1,720,976 research outputs found
Architectural project appraisal: An active learning process [Valutazione del progetto architettonico: un processo di apprendimento attivo]
Full text linkReflecting on how economic evaluation is taught in architecture courses opens up a discussion between those who structure problems with design and those who structure problems with different approaches (specifically estimation approaches) and where this design and these methods can intersect and hybridise. The paper presents some reflections, and a methodological proposal, related to the way of teaching economic evaluation in architecture courses. The aim of this paper is to propose an integrated assessment operative framework applied according to the active learning strategy, aimed at supporting students in dealing with design decision-making processes in a structured way and providing them with a problem representation scheme. Specifically, with respect to the assessment of building transformation scenarios, the framework con-siders: i) the analysis of the real estate market, in order to estimate the most probable market value of the con-sidered spaces; ii) the analysis of demand through sur-veys and their reporting through descriptive statistics indicators, in order to investigate the context and the in-terests of future users, with a view to innovative and sat- isfactory solutions; iii) Storytelling (ST) and/or the Strategic Choice Approach (SCA) as support for the construc-tion of design solutions; iv) finally, the Discounted Cashflows Analysis (DCFA), to verify the economic feasibility of the chosen scenario . The proposed methodological framework can be de-fined as a hybrid of active and traditional learning: the techniques are applied by the students in an active way, collaborating in working groups in a co-operative way; however, in order to make the application possible, it is unavoidable to prepare frontal lessons that provide the necessary theoretical concepts. According to this scheme the student has the opportunity to learn and develop, on the one hand, the estimation skills necessary to assess and estimate the feasibility of a project, and on the other hand, s/he has the possibility to ac-quire specific skills to structure the design process in order to relate spatial, economic, environmental and technical issues. This integrated framework is illustrated through the application to a case study concerning the transformation of a building located in the city of Turin, Italy
Assessing social sustainability for achieving sustainable architecture
Full text linkSustainability is an inherent urban and architectural problem. It is simultaneously characterized by many different dimensions, pursuing heterogeneous and often conflicting objectives. To help address these complexities in a structured way, this paper illustrates an integrated assessment framework to tackle social sustainability, in order to support the decision-making process towards sustainable architecture. This integrated decision support framework was applied to a case study concerning a new cultural centre at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy. The aim of this paper is to propose a decision support methodological framework for the analysis, graphical visualization and evaluation of social sustainability of architectural projects. It combines three methods first, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis, to get a guided understanding of the project and detect the best design strategies; second, the Stakeholder Analysis (SA), to develop a strategic view of the actors involved; third, the Social Return of the Investment (SROI) as a methodological tool for social impact assessment. This framework, presented through the discussion of some project solutions, helps us analyse the architectural material effect of social sustainability and answer the question: Are we investing properly and creating spaces sufficiently functional to build better conditions for our community and our city
Adequate housing and covid-19: Assessing the potential for value creation through the project
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the relationship between people’s behaviors and residential spaces, bringing to public and academic attention, on the one hand, the exacerbation of pre-existing problems and, on the other, the potential of spaces, such as communal gardens and apartment-block terraces, to become important resources of sociability or privacy. Overall, this raises the question of how to assess the responsiveness of the existing residential stock to needs that transcend the traditional concept of housing adequacy—e.g., the need for adaptable, open, and livable spaces. This research moves from the assumption that underused spaces in residential neighborhoods represent a crucial asset for creating new economic and social values through architectural and urban projects. Consequently, moving from an in-depth observation of a selection of public housing buildings in Turin as a paradigmatic case study, the aim is to explore the potential for the adaptive reuse of residential spaces at different scales—from the apartment to the neighborhoods—highlighting the implications for design. In doing so, the paper puts forward a methodological approach, which widens the way housing adequacy is normally assessed, by focusing on the possibility of transformation of often neglected spatial resources
How covid-19 influences the 2030 Agenda: Do the practices of achieving the sustainable development goal 11 need rethinking and adjustment?/ Come il Covid-19 influenza l’Agenda 2030: le pratiche di raggiungimento dello SDG11 devono essere ripensate e aggiornate?
Full text linkOur cities represent the crucial nodes of intervention to improve living conditions and promote sustainability. Therefore, the current pandemic, combined with the climate emergency, translates into an urban emergency. In light of the devastating effects of Covid-19 and the rethinking of the concept of sustainability, the goal of developing inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements pursued by the Sustainable Development Goal 11 may now require revision in terms of the indicators used for its monitoring. Indicators are crucial since they help to make sustainable development visible and transparent, enable comparison, build and harmonize databases and provide information relevant to decision-making processes and urban and territorial policies by facilitating communication across arenas. The aim of this paper is to provide a picture of the indicators currently used to monitor SDG11, to present a series of critical reviews of them in light of the Covid-19 emergency, and to suggest the introduction of some new indicators, thus opening a scientific debate on the topic
District energy choices: More than a monetary problem. a SDSS approach to define urban energy scenarios
Full text linkL'analisi del collegamento ferroviario tra Torino e Lione attraverso il modello di valutazione a network (ANP)
No full textSupporting resilient urban planning through walkability assessment
Full text linkThe urban planning and evaluation literature suggests that making a walkable city means creating a resilient and healthy city. In recent years, alternative mobility has been the subject of numerous studies, showing that the concept of urban walkability can be used as an additional support in planning resilient cities. Though researchers agree that walkability assessment has a positive impact on public space planning, it is still difficult to include the topic in planning strategies because of its novelty in the scientific debate. This paper will first review the literature on walkability assessment and then propose a multi-methodological assessment framework that fills the gaps in existing assessment methods. The multi-methodological assessment framework contributes to overcoming the idea that objective and subjective aspects are "not part of the same planning project. " Thanks to its combination of hard and soft methods, the assessment framework illustrated in this paper can consider physical and perceptual aspects simultaneously and represent them visually using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It can thus provide easily readable results that can be applied in establishing guidelines for planning resilient cities
How can i help you? Questioning the role of evaluation techniques in democratic decision-making processes
Full text linkIn the past, evaluation techniques were considered to be “decisional techniques”, “decisional tools”. There was a rough idea that, after the important data had been collected, the technique in question would, by itself, indicate the best decision. Evaluations of this kind clearly depended on the more or less implicit adoption of a “rational-comprehensive model”, which tended to downplay the ethical and political dimension of decisions, while stressing the role of both technique and technicians. This approach has been widely criticized. Partly as a result of such criticism, many evaluation techniques are now considered to be not “decisional tools” but forms of “decision aid”. The problem is that the expression “decision aid” lacks clarity and is by no means unequivocal in urban decisional situations. We believe in this regard that there is a gap in research and in the academic literature. Starting from this conviction, the article presents an investigation of what being a “decision aid” might mean for a technical evaluation today. The aim is to provide a conceptual framework within which to critically revisit and rediscuss the question, with particular regard to urban sustainability issues
How to revitalise a historic district: A stakeholders-oriented assessment framework of adaptive reuse
Full text linkThis research proposes an application of a MultiCriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in the adaptive reuse framework, which is able to structure the complex decision process required for the effective reuse of an historic district. Nowadays, many cities are facing an economic, financial, social and urban decline. This is particularly true when thinking about historic districts, which are usually characterized by high unique cultural values but, at the same time, show difficult characteristics in terms of comfort and security. Accordingly, the planning rules to be applied to the historic districts need to be re-written overcoming the traditional logics. The proposed adaptive reuse framework deals with the application of the Macbeth method. To properly test, develop and illustrate the framework we conducted an experimental validation through a case study: the urban regeneration of an historical district in Biella (Italy) starting from the adaptive reuse of an historic buildin
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