Form and Performance: Developing Parametric Tools for Early Design Decisions
Date
2020-09-24
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Abstract
Contemporary architecture can seek to understand the relationship between the built form and energy performance. While this relationship is complex, many other design variables also contribute to informing the geometry of a project. These initial formal design decisions ultimately impact the final performance of a building. To better realize the relationship between form and performance, designers and architects need the right resources to test and analyze their decisions throughout every step of the design process. Therefore, developing and implementing digital tools and new workflows can enable designers to make informed decisions when massing a building. To determine the performative impacts, simulations are a valuable method that can be integrated into the design process. The following research looks at developing digital tools and processes that are meant for the initial stages of design. This is investigated by developing digital processes that understand geometry and automate ways of generating form for the purpose of energy simulations. Building forms are also examined for their energy generation potential, contributing another way to evaluate geometry. Consequently, through this research designers can begin to improve their literacy around the synergies between form and performance.
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building form, energy performance, simulation, workflows, digital tools
Citation
Siegle, J. (2020). Form and Performance: Developing Parametric Tools for Early Design Decisions (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.