1,720,969 research outputs found
Analysis of residential energy consumption characteristics: A comparative study between two cities in China and the U.S
Get PDFThe author has granted permission for their work to be available to the general public.This study compares and analyzes residential energy use patterns in the two dominant housing typologies in two cities with similar climates in the U.S. and China (Houston, TX and Xiamen, China). The study included developing four residential models representing a single-family-house and a multi-family-house in both Houston and Xiamen using the building performance simulation tool, eQuest. Inputs for the models were based on existing building codes, census data, government surveys, validated previous studies, and a household survey conducted in Xiamen, China. The models were used to study the impact of building physical characteristics and occupant behavior on residential energy consumption patterns in both cities. The results of the simulation were then analyzed and the outcomes of the analysis were used to identify opportunities for reducing Chinese residential energy use. The research outcomes indicate that the low energy efficiency of building envelopes and systems in Chinese houses are a major issue in Chinese residential buildings. Avoiding the potential increase in energy use in the Chinese residential sector requires taking steps to improve the efficiency of building envelopes, systems, and appliances. The research provides specific recommendations for Chinese energy conservation policy-makers as well as developers and companies working in the Chinese residential sector. The research also provides the foundation for future studies aiming to improve the energy efficiency of Chinese houses.Architectur
Natural Ventilation Systems in Texas Courthouses designed by James Ridley Gordon: an Analysis of Development of Climate Responsive Typologies.
No full textThe use of natural ventilation is an excellent strategy for achieving passive cooling in buildings, especially in hot and humid climate areas like in Southern Texas. The architect James Riely Gordon (1863-
1937), after ten years of architecture practice, originated specific typologies of plans, extremely innovative in court house architecture to respond to South Texas climate, reinterpreting the period’s attention in mechanical systems’ innovations for ventilation and cooling and heating. Gordon designed seventeen courthouses in Texas, twelve of which are still existing and functioning at this time. From analysis of his work, we can identify a typological metamorphosis in the design development of courthouses, which evolved over time to become more technologically sophisticated and climatically efficient. This study investigates the design and construction features and climatic response strategies of these types of court houses, identifying the step by step evolution process in the development of these typologies, and specifically examines and assesses their natural ventilation effects. This step by step process developed by the architect for creating the best typological system intends to suit, simultaneously, style, function, technological innovations and mostly, environmental thermal comfort. These systems, now no longer in operation due to the adoption of mechanical ventilation systems, are rediscovered and reinterpreted as core elements of sustainable architecture, and could form valuable lessons for the contemporary sustainable design in hot humid climates
ANTi-History in design research: New applications and interpretations
Get PDFIn the postcolonial era, contemporary poststructuralist paradigm shift has provided alternative views of the past as well, especially in terms of new interpretations of regional histories and understanding of cultural contexts. One fairly novel strategy in this respect is ANTi-History, which is an approach to the study of the past drawing on the actor-network theory (ANT). The objective is to offer diverse readings of the largely Euro-America centralized history writing by revealing accounts that have earlier been overlooked. Contrary to the negative connotation of ‘anti’, ANTi-History does not, however, negate the significance of history, but aims to pluralize historical narratives. The view is based on Foucauldian poststructuralism and comprehension of the present as it relates to the past. In other words, ANTi-History focuses on the present, while seeking alternate connotations and (de)constructions of past events, particularly in relation to sociopolitical actants and actions. This links ANTi-History to the concept of Applied History, according to which present-day problems can be solved by knowledge of the past. As to design research, substitute readings of history are particularly relevant in the postcolonial contexts, in which ‘place making’ as part of re-creating regional identities is the main concern and further related to Critical Regionalism. Hence, this paper examines the interrelationship between ANTi-History, Critical Regionalism, and decolonialization within the discourse on the design of built environment. To clarify ANTi-History as a theoretical framework in architectural research, a single-case study on the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia is given as an example, in order to offer new interpretations of its architecture and design actions in one postcolonial context. Consequently, the paper argues that applications of this paradigm to precedent studies both in the education of architecture and in the practice-based research can be pertinent in the future praxis.KEYWORDS: Actor-Network Theory, Applied History, Critical Regionalism, Transculturalism, Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centr
Employing Interdisciplinary Metrics for Measuring and Improving Equity in the Design of Public Urban Spaces: A Methodological Proof of Concept for Two Landscape Urbanist and New Urbanist Case Studies in Austin, TX
No full textOne of the most pressing and challenging issues in the contemporary city is that of equity and its various manifestations within an urban context: gentrification and displacement, unevenness of resources, distribution and access, lack of affordable housing, and lack of diversity. This dissertation anchors upon a definition of urban equity and leverages a multi-disciplinary (Landscape Urbanism, New Urbanism, and Critical Geography) synthesis of existing scholarly work and practice related to urban equity to identify a three-fold gap (Expertise, Exemplar, Extent) in addressing urban equity issues in contemporary urban design. A mixed methods research design approach is used to address this three-fold gap that involves the discipline of architecture/urban design (Expertise), the medium of spatial design of urban spaces (Exemplar) at the scale of individual public spaces (extent). This methodological approach is used to conceive of a proposed multivariate equity assessment framework dubbed the “Equity Design” framework. This framework is structured based on cross-disciplinary “equity criteria” and measures equity performance of public urban spaces either in a comparative manner or against a predetermined benchmark. In so doing, the framework addresses the three-fold gap described above by detecting areas of equity deficiency and providing recommendations for improving equity performance that comprises operationalized practical design strategies that can be used by architects and urban designers to deliver high performing urban spaces or improve existing ones in terms of urban equity. As proof of concept, the “Equity Design” framework is applied to two case studies (five units of analysis) that are shown to fall within the Landscape Urbanism-New Urbanism paradigms of contemporary urban design. In this application, “Core” and “Flexible Shell” sets of “equity metrics” are measured, yielding a representation of each unit’s equity performance. Then based on the calculated results, areas of equity deficiency are detected through a comparative study and recommendations for improving equity are made using spatial design strategies that stem from qualitatively operationalized “equity criteria.
Developing a framework for neighborhood-level urban sustainability assessment in Saudi Arabia
No full textThis item is available only to currently enrolled UTSA students, faculty or staff. To download, navigate to Log In in the top right-hand corner of this screen, then select Log in with my UTSA ID.This study aimed to develop a model for neighborhood-level urban sustainability assessment in Saudi Arabia. Sustainability indicators and currently defined sustainable characteristics of neighborhoods were investigated, analyzed, and categorized. The model was developed based on input from different stakeholder groups in Saudi Arabia, such as planning professionals, planning professors, local government officials, developers, and students. The study also investigated the potential correlations between the selected indicators, stakeholder responses, and other neighborhood sustainability framework assessment systems. The study addresses the following research questions, which are: What are the major sustainability issues that exist in Saudi Arabia? What are the major differences between the views of different stakeholder groups regarding neighborhood sustainability in Saudi Arabia? and What are the regionally-appropriate components of a neighborhood-level sustainability assessment framework in Saudi Arabia? This study utilized a mixed-methods research design in which both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. The qualitative data were collected through an online survey of the stakeholder groups listed above. The survey was used to identify the views of the different stakeholder groups on the relative significance of neighborhood-scale sustainability-related issues and indicators in Saudi Arabia. This grass-roots approach to developing sustainability assessment models will be useful to local and regional sustainable development efforts in Saudi Arabia in the future; it will help to rectify the deficiencies of current neighborhood sustainability practices, which are based in large part on models developed in other countries. The ultimate goal of this research is to support the development of sustainable communities in the region, and with that goal in mind, the results of the survey were used to develop a regionally-appropriate neighborhood-level sustainability assessment framework. This Neighborhood Sustainability Assessment Framework (NSAF) organizes and categorizes the various neighborhood sustainability elements, indicators and issues, and can be used to assess and promote neighborhood sustainability practices in Saudi Arabia and in similar regions. The study concludes with recommendations and suggestions for future avenues of study and research.Urban and Regional Plannin
The Quest for Sustainable Communities: The Role of Performance Monitoring in the Planning, Design, and Certification of Sustainable Neighborhoods
No full textSustainability is an ever-changing concept. The quest for sustainable communities is intrinsically linked to the international policy discussions on sustainable development. This quest has resulted in the spawning of numerous sustainable community certification systems (SCCS) around the world. This thesis identified eight relevant SCCS that were originated as a consequence of international policy discussions on sustainable development and that have been incorporated as part of national, state, and local policies; including public housing strategies, land use regulation, or showcasing them as best-practices and exemplary for developing communities: 1) Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method for Communities (BREEAM Communities), in the United Kingdom; 2) Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency for Urban Development (CASBEE-UD), in Japan; 3) German Green Building Council for New City Districts (DGNB-NSQ), in Germany; 4) Integrated Sustainable Urban Development (DUIS), in Mexico; 5) Green Star Communities, in Australia; 6) Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQE-A), in France; 7) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND), in the United States; and 8) Pearl Rating System for Estidama Community Rating System: Design and Construction (PEARL Community), in the United Arab Emirates. The objective of studying these eight SCCS is to compare them and improve the understanding of its rating levels, parameters, scoring, certification process, and criteria. Along the way, this thesis provides a compilation of existing SCCS useful to policymakers and practitioners interested in the planning, design, and certification of sustainable neighborhoods. Moreover, this thesis focuses on the study of LEED-ND. The research methodology consisted of three steps: 1) a review of the existing literature; 2) a site analysis of a LEED-ND certified neighborhood, Mueller, located in Austin, Texas; and 3) a trend study of the change in the transportation behavior of the residents of Mueller before and after its redevelopment using LEED-ND. The findings of this thesis indicate that designing, planning, and certifying Mueller using LEED-ND has not resulted so far into the expected reduction of commuting by automobile or increase of commuting by alternative modes of transportation. Consequently, performance monitoring of LEED-ND certified neighborhoods emerges as an opportunity of improving LEED-ND by measuring and demonstrating whether its expected sustainability outcomes are achieved. Finally, this thesis adds to the literature that suggests that a performance based approach to design, plan, and certify neighborhoods is necessary and represents the next logical step in the quest for sustainable communities.Architectur
Impacts of Green Facade and Green Roof on Annual Building Energy Consumption in Hot-Humid and Hot-Dry Climates
No full textThis item is available only to currently enrolled UTSA students, faculty or staff. To download, navigate to Log In in the top right-hand corner of this screen, then select Log in with my UTSA ID.Urban heat is caused by a combination of anthropogenic heat release, reduction in green areas, absorption of solar radiation and limited circulation of air in the urban environment. The increase in the ambient temperature leads to higher cooling loads of buildings. Green Roofs and Green Facades can be used as a passive cooling strategy, to reduce conduction and infiltration heat gain.
The impacts of Green Roofs and Green Facades on the building’s annual energy consumption for four building types with varying Green Facade to Green Roof ratio were analyzed. Whole building energy use simulation method was used to determine the impacts of insulation and shading of Green Roofs and Green facades on building’s annual energy consumption. Evapotranspiration cooling of plants was determined using a Theoretical calculation method. Houston, Texas was selected to represent hot-humid climate and Phoenix, Arizona for hot-dry climate.
The annual energy consumption gradually increased as the footprint of the building reduced, and the building height increased. The building models were found to consume more energy annually in hot-dry climate in comparison to the hot-humid climate. The conduction and infiltration gain from the building envelope in hot-humid climate were twice the amount observed in hot-dry climate. The evapotranspiration cooling in buildings modeled in hot-dry climate was one and half times more than the models in hot-humid climate. The lower humidity and higher temperatures of hot-dry climate caused the increased evapotranspiration cooling. The evapotranspiration cooling from Green Roof and Green Façade was directly proportional to the surface area available for its application.Architectur
Building Performance Simulation for Architects, Comparing Three Leading Simulation Tools
No full textThis item is available only to currently enrolled UTSA students, faculty or staff. To download, navigate to Log In in the top right-hand corner of this screen, then select Log in with my UTSA ID.The primary objective of this research was to assess, compare, and contrast the capabilities of the most commonly used BEM tools by architects: Designbuilder, eQuest, and IES-VE, concerning their effectiveness in modeling a complex academic building and simulating its energy use. The research defined a set of evaluation criteria based on previous studies from the literature review as follows: 1) Usability, 2) Data Interoperability, 3) Support Options, 4) Information Management, and 5) Computing Capabilities. The objective of the criteria was to assess the suitability of these tools to be used by architects during preliminary design phases, and identifying any additional development that may be needed for these tools to achieve the required penetration in this critical sector. The results of the research showed strength in eQuest in importing thermal and construction data from the gbXML file, which both Designbuilder and IES-VE were not able to successfully do. On the other hand, IES-VE and Designbuilder were more successful in importing the geometry data, which encountered many issues by eQuest. IES-VE and Designbuilder provided a variety of support options while eQuest had insufficient support resources. On the other hand, eQuest was the fastest simulation running tool, and due to the successful thermal and construction data interoperability, least data input was required by architects; however, the GUI on eQuest was not as friendly as IES-VE and Designbuilder. Although IES-VE and Designbuilder required higher efforts especially on thermal, and construction data input, their comprehensive template library compensated part of the effort needed for data reentry. Finally, load and energy simulations were carried with only one variable "template default values of VAV HVAC system" resulted in 10%, and 28% higher equipment and lighting energy used respectively on Designbuilder when compared to IES-VE and eQuest. On the other hand, the heating to cooling ratio was higher on eQuest (2:3) compared to that of IES-VE and Designbuilder (1:3). To conclude, the results showed that eQuest could offer more potential for construction and thermal data interoperability with significantly faster simulation time, while IES-VE and Designbuilder can provide more potential with their built-in comprehensive templates data library as well as architect-friendly GUI and presentation of output results.Architectur
Impact of campus physical characteristics on university sustainability performance
No full textThis item is available only to currently enrolled UTSA students, faculty or staff. To download, navigate to Log In in the top right-hand corner of this screen, then select Log in with my UTSA ID.There has been increasing attention and effort for campus sustainability practices from governmental and non-governmental organizations because of its proven negative effect on environment, strong influence on society, and huge economic power on market. Those efforts and activities include campus recycling, sustainable transportation in campus, and eco-efficient (green) campus buildings, etc... Those practices directly related to individual campuses, and the purpose was to rehabilitate them to achieve sustainability in a single campus. Since there has been a progress for campus sustainability effort, a parallel question appears? Which campus model performs better for sustainability? In other words, do certain campus physical characteristics such as urban density, residential character, and population have any influence on campus sustainability performance? This is a necessary question to answer because it is not only related directly to campus sustainability internal issues (individual campus sustainability practices) but also related to external sustainability issues (regional and city sustainability practices), such as the urban density of city, density of downtown and university, location of a campus in the city, and campus population. These important factors matter while considering city sustainability because higher education institutes have huge influence on cities economically, socially, and environmentally. Although this study is not able to cover all of the those components, this research intends to identify certain campus physical characteristics (urban density, residential character, and population) on campus sustainability performance and reveal a pattern, if there is one, by using STARS campus sustainability assessment tool database as a benchmark to conduct a correlational study. For this correlational study, 58 sample campuses across the US are going to be investigated. The dependent comparison factor is going to be final STARS sustainability score. The results of this correlational study will reveal optimum campus physical characteristics (the ideal location for campuses in cities, the optimum residential character, and effective population scope) for campus, city, and regional sustainability purpose. Proposed results of study will be quite informing for existing and future campus decision making mechanisms as well as city urban planning and designing departments, since campuses are an effective part of cities and communities, in order to achieve desired sustainable society goal.Architectur
Educational spaces in Mexico City: Distribution, urban form, and type
No full textRapid urbanization in the mid-20th century created patterns of uneven development across Latin America. These dynamics created socio-spatial enclaves of discontinuity and complexity throughout the city. In Mexico City, there is an uneven development of education, but there is also a program called Pilares that tries to improve this problem. Established in 2019, the Pilares program adapts urban infrastructure to create educational spaces. Many may think of educational spaces as a conventional school campus, but the Pilares buildings are a distributed network, expanding access to education and transforming urban districts. This adaptive reuse of the urban fabric creates new interactions between schools and communities. However, little is known about the socio-material interactions between these educational spaces, social mobility, and their surrounding contexts. This thesis asks a two-fold question. First, how are the Pilares shaped by the urban morphology of Mexico City? Second, how might the Pilares be reshaped to influence this relationship? To answer these questions, I undertake geospatial mapping, building analysis, and interviews with directors of Pilares in two neighborhoods in the north and south of Mexico City. Across these two areas, I found that the Pilares buildings, programs, resources vary spatially. This is an opportunity to redesign how the system might influence a new generation of urban educational spaces. This study not only focuses on the urban design of educational spaces but has implications for zoning, access to education, and how we learn in cities
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