco Raugei, Benedetto Rugani, Enrico Benetto, Wesley Ingwersen, Alejandra M. González-Mejía, Maddalena Ripa, Salvatore Mellino, Sergio Ulgiati, Mark T. Brown 1 Oxford Brookes University, Wheatley (Oxford), UK Center for Life Cycle Analysis, Columbia University New York, NY, USA Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Luxembourg 4 US EPA, Cincinnati, OH, USA Sêr Cymru National Research Network for Low Carbon, Energy and Environment, Wales, UK 6 School of Environment, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy 8 School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, China University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA The rationale for integrating emergy into life cycle assessment (LCA) has been expounded in previous contributions to this same series of conferences over the last decade,...
Emergy analyses (EMA) of buildings and architectural designs account for the materials and energy... more Emergy analyses (EMA) of buildings and architectural designs account for the materials and energy flows that go into the construction, operational life and decommissioning of a building. Many literature sources exist that reflect the UEVs for more typical building materials. However, these UEVs are often siteand time-specific, and cannot be easily extrapolated, particularly when the transportation and labor factors are taken into consideration. Furthermore, in the process of analyzing new and novel building systems, which aim to remedy the carbon and energy balance of buildings during the operational stage of their life span, we realized that many UEVs do not exist for newer more complex material systems. A study of a building-integrated solar PV system highlighted these two points. Here, many values were taken from literature to estimate the appropriate UEVs, based on life cycle analysis (LCA) databases and various studies. This led us to a deeper reflection on the opportunity of i...
Conformement a un mode de realisation, l'invention porte sur un article qui comporte : un mat... more Conformement a un mode de realisation, l'invention porte sur un article qui comporte : un materiau qui ajuste au moins une propriete de surface en reponse a une condition climatique, afin d'avoir une incidence sur l'echange d'energie entre l'exterieur et l'interieur de l'article. Conformement a un autre mode de realisation, l'invention porte sur une structure qui comporte : une enveloppe de facade de bâtiment, comportant un materiau, l'enveloppe ajustant au moins une propriete de surface en reponse a une condition climatique, afin d'avoir une incidence sur l'echange d'energie entre l'exterieur et l'interieur de l'enveloppe.
The qualification of predicted building performance through quantitative methods is as challengin... more The qualification of predicted building performance through quantitative methods is as challenging as it is crucial to the meeting of the mandate to design buildings better adapted to their bioclimatic conditions. Methods for the visualization of building performance data that have found success in the past struggle in the contemporary context of large computational data sets. While application of building performance simulation to architectural design is highly context-sensitive, existing approaches to the visualization of simulation results are generalized and provide the designer with a preconfigured battery of visualizations that are, by definition, not calibrated to specific questions or contexts. This paper presents a new prototyping visualization toolkit, developed for the Grasshopper (Rutten 2013) visual programming environment, which enables the situational development of information graphics. By enabling more nuanced and customizable views of complex data, the software des...
The qualification of predicted building performance through quantitative methods is as challengin... more The qualification of predicted building performance through quantitative methods is as challenging as it is crucial to the meeting of the mandate to design buildings better adapted to their bioclimatic conditions. Methods for the visualization of building performance data that have found success in the past struggle in the contemporary context of large computational data sets. While application of building performance simulation to architectural design is highly context-sensitive, existing approaches to the visualization of simulation results are generalized and provide the designer with a preconfigured battery of visualizations that are, by definition, not calibrated to specific questions or contexts. This paper presents a new prototyping visualization toolkit, developed for the Grasshopper (Rutten 2013) visual programming environment, which enables the situational development of information graphics. By enabling more nuanced and customizable views of complex data, the software des...
L'invention concerne une lentille de Fresnel comprenant : une partie de concentration sensibl... more L'invention concerne une lentille de Fresnel comprenant : une partie de concentration sensiblement polygonale concue pour concentrer le rayonnement solaire dans une zone possedant la meme geometrie que la partie de concentration de la lentille ; et un module solaire comprenant la lentille collectrice de Fresnel et une cellule photovoltaique sensiblement polygonale. Cette cellule polygonale est montee a une certaine distance de la lentille collectrice de Fresnel, si bien que la taille de la zone coincide sensiblement avec celle de la cellule photovoltaique. Par ailleurs un panneau solaire possedant de multiples modules integres a un systeme d'enveloppe de bâtiment vitre est prevu. Ce panneau solaire est dote d'un mecanisme d'actionnement integre au systeme d'enveloppe de baies vitrees. Le mecanisme d'actionnement est connecte operatoire a la pluralite de modules solaires et est concu pour deplacer les modules solaires et suivre le soleil.
Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 2016
Applying bio-mimicry intelligence to the aerodynamic performance of tall slender buildings has po... more Applying bio-mimicry intelligence to the aerodynamic performance of tall slender buildings has potential to lead to not only improved response to wind loading, but generate savings in material and construction costs, affect energy consumption by providing self-shading and controlling local air flow to promote local wind energy generation and ventilation strategies. To this end, the alongwind and crosswind responses of high aspect ratio (15:1) cylinders, (smooth, roughened and grooved) were obtained from wind tunnel tests in simulated smooth and rough atmospheric boundary layer flows. The influence of top, flat or domed was also studied. The Saguaro cactus-inspired cylinder with 24 circumferential grooves was seen to have large reductions ($ 20%) for mean and fluctuating alongwind base shear (drag) and overturning moments in comparison with smooth cylinders and is in agreement with 2D studies in uniform low turbulence flow. Domed tops also led to reduced drag over flat tops. Differences in fluctuating crosswind base shear (lift) and overturning moment were much less marked. In spectral terms the amplitudes of response near the pronounced vortex shedding frequency were almost unchanged, however the cactus-shape had a higher Strouhal Number indicating a shift to a higher frequency as might be attributed to a narrowing of the wake.
Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 2016
Applying bio-mimicry intelligence to the aerodynamic performance of tall slender buildings has po... more Applying bio-mimicry intelligence to the aerodynamic performance of tall slender buildings has potential to lead to not only improved response to wind loading, but generate savings in material and construction costs, affect energy consumption by providing self-shading and controlling local air flow to promote local wind energy generation and ventilation strategies. To this end, the alongwind and crosswind responses of high aspect ratio (15:1) cylinders, (smooth, roughened and grooved) were obtained from wind tunnel tests in simulated smooth and rough atmospheric boundary layer flows. The influence of top, flat or domed was also studied. The Saguaro cactus-inspired cylinder with 24 circumferential grooves was seen to have large reductions ($ 20%) for mean and fluctuating alongwind base shear (drag) and overturning moments in comparison with smooth cylinders and is in agreement with 2D studies in uniform low turbulence flow. Domed tops also led to reduced drag over flat tops. Differences in fluctuating crosswind base shear (lift) and overturning moment were much less marked. In spectral terms the amplitudes of response near the pronounced vortex shedding frequency were almost unchanged, however the cactus-shape had a higher Strouhal Number indicating a shift to a higher frequency as might be attributed to a narrowing of the wake.
International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2015
Emerging materials present opportunities to fundamentally shift current expectations of dynamic b... more Emerging materials present opportunities to fundamentally shift current expectations of dynamic building envelope functionality towards systems that can respond to occupant needs while meeting the energy demands of buildings. In order to assess the environmental, social, and architectural opportunities that are increasing with responsive building envelopes, new tools are needed to simulate their multi-performance capabilities. This paper describes a computational design framework to support human interaction with environmentally-responsive electroactive dynamic daylighting systems. The objective is to develop algorithms for variable solar control and visible transmittance that simultaneously address occupant preferences for visual effects and interaction. Results demonstrate that energy performance and user satisfaction are not mutually exclusive and can be co-optimized. The effectiveness and limitations of the computational framework in assessing strategies to balance environmental...
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2011, 2011
Human health and energy problems associated with the lack of control of sunlight in contemporary ... more Human health and energy problems associated with the lack of control of sunlight in contemporary buildings have necessitated research into dynamic windows for energy efficient buildings. Existing window technologies have made moderate progress towards greater energy performance for facades but remain limited in their response to dynamic solar conditions, building energy requirements, and variable user preferences for visual comfort. Recent developments in electropolymeric display technology provide opportunities to transfer electroactive polymers to windows that can achieve high levels of geometric and spectral selectivity through the building envelope in order to meet the lighting, thermal and user requirements of occupied spaces. Experimental simulations that investigate daylight quality, energy performance, and architectural effects of electropolymeric glazing technology are presented.
paper examines the technical intricacies linking system variables with visual comfort, daylight q... more paper examines the technical intricacies linking system variables with visual comfort, daylight quality, and pattern design of the proposed electropolymeric dynamic facade technology.
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2020
Current architectural design practice is limited in its consideration and understanding of life-c... more Current architectural design practice is limited in its consideration and understanding of life-cycle energy flows which comprise multiple phases, from material resource extraction, construction, building occupation within the built environment, and after demolition. Furthermore, bioclimatic environmental flows interact with the buildings, particularly at the building envelope, making it a rich interface for shaping energy flows towards buildings that are energy self-sufficient with clean on-site energy resources. The buildings we inhabit directly affect the greater built environment which is an inherent part local ecosystems that compose part of larger ecologies at global scales, ultimately affecting the overall biosphere. As a result, the buildings we construct, directly and indirectly, affect our economies, the health, and well-being of our societies and our natural environments. This paper explores the development of a computational framework that allows designers to visualize, ...
Architecture directly contributes to climate change by shaping material and energy flows within t... more Architecture directly contributes to climate change by shaping material and energy flows within the built environment. However, current architectural design practice is limited in its consideration and understanding of these flows. Typically, there is a focus on characterizing the building’s operational energy requirements without accounting for the full extent of the ecological and environmental impacts of building design decisions. This critical omission leads to an underestimation of the socioeconomic value of material and energy systems driven by renewable sources (sun, rain, wind, biologicals) within the conventional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Embodied Energy analyses. However, Emergy Evaluation could provide this criteria as it takes both human-applied and ecological resources into consideration. Conversely, the current process of collecting and calculating material and energy data and subsequently measuring emergy, is cumbersome, thereby reducing its accessibility to arc...
Currently, most approaches to graphic evaluative frameworks (GEFs) for the early-stage evaluation... more Currently, most approaches to graphic evaluative frameworks (GEFs) for the early-stage evaluation of bioclimatic design strategies adopt a design-tool metaphor, wherein a battery of analytical routines is performed by a software tool based upon a standardized weather file from which a stock set of graphic material is produced. In seeking to evaluate a broad range of climates and to address a wide variety of passive design strategies, existing climate visualization and evaluation tools position themselves far outside of the context of a situated design problem. Remaining agnostic to the particularities of site, program, tectonic system, and material behavior these tools become, by definition, generic. As a consequence, while such design-tools can be effective in evaluating particular relationships between environmental resource, demand profile, and built-system, they maintain a potential to be rendered ineffective in any outlying cases not specifically anticipated by their authors . ...
Uploads
Papers by Anna Dyson