Jul 2014, Volume 3 Issue 2
    

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  • EDITORIAL
    Yishi Liu
  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Kathleen James-Chakraborty

    Louis Kahn is often credited with having in his National Assembly in Dhaka (1962–1983) introduced modern architecture to Bangladesh. In fact at least as technologically advanced construction as any he employed was already in use there. Nor was he the first to use a sophisticated abstract esthetic in what was from 1947 to 1971 East Pakistan. The importance and originality of the National Assembly instead resides in the care with which he built in reinforced concrete and the forms into which he required that it be cast. These were esthetic decisions rooted in a particular theoretical position; they were located outside established modernist practice of the time in both South Asia and the United States. Indeed operating at such a great remove from home may have heightened Kahn’s authority to implement these forms even as it substantially complicated their execution.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Thomas Coomans

    In 1926, French Jesuit missionaries from Daming published at Xianxian (Hebei province) a little handbook for church construction in Northern China: “Le missionnaire constructeur, conseils-plans” (“The missionary builder: advice-plans”), containing 67 pages of text and 54 plates. After a short introduction about handbooks and pattern books of churches, this paper describes and analyses the handbook's content and its different practical aspects about building materials, masonry, roofs, etc. The book, however, is more than a compilation of technical hints and reveals a lot about the missionaries’ perception of Chinese building traditions as well as the transmission of Western techniques to Chinese workers. The paper also contextualizes the handbook and tries to identify both the authors and the addressees. In the mid-1920s, the Vatican launched the Christian inculturation process in China, which concerned architecture too. Nevertheless, many missionaries resisted, preferring Gothic or Italianate architecture to a new Sino-Christian style. The handbook participated in this debate.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Keming Liu

    Western architectural drawing techniques were introduced to China in the 1870s, when their importance was increasingly recognized by the Chinese. The development of architectural drawing in the nation led to the dissemination of knowledge on engineering drawing and enhanced the integration of different theories of drawing from both China and the West. Based on the translation of two western classical texts- Shi Xue (The See) and Qi Xiang Xian Zhen (The Engineer and Machinist’s Drawing Book)—this study examines the technical development of architectural drawing in modern China.

  • RESEARCH PAPER
    Yishi Liu

    Established in 1909, Tsinghua College was built on the base of a royal garden, and developed into a modern university through campus designs produced by Henry Murphy. The Auditorium, one of the Four Grand Buildings during Tsinghua's formative times, was a significant part of early construction and has become a symbol of the school. However, no thorough measuring work has ever been done to it since its completion in 1921. This paper delves into archives with combination of field survey and measurement, aiming to better understand the historical background in which the construction of the Auditorium was embedded, and technological and structural features of the Auditorium. Though the Guastavino system was indicated in the original design drawn by Murphy, concrete shell was applied in the end.

    The first part combs up the intellectual origins and precedents of the campus planning by Henry Murphy. As the dome is a focal point of the study, a brief course on the history of dome construction in the West is needed. The third part, based upon field measurement in July 2013, compares the actual dome with its original design featured by the Guastavino method, deducing possible reasons that resulted in the differences, including architect's unfamiliarity with Guastavino Company and its parameters, considerations about cost, and local construction tradition.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Shan Jiang

    The paper deciphers the Chinese literature to English speaking scholars and bridges the gap between China and the western countries on the topics of therapeutic landscapes and healing gardens. Three parts of contents are included in the paper. Firstly, four schools of theories explaining how and why nature can heal, are introduced based on the studies in western countries with the examination of terminology used. In the second part, 71 publications in Chinese are systematically reviewed, with 19 significant studies analyzed in details, including focus areas, the research method, and major findings. In the final part, Chinese studies are evaluated in relation to the theories in western countries.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Hanan M. Taleb

    Passive design responds to local climate and site conditions in order to maximise the comfort and health of building users while minimising energy use. The key to designing a passive building is to take best advantage of the local climate. Passive cooling refers to any technologies or design features adopted to reduce the temperature of buildings without the need for power consumption. Consequently, the aim of this study is to test the usefulness of applying selected passive cooling strategies to improve thermal performance and to reduce energy consumption of residential buildings in hot arid climate settings, namely Dubai, United Arab Emirates. One case building was selected and eight passive cooling strategies were applied. Energy simulation software- namely IES- was used to assess the performance of the building. Solar shading performance was also assessed using Sun Cast Analysis, as a part of the IES software. Energy reduction was achieved due to both the harnessing of natural ventilation and the minimising of heat gain in line with applying good shading devices alongside the use of double glazing. Additionally, green roofing proved its potential by acting as an effective roof insulation. The study revealed several significant findings including that the total annual energy consumption of a residential building in Dubai may be reduced by up to 23.6% when a building uses passive cooling strategies.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Moshood Olawale Fadeyi,Khawla Alkhaja,Maryam Bin Sulayem,Bassam Abu-Hijleh

    This study presents findings of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) investigations conductedin elementary schools' classrooms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Average TVOC, CO2, O3, CO, and particle concentrations measured in the classrooms were 815 μg/m3, 1605 ppm, 0.05 ppm, 1.16 ppm, and 1730 μg/m3, respectively. Whereas, local authority knownas Dubai Municipality recommended 300 μg/m3, 800 ppm, 0.06 ppm, 9 ppm, and 150-300 μg/m3 for TVOC, CO2, O3, CO, and particle, respectively. Dubai Municipality recommended temperature and relative humidity (RH) levels of 22.5 1°C to 25.5 1°C and 30%–60%, respectively. Average temperature and RH levels measured in the classrooms were 24.5 1°C and 40.4%, respectively. Average sound level in the classrooms was 24 dB greater than recommended sound level limit of 35 dB. Six (6) classrooms had average lux levels in the range of 400–800 lux. Two (2) classrooms had average lux levels in the range of 100–200 lux. The remaining classrooms had lux levels around the recommended 300 lux. High occupancy density was observed in majority of the studied classrooms. Observations during walkthrough investigations could be used to explain measured IEQ data. Poor IEQ conditions in the studied classrooms highlight the need for further research investigation to understand how poor classrooms' IEQ condition could influence students' health, comfort, attendance rate, and academic performance.

  • REVIEW
    Karam M. Al-Obaidi,Mazran Ismail,Abdul Malek Abdul Rahman

    A passive skylight system is a significant building design element that provides an ideal condition for interior spaces. However, the use of this system is limited to specific climatic regions because of its considerable effect on the indoor environment. Malaysia is a tropical country that has favorable natural benefits, such as solar geometry and natural light, which can brighten building interiors throughout the year. However, harnessing this benefit affects spaces, especially those in single-story buildings, because of excessive natural loads. This study reviews a concept to understand the passive behavior of solar radiation in the form of light and heat that falls on, interacts with, and is emitted from a skylight system in a single-story building. The study method is theoretically based on descriptive analysis to assess design requirements. The review shows that designs grounded on the physical aspects of climate (influenced variables), materials (design variables), and human comfort (affected variables) in one process (ESI) can develop the architectural way of thinking rather than estimate the condition based on a limited perspective. This assumption indicates that the adoption of this concept in the preliminary design stage will enable designers to balance the building environment effectively.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Sambit Datta, Stuart Hanafin, Robert F. Woodbury

    This paper reports on the design and control of a responsive envelope based on the rotation of tessellated components. The study investigates 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.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Xinyu Zhuang,Shichen Zhao

    This study uses multiple regression to investigate the effects of land and building use on population, land price, and passengers. Initially, we abstract annual data on land and buildings usage within a radius of 0 m-400 m for railway stations and 400 m-800 m for subway stations in Fukuoka, Japan by using the GIS. We then analyze the relationships between 13 factors of land use and 8 factors of building usage, as well as the related population, land price, and passengers using the quantitative expression method. Using several categories of land use and building usage as explanatory variables, we analyze the degree to which the selected categories affect population, land price, and passengers by using the multiple regression method. This research can aid the further development of land and building usage in the future.

  • RESEARCH PAPER
    Alessandro Pergoli Campanelli

    The restoration of the former Pirelli Tower in Milan, which dates back to the early 1950s, is an example of various issues in approaching the “conservation of the new”. This project was completed with the broad use of industrial products that evoked different kinds of reflections, if only within the same planning methodology, common to all interventions of architectural restoration. This restoration constitutes an exemplary episode where only a careful and critical evaluation facilitated the understanding of which elements are important in conservation and which can be substituted or updated. This approach uses case-to-case evaluations. The conservation of “new” architecture is similar to other restoration problems, except for the closeness in time to the original works and, sometimes, with its creator.

    The main intervention concerns the recovery of the structure with over 10,000 m2 of continuous aluminum and glass fa?ade in a skyscraper designed by Italian master Gio Ponti and the repair of the damage to the reinforced concrete (RC) structures (designed by another Italian master, Pier Luigi Nervi) caused by a plane crash. The straightening and repair of the RC using entirely innovative methods and the conservation of the structures of the whole fa?ade also translates into financial savings. Approximately 20% of the savings is derived from the complete substitution of the curtain wall. This idea of authenticity results in a method of restoration in which all single parts may not always be replaced for every functional upgrade. This scenario is important news, especially for modern architecture that usually prefers the value of what appears to be new, showing parts that are always perfect since the time they were built. People also consider the conservation of items that were considered as merely industrial products a few years ago.

  • COLUMN
    Alexander Tzonis