Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
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ItemThe Shanghai Paradox(Architecture Media Politics Society, 2014)This paper outlines my ongoing research on the use of traditional symbolism and its utilisation in contemporary architecture of the Chinese global city. It specifically examines the landmark architecture of the Pudong, or the “new” Shanghai. Is there a contradiction in imagery when architects adopt traditional motifs in contemporary skyscraper architecture? Designs such as Cesar Pelli’s Petronas Towers (1994) in Kuala Lumpur use traditional Islamic patterns in the floor plans and façade detail. However, in the case of Shanghai, the three landmark buildings of the Pudong as shown in Figure 1; the Jin Mao Tower (1999), the Shanghai World Financial Centre (2008) and the Shanghai Tower (under construction at the time of writing), all reference fengshui and cosmology. The paradox in this case is that under law of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), geomancy, including fengshui and cosmological symbolism, is defined as a feudal superstition and its practice illegal.
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ItemThe lIfe cycle performance of Monomur in Australian residential construction(Green Building Council Spain, 2014)Brick veneer is the most dominant construction type in Australia; however it is not necessarily the most advantageous for the climate. Mass wall types, where massing is evident on the interior of the building, can help to achieve greater thermal performance. Monomur thermal blocks are a thermal mass system, based on single leaf construction. They are resistant to compression, transfer of heat, and are made from natural clay. Monomur has shown to benefit construction in Europe, most predominantly France, where the push for low energy buildings is high on the national agenda. This study aimed to determine the life cycle energy performance of the use of the monomur system in Australian residential construction. A life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) was used to quantify and compare the life cycle energy performance of two case study houses, one built from monomur and one from brick veneer. It was shown that there is minimal difference in the performance of these two construction approaches, paving the way for the potential use of monomur in the Australian context.
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ItemAn early-stage life cycle model for low-energy buildiings(Green Building Council Spain, 2014-10-30)The aim of this study is to demonstrate the application of a model previously developed by the authors for low-energy building design, to show how the availability of comparable energy performance information at the building design stage can be used to better optimise a building’s energy performance. The life cycle energy demand of a case study building was quantified using a comprehensive embodied energy assessment technique and TRNSYS thermal energy simulation software. The building was then modelled with variations to its external assemblies in an attempt to optimise its life cycle energy performance. The alternative assemblies chosen were those shown through the authors’ early-stage life cycle energy model to result in the lowest life cycle energy demand for each building element. The study showed that significant life cycle energy savings, up to 45%, are possible through the modelling of individual building elements for the case study building.
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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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ItemNo Preview AvailableThe Historiography of Modern Architecture: Twenty-Five Years Later(ATINER, 2014)Why reopen Panayotis Tournikiotis’ The Historiography of Modern Architecture? What for? There are two basic reasons for which Tournikiotis’ book is still a useful research tool after 25 years: first, for the historians he covers, it provides the reader with interesting references for further study; and, second, for the study of history and how it is written. In his last chapter, Tournikiotis tries to point out the lessons his study of the histories offers. He emphasizes repeatedly how each history presents modern architecture and how each tries to design the architecture of the present or even the future. Does this hold true for historiography as well? Is this book, as a discussion on nine different histories, projecting what historiography should be in the future? What is Tournikiotis’ real proposal? The aim of this study is to present how several authors have revisited the history and historiography of modern architecture after Tournikiotis’ dissertation (defended in 1988), especially after its publication in English in 1999. The study has two main objectives: one, to reconsider the impact of Tournikiotis’ Historiography on further studies of the matter; and, the other, to provide a bibliography, as complete as possible. The Historiography of Modern Architecture is a perfect manual for initiating students in the study of the histories of modern architecture. To try to ‘complete’ it, discussing what has been written since, seems like a small addition to what should be considered as a compulsory starting point for every study of architectural historiography.
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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.