FlexiArch
Assessing Flexibility in Architecture
Computational Tool Design + Survey Research
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2022
Generative Design
Group Project
Computational Tools and Algorithms
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.107178
Generative Design
Group Project
Computational Tools and Algorithms
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.107178
In response to the growing interest the computational evaluation of building design Flexibility. While in the past computational tools have made great strides in their sophisticated analyses of embodied energy (i.€., resource extraction) and operational energy use, one area in which they currently fall short is the consideration of a building’s longevity and its ability to adapt to new uses. Such concerns have a tremendous impact on sustainability, since the longer a building’s effective life-span and the more it can adapt to the changing requirements of users, the less need there is to renovate and demolish older buildings. A central concept in this regard is the architectural Flexibility of a building, which refers to its ability to be easily modified to avoid obsolescence and destruction.
In this project, we developed an application of FlexiArch, a novel computational tool that enables designers and architects to rapidly explore and evaluate building layouts based on Flexibility, integrating building longevity and adaptability analyses within the design process. FlexiArch (1) integrates and operationalizes a wide array of Flexibility parameters drawn from the prior research literature, (2) deploys a relative weighting system for these factors based on the insights of Flexibility experts and (3) is compared against a survey of 237 human architects evaluating the Flexibility of several floor plans.
The tool was developed for Rhino/Grasshopper and accepts working design plans as input. It analyzes the design to algorithmically generate a score for each of eleven lexibility parameters, as well as an overall average Flexibility score, thus allowing designers to receive feedback on their work in real-time. A Survey was conducted to compare 237 architects’ flexibility ratings with the output of our program across five design situations.
As results, we found, somewhat surprisingly, that the aggregated human architects were unable to differentiate Flexibility features, rating all designs essentially the same. The computational approach, in contrast, demonstrated a much higher level of discrimination.
The development of tools such as FlexiArch will empower designers to consider architectural Flexibility of a building, in the early stages of the design process, and has the potential to expand the current implementation repertoire of architectural sustainability analysis, by encouraging the consideration of building longevity and adaptability.
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