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A Tangible Interface for Collaborative Urban Design for Energy Efficiency, Daylighting, And Walkability
Abstract
An increasingly urbanizing human population presents new challenges for urban planners and designers. While the applicability of urban design tools for simulation experts is constantly improving, urban development scenarios require the input of multiple stakeholders, each with different outlooks, expertise, requirements, and preconceptions, and good urban design requires communication and compromise as much as it requires effective use of tools. The best tools will facilitate this communication while remaining evidence-based, allowing diverse planning teams to develop high quality, healthy, sustainable urban proposals. Presented in this paper is a new such tool, implemented as a tangible user interface, that allows varied stakeholders to quickly collaborate on creation and exploration of new urban design solutions. The tool provides performance feedback for a neighborhood’s operational energy costs, daylight availability, and walkability. Fast interaction is attained through a novel precalculation method that is also presented and validated. Details of the tool’s deployment as part of a case study that was conducted with members of the planning commission of Riyadh, SA, in March 2015 are given.
... Due to this barrier, engineers in our laboratory often make do with non-interactive simulations, even if they would prefer to deploy their work as an interactive simulation. While we do observe some bespoke instances of interactive simulation [5,6,7,8,9,10,11], or large suites of software dedicated to particular domains or simulation types [12,13,14,16,17], we generally witness those engineers building smaller, specialized simulators struggle at user interface implementation. In recent prior work, we identified the potential of a generically designed user interface that might significantly reduce the burden to engineers who wish to develop interactive simulations [1]. ...
Inclusive interactive simulations are boundary objects that make it possible for engineering know-how to be placed directly into the hands of non-technical stakeholders. However, interactive simulations are also complex technologies that are difficult to implement on a bespoke basis. In order to make deployment of interactive simulations more feasible for engineers, especially those without prior background in user interface design, we created a generic, open-source simulation user interface (OpenSUI) with an associated communication schema. OpenSUI is agnostic to domains, and can communicate with any computational simulation that follows its schema. To demonstrate, we convert an existing computational simulation for real estate, FuzzyIO, into an inclusive interactive simulation using OpenSUI. We then review preliminary, qualitative feedback from non-technical users and discuss our intent for further validation through experimentation at scale.
... The aim of this study was to propose a streetscape design that positively influences human social behavior. Rose et al. (2015) presented an urban design tool suitable for the climate of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a tangible user interface that allows stakeholders to collaborate in exploring new urban design solutions. In this tool, a camera and projection system colorizes the blocks to present the neighborhood's performance to the users in real time, in terms of energy costs, daylight availability, and neighborhood walkability. ...
Walking is a vital activity. Therefore, governments deploy resources to improve walkability. The relationship between the walkability of sidewalks and walking frequency to a given destination in the context of hot arid regions has been overlooked in the literature. This study examines this relationship in Khobar, Saudi Arabia.The methodology is composed of two parts: the MAPPA (Marchabilité pour les personnes âgées) audit and the users survey. Three districts in Khobar city were selected. On-site assessment was completed. Sidewalks ranking criteria were adopted from the MAPPA, and the analysis was performed using GIS applications.In the studied districts, an average of 81% of respondents indicated that they like walking. An average of 91.6% confirmed that they would walk more if sidewalk walkability was improved.The study concluded that sidewalk walkability could be related to pedestrian behaviors in Khobar. However, other factors affect these behaviors, such as users’ socioeconomic characteristics.
... Our set of MCDSS case studies includes examples from the following domains: maritime shipping [11,12], urban master planning [13,14], pharmaceutical manufacturing, campus design [15], autonomous vehicle impact analysis [16], and real estate investment financing (Figure 2). ...
We seek to accelerate the adoption of multi-objective decision making (MODM) methods within transdisciplinary engineering. To this end, we specify a generic user interface that makes computational systems models more accessible to non-technical decision makers. The collection of user stories presented in this paper allude to minimum viable features to include in the future development and testing of a generic user interface for multi-objective decision making.
... Nowadays, the physics-based UBEMs have been widely applied in supporting urban energyuse management and greenhouse gas emission reduction throughout the world, such as in Boston [4], Chicago [33], Lisbon [34], Kuwait [35], Cambridge [36], Des Moines [12], Arriyadh [37], etc. Numerous works have been conducted for New York City (NYC) as well. Specifically, Howard and Parshall [19] proposed a model of energy consumption for NYC at a parcel level. ...
Building sectors account for major energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the US. While urban building energy-use modeling has been widely applied in many studies, limited studies have been conducted for Manhattan, New York City (NYC). Since the release of the new “80-by-50” law, the NYC government has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050; indeed, the government is facing a big challenge for reducing the energy use and carbon emissions. Therefore, understanding the building energy use of NYC with a high spatial and temporal resolution is essential for the government and local citizens in managing building energy use. This study quantified the building energy use of Manhattan in NYC with consideration of the local microclimate by integrating two popular modeling platforms, the Urban Weather Generator (UWG) and Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM). The research results suggest that (1) the largest building energy use is in central Manhattan, which is composed of large numbers of commercial buildings; (2) a similar seasonal electricity-use pattern and significantly different seasonal gas-use patterns could be found in Manhattan, NYC, due to the varied seasonal cooling and heating demand; and (3) the hourly energy-use profiles suggest only one electricity-use peak in the summer and two gas-use peaks in the winter.
This book of proceedings contains peer-reviewed papers that were presented at the 29th ISTE International Conference on Transdisciplinary Engineering (TE2022), organized by System Design and Management (SDM) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, United States from July 5–8, 2022.
TE2022 brought together a diverse global community of scholars and practitioners in dialogue and reflection on engineering itself. Engineering is changing rapidly. The
connectedness of the world’s most critical systems along with rapid advancement of
methods push us to ask “How will we teach, research, and practice engineering?”
No one discipline or person can encompass all the knowledge necessary to solve complex, ill-defined problems, or problems for which a solution is not immediately obvious. The concept of Concurrent Engineering (CE) – interdisciplinary, but with an engineering focus – was developed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Product Creation Process (PCP) by conducting different phases of a product’s life concurrently. Transdisciplinary Engineering has transcended CE, emphasizing the crucial importance of interdisciplinary openness and collaboration.
This book presents the proceedings of the 28th ISTE International Conference on Transdisciplinary Engineering (TE2021). Held online from 5 – 9 July 2021 and entitled ‘Transdisciplinary Engineering for Resilience: Responding to System Disruptions’, this is the second conference in the series held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual TE conference constitutes an important forum for international scientific exchange on transdisciplinary engineering research, advances, and applications, and is attended by researchers, industry experts and students, as well as government representatives. The book contains 58 peer-reviewed papers, selected from more than 80 submissions and ranging from the theoretical and conceptual to strongly pragmatic and addressing industrial best practice. The papers are grouped under 6 headings covering theory; education and training; PD methods and digital TE; industry and society; product systems; and individuals and teams.
Providing an overview of the latest research results and knowledge of product creation processes and related methodologies, the book will be of interest to all researchers, design practitioners, and educators working in the field of Transdisciplinary Engineering.
This research is meant to facilitate a wider use of energy simulation in urban and schematic building design. The major contribution is the development and validation of software algorithms that can manage, automatically produce and execute building energy models for urban and schematic design. Modeling approaches for building performance simulation engines such as EnergyPlus and TRNSYS have been developed. The first approach introduces an algorithm that automatically converts arbitrary building massing models into multi-zone thermal models following the ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G prescribed perimeter and core discretization schema. This method yields geometrically resolved multizone models and provides a streamlined workflow for single and multi-building energy evaluation. The second approach dissects an urban massing model that may consist of hundreds of buildings with various architectural programs into a discrete number of "typical room" energy models. It is shown that for standard interior partitions and fully conditioned spaces the method yields results that are comparable to conventional perimeter and core simulations in terms of accuracy as well as temporal and spatial resolution at a fraction of the calculation time. This speed-up facilitates interactive urban level design evaluations. The third approach explores the energetic consequences of using a zoning methodology that goes beyond generic perimeter and core subdivisions. Based on a review and categorization of real floor plan designs it is shown that key characteristics of interior subdivisions have a decisive effect on building energy use and present a largely untapped opportunity for architects to reduce building energy use in schematic design. Each approach is documented and simulation results are compared against conventional modeling workflows for a realworld urban case study. As a proof of concept, the mentioned methods have been implemented as plug-ins for the widely used CAD modeling software Rhinoceros3d (Rhino) and its parametric scripting environment Grasshopper.
This paper describes the development of a new tool that allows designers to simulate and evaluate the daylight potential of urban master plan proposals. The tool is a plug-in for the Rhinoceros3D CAD modeler and follows a two-step workflow. During the initial step, hourly solar radiation levels on all facades within an urban scene are simulated based on Radiance/Daysim. During the second step, exterior radiation levels are converted into hourly interior illuminance distributions using a generalized impulse response. Climate based daylighting metrics, such as daylight autonomy, are also computed. The results yielded by the new method are carefully compared to regular and substantially more time-consuming Daysim simulations. This comparison shows that the overall daylit area in the investigated master plan matches Daysim predictions within 10%. Given its implementation into the Rhinoceros3D environment, as well as the almost instant simulation feedback, the tool may serve as a generative method for designers.
Many attempts have been made to automatically convert architectural 3D models into thermal models for building performance simulation. This paper describes a method that is capable of abstracting an arbitrary building massing into a meaningful group of thermal shoebox models. The algorithm is meant to bridge the existing gap between architectural and thermal representations of the same building and to facilitate the use of energy models during schematic design by providing instant performance feedback from the massing stage onwards. The method uses varying facade insolation levels as the key form-related parameter. Discrete facade segments are then grouped by similarity of their local “solar microclimate”. Each group is represented by a reference shoebox model, which consists of a two-zone thermal model for perimeter and core regions. Computed shoebox results are then extrapolated and mapped back to the architectural model. Thus, the relationship between the simulation output and the provided architectural geometry is strengthened and easier to communicate. Combined with a parametric modeling environment, the method may be used to identify optimized local massing solutions. It can also be applied at the urban level to break down a whole neighborhood into a representative subset of simple thermal models, allowing the estimation of urban energy use intensity in a feasible and timely manner.
This paper aims to evaluate the accuracy and strength of a new approach that automatically calculates the heating demand of whole district areas, modelled in 3D with the open standard CityGML. For this purpose, two residential districts in Ludwigsburg and Karlsruhe have been chosen as case studies. To evaluate the accuracy of the model, the simulation results were compared to real measured consumption data and the model uncertainties were analysed. The mean deviations found between simulated and real district heating consumption are 7% and 21% for the two cases. Beside the thermal diagnostics of the existing building stock, the paper shows how 3D city models could play a central role in the development of urban strategies for renewable energy supply and energy efficiency measures on both district and city levels.
This paper presents an urban analysis work flow using a Rhinoceros/Grasshopper massing tool. The tool utilizes terrain elevation models as part of the design process to subdivide sites and generate urban form to be explored parametrically. It can then be linked to various performance assessment methods. As a proof of concept, the study uses a walkability calculator for three urban form alternatives, and applies genetic algorithms to optimize generated designs through allocation of land-use. Results show a great diversity that converges to near optimal solutions. A discussion is drawn about the effort and time spent to model such iterations versus it's automation using this work flow, and conclusions show the potentials, limitations and directions for future research work.
One widely recognized opportunity to reduce global carbon emissions is to make urban neighborhoods more resource efficient. Significant effort has hence gone into developing computer-based design tools to ensure that individual buildings use less energy. While these tools are increasingly used in practice, they currently do not allow design teams to model groups of dozens or hundreds of buildings effectively, which is why a growing number of research teams are working on dedicated urban modeling tools. Many of these teams concentrate on isolated sustainable performance aspects such as operational building energy use or transportation; however, limited progress has been made on integrating multiple performance aspects into one tool and/or on penetrating urban design education and practice. In this paper a new Rhinoceros-based urban modeling design tool called umi is presented which allows users to carry out operational energy, daylighting and walkability evaluations of complete neighborhoods. The underlying simulation engines are EnergyPlus, Radiance/Daysim as well as a series of Grasshopper and Python scripts. Technical details of umi along with a case study of a mixed use development in Boston are documented.
We present steps toward a conceptual framework for tangible user interfaces. We introduce the MCRpd interaction model for tangible interfaces, which relates the role of physical and digital representations, physical control, and underlying digital models. This model serves as a foundation for identifying and discussing several key characteristics of tangible user interfaces. We identify a number of systems exhibiting these characteristics, and situate these within 12 application domains. Finally, we discuss tangible interfaces in the context of related research themes, both within and outside of the human-computer interaction domain.
We introduce a system for urban planning - called Urp -thatintegrates functions addressing a broad range of the fieldsconcerns into a single, physically based workbench setting. The I/OBulb infrastructure on which the application is based allowsphysical architectural models placed on an ordinary table surfaceto cast shadows accurate for arbitrary times of day; to throwreflections off glass facade surfaces; to affect a real-time andvisually coincident simulation of pedestrian-level windflow; and soon.We then use comparisons among Urp and severalearlier I/O Bulb applications as the basis for anunderstanding of luminous-tangible interactions, which resultwhenever an interface distributes meaning and functionality betweenphysical objects and visual information projectively coupled tothose objects. Finally, we briefly discuss two issues common to allsuch systems, offering them as informal thought-tools for thedesign and analysis of luminous-tangible interfaces.
We sought to determine the magnitude, direction, and statistical significance of the relationship between active travel and rates of physical activity, obesity, and diabetes.
We examined aggregate cross-sectional health and travel data for 14 countries, all 50 US states, and 47 of the 50 largest US cities through graphical, correlation, and bivariate regression analysis on the country, state, and city levels.
At all 3 geographic levels, we found statistically significant negative relationships between active travel and self-reported obesity. At the state and city levels, we found statistically significant positive relationships between active travel and physical activity and statistically significant negative relationships between active travel and diabetes.
Together with many other studies, our analysis provides evidence of the population-level health benefits of active travel. Policies on transport, land-use, and urban development should be designed to encourage walking and cycling for daily travel.
In this paper we describe new software “CitySim” that has been conceived to support the more sustainable planning of urban settlements. This first version focuses on simulating buildings’ energy flows, but work is also under way to model energy embodied in materials as well as the flows of water and waste and inter-relationships between these flows; likewise their dependence on the urban climate. We discuss this as well as progress that has been made to optimise urban resource flows using evolutionary algorithms. But this is only part of the picture. It is also important to take into consideration the transportation of goods and people between buildings. To this end we also discuss work that is underway to couple CitySim with a micro-simulation model of urban transportation: MATSim.
Traditionally urban design is perceived, communicated and created using physical and digital media. However, these realms are handled as separate entities, which hinder collaboration, understanding and communication. Collaborative Augmented Reality (AR) systems can integrate these tasks into one media type and allow a different conversation with complex issues. Human Computer Interfaces and Tangible User Interfaces play key role in AR. They allow an engagement with both the real and virtual component of an urban design project. This paper describes an urban design studio that employs AR as medium of collaboration, the theoretical framework of sense of presence, the understanding and the quality of the resulting design.
MouseHaus Table is a computationally enhanced physical environment that supports collaborative urban design discussion. The system consists of a custom-made table with a rear projection screen, a video camera, projector and a simple pedestrian simulation program. MouseHaus Table provides a physical interface that enables participants who have no previous computer experience to interact with a pedestrian simulation program.
This paper describes a novel system for the real-time computational analysis of landscape models. Users of the system -- called Illuminating Clay -- alter the topography of a clay landscape model while the changing geometry is captured in real-time by a ceiling-mounted laser scanner. A depth image of the model serves as an input to a library of landscape analysis functions. The results of this analysis are projected back into the workspace and registered with the surfaces of the model.
This paper investigates the impact of reinforced concrete (RC) frames and structures on the thermal performance of a typical residential villa in Kuwait. In the approach, a simplified method to calculate the effective overall heat transfer coefficient and the overall thermal resistance of a construction was used in conjunction with a comprehensive building energy simulation program (ESP-r), to predict the impact of RC on the thermal performance of the villa when subjected to different constraints. It was found that for the worst case, the calculated overall thermal resistance of walls incorporating RC was lower by 64% than the minimum value stipulated in the code. On the other hand, the reductions attained in the air-conditioning peak power requirement, due to improved application of thermal insulation on RC structures, ranged from 3% to 12%. The cost benefit analysis indicated that thermal insulation of RC structures of residential buildings, lead to substantial savings for the government, mainly due to the high subsidy on the cost of electricity.
An urban energy management tool was developed, which is able to predict the heating energy demand of urban districts and analyze strategies for improving building standards. Building models of different Levels of Detail are investigated and analyzed according to their suitability for forecasting energy demand. Based on the specific 3D city model, an input file is generated, which can be read by the building simulation model. Special focus is put on a method for modeling the heating energy demand of the buildings with the fewest input parameters possible, but one which will give reliable forecast results. A simple transmission heat loss method and an energy-balance method were tested. In both cases, there was a good correlation between the measured and calculated annual values for a case study area of over 700 buildings in Ostfildern, Germany. The results also show that a D city model (with low geometrical detail) can be used for energy demand forecasting on an urban scale.
This paper provides an account on energy use in Kuwaiti residences and attempts to explain the reasons for the high electrical consumption in the country. A sample of 30 residences was selected for the study. Occupancy patterns and operation schedules of electrical appliances used in these residences were surveyed. The results were summarized and presented in bar charts format. The values obtained were then used as input data into the thermal simulation program, ENERWIN, to replace its default data which are primarily based on the Western lifestyle and do not cater for developing countries such as Kuwait. Results showed that the annual electricity consumption would rise by 21% when the new data from the survey was used as opposed to the use of default data. Data analysis also showed that the Kuwaiti occupants tend to leave all lights on even when the rooms are vacant, and that they prefer to keep the rooms cooler with the A/C thermostat set at 22°C. Simulation runs showed that by matching light schedules with occupancy patterns, and with A/C thermostat set at 24°C instead of 22°C, the annual electricity consumption would drop down by 39%. The authors argue that more regional responsive data should be used in energy simulation softwares in order to achieve better-informed predictions, and finally they suggest several strategies to reduce the electricity consumption based on the findings of this study.
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