scholarly journals Remote Facial Expression and Heart Rate Measurements to Assess Human Reactions in Glass Structures

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Chiara Bedon ◽  
Silvana Mattei

In engineering applications, human comfort fulfillment is challenging because it depends on several aspects that can be mathematically controlled and optimized, like in case of structural, energy, or thermal issues, and others. Major troubles can indeed derive from combined human reactions, which are related to a multitude of aspects. The so-called “emotional architecture” and its nervous feelings are part of the issue. The interaction of objective and subjective parameters can thus make the “optimal” building design complex. This paper presents a pilot experimental investigation developed remotely to quantify the reactions and nervous states of 10 volunteers exposed to structural glass environments. As known, intrinsic material features (transparency, brittleness, etc.) require specific engineering knowledge for safe mechanical design but can in any case evoke severe subjective feelings for customers, thus affecting their psychological comfort and hence behaviour and movements. This study takes advantage of static/dynamic Virtual Reality (VR) environments and facial expression analyses, with Artificial Intelligence tools that are used to measure both Action Units (AUs) of facial microexpressions and optical heart rate (HR) acquisitions of volunteers exposed to VR scenarios. As shown, within the limits of collected records, the postprocessing analysis of measured signals proves that a rather good correlation can be found for measured AUs, HR data trends, and emotions under various glazing stimuli. Such a remote experimental approach could be thus exploited to support the early design stage of structural glass members and assemblies in buildings.

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 36-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sertaç Ilter ◽  
S.Müjdem Vural

The double-skin façade (DSF) is one of the most crucial paradigms of building envelope design in last decades. DSF prospects a unified architectural phenomenon based on comfort rank of building driven by the dogmas of aesthetic-glass façade and practical-natural ventilation aspirations. Therefore, the utilization of DSF has been the most prevalent catalyst for architectural design. The study discusses to structure a valid evaluation method focusing on DSF elements in order to fragment human comfort standards within asserting an accurate system in the preliminary design stage. The study significantly examines the tools/ways of integrating DSFs' human comfort parameters in contemporary architecture though a convincing design system. Apparently, the study aims to provide a proposed guideline within a established analyzing system for architects in order to better formation of DSF elements; which refers and promote the human comfort standards. The results demonstrate a modest insight on understanding the potentials of DSF elements in the early design stage significantly following defined architectural conceptions; cooling, lighting, thermal, acoustic and visual comfort intensity. Based on obtained data; study aims to enclose a diminutive knowledge or demonstration of how the concept might work for future development of contemporary architecture within DSF area.


Author(s):  
Pelin Aykutlar ◽  
Seçkin Kutucu ◽  
Işın Can-Traunmüller

This study examines the publicness level of the interior spaces of public buildings. As a method, VGA (visual graph analysis) is used for analyzing the early design phases of selected municipal service buildings. In this study, the authors utilized from VGA for quantifying the publicness level of the two selected architectural competitions of municipality buildings. The method allows us analyzing the floor plans of each project in obtaining an eventual assessment of permeability and accessibility which give an idea of the levels of publicness comparatively. Subsequently, representation parameters are compared under two main criteria: connectivity and integration. The aim of the study is to understand the level of publicness and efficiency of spatial settings for the users circulating in the public buildings, which have dissimilar plan schemes. This method would be used by the designers for early design stage and provide useful feedback for understanding the level of accessibility and permeability of the structures and adjust their schemes accordingly.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toktam B. Tabrizi ◽  
Arianna Brambilla

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), developed over 30 years ago, has been helpful in addressing a growing concern about the direct and indirect environmental impact of buildings over their lifetime. However, lack of reliable, available, comparable and consistent information on the life cycle environmental performance of buildings makes it very difficult for architects and engineers to apply this method in the early stages of building design when the most important decisions in relation to a building’s environmental impact are made. The LCA quantification method with need of employing complex tools and an enormous amount of data is unfeasible for small or individual building projects. This study discusses the possibility of the development of a tool that allows building designers to more easily apply the logic of LCA at the early design stage. Minimising data requirements and identifying the most effective parameters that promise to make the most difference, are the key points of simplification method. The conventional LCA framework and knowledge-based system are employed through the simplification process. Results of previous LCA studies in Australia are used as the specific knowledge that enable the system to generate outputs based on the user’s inputs.Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), early design stage, most effective parameters, life cycle environmental performance


Author(s):  
AHMED KHAIRADEEN ALI ◽  
One Jae Lee

Artificial Intelligence and especially machine learning have noticed rapid advancement on image processing operations. However, its involvement in the architectural design is still in its initial stages compared to other disciplines. Therefore, this paper addresses the issues of developing an integrated bottom up digital design approach and details a research framework for the incorporation of Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) for early stage design exploration and generation of intricate and complex alternative facade designs for urban infill. This paper proposes a novel building facade design by merging two neighboring building’s architecture style, size, scale, openings, as reference to create a new building design in the same neighborhood for urban infill. This newly produced building contains the outline, style and shape of the parent buildings. A 2D urban infill building design is generated as a picture where 1) neighboring buildings are imported as a reference using mobile phone and 2)iFACADE decode their spatial adjacency. It is depicted the iFACADE will be useful for designers in the early design stage to generate new façades depending on existing buildings in a short time that will save time and energy. Besides, building owners can use iFACADE to show their architects their preferred architecture facade by mixing two building styles and generating a new building. Therefore, it is depicted that iFACADE can become a communication platform in the early design stages between architects and owners. Initial results properly define a heuristic function for generating abstract design facade elements and sufficiently illustrate the desired functionality of our developed prototype.


2011 ◽  
Vol 692 ◽  
pp. 8-15
Author(s):  
Pedro Jose Núñez López ◽  
Eustaquio García Plaza ◽  
Angel Ramon Martín ◽  
A. Egido

To date a wide variety of computer aided tools are available for computer numerical controlled (CNC) automated machine-tools. Solid modelling software and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) are know firmly established in the early design stage whereas computer aided machining (CAM) and computer numerical control (CNC) simulator software is employed during the manufacturing stage. Training in the use of these systems is often undertaken in separate technical disciplines and training courses (e.g., graphic representation, mechanical design, computer numerical control programming, computer-aided machining, manufacturing technology, etc.), but students often lack a sound global understanding of these tools and fail to comprehend the full potential of integrating these applications. Thus, the aim is to propose a global methodology for the teaching of computer aided automated machining systems by integrating an array of computer aided tools (3D solid modelling, CAD/CAM software, CNC simulators, DNC communication, etc.) in order to enhance knowledge and develop skills of the entire manufacturing process i.e., to provide practical hands-on tasks from the early design stages to the final stages of the computer aided automated machining of a product.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 53-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Redmond ◽  
Roger West

The dependency of today’s construction professionals to use singular commercial applications for design possibilities creates the risk of being dictated by the language-tools they use. This unknowingly approach to converting to the constraints of a particular computer application’s style, reduces one’s association with cutting-edge design as no single computer application can support all of the tasks associated with building-design and production. Interoperability depicts the need to pass data between applications, allowing multiple types of experts and applications to contribute to the work at hand. Cloud computing is a centralized heterogeneous platform that enables different applications to be connected to each other through using remote data servers. However, the possibility of providing an interoperable process based on binding several construction applications through a single repository platform ‘cloud computing’ required further analysis. The following Delphi questionnaires analysed the exchanging information opportunities of Building Information Modelling (BIM) as the possible solution for the integration of applications on a cloud platform. The survey structure is modelled to; (i) identify the most appropriate applications for advancing interoperability at the early design stage, (ii) detect the most severe barriers of BIM implementation from a business and legal viewpoint, (iii) examine the need for standards to address information exchange between design team, and (iv) explore the use of the most common interfaces for exchanging information. The anticipated findings will assist in identifying a model that will enhance the standardized passing of information between systems at the feasibility design stage of a construction project.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Chiara Bedon ◽  
Silvana Mattei

For engineering applications, human comfort in the built environment depends on several objective aspects that can be mathematically controlled and limited to reference performance indicators. Typical examples include structural, energy and thermal issues, and others. Human reactions, however, are also sensitive to a multitude of aspects that can be associated with design concepts of the so-called “emotional architecture”, through which subjective feelings, nervous states and emotions of end-users are evoked by constructional details. The interactions of several objective and subjective parameters can make the “optimal” building design challenging, and this is especially the case for new technical concepts, constructional materials and techniques. In this paper, a remote experimental methodology is proposed to explore and quantify the prevailing human reactions and psychological comfort trends for building occupants, with a focus on end-users exposed to structural glass environments. Major advantages were taken from the use of virtual visual stimuli and facial expression automatic recognition analysis, and from the active support of 30 volunteers. As shown, while glass is often used in constructions, several intrinsic features (transparency, brittleness, etc.) are responsible for subjective feelings that can affect the overall psychological comfort of users. In this regard, the use of virtual built environments and facial expression analysis to quantify human reactions can represent an efficient system to support the building design process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 3229-3238
Author(s):  
Torben Beernaert ◽  
Pascal Etman ◽  
Maarten De Bock ◽  
Ivo Classen ◽  
Marco De Baar

AbstractThe design of ITER, a large-scale nuclear fusion reactor, is intertwined with profound research and development efforts. Tough problems call for novel solutions, but the low maturity of those solutions can lead to unexpected problems. If designers keep solving such emergent problems in iterative design cycles, the complexity of the resulting design is bound to increase. Instead, we want to show designers the sources of emergent design problems, so they may be dealt with more effectively. We propose to model the interplay between multiple problems and solutions in a problem network. Each problem and solution is then connected to a dynamically changing engineering model, a graph of physical components. By analysing the problem network and the engineering model, we can (1) derive which problem has emerged from which solution and (2) compute the contribution of each design effort to the complexity of the evolving engineering model. The method is demonstrated for a sequence of problems and solutions that characterized the early design stage of an optical subsystem of ITER.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1080
Author(s):  
Mamdooh Alwetaishi ◽  
Omrane Benjeddou

The concern regarding local responsive building design has gained more attention globally as of late. This is due to the issue of the rapid increase in energy consumption in buildings for the purpose of heating and cooling. This has become a crucial issue in educational buildings and especially in schools. The major issue in school buildings in Saudi Arabia is that they are a form of prototype school building design (PSBD). As a result, if there is any concern in the design stage and in relation to the selection of building materials, this will spread throughout the region. In addition to that, the design is repeated regardless of the climate variation within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research will focus on the influence of the window to wall ratio on the energy load in various orientations and different climatic regions. The research will use the energy computer tool TAS Environmental Design Solution Limited (EDSL) to calculate the energy load as well as solar gain. During the visit to the sample schools, a globe thermometer will be used to monitor the globe temperature in the classrooms. This research introduces a framework to assist architects and engineers in selecting the proper window to wall ratio (WWR) in each direction within the same building based on adequate natural light with a minimum reliance on energy load. For ultimate WWR for energy performance and daylight, the WWR should range from 20% to 30%, depending on orientation, in order to provide the optimal daylight factor combined with building energy efficiency. This ratio can be slightly greater in higher altitude locations.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 888
Author(s):  
Leopoldo Sdino ◽  
Andrea Brambilla ◽  
Marta Dell’Ovo ◽  
Benedetta Sdino ◽  
Stefano Capolongo

The need for 24/7 operation, and the increasing requests of high-quality healthcare services contribute to framing healthcare facilities as a complex topic, also due to the changing and challenging environment and huge impact on the community. Due to its complexity, it is difficult to properly estimate the construction cost in a preliminary phase where easy-to-use parameters are often necessary. Therefore, this paper aims to provide an overview of the issue with reference to the Italian context and proposes an estimation framework for analyzing hospital facilities’ construction cost. First, contributions from literature reviews and 14 case studies were analyzed to identify specific cost components. Then, a questionnaire was administered to construction companies and experts in the field to obtain data coming from practical and real cases. The results obtained from all of the contributions are an overview of the construction cost components. Starting from the data collected and analyzed, a preliminary estimation tool is proposed to identify the minimum and maximum variation in the cost when programming the construction of a hospital, starting from the feasibility phase or the early design stage. The framework involves different factors, such as the number of beds, complexity, typology, localization, technology degree and the type of maintenance and management techniques. This study explores the several elements that compose the cost of a hospital facility and highlights future developments including maintenance and management costs during hospital facilities’ lifecycle.


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