It’s a powerful combination of skill sets that finds innovative solutions to design challenges.
In naturally ventilated buildings, the recommendation is that windows should be opened frequently, even during winter, but this causes substantial heat loss and the inefficient operation of heating and cooling systems.It is also advised that in the event of further virus outbreaks, heat recovery devices are switched off – affecting the efficiency of HVAC systems.. Additionally, the recommendation to switch off recirculating cooling systems (fan coils and passive chilled beams) to limit the movement of airborne particles would affect thermal comfort and wellbeing due to overheating..
These healthy design requirements can have a large impact on energy efficiency and increase pressure on carbon reduction targets and aspirations to design Net Zero Carbon buildings.It is very important to balance these needs and think carefully about our HVAC management and controls.But most importantly, we need to design buildings which are resilient and adopt the principles of passive design.
Buildings that adopt adequate solar control measures, good thermal insulation, good daylight levels and openable windows via narrow plates have the capacity to reduce peak heating and cooling gains and the dependence on mechanical ventilation, where feasible..The growing importance of physical and mental wellbeing in architecture and design.
Due to the side effects of COVID-19, physical and mental wellbeing are becoming a key priority for many building developers, designers and construction companies.. Buildings (residential and commercial) are places to live and work but increasingly also to play and move, with a strong focus on physical activity and active lifestyles.
Active buildings include changing facilities and bike storage to foster sustainable and healthier modes of transport, prioritise the use of stairs, and have flexible layouts and spaces to accommodate sports activities..You actually need discrete data, you need the connection with the maker as the architect.
In order to set the right parameters you need generative design, you need multi-dimensional CAD like Revit, you need those things in order to make the right decisions.”.So, what advice does Amy Marks have for moving the industry forward?.
“Everybody right now, if you're an architect or a builder, you should be working on your foundational skills with the baseline, anchor, portfolio products,” she says.. It’s then what she calls the “connective tissue” technology, the tech which forms between those products to connect them to other products, which will be the key to getting from “conceptualisation, design, to make, to operate,” she says.. Productization: building a raft in the ocean of construction.The process of productising the pieces and parts involved in construction will help inform our understanding of what technological connective tissue is missing, as well as what we need to do to fill in the gaps.. Amy Marks compares the productisation of those elements to building a raft or reef in the middle of the ocean.
(Editor: Compact Goggles)