Nature and Kinetic Architecture： The Development of a New Type of Transformable Structure for Temporary Applications

The contemplation of contemporary architectural designs shows an increasing demand for the development of more adaptable, flexible and transformable structures. This type of structures can adapt with different environmental conditions and meet different functions. This can help in reducing environmental waste and pollution associated with many buildings and above all can save on cost and time. Natural systems have inspired human being, since they began to build and design. Architects and designers have utilized nature as one of the main resources of information for the creation of innovative architectural spaces. One of the unique features of natural structures is the way that their components open and close in order to respond to a particular requirement or the environmental changes. This aspect has inspired many designers for the development of transformable architectural structures that can change their shape and geometry to be able to adapt with specific conditions. To make a way toward the design of transformable structure for temporary applications, the authors have developed a new type of adaptable structures according to natural forms. The proposed design applies the transformation principles that exist in potato＇s flower and the movement mechanisms used in a spider＇s leg. The design is able to fit to different topographies and have a potential to be folded to a very compact state in a very short period of time. The detailed design and the different configurations of the system applications will be presented in this paper. The result of the study shows that using modular triangular plates can create a changeable module that is not only able to respond to different functions and environmental changes but it is also able to shape different configuration to be able to respond to different user＇s ambitions. The compactability of this structure into 1/3 of its base dimensions; makes its transportation fast and with minimum costs. These capabilities make this structure suitable for temporary buildings such as exhibitions, temporary settlements or hospital in damaged areas.

DEFINING AND DEVELOPING AN ENERGY RETROFITTING APPROACH

This paper identifies the dilemma faced by the stakeholders of existing buildings in regards to a decision making process for energy retrofitting.This paper also identifies the missing stage viewed as the“integrity audit”which can lead to substantial savings in the area of building operation.The methodology is centered on identifying energy waste first,reducing the overall peak electrical demand and then retrofitting for energy-efficiency.A proposed“integrity audit”leads to the classification of three main energy culprits:the identification of waste,missed opportunities,and rescheduling the operation of equipment use.A case study indicating the financial advantages of applying this methodology for a commercial building are presented.The energy retrofitting strategy is divided into two main categories,namely building control improvements and building component implementation.The payback periods are often within months if not immediate.

Responsive envelope tessellation and stochastic rotation of 4-fold penttiles

This paper reports on the design and control of tessellated components. The study investigates a responsive envelope based on the rotation of responsive and dynamic approaches for building facades and envelopes to regulate solar shading, light control, views and thermal gain within the building. It is well known that near real-time visual output from computational simulation can significantly impact the prediction of dynamic building-environment interactions and lead to the development of smart, adaptable, net zero energy buildings. To address these motivations, this paper reports the development of an experimental simulation of a responsive envelope based on using a 4-fold penttile scheme. The simulation is developed using a novel pentagonal approach involving component （tile） design, tessellation and control methods. The paper further elaborates on the geometry and control aspects of the facade subdivision and presents the results of applying this tessellation geometry to a building envelope shading study based on facade components with rotation. Finally, it tests the ＂responsiveness＂ to multiple performance metrics by applying a non-deterministic exploration method for the stochastic rotation of individual panels. The sophisticated evaluation of alternative envelope configurations for a set of performance criteria require a tighter computational coupling between modelling and control of dynamic geometry.

An impulse technique of measuring insertion loss of open screens

An impulse response technique has been investigated by application to the open screens for obtaining sound transmission loss. The measurements of such screens according to ISO 140 were also presented. The predicted results calculated by a model which is based on Huygen's principle and Kirchhoff's formulation have shown good agreements with the results obtained by impulse method. The method requires no specialist acoustic facilities and measurement systems can be portable.