Claude Mh Demers

Effects of interior wood finishes on the lighting ambiance and materiality of architectural spaces

Wood is a material often used by architects to enhance the overall ambience of a space, but few researches have been reported to discuss its actual impact on visual impression and luminous effects. This research studies the influence of wood materiality in relation to creating specific lighting ambiances in architecture. In particular, it focuses on the impact of decorative wood indoor panels on the creation of daylighting diversity in interior space and the potential to improve daylighting quality and energy efficiency. The research uses scaled models for their accuracy in rendering complex daylighting ambiances. The photo-luminance meter enables the comparison between different settings of interior spaces created by a selection of wood type materiality: ratio (percentage), colour (Oak, Cape Cod Grey and Dark Walnut coatings) and gloss concerning illuminance patterns obtained from Ecotect software. The CIE L*a*b* colour space is used to classify luminous ambiances. Results indicate that bright colour Oak favours a deeper daylighting penetration and increases the colour temperature of the space by about 300% when applied on the floor. Cape Cod Grey coating provided a neutral colour balance even under sunlighting. High gloss Dark Walnut located on the ceiling produces the highest luminance values, enlarging the window-lighting pattern. The research underlines the role of wood materiality in achieving luminous diversity and creating visually comfortable interior ambiances.

Erosion in architecture: a tactile design process fostering biophilia

ABSTRACT This design research explores the physical and poetic relation between architecture and climate by introducing a combined tactile and numerical approach to creation. Through a graduate design studio experience based on a conceptual framework, it is structured in several steps and exploration methods to address the following questions: How does the structure of space regulate environmental forces such as sun and wind to increase the hedonic experience of place? How does material change in response to environmental flows of wind, sun, rain and snow? How can physical model experiences inspire architects and engineers to engage in a more ‘tactile’ reflection on natural phenomena? How can eroded matter create new typologies best adapted to a given environment? The project innovates at three levels: its unique corpus of erosion typologies, its combined analogical and numerical simulation methodology, and the representation of the dynamic nature of erosion into architectural morphology.

Aquilomorphism: materializing wind in architecture through ice weathering simulations

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a morphological generation method based on the integration of wind forces which leads to organic geometries fostering new spatial experiences and environmental adaptation. It suggests that analogical simulations can generate creative design solutions responding to complex environmental fluxes and can accelerate the design process for architects through tactile explorations of form, matter and spatiality. The aerodynamic design solutions, although contextual, are not deterministic, in the sense that they are reinterpreted to meet the functional needs and constraints of an architectural project. The paper concludes on a sample application that enables practical understanding of the possible uses of the method for architectural and urban design applications.