This paper introduces modular and context-aware evaporative cooling for the outdoor urban environment as a physical structure that could be implemented at various scales and physical contexts. We propose a technique for collecting occupancy and climatic data to create a computational context and optimise its operation. We then outline a concept for developing a predictive algorithm that would further enhance its performance. The research focuses on the interaction between the proposed system and the environment and establishes an evidence-based technique to balance the temperature drop and the humidity it generates. The study combines architectural design, mechanical engineering and computer science to enable the upscaled application of evaporative cooling to help reduce local heat accumulation in cities.

Occupancy density is a dynamic measurement that reveals the relationship between the floor area and occupant count, usually in a room or building. The research presented in this paper probes further into the relationship between the physical properties of space and occupants’ activity, to expand the understanding of occupancy density. The presented outcome is an evidence-based technique for determining room and activity-specific occupancy density limits that can support the design and be integrated into the design process. In this study, occupant information, namely, positioning, is simulated in the spatial context, including room dimensions and furniture layout. Controllable distancing variables, such as those globally introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in indoor environments, are used to assess occupancy density thresholds.

The design of Activity-Based Working (ABW) environments embraces workers’ continuous mobility enabled by technology and the mindset of seeking work zones that best support the task at hand. This paper focuses on aspects of workspace selection within a facility designed to support ABW, focusing on the overall occupancy dynamics, temporal context, and information capturing less-explored details of the physical environment. This study analyses the active use of a workspace in relation to work desk shapes, rectangular and trapezial. Drawing from a longitudinal dataset spanning 12 months from an ABW facility, capturing the active workstation usage of 964 occupants through individual computer logins, this study employs descriptive statistics to analyse the active use of workspace relative to total work hours over the year. Inferential statistical techniques are utilised to compare active use measurements between and within specific workspace areas, revealing significant differences and highlighting the importance of temporal and spatial contexts in workspace utilisation patterns. The presented results demonstrate both tendencies and statistically significant differences, confirming the relevance of the studied variables in examining workspace utilisation. The results show significant usage variations throughout the day across different zones of the observed workspace, with peak activity between 11:00 and 13:00 h for both work desk shapes. This study’s insights are relevant to improving the utilisation of facilities designed for ABW and contribute to a longstanding interest in designing and arranging workplaces to better fit the people who use them.

This paper investigates the role of performative models within the context of architectural design. Understanding the performances of the built environment can be postulated in rather different manners. It is commonly expected that the built environment complies with the diverse and changing requirements of its users. It is equally required that buildings are economically constructed, easily maintained, energy efficient, safe and aesthetically pleasing. Yet, such expectations are complex and consist of a great number of intertwined effects that are not easy to synchronize during architectural design process. Although they can be precisely evaluated and quantitatively expressed, the values specifying the performances, such as temperature, humidity and intensity of light or sound, in traditionally established course of architectural design are usually only considered throughout the post-rationalization or correction of the architectural design. The research presented in this paper explores design mechanisms, for direct and formative incorporation of feedback information into the very conception of architectural form.

Https://doi.org/10.65388/ONOI3754 National frameworks for new buildings increasingly address operational energy and, in some cases, lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet comparable requirements for retrofits remain rare. In many contexts, retrofit projects proceed without efficiency targets, lifecycle GHG benchmarks, or consideration of material circularity. This gap is significant, but the value of such indicators extends...