Extending building information models (BIM) for specifications and cost planning. The recognition in the 1990's that inefficiencies in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure were costing up to 30 per cent of the total constructed cost of buildings led to a push for the more efficient use of information. The major change in the industry to date has been the introduction of Building Information Models (BIM). Uptake has now reached the tipping point where it is be ....Extending building information models (BIM) for specifications and cost planning. The recognition in the 1990's that inefficiencies in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure were costing up to 30 per cent of the total constructed cost of buildings led to a push for the more efficient use of information. The major change in the industry to date has been the introduction of Building Information Models (BIM). Uptake has now reached the tipping point where it is becoming pervasive. This project examines methods of adding value to existing BIM information which will allow the industry and clients to achieve a higher level of efficiency than can be gained just through substitution of BIM for current processes.Read moreRead less
Open-plan Office Concepts Determine Effective Facilities Space Management. Open-plan layout is the most predominant work-setting and office designs are changing substantially towards this style. This research addresses the question, "How do open-plan attributes affect effective facilities space management." While this layout is increasingly adopted, no research has definitively answered this question or evaluated open-plan design for its usefulness. This research therefore aims to respond to thi ....Open-plan Office Concepts Determine Effective Facilities Space Management. Open-plan layout is the most predominant work-setting and office designs are changing substantially towards this style. This research addresses the question, "How do open-plan attributes affect effective facilities space management." While this layout is increasingly adopted, no research has definitively answered this question or evaluated open-plan design for its usefulness. This research therefore aims to respond to this question and establish reliable criteria for effective management and re-engineering of offices with open-plans. This research is novel and timely since it endeavours to develop new models and objective criteria to better exploit this concept for greater office performance and productivity.Read moreRead less
Designing for wellbeing: realizing benefits for patients through best practice hospital design. The environmental design of healthcare facilities has been shown to directly affect the wellbeing of patients and their families. Poorly designed environments exacerbate patient anxiety and stress and diminish their healthcare experience. Environments designed to support a patient’s wellbeing result in improved health outcomes. Building upon Australia’s international leadership in contemporary hospita ....Designing for wellbeing: realizing benefits for patients through best practice hospital design. The environmental design of healthcare facilities has been shown to directly affect the wellbeing of patients and their families. Poorly designed environments exacerbate patient anxiety and stress and diminish their healthcare experience. Environments designed to support a patient’s wellbeing result in improved health outcomes. Building upon Australia’s international leadership in contemporary hospital design, this project aims to evaluate, prioritise and strategise the best means for realising benefits of environmental design factors that contribute most significantly to achieving positive outcomes for patients and families. It aims to achieve this through a comprehensive comparative case study analysis of new Australian paediatric hospitals.Read moreRead less
The design and construction of quality, sustainable and affordable pre-made housing in Australia - optimisation and integration. Historically, industrialised construction has resulted in an industrialisation of the parts, rather than an industrialisation of the ensemble. In contrast, this project will integrate architecture and engineering, as well as construction and development to optimise the ensemble, and deliver architectural quality in industrially produced affordable housing.
Integrating architectural, mathematical and computing knowledge to capture the dynamics of air in design. This research will bring together architectural, mathematical and computing knowledge to discover effective ways to design buildings and cities that are more responsive to the complex dynamics of air movement and temperature. This knowledge will lead to reduced energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, increased comfort and more usable public space.
Demonstrating the feasibility of designing sustainable buildings using evolutionary systems. The design approach proposed in this research will result in two key areas of national benefit. First, the research will enable Australian built environment design professions to become more competitive in both domestic and international markets. There is a growing demand for environmentally-friendly buildings and the proposed design approach will enable Australian firms to be at the cutting edge of sust ....Demonstrating the feasibility of designing sustainable buildings using evolutionary systems. The design approach proposed in this research will result in two key areas of national benefit. First, the research will enable Australian built environment design professions to become more competitive in both domestic and international markets. There is a growing demand for environmentally-friendly buildings and the proposed design approach will enable Australian firms to be at the cutting edge of sustainable design. Second, the research will enable the Australian built environment to become more sustainable. The proposed approach will enable buildings to be designed that perform well, that are cost effective and that minimise their environmental impact. Read moreRead less
Using acoustic retroreflection in architecture to improve rooms for speech. This project aims to discover how a novel form of acoustic treatment can improve acoustics for speech in rooms such as classrooms and open-plan offices. The project will generate new knowledge on the theory, design, and effects of acoustically retroreflective surfaces in room acoustics. Expected outcomes include solutions for effective acoustic retroreflectors, knowledge on how retroreflection influences people’s voice r ....Using acoustic retroreflection in architecture to improve rooms for speech. This project aims to discover how a novel form of acoustic treatment can improve acoustics for speech in rooms such as classrooms and open-plan offices. The project will generate new knowledge on the theory, design, and effects of acoustically retroreflective surfaces in room acoustics. Expected outcomes include solutions for effective acoustic retroreflectors, knowledge on how retroreflection influences people’s voice regulation and sound quality perception, and guidelines and simulation tools for integrating retroreflective treatments to improve speaking comfort. This should provide significant benefits including opportunities to resolve seemingly intractable design dilemmas in the acoustics of education and workplace environments.Read moreRead less
Applied architectural design research for age-friendly dwellings and neighbourhoods. This project aims to design age friendly dwellings and neighbourhoods that embrace the reality of millions of older Australians ageing in their homes in the community. Using architectural design-practice research methods that focus on a carefully curated series of design propositions, this project aims to explore how the dwelling and its urban environment can be ‘normalised’ for the growing ageing population thr ....Applied architectural design research for age-friendly dwellings and neighbourhoods. This project aims to design age friendly dwellings and neighbourhoods that embrace the reality of millions of older Australians ageing in their homes in the community. Using architectural design-practice research methods that focus on a carefully curated series of design propositions, this project aims to explore how the dwelling and its urban environment can be ‘normalised’ for the growing ageing population through adjustments that make it more adaptable and responsive to their needs, while at the same time improving the city for all. The project aims to pose the following question: what design strategies can be employed to integrate more flexible, affordable and personalised living options that enable older people to continue living and participating within existing urban communities?Read moreRead less
Place and parametricism: Provocations for the rethinking of design. This project aims to explore whether quantitative methods of digital and parametric design can adequately encompass place. Quantitative digital and parametric approaches increasingly dominate contemporary architecture, but people assume architectural design should be essentially oriented to questions of place. The project will operate through a set of studio provocations based on the fictional places of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghas ....Place and parametricism: Provocations for the rethinking of design. This project aims to explore whether quantitative methods of digital and parametric design can adequately encompass place. Quantitative digital and parametric approaches increasingly dominate contemporary architecture, but people assume architectural design should be essentially oriented to questions of place. The project will operate through a set of studio provocations based on the fictional places of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels. The project is expected to clarify the nature of place and parametricism, and rethink what design itself might be.Read moreRead less
The sound of space: architecture for improved auditory performance in the age of digital manufacturing. This project will combine complex custom architectural surface design with acoustic modelling and simulation to look for novel solutions to the challenges of noisy interiors. It will apply digital modelling in new ways including the construction of high fidelity full scale prototypes for testing in an open office environment and a church.