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School of Architecture

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 1141
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    An explorative study of mobile buildings' impact on resilience: A case study of outdoor and indoor thermal comfort simulation for an underserved community
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-12-18) Doersam, Max
    As temperatures are predicted to soar by 2.5°C by 2050 due to the advance of climate change, the provision of shaded spaces becomes increasingly vital for the well-being of communities and the environment. This thesis aims to investigate the potential impact of optimizing shaded and covered outdoor spaces on indoor thermal comfort, while also quantifying the benefits of creating movable building spaces that promote outdoor social interactions in underperforming communities. This research is focusing on a mobile learning lab which is part of a design build research project at Georgia Tech. The study will explore how this intervention can contribute to urban sustainability and improved social well-being, with a focus on communities and resilience. A simulation-based approach is employed to investigate direct sunlight, beneath the canopy, and inside the mobile structure to evaluate varying environmental conditions and the effectiveness of each in shelter provision and daylight exposure reduction. This methodology aims to enhance resilience by comprehensively understanding and assessing thermal comfort conditions. Critical metrics of outdoor and indoor thermal comfort are examined such as, Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, to investigate airspeed, and natural ventilation alongside adaptive thermal comfort iterations to provide guidelines when it comes to mobile structures and its shading performance in the near future. It undertakes an investigation using TMY and "morphed" weather files to assess current and future thermal conditions.
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    Sketches Count: The Mies Van Der Rohe’s Dirksen Courthouse Archive Redrawn
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-12-06) Park, James
    Mies van der Rohe’s Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in Chicago built in 1964 is arguably one of the most significant buildings in the history of judicial architecture in the United States and abroad because of its transformative role in the formulation of the conventions underlying contemporary courthouse design. Archived in the Mies van der Rohe Archive at the Museum of Modern Art New York, a significant resource associated with the design of the courthouse is the extensive documentation of the design process at the office of Mies. This body of work consists of 135 sketches, diagrams, and drawings, features alternative solutions, variational schemes, and sectional innovations, and provides an untapped resource to allow a closer look at the expressive range of the architectural language and the technical innovations proposed by one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century. The research takes on the Mies van der Rohe Archive and begins to flesh out the implicit design possibilities that the preliminary representations from the design process of the Dirksen Courthouse present: Are all these possibilities parts of the final scheme that was promoted in the end? If not, are there common themes that pervade each one of them? How important are some design ideas that belong exclusively to some of them but did not appear in the final design? To speculate these in depth, how much effort would it take to complete each of the design variations outlined by the preliminary representations? Can they be completed given the clues in the final design? If not, is it because they are not productive or they are just not compliant with the final scheme? In the end, how significant is this design process to contemporary courthouse design? The work here attempts to address these questions through a formal specification of a shape grammar that foregrounds common characteristics and unique ideas presented in the set of preliminary representations. Ambitiously, the work proposes a formal reconstruction of the final courtroom floor plan of the Dirksen Courthouse and an automated completion of the preliminary representations of key courtroom floor design variations from the design process of the courthouse, materializing the unrealized possibilities embodied in them. More specifically, a generative description of Mies van der Rohe’s courthouse design language is presented in the form of a shape grammar designed and implemented in the Shape Machine, a pioneering recursive shape rewriting technology. The grammar is proposed as an open-ended set of shape rules that can be readily expanded to complete an increasing number of design variations documented in the archive and generate some hypothetical ones that can be, in principle, generated by this dynamic grammar. Significantly, at any moment, new shape rules can be introduced seamlessly, as an intrinsic part of the design process of the grammar, without requiring the reformatting of existing rules or advocating the design of a singular Miesian grammar. The work concludes with a critical assessment of the sequences of the rule applications for the generation of complete courtroom floor plans. The contributions of the dissertation are (a) a generative description of Mies van der Rohe’s courthouse design language in the form of a shape grammar that is designed based on the final design of the Dirksen Courthouse and its design process documented in the Mies van der Rohe Archive at the Museum of Modern Art New York; (b) a formal reconstruction of the final courtroom floor plan of the courthouse; (c) an automated completion of the preliminary representations of key courtroom floor design variations from the design process of the courthouse; (d) a critical account on the significance of the design process of the courthouse in the contemporary courthouse design discourse with an emphasis on the innovative sectional idea of the courtrooms as an unrealized possibility in the making of the final courtroom floor plan, which still remains to be rediscovered in the designing of new courthouses; and (e) some speculations on the significance of the computational method developed for the research in the field of shape computation and on its potential role in bridging the gaps between sketching, diagramming, drafting, and modeling in the digital workflows of architects and designers.
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    Unraveling History: The Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill from Past to Present
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-10-18) Elsas, Nina Caltabiano ; Henderson, Kirk ; Thompson, Jody ; Willkens, Danielle
    An enlightening evening of exploration as we delve into the rich history of the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill. This panel discussion, held in conjunction with the exhibit in the Library’s first-floor Price Gilbert Gallery, will shed light on the mill's significance, its symbiotic relationship with Georgia Tech, and its contemporary role as a unique educational resource. An iconic landmark looming over the history of both Georgia Tech and Atlanta, the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill stands as a testament to a bygone era and continues to influence the present. To fully grasp its significance as a symbol of Atlanta’s industrial prowess, we invite you to an engaging panel discussion featuring distinguished experts who will guide us through its past, its integration with Georgia Tech, and its relevance in modern education. After the panel, visitors are invited to explore the journey of the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill from its beginnings as a cotton manufacturing powerhouse to its present-day significance in the exhibit. Discover the profound ways in which Georgia Tech and the mill have influenced each other, and witness how students are actively utilizing the mill's legacy to gain practical knowledge and insights in diverse fields.
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    Shape Machine: From software to practice
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-09-07) Economou, Athanassios
    What would it mean if we could select any part (shape) of a CAD model and use it to find (⌘F) all its geometrical instances in the model (or other CAD models for that matter) – same size, larger, smaller, rotated, reflected or transformed in some way? What would it mean if we could edit this part and use it to replace (⌘R) all its geometrical instances in the model? Why is that the Find and Replace (⌘F/⌘R) operations that are so essential in Word or Excel have yet to be implemented in CAD? And what would happen if we could seamlessly use these shape-based Find and Replace (⌘F/⌘R) operations in a logical processing framework using states, loops, jumps and conditionals to literally write programming code by drawing shapes? How would this affect our current view of computation and what would it mean for design? The talk discusses the current state of the Shape Machine, a shape-rewrite computational system that features shape-based Find and Replace (⌘F/⌘R) operations for lines and arcs in 2D vector graphics and a logical processing framework including familiar control flow constructs (looping and branching), to allow write programming code by drawing shapes. Shape Machine is developed at the Shape Computation Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology and currently is integrated within Rhinoceros, a NURBS 2D/3D CAD software. Several applications drawn from architectural design, industrial design, game design, circuit design, mathematics and other fields showcase the potential impact of this new technology in various domains.
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    Curiosity, Memory, and the Place
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-05-30) Nasiri, Simin
    SUMMARY Abstract The study presented here is an empirical exploration of the effects of building layouts on affect and motivation of their visitors. It does so by investigating the issue in three parts: first, the association between a spatial environment’s organization and curiosity, second the effect of curiosity on spatial memory, and third the effect of spatial layout on memory. The investigation utilizes an experimental method in which participants are placed in immersive virtual environments with head-mounted devices (HMD) and set an exploration task. The virtual environments are designed as homes, similar in area and program, that exhibit three distinct design strategies—a traditional compartmentalized plan, a fully open plan with minimum visual and physical barriers, and a Miesian open-plan with a mixed strategy of open but private space. The general hypothesis is that the open-plan strategy will generate greater curiosity, trigger increased exploration and lead to better cognitive mapping of the environment. An additional hypothesis is that the open plan will be associated with positive affect, in line with what is described in architectural literature as a sense of flow and connection. To test our hypothesis accuracy, participants’ data are collected during their exploration to capture their paths of movement, time taken to explore, and their attentional foci as variables of curiosity and later recalling the environment by programming the Unity environment in C# and the Vive Pro Eye headset’s Tobii eye-tracking feature. Participants’ neural data is also recorded by fNIRS to compare to the behavioral data and find any potential patterns especially in brain’s dopaminergic area and hippocampus which is related to curiosity and memory. Additional data come from post-exploration questionnaire by asking participants to tag environments they have experienced and attribute adjectives to them. The study reported here is a preliminary study using four participants quantitative measures that compare behavioral data and morphological properties of layout like visual information and Isovist, as well as qualitative data from the interviews that is aimed to further sharpen the hypotheses. Results indicate that the Miesian mix strategy open plan, as called semi-open plan in this research, causes more “distributed curiosity”, is more memorable, and as people described more livable. On the other hand, the compartmentalized plan that provides the lowest visual information with the lowest isovist, was the most confusing for participants, least interesting, and least memorable. In general, we can expect that different levels and layers of openness, effects different types of curiosity, which I have called them “compacted” and “distributed” curiosity, as well as different levels of memorability depending on the amount of visual information they have received and been able to map the environment cognitively. This research will contribute to understanding the way humans relate to environment in order to help a healthier, more interesting, and memorable environments design.
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    Microtransit and Microclimate-Oriented Redevelopment for Car-lite/Carfree Lifestyles
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-05-05) Dunham-Jones, Ellen ; Rakha, Tarek ; Jassu, Joel ; Wang, Jun ; Almaian, Maryam ; Jimenez Chavez, Jose Miguel ; Doersam, Max ; Kadam, Anuradha ; Maharjan, Anu ; Mantripragada, Akansha ; Mamallan, Dhanya ; McDonald, Matthew ; Mohammadi, Negar ; Rajan, Subash Raj ; Rangel, Patricia ; Smith, Madalyn ; Wilson, Isaiah
    This report documents the Spring 2023 studio class proposals to redevelop aging, car-oriented parts of Scottdale, GA to enable affordable, thermally comfortable, car-lite and carfree living. In partnership with DeKalb County Commissioners Terry and Bradshaw, the DeKalb County Planning Department, the Microlife Institute, MARTA and Via Transportation, the MS Urban Design, M.Architecture, and MS High Performance Building students four proposals illustrate various ways of integrating mobility hubs, microtransit, trails, mixed-uses, missing middle and workforce housing, to meet stormwater, energy, and social goals.
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    Exploring the Value of Multi-sensory Aids in Co-designing Assistive Home Devices for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment
    ( 2023-05) Aflatoony, Leila ; DuBose, Jennifer ; Song, Fangli ; Machry, Herminia ; Burke, Maureen
    In this study, we aimed to investigate the benefits of co-design prompts/aids in the development of assistive devices for and with older adults who have cognitive impairment (CI), with the goal of improving their ability to live independently at home. We conducted a series of co-design workshops and utilized eight sets of multi-sensory aids to explore their values and effectiveness in engaging older adults with CI in co-design processes. Our findings revealed that the co-design aids had several benefits, including: (1) increasing the exchange of knowledge and awareness between older adults and designers; (2) eliciting insightful information through multi-sensorial aids, and (3) generating novel assistive design solutions to support seniors’ independent living at home. We discuss our findings in relation to the multi-sensorial attributes of co-design aids, which empower older adults with CI to express their opinions and actively participate in co-designing assistive devices that meet their needs/expectations.
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    Konrad Wachsmann’s Research Methodology: Designing a Contemporary Clip System
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-03) Andrzejewski, Elizabeth
    As an architect and educator, Konrad Wachsmann’s life’s work demonstrates an architectural research methodology that uses prototyping and building as a means for testing ideas and theories in both his practice and teaching. In this paper, the author presents a methodological approach used to study the historical significance of Wachsmann’s work from the 1940s-1950s and apply the results to contemporary architectural developments. To construct this dialogue with Wachsmann’s work the author analyzed the Packaged House System and his theory of universality first in theoretical and historical context and then reconstructed the technical parameters that informed Wachsmann’s’ design process. Acting as the first part of a dialogue, this analysis of Wachsmann then informed the second part of the dialog where the author’s developed a new building system that made use of contemporary tools and fabrication technologies. prefabrication problems addressed by Wachsmann in his work, and then re-examine their potentials through the application of contemporary tools and fabrication technologies. Through building—as an active research methodology of discovery, analysis, articulation, and re-application—lessons learned from Wachsmann’s work create new scholarship, and can simultaneously be applied to prefabrication, building technologies, and systematic construction today. The essential dialog connecting historical search/analysis to informed making illustrates a methodology with the potential to further articulate and re-engage historical architectural works and practices through models/prototypes and simulations in ways that result in tactile and intellectual insight into contemporary architectural research projects.
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    Responsive Building Performance: A Case Study of Electrochromic Building Envelopes
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-03) Sun, Qingqing ; Blouin, Vincent
    Building envelopes play an important role in the building performance of energy efficiency, thermal insulation, and visual comfort. Controlling solar radiation and daylight through responsive building envelope systems is an emerging sustainable strategy to improve building performance. The effectiveness of responsive building envelopes depends on the dynamic properties of building envelope materials and control algorithms. Architects and researchers are exploring possible ways to integrate responsive electrochromic (EC) glazing materials in building envelopes and testing the dynamic impacts on building performance (DeForest et al. 2013; Hamidpour and Blouin 2018; Eleanor S. Lee et al. 2013). Up to now, the research has tended to focus on control logic, rather than on the responsiveness of the building envelope itself. The modeling of responsive behaviors of an electrochromic building envelope system is challenging due to the dynamic properties of the electrochromic materials and unpredictable behaviors. In this paper, we proposed a case study using four different electrochromic glazing materials to test the impacts of responsiveness on building performance in terms of visual comfort and energy saving for the climate conditions in Tampa, FL. We developed a novel approach, Dynamic Sequence Modeling (DSM), by which these responsive EC building envelope behaviors can be simulated. The simulation results are then used to feed our Supervised Machine Learning (SML) algorithms to enable prediction under changing weather conditions. The SML algorithms are promising avenues to solve this type of predictive learning problem (Murphy 2012). Our SML algorithms seek to optimize performance with altered responsiveness of our EC building envelopes, as a generally capable agent to predict effective responses given similar weather conditions to the learned representation of the climate model. We find that all three responsive building envelope variants demonstrate large improvements in both energy and visual comfort performance compared to the static building envelope. In three EC alternatives, where each has different tint responsiveness, the cooling and heating energy loads were reduced by 54.36% on average, and the illuminance measures had almost the same mean values close to the visual comfort threshold. The most responsive 4-mode EC had the least absolute deviations. On the other hand, the prediction accuracy of supervised machine learning models decreases as the complexity of tint responsiveness (tint mode) increases in electrochromic building envelopes. Our study demonstrates the impacts of responsive electrochromic materials on building performance. Moreover, we show that the complexity of responsiveness decreases the prediction accuracy for SML-based building control of dynamic materials.
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    Sympoietic Pleksis: Theoretical and Practical Approaches from Textiles to Architecture
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-03) Karastathi, Nikoleta
    In the past decades, due to advancements in digital technologies, digital fabrication, and material sciences, there has been a theoretical and design shift. Prior to this, architectural discourse tended to prioritize and segregate form over its materiality, as matter followed the design, creating a clear distinction between design and making. In comparison, craft lies upon the idea of the applied skill and mastery of the material. In craft, matter and its properties are the progenitors of the form alongside the methods of fabrication and forces applied to it. Neri Oxman uses the term material ecology to describe the shift towards new material-based design processes and looks at how craft processes can inform current manufacturing methods. The proposed practice-based research sets out to develop and examine forms of architectural craft alongside fabricating prototypes. It uses textiles as a medium to explore how craft techniques can be re-interpreted to inform our current design and material processes. Textile making is a craft known from prehistoric times. It is a performative action of construction and deconstruction that could be considered the first architecture. Thus, the first known architects can be identified as weavers with the skills to produce structurally complex enclosures. Also, textiles can be seen as a medium to express stories transferred from one generation to another and can indicate aesthetic values, technological advancements, and sociocultural characteristics. The key scope of this paper is to establish the theoretical background that contributes to the conceptual framework of my research. Firstly, it examines the dynamic relations between the maker, materials, and tools. This is followed by an exploration of how such interconnected relationships can be translated to creating design principles and methodologies. Additionally, it includes an overview of textiles in architecture and how they can be used as a fabrication method and as a theoretical metaphor. The process can be seen as ‘re-coding’ the textiles through material choices, pattern creation, computation, and fabrication methods. The paper aims to provide an overview of the ideas leading to creating a dynamic methodological framework, exploring how textile craft can be applied and re-interpreted in an architectural context by emphasizing material programmability and computation.