Space Layout Planning

Batik is a color crossing technique, using canting and hot wax originating from Indonesia and defined by Unesco became an intangible cultural heritage in 2009. Canting is a tool for transferring a hot wax on fabric so it can form a line or dot. The use of hot wax becomes an essential tool in the process of batik. The placement of the hot wax stove which surrounded by batik workers growing into a significant point in batik activities. This phenomenon appears in various traditional batik tulis workshops, especially on batik Oey Soe Tjoen in Kedungwuni, Go Tik Swan in Surakarta and Sekar Kencana in Lasem. Formerly, these three cities are well known as the producers of Batik Tiga Negeri with three colors that characterize each region; the blue from Pekalongan, the red from Lasem and brown from Surakarta. However, along with the development of advanced technology and information, modification of tools and differences in the characteristic of space in each workshop, produce a separate study on the workshop layout, especially in the placement of the stove. The research purpose is to support the preservation of batik process and the values of Javanese people contained therein. Therefore, this research used ethnographic method through observation, documentation and in-depth interviews in several batik workshops spread over Central Java within a specified period. Based on the anthropometric, ergonomic and behavior review, this research describes the layout analysis of the space and placement of hot wax stove as a center, and the application of centralized layout in various traditional batik tulis workshop nowadays. So it can be concluded through centralized layout, the values of traditional society, sharing and cooperating, maintained in the process of batik.

In the business world creating added value is beginning to be the main need of organizations, they are seeking employees, service providers, and clients that would add value to their organization. The workplace is considered to be a strategic tool in influencing the performance of employees and realizing business goals, that is why organizations are beginning to use the workplace to realize their corporate goals. The role of Facility managers in workplace management is beginning to grow into adding value to the organization hence placing FM in a more strategic position in organization. Workplace strategies are used by organizations to make sure that the work processes are aligned with the workplace to enable peak performance. This Master thesis deals with how workplace strategies can be used as a tool to positively influence the performance of employees. It explains how workplace management strategies and innovation can generate added value to an organization, hence increasing employee performance. This research adopts a qualitative approach in gathering data which resulted in conducting 11 semi-structured interviews with Inhouse Facility/Workplace managers and Consultants from around the world. The outcome of this paper gives insights on how facility managers can add value to their organizations through workplace management, to outline a detailed process of how to develop a workplace strategy, stating out the elements and benefits of a workplace management, and finally the positive impact of workplace strategies on employee performance. These findings are adequate only for knowledge intensive organizations because the interviews were conducted with participants from knowledge-based industries.

We propose a novel application of similarity-based
evaluation for layout design. Basing evaluations on a
pool of existing designs or quickly delivered graphical
specifications enables an Evolutionary Algorithm to
become an open-ended system, where problem
definitions can be kept open for fast updating.Through
its flexible and open-ended aspects, the approach is
able to develop draft layouts for an unlimited variety of
tasks, which are not implied within the initial task
definition.This enables a versatile computational layout
design assistant, which can be easily adopted within
regular design processes through usual graphic media.
In this paper, the functioning of the approach is
described and verified; the versatility of the resulting
assistant, its intuitive graphical interface, and its usage
scenario are demonstrated.

Some research has discussed the Composition Aesthetics and the layout problems of graphic design. In Lebanese higher education, graphic design students face difficulty in applying the elements of design and the principles of design in their artwork. Graphic design students are not well introduced to the Golden Ratio grids which stand as important tools for solving layout problems. Another problem is that teaching the Golden Ratio has been mildly integrated in the Lebanese higher education curriculum. The dissertation examines the effect of Golden Ratio on enhancing the composition of both Balance and Aesthetics and sheds light on the difference between the Rule of Thirds’ grid and the Golden Ratio grids in high education graphic design sophomore classes in one public and one private university along three academic years. The dissertation includes three research studies: The Experimental Design, the Randomized Design or the Correlational Design, and the Comparative Design. The first two studies included the four-group Solomon design. Sophomore graphic design students were the participants of the three studies, and three educators were the participants in both public and private universities in studies two and three. Four instruments were used to collect data: non-participant classroom observations were the instrument used in the three studies, pretest – intervention – posttest was used in study one, Evaluation Table of the principles of design and elements of abstract design (patterns, colors of black and white, lines, forms) was used in study two, Evaluation Table of the principles of design and elements of abstract or non-abstract design (patterns, color, lines, forms) was used in study three. Findings showed that the use of the Golden Ratio grid better enhanced the Aesthetic and Compositional Organization Criteria than the use of the Rule of Thirds’ grid in both public and private universities in studies one and two. Besides, the Aesthetic Criterion was performed more effectively according to the Rule of Thirds, and the Compositional Organization Criterion was more effective according to the Golden Ratio in both public and private universities in study three. The academic limitations of the findings are stated. Recommendations for continual use of the Rule of Thirds and the integration of the Golden Ration grids in the Lebanese higher education graphic design curriculum are suggested.Some research has discussed the Composition Aesthetics and the layout problems of graphic design. In Lebanese higher education, graphic design students face difficulty in applying the elements of design and the principles of design in their artwork. Graphic design students are not well introduced to the Golden Ratio grids which stand as important tools for solving layout problems. Another problem is that teaching the Golden Ratio has been mildly integrated in the Lebanese higher education curriculum. The dissertation examines the effect of Golden Ratio on enhancing the composition of both Balance and Aesthetics and sheds light on the difference between the Rule of Thirds’ grid and the Golden Ratio grids in high education graphic design sophomore classes in one public and one private university along three academic years. The dissertation includes three research studies: The Experimental Design, the Randomized Design or the Correlational Design, and the Comparative Design. The first two studies included the four-group Solomon design. Sophomore graphic design students were the participants of the three studies, and three educators were the participants in both public and private universities in studies two and three. Four instruments were used to collect data: non-participant classroom observations were the instrument used in the three studies, pretest – intervention – posttest was used in study one, Evaluation Table of the principles of design and elements of abstract design (patterns, colors of black and white, lines, forms) was used in study two, Evaluation Table of the principles of design and elements of abstract or non-abstract design (patterns, color, lines, forms) was used in study three. Findings showed that the use of the Golden Ratio grid better enhanced the Aesthetic and Compositional Organization Criteria than the use of the Rule of Thirds’ grid in both public and private universities in studies one and two. Besides, the Aesthetic Criterion was performed more effectively according to the Rule of Thirds, and the Compositional Organization Criterion was more effective according to the Golden Ratio in both public and private universities in study three. The academic limitations of the findings are stated. Recommendations for continual use of the Rule of Thirds and the integration of the Golden Ration grids in the Lebanese higher education graphic design curriculum are suggested.

Summary
In its parallel pursuit of an increased competitivity for design offices and more pleasurable and easier workflows for designers, artificial design intelligence is a technical, intellectual, and political challenge. While human-machine cooperation has become commonplace through Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools, a more improved collaboration and better support appear possible only through an endeavor into a kind of artificial design intelligence, which is more sensitive to the human perception of affairs.

Considered as part of the broader Computational Design studies, the research program of this quest can be called Artificial / Autonomous / Automated Design (AD). The current available level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for design is limited and a viable aim for current AD would be to develop design assistants that are capable of producing drafts for various design tasks. Thus, the overall aim of this thesis is the development of approaches, techniques, and tools towards artificial design assistants that offer a capability for generating drafts for sub-tasks within design processes. The main technology explored for this aim is Evolutionary Computation (EC), and the target design domain is architecture. The two connected research questions of the study concern, first, the investigation of the ways to develop an architectural design assistant, and secondly, the utilization of EC for the development of such assistants.

While developing approaches, techniques, and computational tools for such an assistant, the study also carries out a broad theoretical investigation into the main problems, challenges, and requirements towards such assistants on a rather overall level. Therefore, the research is shaped as a parallel investigation of three main threads interwoven along several levels, moving from a more general level to specific applications. The three research threads comprise, first, theoretical discussions and speculations with regard to both existing literature and the proposals and applications of the thesis; secondly, proposals for descriptive and prescriptive models, mappings, summary illustrations, task structures, decomposition schemes, and integratory frameworks; and finally, experimental applications of these proposals. This tripartite progression allows an evaluation of each proposal both conceptually and practically; thereby, enabling a progressive improvement of the understanding regarding the research question, while producing concrete outputs on the way. Besides theoretical and interpretative examinations, the thesis investigates its subject through a set of practical and speculative proposals, which function as both research instruments and the outputs of the study. The first main output of the study is the “design_proxy” approach (d_p), which is an integrated approach for draft making design assistants. It is an outcome of both theoretical examinations and experimental applications, and proposes an integration of, (1) flexible and relaxed task definitions and representations (instead of strict formalisms), (2) intuitive interfaces that make use of usual design media, (3) evaluation of solution proposals through their similarity to given examples, and (4) a dynamic evolutionary approach for solution generation. The design_proxy approach may be useful for AD researchers that aim at developing practical design assistants, as has been examined and demonstrated with the two applications, i.e., design_proxy.graphics and design_proxy.layout.

The second main output, the “Interleaved Evolutionary Algorithm” (IEA, or Interleaved EA) is a novel evolutionary algorithm proposed and used as the underlying generative mechanism of design_proxy-based design assistants. The Interleaved EA is a dynamic, adaptive, and multi-objective EA, in which one of the objectives leads the evolution until its fitness progression stagnates; in the sense that the settings and fitness values of this objective is used for most evolutionary decisions. In this way, the Interleaved EA enables the use of different settings and operators for each of the objectives within an overall task, which would be the same for all objectives in a regular multi-objective EA. This property gives the algorithm a modular structure, which offers an improvable method for the utilization of domain-specific knowledge for each sub-task, i.e., objective. The Interleaved EA can be used by Evolutionary Computation (EC) researchers and by practitioners who employ EC for their tasks. As a third main output, the “Architectural Stem Cells Framework” is a conceptual framework for architectural design assistants. It proposes a dynamic and multi-layered method for combining a set of design assistants for larger tasks in architectural design. The first component of the framework is a layer-based, parallel task decomposition approach, which aims at obtaining a dynamic parallelization of sub-tasks within a more complicated problem. The second component of the framework is a conception for the development mechanisms for building drafts, i.e., Architectural Stem Cells (ASC). An ASC can be conceived as a semantically marked geometric structure, which contains the information that specifies the possibilities and constraints for how an abstract building may develop from an undetailed stage to a fully developed building draft. ASCs are required for re-integrating the separated task layers of an architectural problem through solution-based development. The ASC Framework brings together many of the ideas of this thesis for a practical research agenda and it is presented to the AD researchers in architecture.

Finally, the “design_proxy.layout” (d_p.layout) is an architectural layout design assistant based on the design_proxy approach and the IEA. The system uses a relaxed problem definition (producing draft layouts) and a flexible layout representation that permits the overlapping of design units and boundaries. User interaction with the system is carried out through intuitive 2D graphics and the functional evaluations are performed by measuring the similarity of a proposal to existing layouts. Functioning in an integrated manner, these properties make the system a practicable and enjoying design assistant, which was demonstrated through two workshop cases. The d_p.layout is a versatile and robust layout design assistant that can be used by architects in their design processes.

ABSTRAKSI Penelitian ini berangkat dari salah satu hal terpenting dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat, terlebih pemerintah sekarang mewajibkan seorang anak untuk bersekolah minimal sampai 9 tahun yaitu diantaranya jenjang Pendidikan SD sampai SMP. Sekolah dasar merupakan tahap awal untuk mempersiapkan pendidikan ke jenjang selanjutnya. Karakter anak pada tingkat pendidikan Sekolah Dasar sendiri dibagi menjadi dua kategori, yaitu kelas bawah antara kelas 1 sampai kelas 3, dan kelas atas antara kelas 4 sampai kelas 6. SD Bpi Bandung merupakan salah satu sekolah yang menerapkan konsep pendidikan inklusi yang menghargai potensi dan keunikan setiap anak. Biasanya pihak SD BPI terlebih dahulu melakukan pengetesan saat penerimaan siswa baru, untuk mengetahui terlebih dahulu hambatan anak, kemampuan yang sudah dimiliki, dan kebutuhan yang harus dipenuhi pada saat proses pendidikan. Berdasarkan data yang ada dan hasil wawancara dengan pihak sekolah, minat orang tua untuk mendaftar di SD BPI cukup tinggi. Penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian deskriptif (descriptive research methods) yang bersifat kualitatif, dengan mengkaji layout ruang interior kelas formal. Kajian tersebut ingin mengetahui layout tata letak penempatan furniture dan mebel yang terdapat dalah kelompok kelas 1-3, kelas 4-5, dan layout kelas 6 dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar, serta untuk mengetahui apakah fasilitas yang terdapat pada SD BPI Bandung sudah memenuhi persyaratan ergonomik dan psikologi perkembangan anak usia sekolah dasar.

This work introduces Evolutionary Architectural Space layout Explorer (EASE), a design tool that facilitates the optimization of 3D space layouts. EASE addresses architectural design exploration and the need to attend to many alternatives simultaneously in layout design. For this, we use evolutionary optimization to find a balance between divergent exploration and convergent exploitation. EASE comprises a novel sub-heuristic that constructs valid spatial layouts, a mathematical framework to quantify the satisfaction of constraints, and evolutionary operators to improve alternative layouts' fitness. We test EASE on the design of a library building. We evaluate EASE's performance for different building forms and different evolutionary algorithm parameters. The results suggest that EASE can generate valid layouts, quantify the constraints' degree of satisfaction and find a number of optimal layout solutions. The layouts that EASE generates are intended not as end results but design artifacts that provide insight into the solution space for further exploration.

Manufacturing Firms sometimes suffers from Productivity, Low Production rate and Delivery
problems. Production time is the top priority at every manufacturing firm, and each firm wants to
minimize it as much as possible to deliver their product on time to time their valuable customers. .
Some of the biggest time eaters in the industry are Setup time, Manufacturing time, Material
handling time, and wait time. After the brief survey at VBC Hydraulics, we have conclude that
setup time, manufacturing time, and wait time can not be utilize more than current because they
are already using best possible machines and technology to manufacture Gear Pumps. But,
material handling time and man-machine utilization can be improved by some engineering
analysis. We did man-machine utilization by using man-machine utilization charts and some brief
calculations and also focused to improve the material handling in the industry by implementation of GT(Group Technology) layout as they are mainly focused to manufacturing of Gear Pumps of different specifications with bulk Production.

Anatolian rug designs are known to have a number of historical and aesthetic values. They certainly constitute a large portion of the body of existing oriental carpets. This study assumes that through an analytical investigation of their space; it will be easier for scholars to appreciate and comprehend the Anatolian rugs in relation to their relevant layout, which will enable making new rug layouts with similar aesthetic values.
Through a studious analysis of symbols used in Anatolian rugs, and comparing the use of space in the Anatolian and contemporary rug, a better understanding can be achieved of the sense and taste of aesthetics and ratio to spacing that would help predict the changes in carpet and rug spacing, so that new rug and carpet spacing methods can be introduced in a way that appeals to consumers.
This study aims to analyze the layout of Anatolian rugs in accordance to design basics; to help designers to better understand and develop rug layouts in a systematic way. Along with studying the layouts, the focal standpoint of this study undergoes an artistic analysis of oriental rugs, covering discussions in various original studies and data sources. Furthermore, the research aims to further explore the motives related to the design and development of these rugs.
The present study has managed to position symbols according to rug layouts and according to historical arrangement, considering time they started to realize according to the design basics, using the theoretical and analytical methodology available. This makes the exploration and discovery of the relation between Anatolian rugs layouts development throughout history very straightforward.

Modul Adminstrasi Perkantoran, Modul Adminstrasi Perkantoran.
Bahan Ajar Mata Pelajaran Produktif Administrasi Perkantoran untuk Siswa/i Kelas XI Semester I di Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan Indo Sains Palembang oleh Yolanda Nur Rohma, S.IP. (Bagian 3).

Asas tata ruang kantor (Lay Out):
a. Asas jarak pendek
b. Asas rangkaian kerja
c. Asas penggunaan segenap ruangan
d. Asas perubahan susunan tempat kerja

Bentuk-bentuk tata ruang kantor
1. Tata Ruang Tertutup
2. Tata Ruang Terbuka
3. Tata Ruang Semi Tertutup
4. Tata Ruang Kantor Berhias/Berpanorama (Landscape Office)
5. Tata Ruang Kantor Gabungan

Faktor-faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Tata Ruang
1. Perencanaan Cahaya
2. Perencanaan Warna
3. Perencanaan Udara
4. Perencanaan Suara

An ethnographic study on the Indian city of Banaras, one of the “oldest continuously inhabited cities” of the world, helps us experiencing it as a multivocal, multilayered network of heritage, pilgrimage, and tourism that is either continually engaged with the revivalist construction of space or deconstructed by the postcolonial discourse envisaging a tangible and dynamic order of space. The article intends to make an analytical inquiry into pilgrimage, tourism, and heritage in the context of space and time, while relating it to the popular everyday event of Ganga Aarti in Banaras, which can be seen as a manifestation of nostalgic kitsch.

This thesis clarifies the definition of “shopping mall’s social space” concept. In the work author analyzed domestic and international experience of shopping malls’ social spaces development and operation by the criteria of functional content, metric characteristics and compositional solution.
In the first chapter the literature review on the research topic was conducted. Based on the review, the term “shopping mall’s social space” was formulated. Author determined that department stores as well as shopping arcades and galleries were the prototypes of modern malls, and the mall itself is a combination of architectural and planning approaches used in the abovementioned building types design.
In the second chapter author analyzed already-established research methods of socio-cultural objects and public complexes, particularly shopping malls. Based on this analysis, systematic approach was identified as the main one for this study.
In this chapter structural analysis of shopping mall using the general concepts of system analysis was conducted as well as the analysis of social space functioning as mall’s subsystem using the method of the “black box”. Based on this model the general structure of further research was formed.
Also the empirical research base was formed which consists of the analysis of shopping malls located in Western Europe and Ukraine. The methodological sequence was developed for more detailed study of the 30 selected malls.
In the third chapter the architectural factors of influence were defined: urban location, construction site profile, size of shopping mall, conditions of construction, aesthetics and design features; as well as economic, marketing, climatic, ecological, social and psychological ones. Author conducted the analysis of these factors’ impact on the formation of architectural and planning design of social space.
Also in this chapter the following architectural means of space design were analysed: three-dimensional organization, architectural-planning layout, tectonic expression, rhythmic organization, scale, means of navigation, color and lighting solutions, interior objects.
In the fourth chapter author developed a social spaces typology according to size, planning layout type, set of functional areas and their planning layout type. Author proposed to consider a social space as a reduced and controlled city center as well as principles of architectural design and planning layout of social spaces (ergonomic, organic, principle of social openness, principle of harmony, flexibility and multifunctionality). Each of the principles is supported by developed typological, metric and aesthetic guidelines.

As we move away from well-defined problem domains, and get closer to more open-ended domains like planning and design, an increase in the complexity of the problems compel the problem-solving behavior to change in a qualitative sense. Consequently, dynamic problem solving strategies appear as one of the requirements for computational design studies. This paper presents a novel multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) called the Interleaved EA (IEA) as a problem-solving tool, which incorporates dynamic aspects. It is specific to IEA that one of the objectives leads the evolution until its fitness progression stagnates. As such, IEA enables the use of different settings and operators for each of its objectives, which would be the same for all objectives in a regular EA. This enables the IEA to dynamically adapt its problem setting throughout its progression. We present the specificities of the IEA with an application on a design problem. As the IEA has been developed to assist in design problems, it is examined through the " Architectural Layout Design " problem studied through library buildings, exemplifying an ill-defined, multi-modal, and multi-objective problem. We compare the functioning of the algorithm with regard to, first, a regular rank-based version, for demonstrating the effect of the leading objective approach; secondly, with a popular multi-objective EA (i.e., NSGA2). We discuss how and why IEA can be used and developed further to incorporate domain specific understanding for multi-modal and dynamic design problems. Keywords: Automated plan layout development; computational architecture; computational design; evolutionary computation in design; evolutionary design.

Batik is a color crossing technique, using canting and hot wax originating from Indonesia and defined by Unesco became an intangible cultural heritage in 2009. Canting is a tool for transferring a hot wax on fabric so it can form a line or dot. The use of hot wax becomes an essential tool in the process of batik. The placement of the hot wax stove which surrounded by batik workers growing into a significant point in batik activities. This phenomenon appears in various traditional batik tulis workshops, especially on batik Oey Soe Tjoen in Kedungwuni, Go Tik Swan in Surakarta and Sekar Kencana in Lasem. Formerly, these three cities are well known as the producers of Batik Tiga Negeri with three colors that characterize each region; the blue from Pekalongan, the red from Lasem and brown from Surakarta. However, along with the development of advanced technology and information, modification of tools and differences in the characteristic of space in each workshop, produce a separate stu...

The interest in the built environment of Early Bronze Age Eastern Arabia is rapidly increasing with the emergence of new field data from the excavation of settlement sites. However, little is known about architectural planning and spatial patterns in the region. This article explores non-monumental architecture throughout the 3rd millennium BCE.
A series of methods (Pythagorean triples, modular grids, interception of circles) were used to assess the geometric and metric characteristics of buildings, and to stress regularities and variation in the long term. The results of these analyses suggest the application of specific techniques in layout and construction works: the intersection of circles during the Hafit occupations, and more sophisticated techniques, combining the properties of circles and triangles, during the Umm an-Nar period.
The diachronic approach allowed by the temporal span of the occupations highlights a firm progression of architectural paradigms and building crafts throughout the EBA. The evidence hints at the existence of specialized work force since the dawn of the Bronze Age, and reveals a sharp increase of technicity and standardization towards the end of the 3rd millennium.

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are well known to map distributions of image datasets that have similar underlying structure, but little investigation has gone into the question of how well such frameworks perform when trained on abstract-encoded data. This thesis seeks to answer how well such a framework performs when trained on ‘abstractencoded’ data as compared to the standard ‘shared image structure’ use case. We predict that because of the learned loss and thus learned mapping capability of conditional GANS (cGANs), abstract-encoded-trained models will produce highly workable results. To test this, we benchmark the various metric errors across training (network and user defined) for a standard implementation and compare them with that of several abstract-encoded implementations. We then prove that the abstract-encoded data performs reasonably well and discuss why that is. We then proceed to describe why abstract representations of image structures might be useful in general. This research hopes to raise interest and encourage further investigation into the pattern detection capabilities of deep learning models when presented with abstract-encoded information.

Despite a long history of research into intelligent algorithms for performing architectural layout tasks, automation has yet to achieve broad adoption in real-world architectural practice. This paper describes an approach to developing practical and useful automated software tools for designers, demonstrated through the case study of an application for streamlining the layout of private offices in a collaborative workplace. The approach described emphasizes involving designers in preparatory research for development, to ensure that automated tools work well with designers' existing workflows and align with their conceptual models of the layout process.

ABSTRACT This paper presents a prototype tool for the space planning phase, which automatically generates alternative floor plans, according to the architect's preferences and desires, and assesses their thermal performance by coupling it with dynamic simulation. A case study of a single-family house was carried out, which comprehended two design sets. The first set correspond to a single-level house and the second set is a two level house served by one stair. Each set is made up of twelve alternative floor plans that were automatically generated, assessed, and ranked according to their thermal performance. The ranking function weights and factors variability is analyzed. The results demonstrate that two level design solutions have the best thermal performance and, within each set, the difference between the best and the worst thermal performance individual may reach 17% in the first set and 35% in the second set.

The Oey Soe Tjoen batik workshop is one of the Nusantara's traditional batik tulis workshops that maintains originality in producing batik for generations. The process of producing batik with canting plays an essential role in the Oey Soe Tjoen batik workshop. The purpose of this study was to review the position of the process in producing batik with canting in the traditional batik tulis workshop, within the scope of the working process and in the spatial order. This research used an ethnographic approach through literature studies, observations, and direct interviews. The data are presented descriptively and analyzed to produce findings that the process of producing batik with canting is essential in producing traditional batik tulis so that the space that accommodates this process becomes an essential space in the layout of a traditional batik tulis workshop that needs to consider in order to support productivity.

The main issue we are after here is space layout planning, space layout planning which examine the capability to better utilization of architecture space, this paper will investigate the potentials of evolutionary computation in solving the combinatorial problem of space layout planning; it will focus on the topological level of problems, topological allocation concern with the relationships between two spaces, i.e. the adjacency and proximity between two spaces.

Parametric design tools and visual programming languages are fast becoming an important part of the architects design process. A review of current literature notes that the barrier to entry into the medium is lowering while the power of the tools available is increasing. The purpose of this research is to use these emerging tools to explore complex architectural issues related to space planning and massing. This research aims to bring these aspects of the design process together to generate an architecture where programme and aesthetic are derived in equal measure by the architect and the computer. The project began with a series of technical studies focusing primarily on space planning, massing, site analysis and circulation with the purpose of using an amalgamation of these techniques to develop into a final generative algorithm. These ideas are explored through an open ended design process of iterative research and testing, self and peer review, development and critical reflection. The viability of the algorithm is then tested through the generation a number of test buildings, across variety of sites. In order to provide a direction and author a degree of creative friction within the research process, the projects are framed around the development of a mid-size, urban sited secondary school. The final algorithm provides constraints in such a way that the architecture evolves in a natural, predictable way that can still surprise and inform, as well as consistently producing viable, interesting iterations of buildings. This process, described as an “open box” structure, produced a wide variety of working concepts and provided a high level of control as a designer.

The Community Learning International Plaza (CLIP) is a self-access center (SAC) that opened in April 2017 at Ryutsu Keizai University, a sports and economics institution without an English major. The CLIP was founded by two lecturer/advisors (the authors of this paper) and one admin. In our development of the center, we learned from and applied past and present theory to fit the needs of our users. In the beginning, the attractive, centrally-located, open air space consisted solely of furniture, necessitating a quick call to action. To do this, we visited other SACs to gather information about the facilities and programs that might be adapted to fit our student population. There were three overarching aims in designing the center. First, we wanted to instill a sense of active learning through various services, such as free conversation on sofas and one-on-one appointments with a teacher (for speaking practice and advising), as well as clear and separate zones within the center. There is a lenient language policy in the SAC, so learners can develop through translanguaging. Next, we have promoted student ownership through developing an orientation program, starting a student club, and planning to hire student staff. Thirdly, we built relationships and an understanding of self-access language learning (SALL) with faculty and administration through interdepartmental collaboration in hosting visiting students from an American university and preparing a group of student-athletes to teach rugby in English in Indonesia. Finally, we share future directions for the second year and beyond.

The dominant layout planning and land use management systems applied in low income South African townships have been imported from the global north in an environment of high industrialisation, low unemployment and particular legal frameworks. These systems were applied in low income South African townships characterised by an environment of high unemployment, low industrialisation, rapid population growth which created a mismatch between how settlements were intended to be and the different state of occupation.
The case study research method used Zwelihle (in Hermanus) as a case. Non-participatory observations entailing the creation of maps, and focus group interviews of 20 members of the public, 1 town planner and a leader of the land occupations were used to explore how current approaches to layout planning and land use management systems impact on the ability of residents to conduct all aspects of life such as work, residence and leisure. It was discovered that Zwelihle was planned to be a dormitory settlement which was gradually retrofitted by residents to accommodate trade, higher density accommodation options and community facilities which are all illegal in planning laws yet crucial for the survival of residents. The layout and land use management systems of the settlement which were not planned with this urban morphology in mind constrain the ability of residents to conduct all aspects of life such as work, residence and leisure and makes the settlement appear chaotic to an outsider without a trained planning eye.
Based on this, the researcher devised a set of alternative layout planning and land use management systems which are suited for the establishment of new low-income townships rooted in the social, economic and cultural attributes of residents. This was done by observing the priorities of residents, particular land use patterns, the linkages among these and how these evolved over time. A set of interventions were proposed to enable trade and improved public space in Zwelihle. The alternative approaches are flexible and enable residents to gradually change land uses and densify the settlement as the layout, land use management system and engineering services capacities made provision for that at the onset of the settlement establishment. The research therefore illustrates that low-income townships are already being planned through formal and informal instruments and the best way for planners to optimise on livelihoods is to work with these systems rather than ignore them.

Mass customization is one of the most promising computational developments in the AEC industry. Despite recent advances in the production of research-based knowledge, the professional practices lack of a consistent and permanent technology adoption scheme and remain as a very resilient and fragmented industry. This work is a part of an ongoing research project developing guidelines for improving both physical and virtual modeling processes within an architectural design context. Here, we present a customizable model of a space layout explorer. The implementation of the user-driven solution-finding process is based on constraint technology embedded in Autodesk’s Revit® 2011 macros tools, commonly used in the professional practice. The aim of this work is to demonstrate a practical use of a small constraint-based system on software of widespread use. Even though there is still a lack of building information, the model has already several applications in the definition a floor plan layout and in the comparison of several instances of the design solution in the 3D user view. User-driven modifications are not made directly through the 3D model, but through different explicit text tags that describe each parameter on 2D views -although a real time 3D visualization of the model is also available-. The main findings are discussed as guidelines for further research on the end-user involvement on a ‘creative mass customization’ scheme. Also, the implementation of visual aids such as text tags during the customization process can bridge some technical obstacles for the development of interfaces for constraint-based mass customization systems. Before the final discussion, some limitations on the use of this model are described.

This paper reports on a study of electricity consumption, for achieving thermal comfort, and possible relation to respective plan layouts, in apartments of tropical Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. As approximately 45% of the total population of Dhaka constitutes the middle income and upper-middle income groups, electricity consumption by this group is a critical factor in the national energy balance. According to recent reports, the electricity consumption in the residential sector has almost doubled in 6 years. During the warm months (March–October), ventilation and air movement are vital for thermal comfort in the tropics, and electrical cooling appliances are commonly used for the purpose. The target middle income group resides in apartments of floor area between 93 and 149 m 2 (1000–1600 ft 2 ). A field survey was conducted, whereby scaled drawings of plan layout of the apartments were obtained, to understand the spatial arrangement of the existing apartments, i.e., to assess the arrangement of spaces in the apartment units in terms of their potential to allow air movement. Two basic types of layouts were found mostly used in Dhaka; defined in the study as “open type” and “cellular type” layouts. A questionnaire survey was conducted on sample units, to determine the specifications of electrical appliances being used for cooling and to assess the comfort situation of the inhabitants. It was the contention of this study that there could be a critical analysis of plan layouts in mid-rise apartment buildings, to determine whether there is a relationship between the energy consumption and layout of these plans. Analysis of the findings from the survey and the questionnaire responses reveal that plan layout does, indeed, have a significant impact on electricity consumption needed for thermal comfort.

A variety of heuristic methods and algorithms have been developed for space layout planning problems. Recent efforts to generate furniture layout schemes in existing spatial configurations have mostly relied on exhaustive search and are likely to produce dysfunctional or counter-intuitive solutions. In this paper, we propose a heuristic approach for the automated generation of furniture layout schemes, with specific focus on residential spaces. First, we present an operational definition for furniture entities, space configurations, and space entities. Then we introduce a heuristic algorithm for generating furniture layout schemes based on a set of space subdivision rules, object-object relations, and object-space relations. Using Grasshopper, we generate a group of possible schemes for a sample residential living space. A discussion follows, outlining current limitations, expanding the context of the study, and possibilities for development.

Despite a long history of research into intelligent algorithms for performing architectural layout tasks, automation has yet to achieve broad adoption in real-world architectural practice. This paper describes an approach to developing practical and useful automated software tools for designers, demonstrated through the case study of an application for streamlining the layout of private offices in a collaborative workplace. The approach described emphasizes involving designers in preparatory research for development, to ensure that automated tools work well with designers' existing workflows and align with their conceptual models of the layout process.

The optimization of space management contributes to efficiency and success to most organizations. Space management is very important not only for optimization but also for cost maintenance of the respected property. The study on space management is vital for an organisation as premises (spaces) expenditure represents the second highest factor of spending resources in organisations. Subsequently, a study on space management, especially in higher educational institutions is highly critical. This study focused on space management particularly on space usage in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia with respect to actual cost of space wastage analysed by Space Charging Model. The study specifically took place at the actual lecture room usage against the students' time table which was made available by the Academic Management Office of the university and also considering on the operation and maintenance cost elements which are used. Noted that the space management in higher education institutions is very critical and therefore, the Space Charging technique will foster attentiveness of the costs of space and eradicate a culture which sees space as free good. It is expected that this study will contribute to greater awareness of an effective and efficient space usage by the users and more importantly this shall be reflected in the operation and maintenance cost reduction.