Search

Choice architecture describes the environment in which choices are presented to decision-makers. In recent years, public and private actors have looked at choice architecture with great interest as they seek to influence human behaviour. These actors are typically called choice architects. Increasingly, however, this role of architecting choice is not performed by a human choice architect, but an algorithm or artificial intelligence, powered by a stream of Big Data and infused with an objective it has been programmed to maximise. We call this entity the autonomous choice architect. In this paper, we present an account of why artificial intelligence can fulfil the role of a choice architect and why this creates problems of transparency, responsibility and accountability for nudges. We argue that choice architects, be them autonomous computational systems or human-beings, at a most basic level select, from a range of designs, the design which is most likely to maximise a pre-determined objective. We then proceed to argue that, given the growing demand for targeted, personalised choice architecture and for faster, dynamic reconfigurations of choice architecture, as well as the ever-expanding pool of data from which feedback can be drawn, the role of the human choice architect is increasingly obscured behind algorithmic, artificially intelligent systems. We provide a discussion of the implications of autonomous choice architects, focusing on the importance of the humans who programme these systems, ultimately arguing that despite technological advances, the responsibility of choice architecture and influence remains firmly one human beings must bear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses an emerging field of research in architecture, kinetic design. This approach has been used in different ways through history, but the technological advances of the “Third Industrial Revolution” offer new perspectives on this topic, along with various design innovations. To face this demand, architects must develop new strategies rooted in performance, connectivity and control, and process them to support and inform design. In order to explore these challenges, a group of researchers organized a summer school in 2016. The partnership between ISCTE-IUL and Sapienza University of Rome emerged as an opportunity to join an international community to present recent research, teaching or practice related to architecture, technology, computation, mathematics and geometry. In addition, an experimental learning-by-doing design studio was developed, which allowed for testing a digital workflow to create foldable surfaces based on rigid origami geometry. The major objective of these events, which is summarised in this paper, is to contribute to the debate around digitally-driven kinetic architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to review Dante Bini's career, as well as his form-resistant Binishell and other pneumatic construction systems. The role of Mario Salvadori in Bini's international success works as the introduction to a broader discussion about the relationship between innovation in design and innovation in construction for shell and gridshell designers. The second part of the paper focuses, instead, on Bini's double profile-architect and builder-which led him to develop his inventions both architecturally and as commercial products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Justified Plan Graph (JPG) technique was developed in the late 1970s and refined in the following two decades as a means of undertaking qualitative and quantitative research into the spatial structure or permeability of buildings. Famously used by Space Syntax researchers to uncover the social logic of architectural types, the technique remains an important, if not widely understood, approach to the analysis of the built environment. This paper uses the JPG method to undertake a three-stage analysis of the early houses of Pritzker Prize winning architect Glenn Murcutt; the stages are visual analysis, mathematical analysis and theoretical analysis. Through this process the paper offers a rare application of the JPG method to multiple works by the same architect and demonstrates the construction of a series of 'inequality genotypes', a partial 'statistical genotype' and a partial 'statistical archetype' for these houses. Instead of seeking to uncover the social structure of Murcutt's housing, the paper analyses the architect's distinctive approach to ordering space within otherwise simple volumes or forms. The ultimate purpose of this analysis is to offer an alternative space-based, rather than form-based, insight into this architect's work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in Architectural Geometry (AAG) is a conference where both theoretical and practical work linked to new geometrical developments is presented. The conference aims to gather the diverse components of the contemporary architectural tendencies that push the building envelope towards free form and respond to the multiple current design challenges. It involves architects, engineers, mathematicians, computer scientists, and contractors. This conference report summarizes the recently concluded AAG 2014 held in London. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This “Letter from the Editors” begins with reflections on frameworks for research and development of architectural knowledge. Drawing on the both old and new ways of thinking, the editors show how two forms of knowledge—observational and propositional—have figured in the identification of two types of architects: architectus ingenio, the observer architect, and architectus verborum,“the architect of words”. Both approaches to knowledge are found in these pages. This discussion is followed by an introduction to the papers that make up the second part of vol. 20, no. 2 (2018). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the analysis of the oval frame vault of the ballroom of Villa Borromeo in Cassano d'Adda (Milan), one of the most important, yet not deeply studied, countryside villas of the Adda family. The vault is a particular example of a frame vault on an oval plan, where the main elements that characterize the space are the skene arches and the curved lunettes. The article sheds light on the constructive and geometric genesis of this particular type of vaulting, which was a common construction practice of architects and builders in the Modern Age in Northern Italy. The analysis of the vault geometries and construction techniques is carried out through a geometric and photogrammetric survey, the elaboration of drawings, and a 3D model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines an analysis of Utzon's process of ideating vault through the lens of shape grammar, from investigating the eureka moment of the spherical schema for the Sydney Opera House to interpreting vault schema generation in other, later projects. The results show that most of Utzon's vault's schemas can be generated with only a few rule schemas, and that the generated schema can produce various parts in the designs. This interpretative study can help to understand not only how an architect develops schemas to solve various problems within a project but also how principles from an earlier schema can be reused to formulate vault schema for different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Advances in Architectural Geometry (AAG) symposia serve as a unique forum where developments in the design, analysis and fabrication of building geometry are presented. With participation of both academics and professionals from the fields of architecture, engineering, computer science and mathematics, each symposium aims to gather and present practical work and theoretical research that responds to contemporary design challenges and expands opportunities for architectural form. This report summarizes the AAG2016, the fifth edition of the symposia hosted by the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication at ETH Zurich from 9 to 13 September 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are only two perspectives among the extant drawings of Juan de Herrera (1533-1597), who succeeded Juan Bautista de Toledo as architect of the Escorial. Both belong to the collection of engravings of that building made in 1589, after construction had already been completed. One is a bird's eye view showing the exterior of the building; the other is an interior perspective of the main altar. Although both drawings appear to be rigorous, the external perspective shows a cupola with an unrealistically high tambour, dome and lantern. This paper analyzes both of these, along with a third, a bird's eye view drawing of the building site by an unknown artist, conserved at Hatfield House (England), contextualizing them within the Escorial's construction process and Herrera's knowledge of perspective. The analysis argues that the elongated representation of the cupola was not an error caused by the difficulty of constructing a rigorous perspective or representing curve forms but was instead a deliberate choice made by the architect to make the cupola appear taller and slimmer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Conference of Bridges Seoul 2014 was the seventeenth annual conference in the Bridges series, which was held at the Gwacheon National Science Museum, Seoul, Korea, 14-19 August 2014. This year's conference brought approximately three hundred mathematicians, architects, scientists, artists, educators, musicians, writers, computer scientists, sculptures, dancers, weavers, and model builders together. In addition, for this year, thanks to the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Seoul, many participants from this congress attended Bridges. The list of participants also included about one thousand Korean students and their families, who were invited by the Gwacheon National Science Museum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present Milan Zloković’s theorisation of reciprocal concatenation and its application in his architectural design. For two decades architect Milan Zloković (1898-1965), one of the founders of Modern Movement in Yugoslavia, studied what he called “the science of proportions”. His findings have not received the attention they deserve. Here we analyse his research on proportional method of reciprocal concatenation through the ancient concept of analogy, the correlation among proportional systems, an ideal set of preferential numbers and the use of proportional dividers. Based on his theoretical views, we examined proportions in two of his buildings: the Elementary School in Jagodina (1937-1940) and the Teacher Training School in Prizren (1960). Finally, we show that Zloković combined reciprocal concatenation with various proportional systems, proving it to be a valuable tool for contemporary architectural design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pattern of built heritage provides insights into spatial organisation principles, revealing recurring traits among buildings of a similar type. Such constructions illuminate how building components are aligned and interconnected to embody a unified design ethos. However, well-preserved instances of a sequential series of similar buildings that were built in the same period based on historical evidence are rarely located. Thus, the Sultani Mosques, a prominent collection of mosques built in Iran between 1806 and 1840 under King Fath-Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty's auspices, are particularly noteworthy, attracting scholarly attention from figures such as Ritter, Hillenbrand, and Scarce for their distinctive spatial organisation of architectural elements such as iwans, domes, naves, and courtyards. To comprehensively study the shared spatial organisation concept within these mosques through a comparative study, this research aimed to verify the spatial layout using analytical techniques such as space syntax and layout-based justified graphs. By juxtaposing these graphs and depth values, this research elucidated the spatial integration and privacy delineation within these religious structures. Moreover, an examination of layout-based graphs and immersive three-dimensional assessments reinforced and confirmed the prevailing layout configuration. The research findings reveal a cohesive architectural concept in Sultani mosques, as multifaceted accessibility was emphasised, and spatial layouts were structured to facilitate movement and interactions. Qajar architects likely established a consistent design approach across these mosques, integrating essential elements while accommodating educational spaces. When schools were included, courtyard dynamics were reshaped, which impacted spatial connections and access routes. Variations in building division configurations, vault spans, and spatial relations tailored to local contexts highlight the unique design and spatial value of each mosque. Preserving these spatial relationships in restoration efforts is crucial for maintaining the intrinsic spatial language and historical design significance of these mosques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an account of the unusual protosystemic and informational approach to architecture that emerged in the early 1930's within the largely unknown Structural Study Associates (SSA), a circle of architects around Buckminster Fuller. It examines the design of a dynamic information system for architects by SSA members Knud Lönberg-Holm and Carl Theodore Larson and compares them to pre- and post-war knowledge indexing systems and world projects. This study also explores the systems-oriented positions outlined by these architects. This provides a view of American architecture of the era that counters the one presented by the canonical International Style Exhibition of 1932, which essentially edited out the more variegated approaches to modern architecture and technology as represented by the SSA and especially Lönberg-Holm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the intrinsic complexity of integrating individual, social and technologically supported intelligence, the paper proposes a relatively simple ‘connectionist’ framework for conceptualizing distributed cognitive systems. Shared information sources (documents) are represented as nodes connected by links of variable strength, which increases as the documents co-occur in the usage patterns. This learning procedure captures and exploits its users’ implicit knowledge to help them find relevant information, thus supporting an unconscious form of exchange. These principles are applied to a concrete problem domain: architects sharing design knowledge through a database of associatively connected building projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distance effect (comparing objects becomes easier with increasing differences in their magnitude) is observed in tasks ranging across domains, and its existence has been interpreted as evidence for analogue magnitude representation. Similarly, associations between response side and magnitude (faster left/right-sided responses to small/large objects, respectively) are observed across domains. We investigated the analogue processing of angles and the association between angle magnitude and response side in relation to geometric expertise. We compared the behavioural pattern of two groups—architects and controls—in a direct angle magnitude classification task (i.e., judge whether a presented angle was greater or less than 90°) and in an indirect task (i.e., judge whether an angle was drawn with a dashed or continuous line). We found a robust distance effect for reaction times and accuracy at the whole sample level and in each group separately. Architects revealed a smaller distance effect for accuracy than controls. This could be interpreted as an argument for a more precise analogue representation of angles in experts compared to non-experts. However, we did not find evidence for an association between angle magnitude and response side in any group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates using a Cellular Automata (CA) as a generative design strategy that creates a design framework for a contemporary house. This is done in a way to reflect the unique spatial configuration of the Han-ok with Chae and Madang. When the Han-ok, the traditional Korean house, was modified to adapt to social change and urbanization in the modern era, the spatial diversity and order of the Han-ok with Chae and Madang were lost. This study aims to define the spatial configurations of the Han-ok, then uses CA to offer numerous possibilities that accommodate today's life-style while keeping these core relationships. The significance of this study is in seeking the application of CA in a generative design process for modernization of the Han-ok. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops a framework for analysing how digital software and models become mediums for creative imagination in architectural design. To understand the hermeneutics of these relationships, we develop key concepts from Material Engagement Theory (MET) and Postphenomenology (PP). To push these frameworks into the realm of digital design, we develop the concept of Digital Materiality. Digital Materiality describes the way successive layers of mathematics, code, and software come to mediate enactive perception, and the possibilities of creative material engagement actualised in work with software. Just as molecular materials come to transform action with material objects, so digital materiality comes to enable and transform creative practices with computers. Digital architectural design form a new space for ongoing enactive discovery and creativity through manipulation of digital models and their underlying software environments. By shifting relationships within their digital models, architects can direct their attention, intention, and imagination towards widely different aspects of the model. Here, creative imagination becomes a fundamentally situated activity where mind emerges through dynamic interaction between a variety of embodied, material, and cultural domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to span longer distances than the length of the available timber beams the structural principle of mutually supporting beams was used in vernacular buildings and in studies by numerous architects and scientists. Although the generating rules are simple, the control of these structures has to date proven to be very complex because of the reciprocal dependency of the elements. The paper describes the development of a digital tool that shall facilitate the design of these structures and enhance the spectrum of architectural applications. The structural configuration of an assembly is constituted by means of a form-finding process, which is based on the individual members and its relations. Several parameters for these members enable the user to respond to contextual conditions such as plan form, height and number of supports, and to gradually refine the output. The report ends with the description of three applications in which several wooden materials and various forms of fabrication have been tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chirality of an object is the property of potentially having a left-form and a right-form: a pair of hands is a classical example. Spiral elements in buildings are well known, and their spirality renders them chiral, yet we are unaware of a routine reference to the following basic question: Having designed a building which is chiral, which form should be constructed - the left-handed or the righthanded one? Whereas in natural science the investigation of handedness effects is central and appears in many of its branches, in architecture, which relies heavily on shape, form and symmetry, considerations of chirality - a key structural descriptor - are non-existent, although asymmetry and twisted shapes have been commonly used. The aim of this paper is to familiarize architects with the language and concept of chirality, and to describe the intimate, relevant link between chirality and architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to a standard view, architectural works are nothing but material buildings. This paper argues that this is just one of many options, each of which may capture more incisively what architects really produce in different circumstances. Three fundamental splits are examined. First, architectural works can be regarded as either objects or events. Second, they can be understood as mere abstract entities, types, or concrete particulars. Third, they can be identified narrowly or broadly. The resulting combinations are explored and tested against concrete situations. The paper argues that, while adopting the type view in conjunction with the narrow view is simpler when we consider stereotypical, vernacular or modular architecture, when we have to do with more experimental and creative approaches it seems more appropriate to identify the architectural work with a broadly identified concrete particular or, at most, with a broadly identified abstract entity that can hardly coincide with the content of the architectural design. The paper highlights that the same goes—mutatis mutandis—for traditional and stereotypical cooking, on the one hand, and haute cuisine, on the other hand. So the paper is also an investigation of the closeness between architecture and cooking, and of the contingent character of some of their differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research centres on the conference dedicated to the theme 'Divina Proporzione' organised on the occasion of the 1951 Milano Triennale. Participating in the meeting were some of the most important art historians, architects, engineers, mathematicians and artists of the day: from a very young James Ackerman to Pier Luigi Nervi, from Le Corbusier to Carlo Mollino, from Lucio Fontana to Ernesto Rogers. That historic moment, even given the plurality of voices and approaches, represented the synthesis of a reflection that was as urgent as it was rich in implications, since it brought the concept of 'proportion' into the very heart of post-war reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservators, museologists, and architects make extremely complex decisions capable of affecting the way people perceive monuments. One might give this idea deeper consideration while pondering anastylosis. One of the things a designer should do when selecting a method of merging together parts of a damaged monument is answer the question whether the chosen method will facilitate the interest of onlookers in the presented object. In which case will the observers spend most of their time looking at the authentic relic fragments and distinguishing between the old and the new parts? The definitions in force do not explain how to approach this topic. By using eye-tracking research, we can learn how observers look at historical objects that have been reassembled again. By combining the observation of visual behaviours with a survey of people looking at such objects, it is possible to see how the process of classifying what is new and old actually works. This knowledge allows for more conscious approach to heritage management processes. In future, results of eye-tracking experiments should help experts plan sustainable conservation projects. Thanks to knowing the reactions of regular people, one will be able to establish conservation programmes in which the material preservation of a monument will reflect the way in which this object affects contemporary onlookers. Such an approach ought to result in real social and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature has highlighted the need for an alignment framework to support enterprise architects to align the development process of EA with the stakeholders' goals. Hence, this study developed an alignment framework to align the EA development process with the stakeholders to produce an agreed architecture. Multiple Perspectives Theory (MPT) was used to develop an initial research model that provided the guidance in data collection and analysis. The Government Architecture Framework (GAF) of the Omani public sector was used as a qualitative case study and 15 interviews conducted with the architects and the stakeholders who participated in the development of GAF. The findings showed that 12 alignment factors influenced the development of GAF which are standardization, development scope, principles, governance, top management support, culture, commitment, awareness, communication, value of EA, change management capability and experience. These factors were used as the base to develop the alignment framework. The framework was validated through a focus group session with GAF architects. As a conclusion, the study has shown that the alignment framework provides a comprehensive understanding for the practitioners and the academicians about the factors and their influences at each EA development step in the public sector of Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-depth studies on the design of the domes of the Octagonal Hall of the Small Baths and the Vestibule of the Golden Court at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli have been conducted starting from 3D surveys carried out with active and passive sensors. Through the comparison of the ichnographia and orthographia of these emblematic examples of architectural experimentation, common elements and features have emerged which, thanks to the integrated use of new measurement technologies, have allowed us to hypothesise dimensioning systems of the vertical structures together with possible criteria for defining the intrados–extrados relationship. Hadrian's architects' use of precise grid-based designs to facilitate the achievement of target quantities (required areas and volumes) as well as modules aimed at defining alignments of horizontal and vertical structures emerge clearly, providing useful elements for an integrated reading of the individual buildings to support the archaeological investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impetuous, versatile, nonconformist Florentine architect Vittorio Giorgini (1926–2010), son of Giovan Battista, pioneer of Made in Italy around the world, built his work on the experimental study of forms connected to the natural world and on the analysis of vernacular construction, the basis of cultural expression for a community. Giorgini's design process was based on the direct observation of natural structures and the design and construction of models, the fundamental and essential element of all his research. His investigations began with the study of such curved systems as shells and membranes, curiosity about tensile structures and analysis of octahedral and dodecahedral geometrical shapes. Giorgini's urban architectural journey took place within the complex world of "Spatiology", a term coined by Giorgini, where his studies on the interaction between humans, the environment and nature converged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conservators and architects working with built heritage at risk from ground moisture intrusion face a difficult choice. Leaving the building unprotected can lead to moisture related deterioration; installing vertical and/or horizontal barriers using standard materials requires chemical or mechanical intervention with the historic fabric. The use of compacted clay to form a barrier is commonplace in some areas of environmental engineering, and can be applied to built heritage conservation. Naturally occurring or slightly modified soils were traditionally used for protecting buildings in a number of vernacular techniques. Knowledge of what types of soils are suitable for use could provide certain regions with a low-cost, low-impact alternative for protecting historic buildings. Three commercially available products previously shown to have low hydraulic conductivity were analysed in order to identify waterproofing mechanisms; these included two specialised bentonite-sand mixtures and a Saxonian glacial till. Results: The till relies on a high proportion of densely agglomerated fine grains to achieve a low permeability when consolidated, possibly assisted by the presence of calcite. The specialised mixtures rely on an engineered grain size distribution, with practically no silt sized grains, and a fraction of sodium bentonites capable of forming colloidal suspension when compacted. All materials showed a low risk of shrinkage when compacted at optimum moisture content. Conclusion: Different mechanisms appear to account for the low hydraulic conductivities found in clay barrier material. The implication is that a range of soil material may be suitable for protecting built heritage from ground moisture intrusion and its associated decay mechanisms. The suitability of glacial till may present large areas of Northern Europe with locally available barrier material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stonemasonry of the Gothic vault in its totality is based upon geometry of the line, whereas classic stereotomy relies on the comprehensive knowledge of the surface and the highly sophisticated sides of the voussoirs necessary for its vaults. It is obvious that this leap in the art of construction was paralleled and accompanied by an extension of the horizons of geometry. In Spain, it was made possible thanks to the centuries-old tradition of stone building begun in the most remote medieval times and to the presence of outstanding architects or stonemasons such as Juan de Álava, whose professional work surpassed the established limits and provided the art of building with new instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is designed to develop an alternative evaluation method for ecological green space. It offers criteria for identifying ecological green space on building sites. The grey decision-making method is applied to assess the greening project at the first step. The evaluation items are rebuilt by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method at the second step. The range of standard values and the weighting values are also obtained by AHP. Grey classes are identified using the whitening weight function of the grey number. The evaluation system of the ecological green space is framed by grey clusters. We considered the factors of building environment and the scale of building sites in the ecological greenery of green building sites. This study proposes a new model to solve the problems hard to be quantified. Especially for those ecological benefits are too close to decide. Architects and landscape architects can input the engineering data and the design information into the ecological greenery assessment system. The identification and assessment system of green space is fit for Taiwan area. We will obtain the best greening project by the maximum value of absolute degree of grey incidence (max{ ɛ ij }) in grey-decision making. The maximum value of synthetic clustering coefficient (max{ σ k }) in grey clustering assessment reflects the quality and variation of green space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]