Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
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ItemKnowledge management system in a construction company: A case study(Taylor & Francis Group, 2012)In an increasingly global world, with great mobility, construction companies must be in permanent alert finding new solutions in order to be more competitive and innovative, reducing costs and response times. The construction company can be seen as an entity where the confidence is a key factor in the decision. Often the more decisive choice is the one that can get the most positive evaluations of previous clients, good price and service. The system ConstruKnowledge was created to be used by construction companies for their knowledge management process. One of the innovations of this system is the fact that, in a simplified form and without great effort, the users can start using the system without be necessary to change their usual procedures. The system has been mapped in tree different sites: the My Site where are the information about the worker, the Site Room where the information of each project are and a third part called Knowledge Base Site where all the information are included regarding all the collaborator. That allow to the company to have access also to external knowledge avoiding sharing only inside, without external and refreshing ideas. The results of the system ConstruKnowledge have demonstrated that knowledge management is important for an enduring relationship between a construction company and a customer, providing the whole process documentation and construction phases that the client may require in the future.
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ItemInformation and Document Management System for Construction Sites(CIB WORKING COMMISSION, 2010)Each construction project is unique in terms of how specialist professionals manage and use project documents. A construction sites use and generate a large body of documents containing valuable information across project participants. Therefore, the efficient deployment of construction projects depends partly on the effective communication among project participants. This communication, however, is hindered by the large amount and wide variation of the project information and documents involved and the spatial dispersion of construction sites. This paper presents an intranetbased information and document management system that facilitates project information and communication management within a large construction company. The system implementation and testing have shown that it can provide structured and reliable information, quick and remote access, and prompt updating capabilities of stored documents.
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ItemCodes and conferences - a new era for building researchers and educators(AUBEA, 2010)This paper discusses building conference rankings, metrics and issues that impact on AUBEA academics under the new 2010 Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) framework. Part one this paper gives a brief outline of current ERA developments where Field of Research (FoR) Codes appear as a more weighty consideration when universities seek to establish research strength and higher ranking in clusters around the ERA classifications. For conferences listed in the ERA building discipline a basic locational and tier analysis is presented as is a listing of ‘multi-disciplinary’ conferences where building is part of the discipline mix. Part two presents the results of an electronic survey of AUBEA participants conducted in April 2010 who are active in Australian Construction Research. Survey analysis reveals a low level typically ‘business as usual’ attitude to ERA issues, however with some individual opinion on conference listings and further comment on implementation of ERA metrics, research outputs, data gathering and reporting at various levels in the individual institution, e.g. Division, Faculty or School/Department. The current and likely future implications of ERA introduction for both individual academics and HDR students are considerations addressed in the survey analysis and discussion section of the paper.
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ItemAustralian residential energy standard assessment and rating framework: a national response for 2010/2011 frameworks(PRRES, 2011)The National Strategy on Energy Efficiency(NSEE) is designed to substantially improve minimum standards for energy efficiency in both residential and commercial buildings and accelerate the introduction of new technologies through improving regulatory processes and addressing barriers to the uptake of new energy-efficient products. This paper provides critical analysis of a national response to public discussion papers around the framework with a focus on residential class buildings. The core analysis covers in excess of 85 responses across a breadth of housing industry stakeholders published by the Senior Officials group on Energy Efficiency in 2010. Observations on housing energy performance issues together with technical and evidenced based housing energy efficiency data provide a common theme to the discussions in the paper under the headings of; • The house energy rating schemes, metrics and tools, assessors, governance, training and accreditation issues. • Overall sustainability, incorporating embodied energy, lifecycle of materials, water use and waste treatment. • Accounting for climate variation, climate data and future climate change scenarios • Economic evaluation, existing housing stock, consumer behaviour, appliance use, etc. The analysis reveals a general support for the Building code of Australia (BCA) as the principle mechanism for implementation though with debate and disagreement on the various software tools and ratings systems currently in use. Also a recognition by stakeholders that the final outcome of the Framework may be that ratings and standards have broader coverage than just energy efficiency, particularly greenhouse gas emissions and that this deserves support not just because greenhouse gas emissions are connected to energy use (and other causes), but because climate change is a key issue of concern internationally and Australia must play its part in reducing its emissions.
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ItemeRubric: absolutely relative or relatively absolute?… striking a balance in the assessment of student design work.(Chulalongkorn University Printing House, 2012)As design educators, most would aim to provide clear, helpful, equitable feedback to students as they develop and refine their skills. Assessing the level of achievement in a design submission is somewhat tricky however. It is an inherently qualitative and comparative undertaking, relying on a set of relative values, and drawing on both the assessor’s response as well as the particularities of the work itself. By contrast, many academic institutions require absolute measures of students’ success, expressing this using an agreed range of values or grades. This translation can become area of some confusion, if not dissention, for students (Otswald and Williams, 2008). The eRubric is a prototype interactive assessment tool, developed to investigate and to bridge the gap between an informed intuitive response and an absolute measure. The tool was initially conceived and designed by the author when working with groups of tutors from various disciplinary backgrounds to deliver a large cohort interdisciplinary design subject. The inherent values within the undertaking were soon apparent! (Tregloan and Missingham 2010). During 2011, the eRubric was used by more than 40 design tutors to assess over 5000 student submissions. Tutors’ experiences and responses were collected via survey and interview, and inform the further development of the tool. Initial findings are presented here. The eRubric continues to be developed with the support of the Faculty of Art Design & Architecture at Monash University, as well as the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. This paper will present the operation of the eRubric tool, and findings to date. It will also discuss the development of effective rubric terms for design education, and opportunities offered by new interface formats to support clear and informed intuitive evaluation of design work.
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ItemOccupation within Urban Conditions(University of Brighton, 2011)Public space is defined by being accessible to anyone at anytime, it is the space of community and social interaction, the space in which public life unfolds. Public space does not pre-exist, it only emerges once it becomes activated through inhabitation and occupation. It is within this context that I investigate the potential design can have for opening up new sites for the social and political formation of public space. The question arises as to what role design can play in the creation of public life? What are the strategies that the designer can develop to contribute to the spatial conditions that would allow people to experience, use, activate and occupy public space? The role of the designer might be described as a facilitator or catalyst, while the role of the public that forms in relation to a site can be to perceive, react, occupy, activate, extend and adapt the design intervention. Through the engagement of individuals and collectives with the design interventions in public space, a process will evolve that allows for new relationships to occur, between people and people, between people and places, and people and things.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableAn Investigation of Institutional Arrangements for Design and Delivery of Multimodal Public Transport(Australasian Transport Research Forum, 2010)Intermodal service coordination designed to achieve a 'seamless network' is a common feature of high-quality public transport systems. This paper explores the intention and the reality of the institutional arrangements that govern the coordination of bus, tram and train services in Melbourne under the franchise agreements. State Government policies and contractual obligations set out the intended lines of responsibility for the planning of transport networks in relation to design and delivery of coordinated multimodal services. Interviews, designed to examine the practical application of these policies and obligations, were conducted during 2009 with staff from the Department of Transport, the private operators, the Bus Association and from Metlink - the company established to improve communication and coordination of public transport services. The results of this investigation highlight the significant differences between actual practices and the stated intentions of both government policies and existing contracts with private sector organisations. The lack of effective designation of responsibilities, ineffective communication at many levels across numerous institutions, and an absence of skilled staff will continue to impede the development of a cohesive transport network in Melbourne. These problems were not addressed in the design of the new franchise agreements that began in December 2009.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableTrees provide energy saving benefits to adjacent buildings for a small water cost(Australian Sustainable Cities and Regions Network, 2011)
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ItemTemplate schools: Measuring indoor environmental quality(The University of Sydney, 2011)
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ItemA modelling method to assess the effect of tree shading for building performance simulation(International Building Performance Simulation Association, 2011)Increasing urban tree numbers is a simple but effective means to provide climate change adaptation to the urban environment by reducing the thermal load on buildings. To better communicate and value the importance of urban trees it is necessary to quantify these benefits and to understand the properties and processes that influence the magnitude of these benefits. For this we need verified and effective ways of modelling the trees in modelling software. This paper presents the results and problems encountered when trying to model trees effectively. The aim is to present our approach which was to treat the shade as a shading co-efficient on the wall. This allows for the consideration of the benefits of deciduous versus evergreen species. A modelling method to assess the effect of tree shading was developed and presented in this paper.