Articles tagged with Architectural Design
Researchers at ETH Zurich developed an autonomous excavator called HEAP to construct a 6-meter-high and 65-meter-long dry-stone wall. The excavator uses sensors, machine vision, and algorithms to place stones in the desired location, achieving a high level of precision and speed.
A study published in Scientific Reports investigated physiological explanations for glare experience. Researchers found that macular pigment density may not explain variations in people's glare perception, particularly under neutral daylight conditions.
A team of researchers from McGill University, UCLA, and Princeton has found an inexpensive, sustainable way to cool buildings in hot climates using radiative cooling materials. They achieved temperatures several degrees below the ambient temperature, without compromising healthy ventilation air changes.
A new net zero carbon planning policy in Bath & North East Somerset is expected to make new buildings much more energy efficient and boost the introduction of renewables. Despite concerns about increased costs, most planning applicants support the policy's intentions, with solar photovoltaics and heat pumps being key technologies.
Advances in VR display technology have overcome the 'screen door effect' by introducing 2117 PPI LCDs with high partition mini LED backlighting. This enhances contrast, color accuracy, and viewing angles, making VR experiences more immersive.
Researchers at George Washington University found that Facebook's core design features undermine its policies aimed at removing Covid-19 vaccine misinformation. The platform's architecture, designed to build communities around shared interests, can inadvertently facilitate the spread of misinformation.
Researchers from Lund University developed a climate-control system inspired by termite mounds, achieving greater energy efficiency without carbon dioxide footprint. The structure facilitates indoor climate control through turbulent, dynamic, and variable airflow systems.
Researchers have developed biomaterials that contain a 'living-like' system, capable of detecting pathogens and monitoring air quality. These materials are designed to interact with air, making them potential sensors for healthy indoor environments.
Researchers have developed an innovative approach to efficiently manipulate topological edge states for optical channel switching. By exploiting the finite-size effect in a two-unit-cell optical lattice, they achieved dynamic control over topological modes and demonstrated robust device performance.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed flexible wooden partition walls using kerfing technology, allowing residents to adapt their spaces as needed. The innovative system aims to reduce waste and carbon emissions while providing affordable solutions for housing.
Researchers studied termite mounds to develop efficient ventilation systems for buildings. The 'egress complex' network enhances air flow, heat, and moisture exchange, maintaining a balanced temperature and humidity inside. This design enables wind-powered ventilation with minimal energy consumption.
Researchers found that tree coverage and high-albedo pavement significantly reduced mean radiant temperatures, improving thermal comfort levels in urban areas. The study suggests incorporating trees and pavement design elements into city planning to mitigate the urban heat island effect.
Researchers discovered extensive use of iron staples in Notre-Dame's construction, dating back to the 1160s, making it a pioneering example of iron-based architecture. The study sheds light on the medieval Parisian iron market and its role in shaping the city's history.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma are designing a model home to address health challenges associated with living at high altitudes. The project combines local materials, state-of-the-art technology, and traditional Indigenous knowledge to create sustainable and accessible housing.
A new study suggests that office noise levels between 50 decibels can boost physiological well-being, while loud noises above 50 decibels decrease it. Researchers found that even low sound levels trigger a higher stress response, highlighting the need for optimal acoustics in workplace design.
Researchers have developed a compact silicon photonic compute engine capable of computing tiled matrix multiplications at a record-high 50 GHz clock frequency. This achievement promises to contribute significantly to data center cybersecurity and enables real-time threat detection for malicious packets.
A team of researchers from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and other institutions has identified a flexible and user-friendly model for predicting flood frequency in a changing environment. The fractional polynomial-based regression method is more effective than existing models, which often fail to account for factors like climate ...
A new study proposes a scalable, bottom-up approach to developing energy-saving initiatives at the individual level by analyzing real-time energy usage data. The research team developed an energy calculator that can be scaled up to the building- and community-level, enabling more accurate occupant-level measurements.
City digital twin technology is used to create synthetic training data for deep learning models, which are then trained on a combination of real and synthetic data. This approach yields promising results for architectural segmentation tasks, particularly for modern building styles.
A new study published in Frontiers found that virtual reality environments with green vegetation and colorful patterns increase heart rate and promote a pleasurable experience. Conversely, colorful patterns alone stimulate interest and fascination without the same restorative effect as nature.
Researchers developed a wood-based insulating material that offers superior thermal performance to existing plastic-based materials. The new aerogel-integrated wood material is created without adding additional substances and has the potential to replace fossil-based aerogels for energy efficiency and sustainable development.
Researchers developed a hot-carrier multijunction solar cell that maintains high conversion efficiency with nonoptimal materials, expanding the scope of candidate designs. The novel architecture showed superior resilience to design imperfections, widening the range of suitable materials and operating conditions.
A comprehensive review of 40 years of published studies on the benefits of Maharishi Vastu architecture reveals its potential as a tool for promoting mental and physical health. The findings support the growing recognition that building design plays a key role in both causing and preventing humanity's health challenges.
Researchers create biomimetic artificial vision device using nanotechnology to advance color recognition and scalability. The new device enables micro-scale cameras for microrobots, opening up possibilities in medical diagnosis, environmental study, manufacturing, and archaeology.
A team recreated a 3D model of an ancient Roman house and tracked the gaze of participants as they viewed it, uncovering details about the owner's personal power and status. The study uses VR and eye-tracking technology to gain insights into the past.
A study examines the applicability of Cauchy and Cauchy-Froude laws to multi-storey masonry structures with flexible diaphragms. The findings suggest that these laws may be inadequate for heavy structures unless gravity is scaled.
A new study by MIT scholars confirms that physical proximity plays a crucial role in workplace collaboration. The study found that email exchanges occur more often among researchers whose workspaces are connected through indoor halls rather than outdoor paths.
A recent study of Australian suburbs found that tree-inclusive gardens provide up to a 30-metre buffer during summer heatwaves, reducing energy costs. Researchers recommend incorporating deciduous trees into housing designs for better energy efficiency and urban aesthetics.
Researchers developed a highly efficient wave-based acoustics simulation that can accurately estimate the acoustics of large-scale interior spaces. The method uses a time-domain Finite Element Method to consider frequency-dependent characteristics of sound absorption materials, enabling precise modeling and high-speed estimations.
Research by Shan Jiang found that introducing nature views into hospital corridors can significantly ease confusion and anger in navigating large medical complexes. The study revealed that participants used shorter time and walked less distance to complete wayfinding tasks when exposed to green spaces.
Engineers from Penn State assessed structural damage and resilience in Mayfield, Kentucky, after the December 2021 Midwest Tornado series. They collected data through door-to-door assessments, drone evaluations, and photographs to understand community recovery and design more resilient structures.
Researchers at TUM explore the use of living trees in architecture, using photogrammetry and skeleton extraction to design structures that adapt to tree growth. They demonstrate a pavilion with a roof structure optimized to follow the shape of supporting branches.
A new study by University of Bath researchers suggests that installing solar panels on historic buildings like Bath Abbey could significantly reduce energy bills and carbon emissions. The proposed system would generate around 45 Mega-Watt hours per year, saving approximately 10 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
A team of scientists developed an AI-based model to predict personal thermal comfort based on spatial parameters, achieving exceptional accuracy. The study highlights the importance of incorporating architectural features in models to reduce energy consumption.
A study found that car owners place a higher value on green spaces in shared courtyards, with a twofold increase in attention to trees making the area 30% more attractive. This internal conflict highlights the need for architects and developers to prioritize green spaces in construction planning.
A study published in PNAS found that individuals with severe schizophrenia have a higher number of rare mutations than those with typical forms of the illness. This discovery could lead to more precise treatments for this chronic disease, which affects over 3 million Americans.
The Seattle Space Needle renovation incorporated acoustic designs to limit sound transmission, enhancing visitor experience. Acoustic materials and effective reverberant sound control were selected for the observation levels and restaurant.
The RETRACE project aims to define specific territorial policies on Circular Economy through a Systemic Approach. The project will focus on the Covid-19 impacts on regional circular economy practices and new best practices.
Researchers at Incheon National University have developed a compact and robust optical sensor that can convert light to digital signals, suitable for flexible electronics. The new design architecture enables superior chip area efficiency and large-area scalability.
Indoor distances of two meters may not prevent transmission of airborne aerosols; researchers found that virus-laden particles can travel quickly through poorly ventilated rooms. Implementing additional control measures like masking and adequate ventilation is crucial to reduce exposure.
Research finds that neighborhoods with longer commute times and high residential density are more prone to infectious disease hotspots, while dense urban design can improve mobility conditions and resilience. The study suggests that a 20-minute city concept can promote livability, sustainability, and pandemic-resilient urban planning.
Researchers have developed an AI-powered tool, Roofpedia, to track sustainable roof adoption worldwide. The tool uses satellite images to gauge cities' green and solar roof penetration, with Singapore ranked third in solar roof coverage.
Researchers Altaf Engineer and Esther Sternberg aim to redesign office spaces to enhance employees' emotional and physical health. Their seven-domain framework considers factors like sleep, movement, environment, and nutrition to create a healing space.
The Daylight Award 2022 is now open for nominations, honoring groundbreaking research on the effects of daylight on human health and well-being. The award also recognizes innovative architectural projects showcasing unique uses of daylight, aiming to improve living conditions and environmental impact.
A University of Missouri researcher is using a grant from the National Science Foundation to explore how time can factor in a building collapse. She's conducting thousands of hours of laboratory tests to determine the breaking points of reinforced concrete building materials.
Scientists from Incheon National University identified interzonal airflow across household entrance doors as a dominant factor in calculating heating loads. They found that strong stack effect and weather-driven airflow rates were larger than external infiltration rates, making conventional airtightness measures unreliable.
A new paper in the Transportation Research Record identifies six broad categories of equity-advancing practices that public transit agencies nationwide can widely employ. These practices focus on creating fairer and more just public transit systems, rather than just assessing how service is distributed.
A study from Copenhagen Business School reveals that website owners can influence users' data privacy decisions by manipulating the choice architecture and outcome. The researchers argue that this approach is problematic as it exploits psychological mechanisms to benefit the website owner, rather than benefiting the user. The findings ...
Researchers from four universities collaborate to develop novel building materials using natural Black hair texture and styling practices. The team translates African American cultural practices into architectural applications, creating transformative built environments.
The new indoor module for Eddy3D software helps designers and architects maximize fresh air flow and minimize stagnant areas. By simulating airflow and identifying virus diffusion patterns, the tool reduces the risk of airborne pathogens in post-COVID offices.
Researchers created designed and biologically active 2-D and 3-D protein arrays using DNA-based assembly, maintaining structural stability and biological activity. The method has potential applications in structural biology, biomaterials, nanomedicine, and biocatalysis.
Seiichi Shirai's practice of calligraphy was characterized by four aspects: interest in kanji's primitive aspects, emphasis on utility, asceticism, and rapid writing. His calligraphy reflected the universal potential of objects without being misled by external form or origin.
UTA student teams took first place and honorable mention in the Environmental Protection Agency's Campus RainWorks Challenge with innovative designs incorporating green infrastructure practices. The winning project,
Margaret Martonosi's work on power-aware microarchitectures and narrow bit-widths has led to new fields of research. She has authored over 175 publications, including papers on dynamic thermal management and formal control-theoretic approaches for balancing power and performance.
The University of Texas at Arlington's CAPPA exhibit highlights the connection between urban growth and water systems in North Texas. UTA students will benefit from learning about ecologically sensitive urban planning models to create more inclusive built environments.
Researchers created a design for an electronic hardware system that directly replicates network architectures, solving complex puzzles rapidly and with minimal power consumption. This new approach uses race logic to encode and process information as time signals, reducing the need for bit flips and thus energy expenditure.
The University of Texas at Arlington team is working with historically black communities to create maps documenting Freedmen's Towns along the Trinity River and propose design strategies to address long-standing environmental issues. The project aims to combat environmental racism and loss of historic resources in Black settlements.
Researchers have developed a system called robomorphic computing that generates a customized computer chip to minimize a robot's response time. This technology uses a robot's physical layout and intended applications to create an optimized hardware architecture, resulting in faster reaction times and improved performance.
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a breakthrough optical sensor that can mimic the human eye's ability to perceive changes in its visual field. The sensor uses ultrathin layers of perovskite semiconductors to detect light intensity changes, enabling it to prioritize signals from photoreceptors detecting movement.
A new tool allows architects to design curved glass façades using an interactive, data-driven approach. The software uses deep neural networks to predict glass panel shapes and fabricability, enabling efficient optimization of designs while balancing economic, aesthetic, and engineering criteria.