Ulrike Passe

Atmospheres of space: the development of Alvar Aalto's free-flow section as a climate device

This paper is part of a broader research agenda, which aims at an environmental re-reading of selected icons of Modern Architecture that share one characteristic, the development of a free-flow open section. The complex relationship between spatial composition and thermal and climatic conditions within buildings is explored both qualitatively, using analytic drawing, and quantitatively, using simulations with computational fluid dynamics. I am seeking patterns common to both and the work has become an investigation of the concept of architectural space at the intersection between art, technology, climate and perception. Most architects of the Modern Movement addressed this relationship in one way or another. They either praised technology and the emerging ‘machine age’ or rejected it. Today most architectural production appears to have an ambivalent and sometimes contradictory position on technology. Disciplines Architectural Engineering | Architectural History and Criticism | Architecture Comments This article is from Architectural Research Quarterly 12 (2008): 295–311, doi:10.1017/S135913550800122X . Posted with permission. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/arch_pubs/6 This paper is part of a broader research agenda, which aims at an environmental re-reading of selected icons of Modern Architecture that share one characteristic, the development of a free-flow open section. The complex relationship between spatial composition and thermal and climatic conditions within buildings is explored both qualitatively, using analytic drawing, and quantitatively, using simulations with computational fluid dynamics. I am seeking patterns common to both and the work has become an investigation of the concept of architectural space at the intersection between art, technology, climate and perception. Most architects of the Modern Movement addressed this relationship in one way or another. They either praised technology and the emerging ‘machine age’ or rejected it. Today most architectural production appears to have an ambivalent and sometimes contradictory position on technology. For example, in Chapter 8 of Differences, Ignasi de Solà-Morales states: ‘The mission that so-called high-tech architecture seems to have chosen for itself is precisely that of responding positively, with prophetic optimism, to the need for a reconstructed relationship between new technology and new architecture [...] by putting forth clean, energycontrolled architectures that would, in short, offer comfort and happiness to the user [...] His [Foster’s] architecture is ultimately the most refined manifestation of conservative ideology and the most stable support of established society.’ My research balances a search for objective measurement of the spatial phenomena of air movement and the architect’s conceptual history arq . vol 12 . no 3/4 . 2008 295 history Environmental control and spatial composition are intrinsic elements in Alvar Aalto’s architecture of free-flow open space as traced here in his project for Viipuri Library (1927–1935). Atmospheres of space: the development of Alvar Aalto’s free-flow section as a climate device

Best Practices for Engaging Underserved Populations

This work developed and applied a set of “best practices” when engaging marginalized populations to collect data, attitudes, and opinions around a research topic. To support city stakeholders making decisions to create more sustainable and equitable cities, data-driven simulation models are being developed. To ensure that these models are equitable, the needs of marginalized populations must be included. The challenge, however, in understanding these needs is that researchers have often struggled to reach and engage underserved populations. The best practices were developed by reviewing the literature from areas such as psychology, communication, and community planning. These best practices (Earn Trust Through Partnership, Be Multilingual & Inclusive, Communicate for Understanding, Respect Work Schedules and Cultural Norms, and Offer Something Useful) were then applied to the design of a data collection exercise for the study of weatherization decision making and behaviors of urban residents in an economically disadvantaged community. The results of the process were positive with high levels of participation and engagement. The use of the best practices allowed the researchers to better engage with the population, to the benefit of both groups. The development of these best practices will aid researchers in better engaging underserved populations across many areas of study.

Constructing Energy Efficiency: Rethinking and Redesigning the Architectural Detail

AbstractEnergy-efficient building design, especially in residential construction, strongly relies on thermophysical properties of the building envelope and its materials. With increasing insulation values in construction practice, the focus turns to the prevention of thermal bridging as well as airtight construction to reduce unwanted heat transfer through the envelope. The building envelope serves multiple functions apart from heat retention that are tied to structure, safety, and visual appeal or aesthetics; and the stakeholders in the design and construction process all have different decision criteria. Supported by disciplinary education separating engineering and architecture and based on the dogma of Modern Architecture, most contemporary architects consider slender details and clear separation of architectural elements to be intrinsic to good architectural design thinking. The engineer involved in the design of the HVAC systems considers the envelope as the basis for the load calculation, whereas t...

Using Integrated Student Teams to Advance Education in Sustainable Design and Construction

This article describes a case study involving a Midwestern public university that incorporated an integrated, cross-disciplinary project delivery activity to create an effective framework for sustainable design and construction education. The article first provides an overview of sustainable construction and its advantages, describes how sustainable design and construction requires a modernized project delivery system to work effectively, and discusses the primary impacts of sustainable design and construction on the construction industry. The article then describes how one large Midwestern university has attempted to use integrated, multidisciplinary student teams to advance the concept of sustainable design and construction in the classroom environment. Curricula that include interdisciplinary courses on integrated delivery and leadership in construction, engineering and architecture could better prepare students for their future careers in the building industry and develop better managers and colleagues.

Energy Use and Weatherization Practices: Applications for Agent-Based Modeling to Support Vulnerable Populations

This work surveyed residents of an economically disadvantaged community on their attitudes toward weatherization and their energy use behaviors. To support urban leaders making decisions to mitigate the effects of large-scale climate change, data-driven simulation models are being developed. To ensure that these models are equitable, the needs of all citizens must be included, especially those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The results of this survey indicate that residents are taking steps to weatherize and conserve energy, but they are hindered by a lack of resources and knowledge of available assistance programs. These results are being applied to agent-based models (ABM) to model emergent community behavior. These models will be used to design decision support systems for city stakeholders.

Natural ventilation for buildings

Ventilation is a way to introduce fresh air into a room and simultaneously extract warm, stale, pol…

Incorporation of Future Building Operating Conditions into the Modeling of Building–Microclimate Interaction: A Feasibility Approach

This paper presents a novel modeling methodology that integrates the near building environmental conditions (or microclimate), whole-building design, and occupant behavior. Accurate predictions of the future building operating conditions lead to designs that serve the building’s purpose – to support occupants’ tasks. This study bridges the gap between human factors and architecture to include physical, cognitive, and organizational systems into building information modeling using future typical meteorological year climate data, canyon air temperature microclimate model, and a whole-building energy simulation to investigate the impact of future microclimate conditions on a “typical” single-occupant office. Additionally, to capture the effects of building occupant decision-making and adaptive behaviors, an agent-based model is proposed. Model inputs are task-based which aim to produce a more robust model to investigate a variety of human-building control interactions to ensure high building performance and occupant comfort and satisfaction.

High Fidelity CFD Modeling of Natural Ventilation in a Solar House

Natural ventilation is an important factor in the design of sustainable buildings; it has the potential to improve air quality, while providing thermal comfort at reduced energy costs. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations provide comprehensive information on the internal flow pattern and can be used as a design tool. The present work offers insight of natural ventilation in a fully functional building, namely, the solar facility Interlock House in Iowa. Ventilation in the house is studied during summer months with some of its furniture included. The results show quantitative agreement between numerical simulations and experiments of vertical temperature profiles for each room. The temperature profile of the room with the inlet opening shows a more pronounced temperature variation. Flow patterns show higher velocities near the walls and marked flow circulation towards the opposite side of the building. The purpose of this work is to validate the numerical model that predicts airflow distribution for different configurations.Copyright