Architecture Commons^™

Godot In Bombay: A Tragicomedy In Two Decades, Lisa Björkman

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

An exploration of the two-decade-long political and discursive battles over water "privatization" in the Indian city of Mumbai reveals how, beginning in the 1990s, the water department, "got stuck inbetween public and private infrastructures." This essay demonstrates how widespread speculation among policymakers, bureaucrats, and engineers on the likelihood and desirability of privatization entrenched some of the very dynamics that such solutions were supposed to cure - dynamics that ironically, would ultimately derail a privatization initiative when it fi nally arrived.

The Changing Role Of Water In The Spatial Construction Anddesign Of Southeast Asian Polities, Lily C. Wong

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Investigating historical maps and texts, this essay charts the changing role of water in the spatial understanding and city design of three consecutive polities in Southeast Asia: pre-colonial tributarysystem, modern nationhood during the colonial period, and contemporary globalized neoliberal government. The role of water shifts from a heuristic device that is interwoven with political and territorial imaginings to a technocratically engineered commodity that is sacrificed in pursuit of modernization. Using the current urban design of Phnom Penh, Cambodia as an example, water remains the blind spot for urban development, despite the discussion of water sustainability at the regional scale.

Readdressing Dhaka's Public Water Bodies: A Design Research, Sanne Peeters, Kelly Shannon

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, rampant expansion and commercial development are brutally transforming the urban tissue. As a consequence, Dhaka's water network, which was once integratedinto the city's fabric and is of major importance for its drainage capacity, is rapidly disappearing. This article critically investigates the layered meanings of water in the city through focusing on the case study of Hatirjheel Lake, Dhaka's largest inner-city water body. A number of interpretative maps dissect the rich history of the city and its water, while contemporary cartographies reveal a new set of issues as advancing urbanization fi lls in water bodies. …

Ngibikan Villagespirituality Design In Javanese Architecture, Johannes Adiyanto, Josef Prijotomo, Galih Widjil Pangarsa

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In May 27, 2006, a massive earthquake hit and destroyed Ngibikan, a small village 17 kilometers south of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Yet, in a few days, the villagers rose up and reconstructed not only theirhouses but also their daily life. In this case, architectural design includes not only building as a material practice but also a humane and spiritual one. This essay employs combined methods of contextual criticism (Attoe, 1978, pp. 103-104) and hermeneutics as modeled by Paul Ricouer (2006). The results of this research also indicate the importance of understanding that the act of emergency rebuilding is not only about …

Modernity And Identity In Oraman Village Architecture Of The West Of Iran, Mohammad Jooshesh, Negar Kolahi, Mohammad Jafar Khazaee

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In Kurdistan, Kermanshah and West Azerbaijan provinces of Iran, there are regions with plain but amazing contexts by which one can identify the hidden identity of the regional architecturein its various components. Most villages are built on the sides of narrow valleys with over a 50 ̊ slope. They face south and southeast to receive the most daylight. In the fi rst part of this article the topographic and architectural structure of the region is introduced, and in the second part, specifi c sections of this region have been analyzed in terms of modernity in relation to the hidden identity …

From The Origin Of Drawing To Cinemetrics, Cheng-Luen Hsueh

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Robin Evans in his article "Translations from Drawing to Building" explores the gap and transitive properties between architectural drawing and building (1997, p186 - 187). He concludes with somequestions arising from the allegorical painting by Giacinto Brandi depicting a portrait of a courtesan holding a divider. In contrast to the architect/geometer in William Blake's painting "Ancient of Days" which from the architect's point of view relates more to conventional measurement, precision, perfection, and also projection, the Giacinto painting may tell a story of architecture's mediation and negotiation in-between drawing and building under the prejudice or shelter of these big conventions …

Architectural Representation Of Islamic Modernism In Indonesia Case Study: Architecture Of Achmad Noeman, Agus S. Ekomadyo

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Islamic modernism appeared as a reformation movement based on two main ideas: purifying norms by rejecting deviation from religious practices, and adopting new ways of thinking to adapt to the modernworld. In Indonesia the movement had an important role in the development of modern Islamic organizations and Islamic intellectuals. This movement had a special representative in the architecture of Achmad Noeman. Noeman is a modernist Muslim, and also a modernist architect; his architecture refl ected modernism in Islam and in architecture. His designs infl uenced later Indonesian architects to interpret Islam rationally, critically, and creatively in endorsing Islamic building design. …

Results Of Archaeogeophysical Surveying At The Great Friends Meeting House In Newport, Rhode Island, John M. Steinberg, Brian N. Damiata, John W. Schoenfelder, Kathryn A. Catlin, Christine Campbell

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

Archaeogeophysical surveys were carried out in October 2010 over a 30 x 50 m grid that was established immediately to the north and west of the north end of the Great Friends Meeting House (GFMH) in Newport, RI. The surveys were conducted using a Geonics EM-38 RT ground conductivity meter and a Malå X3M Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system that was equipped with 500 and 800 MHz antennas. In addition, a resistance survey was performed over a much smaller central area using a Geoscan RM15 resistance meter. From this work three types of geophysical anomalies have been identified: those associated …

Material And Energy Flow Analysis Of The Irish Construction Sector, Rachel Woodward

Theses

A national flow model for concrete was developed using the framework of material and energy flow analysis. Using this framework, the Irish concrete material and energy cycles for the year 2007 were constructed by firstly analysing the material life cycle of concrete which consists of the three phases of production (including extraction of raw materials and manufacture of cement), usage into stock (ready-mix and other concrete products), and waste management. In this year, approximately 35Mt of raw materials were extracted to produce both 5Mt of cement and 33Mt of concrete, with 4.5Mt of cement going into the production of concrete. …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Diverse Architectural Technology Students Learning Through Formative Feedback & Formative Assessment: A Multiple-Case Study, Catherine Prunty

Masters

Technological leaps along with increased numbers and greater student diversity is altering the higher education teaching landscape constantly. The academic's workload is escalating all the time, arising from resource constraints in a time of economic stringency. This places even more pressure on dealing with assessment rather than on enhancing learning. Despite evidence that supports formative assessment as being vitally important to students' learning, it is not widely appreciated among lecturers in higher education. As a result, lecturers under pressure, understandably, will maintain existing assessment and teaching systems rather than attempt to apply new techniques. Immeasurable hours, days or even weeks, …

The “Bim’S 4d+” Dimension: Real Time Energy Monitoring, Mahmoud Alahmad, Wisam Nader, Adam Brumbaugh, Yong Cho, Song Ci, Hamid Sharif, Jonathan Shi, Jill Neal

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

With the current trend towards Building Information Model (BIM), facility managers have a new tool for raising efficiency. This paper discusses the integration of the BIM software with a real-time monitoring (RTM) system, as a 4D+ dimension in BIM, to track the electrical usage at every location in a building. This ability could be invaluable in identifying what unnecessary loads are connected to a device and could be disconnected. This would result in elimination of needless loads and phantom loads during non-business hours, causing significant reduction in energy consumption. A prototype of the RTM was built and the results are …

Green And Sustainable Technologies For The Built Enviornment, Mahmoud Alahmad, Muhammad Zulfiqar, Hosen Hasna Hh, Hamid Sharif, Evans Sordiashie, Nasser Aljuhaishi

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Energy conservation is among society’s greatest challenges, and the built environment has a concentrated impact on our natural environment, economy, and health. Fundamental understandings of how energy is consumed, monitored, and controlled are key prerequisites for an energy conservation process. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of real-time energy monitors (RTM) to influence behavior change in residential consumers. A methodology for remote identification of load types and the locations along the electrical circuitry where they (load) are being consumed is also presented. The load type and status (on, off, standby) are determined both remotely and in a non-intrusive manner using Non-Intrusive …

Emergence Of Open-Spaces For Dense Dhaka: Searching For Solutions From Traditional Settings, Ayasha Siddiqua

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In the traditional settlement patterns of Bengal, outdoor space has been hierarchically arranged and the people of this area have habitually socialized in these spaces. This localized practice led to theformation of a hierarchy of traditional outdoor places from small-scale indoor courts to large outdoor spaces for public gathering. In Bangladesh, a tropical country, open space carries an important functional and environmental purpose especially within the residential setting - both in rural and urban areas. But unfortunately, with the recent acceleration of development pressure in the urban areas and Euro-centric urban practice, the traditional sense of open space has been …

Public/Private Open Space? Analysis Of Multiple Intensive Land Use In Hong Kong, Mohammad Zakaria Ibne Razzaque

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Hong Kong comprises a unique situation in the world where extreme high density, overcrowding, scarcity of buildable land, land-use intensifi cation and economic viability are the major driving forces,as well as constraints, for urban development. Most people want to live adjacent to the Central Business District area and accept super high-rise living. The most appropriate regulatory ground and emerging solution for this extreme situation is the Multiple Intensive Land Use (MILU) law. MILU requires open spaces within dense development for both the residential inhabitants and all the citizens of Hong Kong. These legislated urban open spaces are constructed by private …

A Tudor House In Bangkok: Hsh Prince Vodhyakara Varavarn's House At 42 Soi Tonson, Chomchon Fusinpaiboon

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This paper examines the design and construction process of the house at 42 Soi Tonson, Bangkok, designed and owned by His Serene Highness Prince Vodhyakara Varavarn - a Cambridge graduate and pioneeringThai architect - in 1929. By examining the house, the factors that infl uenced the design and the construction process are taken into account including contemporary circumstances of pre-World War II Siam culturally and economically, as well as the life and educational background of the architect. The paper reveals that the design and construction process not only involved the selection and appropriation of the Western ideas and knowledge but …

Developing A Drought Planning Evaluation System In The United States, Mark D. Svoboda, Zhenghong Tang

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Drought is a normal part of the climate cycle, affecting every climate regime on the planet. Drought indicates a special period in which an unusual moisture scarcity causes a serious hydrological imbalance. Drought is related to the timing and effectiveness of the rains, high temperature, high wind, and low humidity. The typical impacts of drought may include dry lands, low or empty water-supply reservoirs, low groundwater levels (dried up wells), crop damage, and ensuing environmental degradation. In the United States, drought accounts for losses in the billions of dollars. In fact, a FEMA (1995) report estimates the average annual losses …

Intelligent Software For Ecological Building Design, Jens G. Pohl, Hisham Assal, Kym Jason Pohl

Architecture

Building design is a complex process because of the number of elements and issues involved and the number of relationships that exist among them. Adding sustainability issues to the list increases the complexity of design by an order of magnitude. There is a need for computer assistance to manage the increased complexity of design and to provide intelligent collaboration in formulating acceptable design solutions. Software development technology today offers opportunities to design and build an intelligent software system environment that can serve as a reliable intelligent partner to the human designer. In this paper the authors discuss the requirements for …

Crossing The Digital Divide Through Digital Dexterity, Mark Cabrinha

Architecture

No abstract provided.

Traditional Chinese And Indian Architecture Compared: Black And White Or Shades Of Gray?, Christopher Yip

Architecture

How should one conceptually distinguish traditional Chinese from traditional Indian architecture? The late Nelson Wu posed a China/India dichotomy as a way of clarifying one’s thinking about traditional architecture in China and India in his essay length book, Chinese and Indian Architecture. His position has remained a major lens for understanding the difference between these two great poles of Asian architecture. This paper will examine and assess his view of the subject, arguing that it’s a useful framework upon which to build.

Edra 42: Bibliography Of Books On Display, Kathleen Demsky

Bibliographies

edra 42 | Make No Little Plans | Chicago, IL

An Adaptive Photovoltaic-Inverter Topology, Mahmoud Alahmad, Mohamed Amer Chaaban, Siu Kit Lau

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

A new inverter topology for Adaptive photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed. An improvement in the power generation of the system during different operating conditions is achieved. The proposed configuration provides flexible connection between the PV modules and the inverters to meet current conditions of PV array. Preliminary simulation results are provided for an adaptive PV array. Efficiency comparison between traditional PV system configurations is discussed. Potential improvement using the proposed adaptive configuration is sited.

Combinatorics & Power Consumption, Mahmoud Alahmad, Wisam Nader

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

in this paper the power consumption possible combinations for a number of loads and a single power source are discussed. The proposed mathematical model depends basically on combinatorics to estimate how many ways are possible to operate different loads powered by a single power source. This paper takes into consideration the different conditions and limitations to operate n number of loads limited by their minimum and maximum values of power consumption. Four different cases of operations are discussed and modeled. A flowchart and a step-by-step method to do the calculations for a general case is also illustrated at the end …

Addressable And Energy Management System For The Built Environment (I), Mahmoud Alahmad, Hosen Hasna Hh, Evans Sordiashie

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

The increasing awareness for a cleaner earth has created more interests in the electric vehicle (EV) technology. Electric vehicles (EVs) will not only cause a reduction in our current greenhouse gas emissions, but also stop or reverse the trend at which our natural resources are being depleted. However, the introduction of the EVs into our societies will still require energy usage in the form of electricity. Integration of charging infrastructures will eventually be required in the built environment for these vehicles. This will add to the current energy consumption in the built environment which will mean more emission of CO2, …

Safety And Health Education For Demolition And Reconstruction, Mark Shaurette

Bowen School of Construction Faculty Publications

In the fall semester of 2005, the Department of Building Construction Management (BCM) at Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, offered their first course in Demolition and Reconstruction Management. This first college level course developed with input from the demolition industry, offered in the newly created demolition and reconstruction management area of concentration, mirrors many of the general requirements of a traditional construction management curriculum. These include coverage of construction science, planning, regulation, estimating, safety, project management, and business management as they apply to projects that do not begin with a vacant site and a blank sheet of …

Sustainable Design Optimization Of Rural Houses In North China, Mingliang Li

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

With the rapid economic development of China, the living standards in rural areas have been experiencing improvement over the past two decades. One important aspect of the improved living standards is housing, which has been transformed from traditional adobe or stone structures into modern brick and concrete ones. In the meantime, active heating and cooling systems are gradually being incorporated and residents are requiring more comfortable indoor air temperatures during cold winters and hot summers. However, most rural houses have no insulation in their exterior walls and roofs. The question is whether or not it is economically viable to build …

Optimization Of Energy Storage Systems In Hev's, Mahmoud Alahmad, Mohamed Amer Chaaban

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper introduces a novel battery model inspired by molecular structures mainly for applications in HEV’s. This novel 3-D adaptive battery topology shows potential for improvement in input and output performance as well as the charging/ discharging efficiency of batteries. The proposed topology provides flexible connections between battery cells to achieve different configurations of battery. A new switching matrix has been developed to achieve the required configurations. Preliminary simulations provide promising results for an adaptive 3-D battery configuration. Comparison between traditional battery configurations and the adaptive 3-D configuration is considered. A significant improvement in power curves is achieved by the …

Graffiti Gallery, Mike Delvalle

Architecture Theses and Projects

This project is an architectural exploration of the ability of architecture to enhance the lives of those belonging to stigmatized subcultures, in this case graffiti artists, Skateboarders, BMXers, and Rollerbladers. To do this there is a focus on achieving a spatial justice for these social groups by creating public space that is in fact public, uninhibited by the processes of inclusion and exclusion that plague nearly every public space. More importantly than achieving spatial justice, however, is creating a societal awareness of the positive attributes of these subcultures. After all, it is society that has control over how public spaces …

Invention Center: A Building Of Inventions, Jonathan T. Archbald

Architecture Theses and Projects

In today’s world, the word sustainable often goes hand in hand with design. As a recent trend the LEED standards are used as a way to “prove” a building’s commitment to being sustainable. LEED however is only the tip of the sustainable iceberg of what design can actually be. The term Sustainable has to be linked with the term efficient. Sustainability is more than the design and construction of a project. It has to be involved with all aspects of a project’s life.

Creating Social Networks: Resettlement Center For Burmese Refugees, Kelly Lynne Clarke

Architecture Theses and Projects

The refugee resettlement program in the United States must encourage both the formation of refugee communities and integra­tion within the larger community. I propose a multiuse building to strengthen refugee communities [bonding social networks] and connect refugees to the larger community [bridging social networks]. Both of these connections are essential for refugees to become integrated in a community. The building will be run by Lutheran Social Services who currently assists in the resettle­ment of refugees in the Springfield, Massachusetts area, with assistance in funding from the Wilson-Fish Discretionary Grant Program which provides financial support for alternative models of resettlement.

In …

Bs News January/February

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.