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Realising the Architectural Idea: Computational Design at Herzog & De Meuron

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Abstract

Kai Strehlke heads up the Digital Technology Group at Herzog & de Meuron, a team of 12 based in the firm's Basle office. Herzog & de Meuron is a practice that is all about the architecture. However, how does technology interact with design in a practice that is all about the architectural concept? Guest-editor Brady Peters puts this question to Strehlke, revealing an approach that is all about finding the right tool and some very artful scripting to make the concept work.

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... An early example of this is the Specialist Modelling Group at Foster + Partners which was formed in 1997, and whose expertise encompasses analysis, geography, programming and computation, urban planning, and rapid prototyping (Peters & Dekestellier, 2006). The Digital Technology Group at Herzog & de Meuron also combines several streams of knowledge, from CAD and building information modelling (BIM) management, parametric design and scripting to digital fabrication (Peters, 2013). In 2019, NBBJ launched their Design Performance Group that included a building physicist, an environmental futurist and a computational expert (NBBJ, 2019). ...
Thesis
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In this thesis I argue for the need to consider the effects of occupant behaviour on the environmental sustainability of buildings, and propose and test novel methods to incorporate this behaviour in building performance simulations during the architectural design process. Due to rising energy prices and the increasing adverse effects of carbon emissions on the environment, there is a growing need to reduce energy consumption through sustainable building design. At the same time, there are rising expectations for human comfort in indoor environments. There are two approaches to addressing these problems: either to design increasingly hermetic buildings with automated HVAC systems, or to introduce low-tech solutions and create a higher customizability for occupants to control their personal microclimates (through operable windows, blinds, fans, thermostats, etc.). In this research, I explore the latter. Sustainable building design often employs digital simulations, and while current simulation software can be used to accurately model deterministic physical systems, it only offers limited capacity to model human factors. Human behaviour is often misrepresented, leading to large discrepancies between simulation and reality. This has caused the emergence of a recent field of research aimed at measuring and creating probabilistic models of occupants’ climate-adaptive behaviours. Research on this topic has so far been limited to building science, meaning that the researchers neither produce tools that embed well in the architectural design workflow, nor do they make specific suggestions as to how their insights may translate into architectural decision-making. The contribution of my research is twofold: firstly, I develop a digital toolkit prototype that incorporates some of these models, enabling architects and engineers to simulate the impacts of several human factors on building performance. Secondly, I demonstrate the possible design implications of behaviour modelling in a series of design studies. I analyse the proposed methods along four metrics: accuracy, usability, applicability and design impact. The accuracy of one model within the toolkit prototype was cross-validated using field study data collected in an operational building; in this case, the stochastic modelling approach achieved a substantially higher accuracy than the conventional deterministic approach. The advantages and limitations of using the toolkit prototype are discussed through heuristic methods adopted from the field of software engineering. Applicability is discussed through an interview with industry professionals. In the digital studies, I analyse the impact of occupant behaviour modelling by comparing the conventional versus stochastic models within several design contexts. The choice of occupant model had a large effect on simulation results, from which I extrapolate implications for specific architectural design decisions. While generalisations on the superiority of stochastic over deterministic occupant modelling must be based on more widespread validation, the fact that the choice of modelling approach can lead to different architectural outcomes should alert architects to the fact that occupants have a large impact on building microclimates. Occupant behaviour should therefore be considered in sustainable design.
... Ambrose (2012) -GERBER, 2010). Entretanto, observa-se que a prática arquitetônica que implementa modelos de concepção digital -formativo, generativo e baseado em desempenho -só se viabiliza pelo projeto colaborativo que integra equipes de projeto multidisciplinares (ANDRADE; RUSCHEL, 2012;PETERS, 2013;POPOVSKA, 2013;HINES, 2013;EDWARDS, 2013 ...
Conference Paper
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Observando‐se a adoção de BIM por construtoras e escritórios de projeto brasileiros comparativamente a adoção do paradigma no ensino de engenharia civil e de arquitetura nota‐se um descompasso. A prática mostra‐se mais interessada e menos resistente do que a academia. Mas diferenciando a prática entre projeto e construção, a adoção de BIM no Brasil é puxada mais especificamente pela construção. Parece que a transição no passado do processo de projeto analógico para o processo de projeto auxiliado por computador foi menos traumática e obteve primeiramente maior aceitação na academia e depois na prática. Exatamente o inverso do cenário atual. Fica evidente que o benefício econômico propiciado por BIM para construção foi percebido e está sendo perseguido pela construção civil brasileira. Entretanto, motivação financeira ainda não instiga suficientemente a academia e parece que os benefícios do BIM para o projetista encontram barreiras na Arquitetura e Engenharia. Este artigo busca desvendar esta problemática. A estratégia adotada para tal é refletir o quanto modelos de concepção digital podem ser mediados por BIM e consequentemente que adaptações no ensino são requeridas.
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