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The Quartiere Cogne was erected at the beginning of the last century to house workers and managers employed at the new steel works. The whole neighbourhood is now affected by a wide-ranging transformation project which combines the features of aspects which really pertain to architectural building refurbishment within a broader framework of urban regeneration. Part of this project is financed by the National Programme for the Quality of Living. The design develops dwelling models aimed at strengthening the social structure at various levels (family, block, community, neighbourhood, local associations), making the most of local features. It includes initiatives to foster inclusion based on a broad network of infrastructures and services. An important feature is transition spaces, semi-private and semi-public, in which the idea and the quality of community is challenged. The aim is to give more natural and sustainable responses to instances of sharing and common use for collective housing in the Alpine area.

Climate change and population aging are two of the most important global health challenges in this century. A 2020 study by the Environmental Protection Agency showed that average people, particularly older adults, spent 90% of their time at home. This is even more evident during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Home-based care models have become a new trend. The health and comfort of the living environment profoundly impacts the wellbeing of older adults. Therefore, research on the physical environment of the family wards has become an inevitable part of promoting the health of older adults; however, current research is still lacking. Based on the study and analysis of continuous monitoring data related to elements of the physical environment (thermal comfort, acoustic quality, lighting quality, and indoor air quality) of family wards, this paper explores the living behaviors of the participants in this environmental research (open or closed windows, air conditioning, artificial lighting, and television) on the indoor physical environment. (1) While referring to the requirements of international standards for an indoor aging-friendly physical environment, we also discuss and analyze the physical environment parameter values according to Chinese standards. (2) People's life behaviors have different degrees of influence on the elements of indoor physical environments. For example, opening doors and windows can alleviate the adverse effects of indoor environmental quality on the human body better than simply turning on the air conditioner. (3) Owing to the decline in physical function, older adults need special care. Studying the status quo of physical environmental elements and proposing suitable environmental improvement measures for aging are of great significance. (4) This research aims to address global warming and severe aging and to contribute to sustainable environmental development.

Generative computation has the potential to enhance the accuracy, effectiveness, and creativity of spatial layout in design and planning. The paper proposes a methodology to separate the knowledge about objects, spatial relationships, and constraints from the generative process. The separation between the knowledge in a domain and its possible practical uses is an important achievement of semantic technologies, because it grants access to a large body of knowledge, spanning various aspects and processes across buildings and cities, which is being codified into formal ontologies. The present study has reused existing knowledge from two established ontologies. An illustrative case-project demonstrates the suitability of the methodology for a complex layout planning problem, involving a large number of decision-makers, with multiple competing objectives and criteria. The system implements multidimensional visual interactive tools to assist designers, planners, and decision-makers in exploring the layouts and the criteria, to develop their confidence in what qualifies as a good and effective solution.

The paper presents a methodology for describing in generative terms the structure of urban fabrics: the objective is to transfer conceptually the knowledge about the domain of urban space into a hierarchical and interrelated semantic structure with relevant concepts, elements and their mutual relationships, providing explicit and unambiguous definitions. The conceptual and operational instrument adopted for this purpose is the ontology, a method of knowledge representation and management coming from the Artificial Intelligence. This approach aims to create a customisable digital design tool, to support the designer in the early stages of urban design process, such as street pattern and massing definition, by generating in real time a number of design scenarios, starting from a large number of constraints and requests. This paper focuses on the knowledge formalisation aspects of the research that is the basis for the generative modelling of urban space.

Zebrafish embryos homozygous for the masterblind(mbl) mutation exhibit a striking phenotype in which the eyes and telencephalon are reduced or absent and diencephalic fates expand to the front of the brain. Here we show that mbl−/−embryos carry an amino-acid change at a conserved site in the Wnt pathway scaffolding protein, Axin1. The amino-acid substitution present in the mbl allele abolishes the binding of Axin to Gsk3 and affects Tcf-dependent transcription. Therefore, Gsk3 activity may be decreased in mbl−/− embryos and in support of this possibility, overexpression of either wild-type Axin1 or Gsk3β can restore eye and telencephalic fates to mbl−/−embryos. Our data reveal a crucial role for Axin1-dependent inhibition of the Wnt pathway in the early regional subdivision of the anterior neural plate into telencephalic, diencephalic, and eye-forming territories.

The paper presents the ongoing experimentation of a Computer Supported Design Studio (CSDS). CSDS is part of our continuing effort to integrate computers and networks in the design studio. We recognise three corner stones to CSDS: memory, process and collaboration. They offer a framework for the interpretation of the pedagogical aspects of the teaching of architectural design in relation to the innovations produced by information and communication technologies. The theme of the 1998 CSDS is a railway station in Turin, Italy, to be incorporated in a reorganised rail transport system. The choice of this theme emphasises the realistic simulation aspects of the studio, where technical problems need to be interpreted from an architectural point of view.

More than two centuries of research and development have produced a vast choice of metallic materials and manufacturing processes, useful in giving form and structure to architecture. This chapter aims to consider the state of manufacturing technologies in the light of possibilities opened up by digital innovation. The analysis of fabrication technologies examines production processes in order to identify unit manufacturing processes within the succession of processes. Two projects are examined thoroughly. Frank Barkow and Regine Leibinger designed the gatehouse of the Trumpf factory near Stuttgart with a wide metal roof, protecting the open space to welcome visitors and employees. The space is not interrupted by the glass parallelepiped of the building, whose vertices are the pillars which support the 65 ft (20 m) of overhang of the roof. The transparency of the body of the building, which houses the reception and waiting room, is not immaterial, but rather emphasises the properties of the glass in the search of a semi-transparent effect. The way the structure is built exploits the possibilities of digital manufacturing and intends to be the visiting card, the demonstration of the expressive and constructive capacity of the machine tools produced by Trumpf itself as applied to creating the building which gives access to the factory. Manufacturing involved intensive mass change NC processes with cutting and punching, deformations with bending as well as the final assembly. Randall Stout won the international design competition for the expansion of the Art Gallery of Alberta, Canada. The exhibition spaces are highlighted by juxtapositions and intersections between two blocks: the grounding of the units of the building, accentuated in the cladding in local stone, and the complete transparency of the atrium, intersected by the sinuous form inspired by the aurora borealis, a characteristic of the latitudes of Alberta. This form has no centre, starting point or point of symmetry on which the eye can rest. The morphology, observed from different angles in crossing the piazza, the approach path or the atrium, appears changeable to the observer. The firm of Randall Stout Architects modelled in three dimensions the design of the complex geometry of the aurora borealis and of the building and the numerous intersections between the two using Rhinoceros (Rhino) software. From the Rhino model, Empire Iron Works created the Building Information Modeling of the aurora borealis in Tekla Structures. Zahner’s Design Assist Group imported and translated the geometric model into a Pro/ENGINEER parametric model. The parametric model of the secondary structure and of the cladding panels integrates the requirements of the manufacturing process and the assembly tolerances, specific to the ZEPPS™ system, and automatically generates the subsystems of the joints and of the panels necessary to make the complete roof.

This chapter begins with the recent history of mass production, looking for a parallel with the contemporary development of prefabrication in construction and comparing developments in the United States with those in Germany. The United States pursued interchangeability of parts and standardisation in manufacturing from the time of its foundation onwards. This promoted and supported the initial stages of development and industrialisation, ultimately including mass production. Consideration is given to the driving role played by automotive manufacturing in developing the methodologies and the technologies of mass production and their role in the construction industry; and to the impetus given by the Second World War, which brought to fruition the process innovations developed by each country in response to the demands of the war and which played an important part in the outcomes of the conflict. While mass production tremendously increases the quantity of products and decreases their cost, the market was not particularly inclined to allow the mass production of housing. In the 1920s, when customers began to value other aspects apart from price, industries began to consider new manufacturing strategies—Ford himself for instance introduced the concept of flexible mass production. The construction industry stressed flexibility in design and manufacturing systems.

This chapter considers the digital continuum between design and manufacture, achieved with the technologies of CAD/CAM, numerical control and prototyping. Although the ‘digitalization’ of architecture is sometimes seen as a threat to the physical aspects of construction, the opportunity to use a digital model directly in the context of production actually strengthens the traditional links between design and practical craftsmanship. The chapter offers an overview of manufacturing processes currently or potentially relevant to construction. Units of manufacturing processes may be described in sufficiently general terms so as not to be restricted to working with a specific material, a given component or a certain producer of machine tools. Key unit manufacturing processes are identified: (1) mass-change, (2) phase-change, (3) structure-change processes, (4) deformations, (5) consolidation, including (6) rapid prototyping. It concludes by considering integrated manufacturing. Two projects are examined in detail because they have been precursors of the principles of design for assembly: Frank Gehry’s “Fish-sculpture” at the Olympic Village, Barcelona (1989–1992), and Norman Foster’s Swiss Re Tower in London (1997–2004). The analysis of these projects confirms the recurring importance of the “craft” factor. Computer-aided design and production systems have shifted the emphasis from skills in craftsmanship to competence in the control of the manufacturing machinery. As manufacturing and construction become increasingly automated, more and more skills are required of the designers.

Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) is a secreted protein that negatively modulates the Wnt/βcatenin pathway. Lack of Dkk1 function affects head formation in frog and mice, supporting the idea that Dkk1 acts as a “head inducer” during gastrulation. We show here that lack of Dkk1 function accelerates internalization and rostral progression of the mesendoderm and that gain of function slows down both internalization and convergence extension, indicating a novel role for Dkk1 in modulating these movements. The motility phenotype found in the morphants is not observed in embryos in which the Wnt/βcatenin pathway is overactivated, and that dominant-negative Wnt proteins are not able to rescue the gastrulation movement defect induced by absence of Dkk1. These data strongly suggest that Dkk1 is acting in a βcatenin independent fashion when modulating gastrulation movements. We demonstrate that the glypican 4/6 homolog Knypek (Kny) binds to Dkk1 and that they are able to functionally interact in vivo. Moreover, Dkk1 regulation of gastrulation movements is kny dependent. Kny is a component of the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. We found that indeed Dkk1 is able to activate this pathway in both Xenopus and zebrafish. Furthermore, concomitant alteration of the βcatenin and PCP activities is able to mimic the morphant accelerated cell motility phenotype. Our data therefore indicate that Dkk1 regulates gastrulation movement through interaction with LRP5/6 and Kny and coordinated modulations of Wnt/βcatenin and Wnt/PCP pathways.

This paper introduces a dynamic generative modelling system for urban and regional design. Through dynamic modelling the system evolves in time according to the interactions of the planners, decision-makers and citizens. On the basis of several synchronous and/or asynchronous user interactions, models are dynamically generated at run time. The models are built by defining the data (datasets) and the actions to perform on that data (tasks). The system reads and correlates data at urban and regional scale from various authorities to generate dynamic datasets. Tasks are especially powerful when they integrate generative procedures in a hierarchical structure. This allows us to model urban and regional dynamics through the interaction of tasks at micro- and macro-scale. Tasks can also implement either Cellular Automata or software agents. We examine the system application to a case project: the simulation of micro- and macro-dynamics in an Alpine valley, with specific challenges to fit competitive and sustainable growth in a landscape quality perspective. The simulation in spatial and temporal dimensions of regional data provided us with the elements to study the territorial evolution over the next twenty years. Four strategies gave as many scenarios highlighting the results of specific policies.

Computer-Integrated Construction (CIC) is the capability of a computer system to create models of certain aspects of the design and construction processes and consequently to direct them into reality. The premise of CIC is that the clear-cut separation between the competencies, know-how and responsibilities has now been turned upside down by the introduction of information technology in the design and construction processes. The designers can now model the physical, technological, and organisational aspects of a building or infrastructure in a seamless way. And they can do so rather creatively. The model of the physical system provides the designer an intuitive understanding and appreciation of static and dynamic interaction between the building and its environment early during design. The model of the technological system opens the capability to precisely model the building parts "as-constructed" by means of quantitative and qualitative-visual evaluation before any manufacturing process really takes place. The paper briefly introduces CIC in four construction technologies, respectively concrete, stone, wood and steel. The model of the construction organization is the process of configuring an organisational structure to accomplish a given high-level task while attempting to satisfy stated performance objectives. An organization model represents people supported by information-processing and communication tools. The CIC implementation and on-field experimentation is considered in a case project.

Cells at the anterior boundary of the neural plate (ANB) can induce telencephalic gene expression when transplanted to more posterior regions. Here, we identify a secreted Frizzled-related Wnt antagonist, Tlc, that is expressed in ANB cells and can cell nonautonomously promote telencephalic gene expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, abrogation of Tlc function compromises telencephalic development. We also identify Wnt8b as a locally acting modulator of regional fate in the anterior neural plate and a likely target for antagonism by Tlc. Finally, we show that tlc expression is regulated by signals that establish early antero-posterior and dorso-ventral ectodermal pattern. From these studies, we propose that local antagonism of Wnt activity within the anterior ectoderm is required to establish the telencephalon.

The paper presents the implementation of a system of Shared Virtual Reality (SVR) in Internet applied to a large-scale project. The applications of SVR to architectural and urban design are presented in the context of a real project, the new railway junction of Porta Susa and the surrounding urban area in the city centre of Turin, Italy.

The developing zebrafish embryo has been the subject of many studies of regional patterning, stereotypical cell movements and changes in cell shape. To better study the morphological features of cells during gastrulation, we generated mosaic embryos expressing membrane attached Dendra2 to highlight cellular boundaries. We find that intercellular bridges join a significant fraction of epiblast cells in the zebrafish embryo, reaching several cell diameters in length and spanning across different regions of the developing embryos. These intercellular bridges are distinct from the cellular protrusions previously reported as extending from hypoblast cells (1-2 cellular diameters in length) or epiblast cells (which were shorter). Most of the intercellular bridges were formed at pre-gastrula stages by the daughters of a dividing cell maintaining a membrane tether as they move apart after mitosis. These intercellular bridges persist during gastrulation and can mediate the transfer of proteins between distant cells. These findings reveal a surprising feature of the cellular landscape in zebrafish embryos and open new possibilities for cell-cell communication during gastrulation, with implications for modeling, cellular mechanics, and morphogenetic signaling.

Incubators of Public Spaces is a funded JPI Urban Europe project aiming to support the self-organization of places by enhancing the factors that motivate, encourage, and enable the urban actors to reach common understandings in order to coordinate their actions by reasoned argument, consensus, and cooperation rather than strategic thinking only. By catalyzing citizens’ willingness to ‘do their bit’ for improving spaces, it provides the means to grow and care for places. The paper is organized into three main sections. The first section offers a theoretical underpinning on the roots of self-organization and co-creation in urban interventions. After a brief introduction about the project’s aims, the second section deals with incubators’ co-creative process and system. It describes the running of the scenario workshops and provides an overview of the web platform and its inherent features. The third section presents the results of the application of the incubators method in the regeneration of an Italian neighborhood. It provides some general information about the area, and foresees a set of interventions for both built and open spaces. Conclusions offer early remarks concerning the ongoing experimentation in Incubators.