EFFECTS OF THE DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE

The effects of the Digital Architecture on the built environment

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I3

Introduction3

CHAPTER II14

Literature Review14

CHAPTER III24

Methodology24

Method24

Instruments29

CHAPTER IV30

Results & Findings30

Results30

CHAPTER V35

Conclusions35

Conclusion and discussions35

Chapter I

Introduction

Emerging interest in sustainable built environment has been changing the way that architects, interior designers, and engineers design buildings. Building performance is no longer a post-evaluation after the design is 'complete' (Burger, 2008). Instead, its criteria are digitally simulated and analyzed during the design process and are used as guiding design principles against which building form is evaluated and modified (Fasoulaki, 2008). This integrated approach has altered the traditional process of conventional design and has the potential to affect building energy use, improve spatial experience, and influence aesthetic decisions (Burger, 2008).

A new framework for design pedagogy must be responsive to the emerging approach in which performance-based design (PBD) is integrated as an effective process for design decision making. Various educational agendas have been developed in architecture and engineering disciplines, especially in many graduate programs, to integrate digital building performance tools into the curricula (Oxman, 2008). However, the teaching of interior design as a discipline has lagged in this effort. The paradigm of design in many studios is still strongly predicated upon visual reasoning solely (Oxman, 2008). Thus, some aspects of sustainability, such as passive solar energy use, cannot be taught in-depth. The old ways of delivering digital techniques emphasize the representation aspects of Computer Aided Design (CAD) (Basa & Senyapth, 2005), but lack exposure to its simulation and analytical capabilities for assisting design generation. It is essential to re-orient our approach within interior design education, especially in the undergraduate curriculum, to open up new territories for formal, spatial and energy use exploration.

This paper proposes a new teaching pedagogy in beginning interior design courses, which employs performance simulation and analysis as an impetus for design decision making. A residential design project with the scope of achieving optimal harmony between building form and its natural environment was carried out in a studio and an advanced CAD course for study. The pedagogy was different from the old delivery in five aspects: first, teaching content: sustainable design principles of using passive solar energy was integrated to better understand the mutual relationship between the interior and exterior conditions of buildings, and between the built and natural environments; second, design tools: digital and non-digital media were intermixed in the design process; third, design process: building performance analysis was applied in the early design stage; fourth, teaching pedagogy: a more active teaching and learning mode was realized through the use of digital simulation tools; and fifth, class organization: the studio and the CAD course worked jointly on the project by sharing the same site and design resources. This paper reviews the theoretical framework and precedence of the study before outlining the implementation, assessment and findings. Limitations and future directions are also described in order to improve this prototype for better application in interior design education.

Developments in design practice

A number of recent developments in design practice now impinge directly upon ...