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The authors raise a question of the necessity of urgent introduction of the principles of green building design into the practice. It is emphasized that such a necessity is dictated by the dangerous degradation processes occurring in the biosphere and society. In the given report the questions of social purpose and function of architectural activity are raised, as well as of the development of the sociology of architecture as an essential field of scientific research for providing the quality of design solutions.Green building technologies are widely spread in Europe, USA and in the Korea, China. Green building and sustainable building technologies have converted into a regular construction and building operation practice, whose mission is to reduce consumption of power and other material resources and to preserve or improve the quality of buildings and their comfort. The most reputable green building standards include LEED in the USA and BREAM in Great Britain. A discussion of local green standards, that will take account of the climate, landscape, and the lifestyle of residents, is underway in Russia. Principles of the ecologically sustainable design are being introduced into the architectural practice.

This research aims to study the sunlight penetration performance on the front facade of selected apartments with Neo-Minimalist architectural style. The selected case studies are two front facade of apartments buildings located at the Penang Island east coast latitude 5° 25' 0" N and longitude 100° 19' 0" E, the east part of Penang has been under great developing progress in the last 10 years. Minimalist architectural style is very popular and preferable by architects and people in this region. The tow selected case studies are Baystart condominium, Bayan Lepas and Bayswater Resort condominium, Gelugor. The study uses sun tool software to simulate and calculate the extent of sunlight penetration. The simulation will be conducted with oriented the building as the sun rays are perpendicular to the building’s facade, and then compare the results of sunlight penetrations between the two buildings and the used of architectural elements. The study finds that the sunshade elements and the recessed wall with balcony which are used in the minimalist style facade design make the buildings efficient to prevent the unwanted sunlight which causes overheating and over brightness inside the building, and that is the one of the reasons behind the popularity of the minimalist architectural style.

Lightweight tensile structures outstand as an exemplary field that revolutionized architectural technology and engineering in the early 70 s, while having established new frame conditions and methodologies regarding cooperation between architectural and engineering disciplines in practice and research [1]. Cable-net and membrane structures’ form-finding process is directly related to aesthetic, functional, structural and construction aspects from early stages of the design. The structure’s geometry is revised in an iterative process of form finding until an equilibrium form under the imposed stress requirements of the members and boundary conditions has been reached. The origin of lightweight tensile structures and the initiation of numerical methods of analysis that enabled the realization of the roof structure of Munich 1972 Olympics-Arenas frames three phases of developments in the area: design and computational analysis, design optimization and automated manufacture, and open loop multivariable systems performance based design. The specific project’s succession of technology driven design processes are reviewed from the perspective of an interrelated syntax of architectural and structural design.

The building envelope plays a crucial role in saving or consuming energy, depending on the type of the envelope and design. Architects and engineers need to consider many issues when working with envelope designs, including environmental issues, aesthetic appearance, occupant comfort, and view; these aspects make the envelope a multifunctional component, thus the integration approach is the optimal method to address envelope design. In the last decade we have witnessed the inclusion of the kinetic envelope in many typologies of buildings. Many scholars believe the kinetic envelope improves the environmental performance of the building. The purpose of this paper is to review the current practice and development of the kinetic envelope and to investigate its role in the improvement of energy performance in buildings.

Building technology and art have the dialectical unified relationship, and Ieoh Ming Pei’s architectural goal is to seek harmony and unity between them. This article mainly discusses the detail management and design methods in Ieoh Ming Pei’s works, helping to understand the unification of architecture and art, and the combination of technology and art.

Recently the use of perimeter diagonals which resist lateral forces and carry gravity loads simultaneously without vertical columns has increased significantly and are known as ‘diagrid’. This structure is made up of diamond modules with diagonal members and provides more lateral stiffness compared to the conventional structures. Generally, these structures have provided the context for more elegant designs and more efficient structures, making them so popular among architects and engineers. Consequently, these structures have made significant advances during the last decade although they are regarded as a totally new trend. The paper aims at discovering the evolutionary process of diagrid structures and their progresses which leads to major breakthroughs in architectural, structural and sustainability concepts. Indeed, these recent advances are investigated and reported for architects and engineers. The results, based on case studies, show that these structures have been able to address most of the designing requirements. They have also been used in different projects with totally different heights, areas and functions, suggesting diamond modules can be applied not only for high-rises but for a wide range of projects.

Graphics was a two dimensional notion till the nineteenth century. It was only in the twentieth century, during the modern movement, that graphics emerged as a three dimensional tool. During the same time architecture also had a change in its definition and there was a breakthrough in the design industry. Colour which was earlier used as a superficial element for decoration now started being used as a design element of third dimension in architecture. Designing with colour therefore it must be considered in all its aspects of which are related to one another, so that virtually in any work in which colour plays a role all must be taken into accent. Colours have a profound effect on mind and emotion and influence our mood and feelings. Colour can reinforce ideas of form and material; express its divisions and proportions. Colour can underline an architectural statement, it can punctuate, direct and focus attention and compensate in a way unlike any other abstract element”. How graphical use of colour can create a statement in architecture.

This article will discuss about analyzes the new topic of sustainable architecture and different perceptions of the experts on the concept of “sustainable architecture”. Today, the word sustainability widely has been discussing in order to provide solutions to react the needs of the nowadays without the peril of resources for future generations and followed that, by application of sustainability in architecture, the discussion of sustainable architecture begins. Sustainable architecture is an approach to the design of an architecture that can bring social stability. Today, community areas, most of the development and sustainability of urban areas is considered. In this article, we believe that interaction between architecture and cinema are two integral elements of sustainability principles of the social dimension that consist: equity and social identity, aesthetic and comfort, and other similar problems are pointed out and provide appropriate solutions to increase social stability, to achieve the space that is part of the collective memory in the mind of viewer and it is affecting the five senses, include: to see, hear, think, and so the opportunity to reflect on her life before and after entrance again to everyday life. How long in time and create hierarchy to reach the outside and the inside spaces, increasing comfort and enhancing public safety and social stability, flexibility and lighting in terms of space and design principles of sustainable architecture, and in details, social sustainable will be discuss topic of this article.

As housing demand in India is continuously growing, different government schemes are being implemented to cater to the need of mass housing for the poor and lower income group people. Use of appropriate Costeffective Eco-friendly Construction Technologies (CECT) in housing sector in India has the potential to be the most appropriate in terms of economy and acceptability. The reduced cost of building, enhancement of comfort level and non-compromise on safety may establish appropriateness of CECT, which will also act as a market force and demand for such technologies is expected to grow-up. Previously the appropriateness of CECT in Indian context was never explored. This paper studied the acceptability and adaptability potential of different CECTs through field survey, literature study and technical calculations and tried to find out the most appropriate one among those.

This paper examines the thermal performance of housing in the UK and the associated costs for different fabric construction methods of the envelope for a typical four bedroom detached house. The energy ratings were assessed using the UK Government’s Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), which is based on the Building Research Establishment Domestic Energy Model. The capital costs were estimated from data published by the Building Cost Information Services applied to Leicester UK area in 2011. Through alterations to the dwelling fabric alone, a reduction of 30.1% in carbon emissions of the base property could be achieved. Standard methods proved to be as effective as alternative methods at reducing carbon emissions by 22.6% for an average capital cost increase of 9.1% against the base property. This was equivalent to an extra cost of £13.7 for each kg of CO2 emissions reduction. It was found that alternative methods could reduce carbon emissions by 20.5% for an extra cost of 18.4% over the base property. The optimum construction method that would help achieve the UK government’s carbon emissions target was also discussed. The paper also discusses the methods for improving energy efficiency in new extensions to existing dwellings, using a typical solid-wall terraced house with a new single storey extension, as a case study. In this study, it was found that by increasing refurbishment costs by only 4.7% could result in carbon emissions reduction by 21.7%.

The paper explores the recent innovations in architecture materials developed through nanotechnology, based on the design of material properties in order to obtain specific performances. In particular, nanostructured cementitious materials, represent an interesting application of nanotechnology in the construction industry, considering the significant performance advantages compared to conventional products and the potential in reduction of resources and energy consumption throughout the life cycle connected to their use. To understand the relevance of these innovations, an approach aimed at identifying the possible impact on design and construction is required, considering the benefits achievable through a conscious use of nanotechnology, without neglecting the scientific issues still open and risk factors for humans and environment related to their uncontrolled use. The specific focus on the characteristics and potential applications of nanostructured cement-based materials is intended to reaffirm the need to develop an adequate level of knowledge internal to architectural disciplines on nanotechnology-related innovations, starting from the prominent role that cement and concrete plays in the construction industry.

The paper explores the recent innovations in architecture materials developed through nanotechnology, based on the design of material properties in order to obtain specific performances. In particular, nanostructured cementitious materials, represent an interesting application of nanotechnology in the construction industry, considering the significant performance advantages compared to conventional products and the potential in reduction of resources and energy consumption throughout the life cycle connected to their use. To understand the relevance of these innovations, an approach aimed at identifying the possible impact on design and construction is required, considering the benefits achievable through a conscious use of nanotechnology, without neglecting the scientific issues still open and risk factors for humans and environment related to their uncontrolled use. The specific focus on the characteristics and potential applications of nanostructured cement-based materials is intended to reaffirm the need to develop an adequate level of knowledge internal to architectural disciplines on nanotechnology-related innovations, starting from the prominent role that cement and concrete plays in the construction industry.

The integrated studios in which architecture students are paired with engineering and construction manager students works on the assumption that the common denominator-BIM-is a tool of equal meaning and value to all. This is not the case: each discipline has its own values, procedures, and protocols that bend BIM to its own needs. When these differences are not recognized, design, which has traditionally been the province of architecture, gets short shrift. The BIM process offers the opportunity for cross-disciplinary contamination without sacrificing design emphasis. How to blend engineering student input with architecture student design input so each group learns equally from the other and high quality design outcomes are empowered rather than diminished will be discussed.

Summarization: Most of the environmental influences on buildings are variable by their very nature. This fact creates a need for diverse solutions in energy and environmental design and construction that can facilitate optimum building performance throughout the changing periods. Such solutions, in order to be successful, should be compatible with the climatic, and more generally environmental, conditions that prevail in the region where they are applied. Solutions that satisfy these requirements can come from a wide variety of fields, ranging from vernacular architecture to applications of smart materials and technologies. This paper presents an overview of conventional design and construction measures and practices for managing the variable environmental influences on buildings in the Mediterranean region. To that end, it identifies the environmental factors whose variable behaviour influences the energy and environmental performance of the buildings that are subject to them, and it also evaluates their impact. The study goes on to describe and evaluate the design and construction choices and practices that are implemented in buildings in the region to manage these influences. The aim of this work is to report on the main characteristics of these methods and investigate any ways in which they might be improved. Presented on: Journal of Architectural Engineering Technology