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How fast can Evangelion run? Application of aerodynamics and scaling laws to the Super Robot
Get PDFSuper robots are huge, powerful robots that protect mankind from various invaders, and thus these superheroes are the main figures in many science fiction movies and Japanese animations. Among them, Evangelions have been a very popular type of super robot since the 1990s given that the animation series Neon Genesis Evangelion has been globally influential in various pop cultures. Evangelions (also called Evas) are cyborgs comprised of huge human body and robotic systems, and in the animation series, they often run at seemingly high speeds, which is quite different from traditional super robots. In this paper, we attempt to estimate the running speed of Evangelions based on known scientific facts. First, we measured the running speed of Eva Unit 01 (Eva-01) to be between 910 and 980 m/s based on its step length measured in movie scenes, and the Mach cone formed behind Eva-01. Second, we employed scaling laws known for animals and find that the maximum running speed of Eva-01 is 0.9 m/s. This striking difference between the anime-based speed and the physics-based speed raises a question as to how Eva-01 can run at such a high speed, and we conjecture that the cyborg can do so due to internally stored electrical power
Attribute non-attendance in choosing the bike as a transport mode in Belgium
Get PDFCycling is an important pillar of the global endeavor to have a more sustainable transportation system. Many papers have studied how trip and person characteristics affect selecting the bike as a transport mode but unlike other researchers, we model the probability of cycling using a binary item response model where the choice is modelled as a trade-off between the individuals\u27 tendency to cycle and the threshold related to each cycling situation.
We distinguish between frequent and occasional cyclists. The results show that occasional cyclists are more affected by adverse weather situations, darkness, and uphill slopes. Contrary to the previous studies, a separate bike path turned out a stronger motivator for the group of frequent cyclists.
The model fit can substantially be improved by accounting for attribute non-attendance. The results show that weather and wind speed have the highest probability to be taken into account, and the bike path had the lowest probability of being considered by the respondents.
Employing the attribute non-attendance model made it possible to make accurate and trustworthy conclusions about the attributes by focusing on the people who take into account the attributes. More specifically, it was found that the presence of a separate bike path and a 100% asphalt route can increase the average probability of taking the bike by up to 55 and 40 percentage points, respectively
Departure Time Choice and Bottleneck Congestion with Automated Vehicles: Role of On-board Activities
Get PDFIt is widely expected that automated vehicles (AVs) will revolutionise travel experience by better facilitating various on-board activities. While these activities could make travel more pleasant, as is often supposed, they could also affect daily schedules, the related travel choices, and finally, the aggregate travel patterns – possible influences that are still insufficiently studied. For example, a morning commuter deciding to perform some home or work activities during travel, instead of at home or work, could also reconsider his departure time to work. More such travellers together could reshape traffic congestion. This paper models exactly this scenario. It formulates new scheduling preferences, which account for home and/or work activities during morning commute, and uses these (1) to analyse the optimal departure times when there is no congestion, and (2) to obtain the equilibrium congestion patterns in a bottleneck setting. If there is no congestion, it is predicted that AV users would depart earlier (later), if the on-board environment supports their home (work) activities. If there is congestion, AV users that perform home (work) activities during travel skew the congestion to earlier (later) times, and AV users that perform both activities increase both early and late congestion. Engaging in any activity during travel worsens congestion, at least when assuming that AVs do not increase bottleneck capacity. If future AVs would be specialised to support only home, only work, or both home and work activities, and would do so to a similar extent, then ‘Work AVs’ would increase the congestion the least
Techno-Economical and Ecological Potential of Electric Scooters: A Life Cycle Analysis
Get PDFIn Germany, mobility is currently in a state of flux. Since June 2019, electric kick scooters (e-scooters) have been permitted on the roads, and this market is booming. This study employs a user survey to generate new data, supplemented by expert interviews to determine whether such e-scooters are a climate-friendly means of transport. The environmental impacts are quantified using a life cycle assessment. This results in a very accurate picture of e-scooters in Germany. The global warming potential of an e-scooter calculated in this study is 165 g CO2-eq./km, mostly due to material and production (that together account for 73% of the impact). By switching to e-scooters where the battery is swapped, the global warming potential can be reduced by 12%. The lowest value of 46 g CO2-eq./km is reached if all possibilities are exploited and the life span of e-scooters is increased to 15 months. Comparing these emissions with those of the replaced modal split, e-scooters are at best 8% above the modal split value of 39 g CO2-eq./km
Forms of Utopia: The Social and Spatial Forms of We and Metropolisarchitecture
No full text“Forms of Utopia” is part of a larger research investigating critical and speculative methods used in architectural and literary utopian and dystopian works of the 20th century. It presents one of several case study pairings featuring a work of architectural and literary fiction, which were created within a similar historical and societal context and which deal with similar issues. The text investigates and juxtaposes two fictional worlds created in the first part of the 20th century, namely Ludwig Hilberseimer’s architectural proposal Metropolisarchitecture, and Yevgeny Zamyatin’s literary work We. Taking into consideration various issues which arise while examining works from two different fields, a comparative method was devised which combines approaches taken from both the literary and architectural field. The developed method is based on a combination of Carline Levine’s approach proposed in her book Forms: Whole, Rhythm, Hierarchy, Network (Princeton UP, 2015) and an architectural typological analysis. By using this method, the text examines various forms and patterns of spatial and social experience which are described in the works and through which the utopian and dystopian worlds are structured. Focusing on two main types of forms identified by Levine – namely bounded wholes and rhythms – the text distills common threads, investigates how the authors propose and generate a built and social environment, and how this environment is ideologically and critically charged. While examining the various social and spatial forms which are used to build both fictional worlds, the text also explores the fact that, even though the two worlds are sometimes based on same spatial forms, one author views his project as utopian while the other proposes a dystopian future
Delta Urbanism coming of age: 25 years of Delta Urbanism where are we now?
Get PDF‘Delta Urbanism’ is a common field of interest of different disciplines, which discovered the need to work together in order to be able to develop fruitful strategies for the future development of urbanized delta regions. The birth of this collaboration can be dated in the 1980s and 1990s, with the rise of three different fields of concern on the effects of industrial society: the concern on the environmental impact of industrialization, the concern on the alarming state of affairs of cities in these years, and the rising concern on climate change. The development of a real program of Delta Urbanism
at TU Delft started in 2005, with the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdamon ‘the Flood’, the Katrina disaster in New Orleans and the start of the new Delta Program in the Netherlands as important driving forces. Important in the Delta Urbanism program is the search for a new ‘Darwinistic’ approach, emphasizing the evolutionary character of delta regions, and adaptivity as a main strategy to survive. This approach should substitute the traditional. Reductionist ‘Einstein’ approach, which is fitting in the dominating paradigm of the industrial society.
Delta Urbanism itself can also be considered an evolutionary field of interest: it is under construction continuously. For the future, we can appoint four important issues to be elaborated: a more radical approach of the new adage ‘working with water’, water as a leverage for a complex society in transition; making delta landscapes adaptive, and design as an explorative method
On Sea Level Rise
Get PDFWhile the severity of the climate crisis calls for a discussion on transformative and potentially disruptive change, science, engineering, design, governance and practice are currently too detached to effectively contribute to such discussions.
The spatial manifestation of climate crisis rarely appeals to one’s imagination. Yet, when reviewing the range of sea level rise projections and their accelerated rate of change, it is clear that understanding when and why to navigate between mitigation, adaptation and transformation measures is essential for flourishing coastal communities globally.
The Netherlands is one of those and has been characterised by a long history of renowned flood risk and water management as well as spatial planning. Facing the potential extreme scenarios of sea level rise, the country now however struggles to include measures preparing for a shift from incremental to the required transformative strategies.
This research project identifies the criticalities by means of a risk matrix and stress maps as an initial act to introduce the Sea Level Impact Knowledge Collect and its transdisciplinary Research by Design approach to guide the discussion on transformative change and its implementation in living labs
Nieuwe open ruimte in het woonensemble
Get PDFIn the past few years, a new generation of housing ensembles has emerged. Despite great differences in appearance, these new complexes have one important characteristic in common: the ‘new open space’ within them that is created by the arrangement of the buildings and which gives the ensemble its architectural identity – as, for example, the central inner courtyard of the De Grote Hof in the Ypenburg district near The Hague, or the series of little squares that are part of the Mariaplaats in Utrecht, or the parterre1 in Zwanenwoud near Heerenveen.
This open space is a new phenomenon within the Dutch tradition of residential blocks in several ways. In size, shape and architectural expression, it is different from what was previously built. Moreover, it is new in terms of layout and use: it would seem that the relation between the public and the private domain is changing. Finally, the new open space implies fundamental changes in housing conditions as a whole: in the relation between the home, its surroundings and the city. This investigation focuses on the composition of the new open space and its significance for architecture and urban design, with the aim of examining the new open space as an architectural answer to contemporary social developments.
Eight residential complexes have been taken as examples. At first sight, these projects seem to be completely different: some are in inner cities, others lie at the edge of a city or even in rural areas; they can be part of a residential block or form a block themselves. Most are primarily comprised of low-rise housing, but some also have combinations of mid-rise apartment blocks and high-rise residential towers. The common factor shared by these complexes, however, is not their morphological or typological characteristics, but their ‘unity of design’, the distinctive element upon which the design is based. Unity of design is one of the defining aspects of housing that changes over the course of time: from the lot to the row, from the block to the street, from urban renewal project to residential building, and now to the open space between the residential buildings. The housing ensembles discussed here are considered from this guiding theme of open space.De afgelopen jaren is een nieuwe generatie woningbouwensembles ontstaan. Ondanks grote verschillen in hun verschijning hebben deze ensembles één belangrijk kenmerk gemeen: de ‘nieuwe open ruimte’ tussen de afzonderlijke woongebouwen die het ensemble zijn architectonische identiteit geeft. Deze nieuwe ensembles kunnen gekarakteriseerd worden door de open ruimte, die door de compositie van de woongebouwen binnen het ensemble ontstaat, bijvoorbeeld de centrale binnenhof van De Grote Hof in de wijk Ypenburg bij Den Haag, de reeks pleintjes van de Mariaplaats in Utrecht of de parterre1 in Zwanenwoud bij Heerenveen.
De open ruimte is in verschillende opzichten een nieuw verschijnsel binnen de Hollandse traditie van het bouwblok en het wonen. Zo is ze anders van formaat, vorm en architectonische expressie dan tot nu toe werd gemaakt. Bovendien is deze ruimte nieuw qua invulling en gebruik: er is sprake van veranderende verhoudingen tussen het publieke en particuliere domein. De nieuwe open ruimte impliceert ten slotte fundamentele veranderingen in de woonomgeving als geheel: in de samenhang tussen woning, woonomgeving en stad. Dit onderzoek richt zich op de compositie van deze nieuwe open ruimte, en haar architectonische en stedenbouwkundige betekenis. Doel is de nieuwe open ruimte zelf als architectonische opgave aan de orde te stellen, in antwoord op eigentijdse maatschappelijke ontwikkelingen.
In deze studie wordt de nieuwe open ruimte onderzocht aan de hand van acht woningbouwensembles. Op het eerste gezicht lijken de bestudeerde projecten volkomen verschillend. Zij maken deel uit van uiteenlopende opgaven: ze zijn binnenstedelijk, liggen aan de rand van de stad of zelfs in het landelijk gebied. Ze maken deel uit van een bouwblok of vormen zelf een bouwblok. De meeste ensembles zijn voornamelijk opgebouwd uit laagbouwwoningen, maar er zijn ook combinaties met appartementengebouwen en woontorens. Wat de ensembles bindt, ligt echter niet in hun morfologische of typologische karakteristiek, maar in de ‘ontwerpeenheid’: het onderscheidende element van waaruit het ontwerp is gedacht. De ontwerpeenheid is een van de bepalende aspecten van de woningbouw die veranderen in de loop der tijd: van de kavel naar de rij, van het blok naar de straat, van het stadvernieuwingsproject naar het woongebouw, en nu naar de open ruimte tussen de woongebouwen. De hier besproken ensembles worden gelezen vanuit dit sturende thema van de open ruimte
Merelhof Bergen (NH): J.H. Roggeveen
Get PDFMerelhof was designed in 1949 by the Bergen local authority architect J.H. Roggeveen (1888-1955). It exemplifies the principles of the Delft School, a traditionalist movement based on the presumption of an inseparable connection between past and present, which stressed the ‘timeless values’ of architecture. In the sphere of housing design adherents of the Delft School sought simple, recognizable forms that were inspired by rural architecture from the past. They often found inspiration for the design of homes for the elderly, for example, in ‘hofjes’, the traditional Dutch configuration of accommodation for the needy or disadvantaged around courtyards. The Delft School is further characterized by its combination of the traditional use and detailing of materials such as brick and wood, with the application of new techniques for certain parts, such as concrete structural elements and steel window frames.
Roggeveen clearly manifested this combination of timeless architectural values with contemporary insights into planning and technology in the Merelhof. Three different building volumes, designed to house pensioners, enclose a courtyard to the west in a U configuration that apparently refers to traditional Dutch courtyards. The sense of ‘village’ community established by the courtyard structure is further expressed in the collective spaces, such as the manager’s dwelling, which accommodates a communal dining room and bathroom. However, there is a degree of ambiguity in the Merelhof’s grouping of dwellings around a courtyard, for some dwellings have their front adjoining the courtyard and others their rear, so that all living rooms face either south or west, in order to comply with functional requirements regarding optimum sunlight incidence.
All the dwellings are enclosed by a path running along the front gardens and a path running immediately behind the back entrances. Each dwelling has an unobstructed view of the high, surrounding greenery. The central position of the courtyard is emphasized by a central sculpture, representing the ‘Awakening of nature’. The simple main forms of the three blocks are characterized by a high, continuous and red-tiled gable roof, enclosed by transverse brickwork gables topped by tiles set in mortar. The manager’s dwelling is set apart by a higher, sloping, transverse roof. Large brick chimneys create a strong, rhythmical silhouette. The residential programme is entirely fulfilled on the ground floor, with a small entrance hall with toilet and attic stairs to the front, a living room, and a bedroom and kitchen to the rear, all in minimal dimensions. A cupboard beneath the stairs once accommodated a wash basin. In addition to the rational grouping of the Merelhof dwellings, Roggeveen chiefly expressed the contemporary character of the development in the exceptionally minimal dormer windows with ‘abstract’ detailing and the large, steel, living-room window frames. Regrettably, the latter were replaced during renovation work by exceptionally ugly, wooden window frames.De in 1949 door de Bergense gemeente-architect J.H. Roggeveen (1888-1955) ontworpen Merelhof is in vele opzichten kenmerkend voor de opvattingen van de Delftse School. Deze ging uit van een onlosmakelijke band tussen verleden en heden, en benadrukte de ‘eeuwige waarden’ van de architectuur. In het woningontwerp werd gezocht naar een eenvoudige, herkenbare vorm, geïnspireerd op landelijke bouwkunst uit het verleden. Zo werd bijvoorbeeld bij het ontwerpen van ouderenwoningen vaak inspiratie gevonden in het traditionele Hollandse hofje. Kenmerkend voor de Delftse School is verder de manier waarop bouwmaterialen als baksteen en hout, toegepast en gedetailleerd op een ambachtelijke wijze, gecombineerd werden met nieuwere technieken, zoals betonnen constructie-elementen en stalen kozijnen.
In de Merelhof is de combinatie van eeuwige architectuurwaarden met hedendaagse inzichten in planning en techniek op demonstratieve wijze zichtbaar gemaakt. De drie verschillende bouwvolumes, bestemd voor ouderen, omsluiten in een U-vorm een op het westen gelegen hof; een referentie aan een traditioneel hofje lijkt hier aanwezig. De door de hofstructuur aangeduide ‘dorpse’ gemeenschapszin kwam verder tot uitdrukking in de collectieve ruimten van het complex: de beheerderswoning bevatte een gemeenschappelijke eetzaal en badkamer. De groepering van de woningen rond een hof blijkt echter dubbelzinnig. Ze liggen deels met de voor- en deels met de achterzijde aan de hof, als gevolg van het gegeven dat alle woonkamers op het zuiden of westen zijn gericht. Zo werd voldaan aan functionalistische inzichten met betrekking tot optimale zontoetreding.
Alle woningen worden ingesloten door een pad langs de voortuinen, en een pad dat direct langs de achteringangen loopt; elke woning heeft onbelemmerd uitzicht op hoog opgaand groen. De centrale positie van de hof wordt benadrukt door in het midden een sculptuur: een verbeelding van het ‘ontwaken van de natuur’. De eenvoudige hoofdvormen van de drie blokjes worden gekenmerkt door een hoge, doorgaande en met rode pannen gedekte zadelkap, en ingesloten door gemetselde kopgevels die afgedekt zijn met in specie opgelegde eindpannen. De beheerderswoning onderscheidt zich door een hoger oprijzende dwarskap. Grote gemetselde schoorstenen bieden een sterk ritmisch silhouet. Het woonprogramma is geheel op de begane grond ingevuld; aan de voorzijde een entreehalletje met toilet en zoldertrap, een woonkamer, en daarachter een slaapkamer en keuken, alles minimaal gedimensioneerd. Onder de trap was een kast geplaatst met daarin een wastafel. Het hedendaagse wordt, naast de rationele groepering, vooral zichtbaar in de zeer minimaal, ‘abstract’ gedetailleerde dakkapellen, en de grote stalen vensters van de woonkamers. De laatste zijn bij een renovatie helaas vervangen door buitengewoon lelijke houten kozijnen
Relaxed particulier opdrachtgeverschap: Interview met Frank van Beek en Frank Veen, Lingotto
No full textUntil a few years ago, it was common practice in the Netherlands for developers to deliver generic products and give most of their attention to production. Of course, there was also a market that accepted this. It made little difference what was produced, for everything sold. Although architects had been expressing an interest in increasing residents’ input in the design of housing with a certain degree of regularity ever since the 1970s, there was little enthusiasm among developers. Helped by the crisis, but also as the consequence of a process of increasing consumer articulation that had begun prior to that, the end-user’s position has grown stronger. In the past years, developers have also shown an increased interest in taking the end-users’ wishes as the starting point, instead of as finishing touches to the work.
Lingotto is an example of a developer that has explored new possibilities in various projects over the last ten years. Since its beginnings in 2000, Lingotto has realized diverse housing projects, primarily new-build. As of five years ago, the company began focusing more expressly on converting school buildings and offices into residential buildings. Because of the crisis, this is increasingly coming into vogue, and it is becoming more and more important to develop distinctive concepts in this regard. The input of the end-user is essential here.Tot enkele jaren geleden was het in Nederland traditie dat ontwikkelende partijen vrij generieke producten realiseerden en de aandacht vooral op productie lag. Natuurlijk was er ook een markt die dat toe stond. Het maakte weinig uit wat er geproduceerd werd, alles werd verkocht. Hoewel er in de architectuur al sinds de jaren 1970 met enige regelmaat belangstelling werd geuit om de inbreng van bewoners bij het woningontwerp te vergroten, was het enthousiasme bij ontwikkelende partijen gering. In die situatie is nu verandering gekomen. Geholpen door de crisis, maar ook als gevolg van een al langer lopend proces van toenemende mondigheid van consumenten, wordt de positie van de eindgebruiker sterker. De afgelopen jaren is hierdoor ook vanuit de kant van ontwikkelaars de interesse toegenomen om de wensen van eindgebruikers als vertrekpunt te nemen in plaats van als laatste toevoeging aan hun werk.
Lingotto kan als voorbeeld dienen van een ontwikkelaar die de afgelopen tien jaar in verschillende projecten nieuwe mogelijkheden heeft verkend. Sinds zijn ontstaan in 2000 heeft Lingotto diverse woningbouwprojecten gerealiseerd, hoofdzakelijk nieuwbouw. Pas de laatste vijf jaar richt het bedrijf zich nadrukkelijker op herontwikkeling van schoolgebouwen of kantoren tot woningen. Door de crisis blijkt dit een steeds actueler thema te worden waarbij het steeds belangrijker wordt onderscheidende concepten te ontwikkelen, De inbreng van de eindgebruiker is daarbij essentieel
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