Historical Changes,Contemporary Characteristics,and Five Transformations of Environmental Design in China

Starting from the characteristics of modernization in three different historical stages since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,this paper analyses the internal changes in the professional name,subordinate disciplines and categories,and professional mission of the environmental design profession,and summarizes the changes in the characteristics of the environmental design profession in 10 aspects such as subordinate disciplines,design objects,design types,cultural characteristics,and aesthetic values on the basis of the results of the analysis,and explores five transformations of the environmental design profession in the process of China’s development in the future.The five transformations in the future development of China are to serve the harmony and beauty of the three major urban and rural spaces with“small and micro-renewal and reconstruction”;to serve the transmission of Chinese culture and the spread of Chinese civilization with“spatial heritage and innovation”;to serve the balance and sufficiency of the four functions of urban and rural settlements with“friendliness and equilibrium”;to serve the intelligence,wisdom,and enjoyment of indoor and outdoor living environment space with“scientific and technological achievements”;and to serve the co-construction,co-management,and sharing of indoor and outdoor public space in urban and rural areas with“public participation.”

Causes,Effects,and Control Measures of Construction Change Orders in the U.S.

Change orders have a significant impact on many aspects of construction projects.They are known to be the primary cause of litigation in the construction industry.Change orders are almost inevitable due to the uniqueness of each project from many perspectives,such as the type of building,complexity of the design,human factors,and the available resources.Change orders are the formal mechanism to implement design changes during the execution phase.These changes are usually the outcome of lack of visualization by the owner,misunderstanding,miscommunication between different parties involved in the project,shortage in resources,and other factors.This research aims to investigate and rank causes,effects,and control measures of change orders in the construction industry in the U.S.This research presents the results of a questionnaire surveying owners,contractors,and consultants.A total of 123 industry professionals in the Architecture,Engineering,and Construction(AEC)field,with either significant or final decision-making authority on reviewing,issuing,and approving change orders responded to the survey.Results indicated that owners are the primary source followed by consultants and contractors,respectively.Some of the more important control measures identified in this research are collaboration and visualization technologies.

New Optimization Method, the Algorithms of Changes, for Heat Exchanger Design

Heat exchangers are widely used in the process engineering such as the chemical industries, the petroleum industries, and the HVAC applications etc. An optimally designed heat exchanger cannot only help the optimization of the equipment size but also the reduction of the power consumption. In this paper, a new optimization approach called algorithms of changes (AOC) is proposed for design and optimization of the shell-tube heat exchanger. This new optimization technique is developed based on the concept of the book of changes (I Ching) which is one of the oldest Chinese classic texts. In AOC, the hexagram operations in I Ching are generalized to binary string case and an iterative process, which imitates the I Ching inference, is defined. Before applying the AOC to the heat exchanger design problem, the new optimization method is examined by the benchmark optimization problems such as the global optimization test functions and the travelling salesman problem (TSP). Based on the TSP results, the AOC is shown to be superior to the genetic algorithms (GA). The AOC is then used in the optimal design of heat exchanger. The shell inside diameter, tube outside diameter, and baffles spacing are treated as the design (or optimized) variables. The cost of the heat exchanger is arranged as the objective function. For the heat exchanger design problem, the results show that the AOC is comparable to the GA method. Both methods can find the optimal solution in a short period of time.

Model-based optimal design of phase change ionic liquids for efficient thermal energy storage

The selection of phase change material(PCM)plays an important role in developing high-efficient thermal energy storage(TES)processes.Ionic liquids(ILs)or organic salts are thermally stable,non-volatile,and non-flammable.Importantly,researchers have proved that some ILs possess higher latent heat of fusion than conventional PCMs.Despite these attractive characteristics,yet surprisingly,little research has been performed to the systematic selection or structural design of ILs for TES.Besides,most of the existing work is only focused on the latent heat when selecting PCMs.However,one should note that other properties such as heat capacity and thermal conductivity could affect the TES performance as well.In this work,we propose a computer-aided molecular design(CAMD)based method to systematically design IL PCMs for a practical TES process.The effects of different IL properties are simultaneously captured in the IL property models and TES process models.Optimal ILs holding a best compromise of all the properties are identified through the solution of a formulated CAMD problem where the TES performance of the process is maximized.[MPyEtOH][TfO]is found to be the best material and excitingly,the identified top nine ILs all show a higher TES performance than the traditional PCM paraffin wax at 10 h thermal charging time.

Design and Development of System Platform of "Study on Relationship between Natural Phenology and Climate Change" Based on WEB and GIS

[Objective] The research aimed to study design and development of system platform of 'study on relationship between natural phenology and climate change' based on WEB and GIS. [Method] Relied on the technologies of WEB and GIS, a set of system platform of 'study on relationship between natural phenology and climate change' was developed based on the hybrid architecture of C/S (Client/Server) and B/S (Browser/Server). Moreover, its establishing process and functional module were detailedly introduced. [Result] The natural phenology and climate change in Guangxi were research objects of system platform of 'study on relationship between natural phenology and climate change'. By combining WEB and GIS with database, the primary application of 'study on relationship between natural phenology and climate change' was realized. The system used hybrid architecture of C/S and B/S. The four-layer architectures were independent to improve security, stability and maintainability of system. The visual interface on the foreground was simply, clear and easy to use. The generating program of GIS three-dimensional graph on the background was real-time and high-efficiency, providing powerful guarantee for stable and safe operation of phenology research work process. The system had functions of inquiry, analysis, statistical diagram, GIS three-dimensional graph and data export. Through the analysis of natural phenology observation data, the system could find variation rule of natural phenology as three-dimensional space (longitude, latitude and altitude) and its relationship with climate change. [Conclusion] The research laid good foundation for further deeply carrying out application of 'study on relationship between natural phenology and climate change', and also provided reference basis for recognizing nature and using change rule of phenology to execute production scheduling and strategic decision (seed-introduction and regionalization).

Protecting the Coastline from the Effects of Climate Change: Adaptive Design for the Coastal Areas of Gangneung, Korea

The purpose of this research is to present design strategies to enable coastal areas to adapt to climate change and maintain the coastlines by addressing the environmental and urban issues. Gangneung is a tourist attraction situated on South Korea’s east coast, and there is an urgent need for integrated research on strategies to prevent the loss of sandy beaches and the damage caused by storm surges and high swell. This research has two objectives: The first is to offer an overview and describe the characteristics of exemplary projects carried out to manage the storm damage while maintaining the coastlines. The second is to propose a design model that can be applied to coastal areas susceptible to climate change by analyzing the design strategies and the current conditions of the Gangneung coastal area. In the case of Gangneung, the damage caused by the storm surges and high swells are more severe compared to inundation caused by sea level rise because of the steep slope and deep water. Therefore, adaptive design strategies are mainly focused on accommodation and retreat strategies that consider these characteristics by moving the coastal roads behind the pine forest and raising the coastal buildings to connect the coast to the forest and to prevent coastal erosion. This research has the potential to be used as an exemplary design adaptation for coastal erosion as well as a basis for regulating the land use policy in areas susceptible to flood by establishing guidelines for publicly funded developments, and preparing long-term relocation plans for the existing coastal developments to create a sustainable and resilient future for the coastal areas.

Evaluation of Thermal Effect of PCM Wallboards by Coupling Simplified Phase Change Model with Design Tool

A simplified PCM wallboard model is coupled to an existing design-oriented model of multi-zone buildings. Using a reference model and a basic simulation configuration, the accuracy of the resulting PCM wallboard-building thermal design tool is evaluated. A new performance indicator, called PCM utilization factor, is then proposed in order to estimate the thermal efficiency of using PCM wallboards in buildings. Using this PCM Utilization factor and a degrees-hours indicator, the ability of the PCM wallboard-building thermal design tool to evaluate the effect of PCM wallboards on heating loads and summer thermal comfort in the early design phase of a project is examined in two real case studies: a family house project and an existing office building. The user-friendliness of this design tool, and the short calculation times it leads to when performing a year-long simulation using a standard office computer, make it a well-adapted tool for sensibility studies or multi-criterion optimization for buildings that contain PCM wallboards.

Reliability Design for the Landing Gear of Chang'E-3 Probe

Landing gear is one of the important components of Chang'E-3 Probe.The device was used to absorb the impact energy of Chang'E-3 Probe during the landing process.After landing on the moon,it can support the lander steadily for a long time.In order to assure the reliability of the landing gear and deal with the extremely severe landing conditions,many reliability measures were adopted in the design procedure,such as selection of cushion materials,optimization of mechanism configuration,design of deployment mode,allocation of buffer force and control of its variation.The successful landing on the moon of Chang'E-3 Probe has completely verified the high reliability of the landing gear.

Empathic Design： A Study of Media Information Concept Design and The Virtual Home

This research tried to propose possible ways to resolve the paper over-consumption issues. The nature resources have been over used all the time. How we used the technologies to solve environmental problems has become an essential issue. How we could develop a prosperous vision for the future is even critical to solving design problems. The research methods used are literature reviews and conception design with empathy. This paper also tried to discuss various issues from different aspects. Nowadays, we have been influenced by technologies in our daily life. Even our cultures, life styles, and behavior, etc. are deeply changed. However, there are few ways we need to think what will happen in the future and how we could imagine possible ways to solve all of these problems. This research has proposed The Virtual Home （T.V.H.）, which is a way to change the mass media dissemination and information control. The T.V.H. designed with some functions is trying to centralize all kind of mass media and help save natural resources.

Neighborhood and Adaptation to Climate Change： A Case Study of Adelaide

Extreme weather is expected to be widespread by the year 2100 due to changes in precipitation and temperature, and rising sea levels. It is expected that there will be more heat waves, floods, bush fires, coastal erosion and drought. Unfortunately, Australia is vulnerable to climate change due its hot and dry climate and as the driest state; changes are already being felt in South Australia. There is an urgent need to start adapting to climate change to cope with present and predicted climate change in the future by changing or adjusting building regulations, land use plans, and land subdivision regulations. This paper aims to provide design guidelines for adaptation to climate change at the neighborhood level. A case study method was adopted to achieve the aim of this paper. The study was conducted in two stages. The first stage presents the current design of neighborhood and its adopted design parameters for climate change. The second part provides the design guidelines for adaptation to climate change at the neighborhood level. The case study has a well oriented grid iron layout that serves as the basis of orienting and sitting future buildings that can adapt to climate change. However, the orientation of roads is good, it will be necessary to reconfigure elements of landscaping and built environment in order to address climate change in built environment by modifying design elements.

A Comparative Analysis of Visualization Methods in Architecture:Employing Virtual Reality to Support the Decision-Making Process in the Architecture,Engineering,and Construction Industry

The design process of the built environment relies on the collaborative effort of all parties involved in the project.During the design phase,owners,end users,and their representatives are expected to make the most critical design and budgetary decisions-shaping the essential traits of the project,hence emerge the need and necessity to create and integrate mechanisms to support the decision-making process.Design decisions should not be based on assumptions,past experiences,or imagination.An example of the numerous problems that are a result of uninformed design decisions is“change orders”,known as the deviation from the original scope of work,which leads to an increase of the overall cost,and changes to the construction schedule of the project.The long-term aim of this inquiry is to understand the user’s behavior,and establish evidence-based control measures,which are actions and processes that can be implemented in practice to decrease the volume and frequency of the occurrence of change orders.The current study developed a foundation for further examination by proposing potential control measures,and testing their efficiency,such as integrating Virtual Reality(VR).The specific aim was to examine the effect of different visualization methods(i.e.,VR vs.construction drawings)on,(1)how well the subjects understand the information presented about the future/planned environment;(2)the subjects’perceived confidence in what the future environment will look like;(3)the likelihood of changing the built environment;(4)design review time;and(5)accuracy in reviewing and understanding the design.

The Power of Change-Point Test for Two-Phase Regression

In this paper, the roughness of the model function to the basis functions and its properties have been considered. We also consider some conditions to take the limit of the roughness when the observations are i.i.d. An explicit formula to calculate the power of change-point test for the two phases regression through the roughness was obtained.

Conceptual Issues in the Qualification of Intelligent Buildings

The reality of global warming must have been settled by now while the incidence of same has in very recent times adopted unprecedented dimensions. The global community continues to look for ways to combat the impact of climate change and technology is looked upon to deliver the innovations that would ensure a better tomorrow today. Rapid advancement of Information Technology (IT), is now transforming the way we create and interact with the built environment with the notion of Intelligent Buildings (IBs) underscoring its main features. However, these IBs utilize systems that require energy, and fossil fuels are currently the world’s primary energy sources;they can also irreparably harm the environment, exacerbating climate change. What then is the true essence of IBs? This paper, through review of existing literature, attempts to explore some issues associated with the conceptualization of IBs, highlighting how they are similar with other notional options that deliver the same benefits but without the needed IT systems or the energy required in running them. It also discusses the need to focus on less energy demanding and management approaches at design or occupancy of buildings as a way to reduce the demand and thus consumption of fossil fuels across the world.

CO_(2)and Cost-Based Optimum Design of Sustainable Metakaolin-Modified Concrete

Metakaolin is a highly reactive pozzolanic material that is widely utilized for enhancing the performance of concrete.This study offers a framework for the mixture design of sustainable metakaolin-modified concrete with low CO_(2)emissions and low costs.Different design strengths after 28 days are first formulated,with values such as 30,40,50,and 60 MPa.A genetic algorithm is then used to determine the optimal mixtures.Minimized CO_(2)and cost are set as the aims of the genetic algorithm.The strength of the concrete,its workability(slump),and carbonation service life with climate change are set as constraints of the genetic algorithm.Five design cases are considered:1)low-CO_(2)concrete with no carbonation,2)low-CO_(2)concrete with carbonation,3)low-material cost concrete with carbonation,4)low-total cost concrete with carbonation,and 5)low-total cost concrete with climate change.Based on the analysis,the following results are found:1)When the design’s strength is 30 MPa,to satisfy the requirement of carbonation durability,the concrete real strength should exceed 30 MPa.Moreover,after considering climate change,the concrete real strength should be further improved.2)When the design strength is 40,50,or 60 MPa for low-total-cost concrete,climate change has no impact on the optimal design because the concrete has sufficient carbonation resistance.3)Low-material-cost concrete has the same mixture as low-total-cost concrete because compared with the material cost,the CO_(2)emission cost is much lower.Moreover,for low-material-cost or low-total-cost concrete,the metakaolin content is at the lower limit because the price of metakaolin is much higher than that of cement.Summarily,the proposed model covered different aspects of sustainable concrete,such as cost and CO_(2)emissions,clarified various decisive factors of mix design,such as strength and carbon durability,and considered different conditions of climate change,such as no climate change and Representative Concentration Pathways(RCP)8.5.The proposed method is valuable for designing sustainable metakaolin-modified concrete with low CO_(2)emissions and costs.

Empathic Design： Understanding User Experience Through Schema Changes and Innovative Design

As administration ofblogs is one of the most popular activities on the Internet currently, topics related to blogs have also become a favorite subject in daily life. Questions like what ways can be used to show end-users＇ or designers＇ internal knowledge to find out their needs, what methods can be applied to analysis of the process, etc., have not been answered yet. Therefore, how to analyze the tacit knowledge and grasp the true demand of users is one of the major issues to be solved in empathic design. The purpose of this research is to examine the difference of whether the ＂comparison table of schema changes for users at three points of time＂ was taken into consideration or not in an empathic design brainstorming meeting. The tests consist of the experimental group and the control group. The former did not refer to the comparison table; however, the latter used it for discussion. The result indicates this comparison table helped the control group significantly in presenting an ultimate blog design of innovative ideas

Characteristics of User Redesign Process： A Study of Changes Made by Users in Architect-Designed Housing

Housing is dynamic. It changes with time. A sample of 60 houses in the Shagari Low Cost housing scheme in Kanra Namoda was studied in order to find out the characteristics of changes made by the users. Physical observations and questionnaires were used as the major instruments of data collection. The results show that 91% of occupants have made various changes to the original designs without the help of professional designers, and some of the changes have completely transformed the outlook of the houses in locational planning, materials and form. This implies that a post architectural design phase exists, suggesting that the design process can be divided into two phases; the initial design by the architect and the subsequent redesign by the user. The paper presents preliminary findings on the general characteristics of user redesign and concludes that a clear process can be established. The architectural design process can, therefore, be expanded to include the user redesign process in order to reflect the entire lifespan of the building.

Perception, Attitude, and Impact Change after Watching Faith-Based Films： A Comparative Study

Malaysia is a multi-religious country. Hence, it is important for everyone to understand each other＇s religion and culture to maintain peace and harmony in the country. This study was conducted to analyze the impact of Islamic films on youth （teenage, adolescent, and young adults） of various races, religions and gender. Specifically, the objectives of the study are： （1） to find out the level of perception on Islamic films among youth of various backgrounds, （2） to find out the level of attitude toward Islamic films among youth of various backgrounds, （3） to find out the level of impact change after watching Islamic films among youth of various backgrounds, and （4） to compare youth of various backgrounds on the relationships between perception, attitude, and impact change after watching Islamic films. The data were collected from a quasi-experimental research method, using questionnaire as the research instrument. From a total of 141 respondents, two-thirds are females and 70% are teenagers, representing different races and religions. Results showed that there was no difference between males and females. The differences were evident in the results for perception, attitude, and impact change for various races, religions, and age groups.

A New Approach to Analyzing Behavioral Change Propagation in Redesigning of Drone Camera Stabilizer

Redesigning of complex products is not an easy task. Engineering change requirements can be extracted at any stage of the product redesign process, and it makes the management of engineering change become a challenging mission. The motivation for this study is to find the shortest path of behavioral change propagation (BCP), minimize the BCP, access to the special behavioral elements in order to better managing the BCP and classifying the behavioral attribute of the elements in terms of their relationship to change by betweenness centrality coefficient (BNCC), clustering coefficient (CLC), reachability coefficient (RC) and change propagation index (CPI). In this article, the procedure of managerial decision-making is proposed by combining system restrictions in behavioral clustering design structure matrix (BCDSM) with optimization algorithms. The practicality of suggested method is verified in redesign procedure of a phantom drone camera stabilizer as a case study. The results, indicate that the absorption of change by behavioral elements is dominant in the mechanical (63.9%), electrical (61.1%) and thermal (38.9%) behaviors of the drone camera stabilizer system in redesign process. These elements are best candidates for reducing the cost and time of behavioral changes in the system redesign and are desirable for the designer.