http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7765 Fri, 24 May 2013 19:37:42 GMT 2013-05-24T19:37:42Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78076 Ways of arrangement : the basic operations of form-making Wang, Minghong Making forms is essentially a matter of arranging things, and arranging things is essentially to establish spatial relations among selected elements. The thesis provides a minimal set of basic operations believed to be sufficient for constructing any given configuration. These basic operations can aggregate to make compound operations handy to designers. Both the basic and the compound operations are called 'arrangement moves'. Two kinds of basic moves are distinguished: the generic moves, which construct only generic relations such as 'connection', 'separation', etc.; and the ordering moves, which are characterized by using virtual 'lines' as references in establishing spatial relations. A physical design is viewed as finding a correct arrangement that satisfies given constraints. Ordering moves are viewed as an operational foundation that makes such exploration of formal arrangement possible. The thesis demonstrates that arrangement moves can describe any individual form by reconstructing it; arrangement moves can also describe any family of forms by formulating rules governing the form family. It is further demonstrated that the basic arrangement moves have inherent properties capable of constructing inference rules for perceiving spatial relations. Based on the fact that arrangement moves can sufficiently construct forms, representing rules of forms, and perceiving spatial relations, it is of particular interest to the development of a computational design system that can do arrangements, know form rules, and can check arrangements against rules. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, February 1987.; MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.; Includes bibliographies. Thu, 01 Jan 1987 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78076 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77871 Admonition and the academy : installation, video, and performance art in Reform Era China Oen, Karin Grace China's Reform Era (1978-present) has seen the reinvigoration of academic, and artistic practice, and a rapprochement between the Chinese Communist Party and the intellectual elite. At its beginnings in the early- to mid-1980s the new availability of foreign texts and media led to Culture Fever, a widespread phenomenon throughout the intellectual and artistic spheres characterized by enthusiasm for the philosophy, literature, and art of the West and pre-Communist China and the simultaneous uptake of discrete Western and Confucian philosophies. These discussions often addressed modernity and modernism in China, a crucial homology to early twentieth century Chinese negotiations in literature and the arts and the development of an amalgamated "Chinese modernism" comprised of elements of both Confucian and Western philosophy and aesthetics. As this dissertation argues, key early experimental works of the Reform Era by Zhang Peili, Wu Shanzhuan, and Zhang Huan reveal a proclivity for subtle and indirect admonitory messages about China's socio-political climate - a contemporary inhabitation of the traditional elite scholar-artist and his obligation to criticize immoral or unjust policies or actions. This admonitory practice was built by artists educated in elite academies (specifically, the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing and the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art in Hangzhou) yet utilized completely new and non-academic media. What this thesis terms as an "art of admonition" utilized traditional tropes, including direct remonstrations of officials, withdrawal from official life in protest, and the concept of the "middle hermit" - a scholar who admonishes official policy subtly and indirectly. The experimental practices of artists after their graduation from elite academies stemmed from the extra-curricular resources made available to them, especially the schools' libraries. The connection of these unofficial works to the official academies, their validation by art market success, and the subsequent official endorsement accorded to these and other artists in the later Reform Era blurs the distinctions between official and unofficial artistic practice in China, suggesting a strong endorsement of the dissident artist's role as "middle hermit." Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Theory, and Criticism of Art and Architecture)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-214). Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77871 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77777 Software tectonics Tsamis, Alexandros, 1976- The resent shift of attention in the architectural discourse towards issues of ecological design, coupled with the undeniable role of computation, has already cast a new operative role to the notion of environment. Instead of being the passive, conceptualized or historicized context of an architectural object, environment is quite literally becoming the object of design itself. We are moving away from the imposed-preconceived Cartesian object which negotiates through its boundaries its presence within its immediate context. The discipline is already considering an architecture in which architectural form is only an instance of a designed environment. In many respects, this new understanding of environment aspires to be actively designed as a closed system of constant transformation, an autonomous milieu of exchange at all scales and all levels between substances, properties or qualities. The object of investigation in Software Tectonics is how technologies of design and construction allow newly forming propositions about the role of environment in the discipline to become operational tactics in the design practice. SOFTWARE TECTONICS proposes 3 design research projects. VSpace is a computer drawing application for designers. Unlike traditional CAD systems that work primarily by representing boundaries (B-reps), VSpace derives form by the representation and direct manipulation of properties (P-reps) in space. Boundaries and Properties here are considered simultaneously in the same design environment. Castit is a multi axis, Computer Numerically Controlled device that prints 3D objects by dynamically mixing at least two distinct but chemically compatible materials. Dynamic mixing allows for gradient transitions between two or more materials, resulting in objects with anisotropic material properties. CHUNK aims to eliminate a joint as a third mediating member between two building elements with an area of gradient transition. Conceived as a "dynamic insulation" architectural skin, this building technology project challenges the multi-trade and multi-component tectonics of dominant late-industrial building manufacture. Thesis (Ph. D. in Design and Computation)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 365-370). Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77777 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77776 Toward zero net energy buildings : optimized for energy use and cost Brown, Carrie Ann, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Recently, there has been a push toward zero net energy buildings (ZNEBs). While there are many options to reduce the energy used in buildings, it is often difficult to determine which are the most appropriate technologies to implement. To reach zero energy, some designs extensively rely on the use of photovoltaics (PV) to meet the building load, without first exploring the benefits of deep energy efficiency measures. To minimize energy use in a cost effective manner, a tool has been developed to help compare distributed generation (DG) alternatives with energy efficiency measures early in the design process. It was designed to be accessible to non-technical users and to allow them to set up and run simulations in just a few minutes. The tool was built on top of Design Advisor, which provides the capability to analyze a suite of energy efficiency measures such as insulation, window type, schedules, and HVAC types, as well as green and cool roofs. New modules that have been developed for Design Advisor include: heat pumps, absorption chillers, PV, cogeneration, and cost. Using capital cost above baseline as the independent variable, the tool outputs the net annual energy use and total cost (capital and energy) for each case analyzed in the optimization. This allows the user to understand the range of technologies and costs involved along the path from the basecase to a ZNEB. Thesis (Ph. D. in Building Technology)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-125). Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77776 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z