This study investigates how housing can become more affordable and environmentally sustainable by applying circularity principles through mass-customized prefabricated construction. The study proposes that, by using mass-customized concepts and practices and offering buyers interior choices that suit their needs, homes can be made more affordable and sustainable. Sustainability would be achieved through circularity and waste reduction. The discussion of the underlying topic uses a nonreactive desk research methodology. The review of scientific articles and studies covered the following issues: (i) the definition of circularity in housing, (ii) the mass-customized concept in building, and (iii) 3D printing prefabricated home construction. The second stage of evaluating the Affordable Prefab Home project involves examining customized internal modular partitions and prefabricated exterior wall designs. In the discussion, the research identified several barriers to the efficient mass customization of prefabricated housing in the construction industry. Conclusions highlight the importance of adopting mass-customized prefabricated concepts in residential construction.
As dense urban environments evolve, the built fabric is becoming increasingly interconnected, linking underground transit networks, elevated walkways, and interior public spaces into seamless pedestrian systems. This study investigates the temporal dynamics of pedestrian density distribution across such integrated multilevel public spaces using Spatial Network Analysis. Combining an exploratory preliminary study and a detailed principal investigation, the research focuses on the Jurong Gateway district and Westgate development in Singapore. By correlating modeled spatial connectivity with empirical pedestrian counts obtained through sensors and video mapping, the study demonstrates how spatial configuration and temporal programming jointly influence movement patterns over time. The result is a novel, evidence-based framework for understanding and designing volumetric public realms as dynamic temporal-spatial systems.
Architectural education was blurred by the technological turn in the twentieth century, leading to a confrontational 'design-versus-technology' mindset among architects. To date, there have been few approaches that properly investigate how to integrate technology into the design process in early BSc education. Through a case study analysis of the first-year BSc architecture studio at ETH Z & uuml;rich, this paper reveals two successful technological approaches to design teaching, with mappings of concise workflows to close the gap between design and technology. This shows promising results, not only supporting learning but also offering students critical thinking opportunities when reflecting on their design process. These workflows demonstrate potential for application in architectural practice.
Buildings and their supply chains are among the most significant drivers of climate change and the deterioration of ecosystem health. Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a framework for quantifying environmental impacts, now commonly used for buildings and recently implemented in EU and UK legislation for Whole Life Carbon (WLC) analyses. The regulatory focus on carbon reflects the narrow focus governing the area of sustainability and the difficulty in obtaining reliable and realistic LCA results for impacts beyond carbon (i.e., all remaining impacts of the LCA protocol, such as land use, eutrophication, and water use) that make sense when benchmarked against other studies. This study identifies knowledge gaps by comparing both carbon and beyond-carbon results of case studies obtained through a systematic approach. The innovative aspect of this study is twofold. Firstly, it analyzes the magnitude of environmental impacts in previously published studies. Secondly, it identifies the key challenges in benchmarking that arise from the principle that most impacts beyond carbon are calculated for specific geographical zones.Results identified a strong focus on carbon, indicating that impacts beyond carbon are significantly underexplored. This might become problematic, as evidence shows intensifying pressure on impacts beyond carbon when decisions are taken solely on the basis of carbon. Statistical analyses support that embodied modules are significant contributors to life-cycle Ozone Depletion (OD), Terrestrial Acidification (TA), Marine Eutrophication (MEU), and Photochemical Oxidant Formation (POF). Still, operational modules contribute more to life-cycle carbon. Although previous research emphasized that differences in scope, system boundaries, life-cycle modules, and lifespans affect the potential for benchmarking, this study proposes two more aspects that make benchmarking challenging. These are (a) regionalized Characterization Factors (CFs) and (b) localized manufacturing processes that lead to results that are reflective of specific geographical zones. Therefore, selecting the appropriate candidates for comparison from a pool of studies is essential, as similarities must be satisfied not only at the building level but also at the level of localized processes and regionalized CFs. Finally, the identified knowledge gaps warrant further research to determine whether benchmarking remains valid in the context of regionalized impacts.
This study proposes African hair braiding as a form of vernacular architectural intelligence-an embodied, recursive, and culturally embedded design system that redefines architecture and computation. Drawing on Ron Eglash's African fractals, Gottfried Semper's theory of the knot, and visual works by J. D. Ojeikere, Medina Dugger, and Fran & ccedil;ois Beaurain, it traces a lineage from traditional African design to speculative digital aesthetics. The research culminates in The Hair Salon: Black Hair as Architecture, a project that translates braided logic into climate-responsive, community-centered infrastructure. By exploring the interconnectivity of craft and code, tradition and technology, and identity and infrastructure, the paper contributes to broader conversations on inclusive design, decolonial epistemologies, and the expansion of architectural intelligence.
A dynamic interaction between building technology and design, formed by various contextual influences and human endeavors, can facilitate a spectrum of practice-related relationships. The point at which these relationships are established during the design process, along with the roles of the creator and maker, determines the technology's form-making potential and exploratory nature.This study employs a theoretical framework to critically analyze the application, location, and role of technology as a design informant in selected examples of the work of internationally awarded South African Architect Peter Rich. Although his work serves as an example of the wide-ranging approaches to technology, in the third- and first-world setting of South Africa, a deeper understanding of technology's role as an informant in architectural production can help establish design approaches that enable technology to drive proactive change in architectural practice across multiple contexts.
This study provides the first empirical evidence that a tropical heritage masonry building can achieve over 90% reduction in annual electricity consumption without compromising its historic integrity. A full-year monitoring campaign was conducted at Lawang Sewu in Semarang, Indonesia, combined with calibrated EnergyPlus and WUFI (R) Pro simulations. ANOVA confirmed significant thermal variation between interior zones, supporting a targeted rather than uniform retrofit strategy. The optimized solution combined reversible roof-mounted CIGS thin-film photovoltaics with selective fa & ccedil;ade electrochromic glazing, achieving a mean 90.3% energy reduction (95% CI: 87.9-92.4%) while maintaining comfort within ISO 7730. Multicriteria decision analysis verified full visual compatibility and reversibility. The study delivers a transferable workflow for hot-humid heritage contexts, while noting that multisite validation is required to strengthen generalizability.
The techniques and hardware in 3D printing, including open-source platforms and affordability, opened a space for design to resist late capitalism. Early experiments with 3D printing were based on the sculpting of liquid polymer with light. Later, the mechanical logic of the print head combined with the material deposition of thermoplastic, like coil building in ceramics, to simplify the technique. This simplification ostensibly democratized the technology by reducing the cost of participation and increasing its accessibility. The accessibility of open-source 3D printers signaled a shift in how the masses interact with and interpret the material world, one where the "poor prototype" resists the perfection demanded by industry. The "poor prototype" extends Steyerl's argument on the "poor image," the JPEG copy in motion.
This research develops a BIM-based multiobjective optimization method (BIMOM) to enhance classroom acoustics, with a focus on reverberation time (RT). BIMOM integrates BIM data, visual scripting (Grasshopper), and the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-III) to optimize acoustic retrofitting based on two goals: achieving target RT levels and minimizing material cost. Design parameters are extracted from the BIM model and fed into NSGA-III, which evaluates design alternatives stored in an optimization library. Optimal solutions meeting RT60 and cost objectives are visualized in the BIM environment. A prototype system is validated using a classroom case study across three scenarios. Results show that BIMOM reduced RT from 6.04s to 0.3-0.8s, with cost ranging from USD 19/m2 to USD 22/m2 (USD 1.77/ft.2 to USD 2.04/ft.2). The system supports cost-effective, data-driven acoustic design decisions.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an innovative approach in building design, implementation, and management. Architects use enablers to optimize BIM applications amidst uncertain environmental and technological conditions. This research identifies key enablers in the architectural design phase, evaluates their impacts on project time, cost, and quality, and models these factors using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM). The study finds that skill, environmental, technological, and organizational factors are more influential than others. By recognizing, classifying, and evaluating the impact of these enablers, the research provides solutions to improve construction quality, optimize costs, and enhance time management in projects.
This study investigates the intersection of surrealism and architecture through AI-generated image reconstructions of interior illustrations by Chilean artist Roberto Matta (1935-1940). Using automated inference and heuristic methods, Matta's collages are translated into structured prompts that generate realistic interior images. These images are analyzed using atmospheric frameworks by Zumthor and Mestre, focusing on spatial configuration, interior form, and materiality. The results reveal hybrid spaces that merge architectural realism with surrealist ambiguity-biomorphic furniture, totemic stairs, and umbilical lighting-creating heightened tension between interior and exterior. By treating machine learning as a creative partner, the study proposes an experiential methodology that positions AI as a catalyst for rethinking architectural atmosphere and expanding the limits of design representation.
This study examines how participatory methods generate measurable feedback to inform architectural decision-making, using pediatric inpatient rooms as a case study. Younger children, older children, and their parents were engaged with spatial layouts, sensory elements, and adjacencies through virtual reality (VR), biosensors, and eye-tracking in a controlled laboratory setting. Findings reveal physiological and visual engagement responses to design features, including windows, artwork, and privacy elements. By addressing the temporal implications of design-distinguishing between the permanence of architectural layouts and the adaptability of interior elements-this research highlights how participatory tools refine design outcomes, bridging gaps in traditional practice and supporting a data-informed, user-centered design process across stages.
