Located along the bank of the Potomac River in Langley Virginia, this Hotel and Conference Center is a place of gathering and refuge for foreign dignitaries. Each building shares the characteristic of protruding volumes and surfaces reinforced by parallel load bearing masonry walls.  These brick walls buffer the interior from the exterior and demarcate the program. Punched voids provide natural light.  Each element including entry, wall, stair, column, and fireplace is designed to comply with the collective composition.    The circulation is situated along the building\'s edge, thus guiding people from center to edge across diagonals and through corridors naturally lit from adjacent windows.   Drawing played an essential role throughout the design.  In the following drawings the process of design and discovery in architecture is intelligible.  The question of "how" is more revealing than the question of "what." / Master of Architecture

Η διπλωματική αυτή εργασία ασχολείται με την μέτρηση και την ανάλυση της ακουστικής, καθώς και της ηλεκτροακουστικής εγκατάστασης του Συνεδριακού Κέντρου του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Συγκεκριμένα μελετήθηκαν οι τιμές των κυριότερων ακουστικών παραμέτρων, όπως προέκυψαν από ακουστικές και ηλεκτροακουστικές μετρήσεις, που διεξήχθησαν στην κύρια αίθουσα Ι1. Ωστε να εξαχθούν χρήσιμα συμπεράσματα για την καταλληλότητα της αίθουσας για μουσική και ομιλία. Στη συνέχεια έγινε προσομοίωση της αίθουσας και ανάλυση της ακουστικής της, σύμφωνα με την απορροφητικότητα των επιφανειών και σύμφωνα με την θέση της πηγής στη σκηνή, μέσω του λογισμικού Catt Acoustic. Τέλος στα πλαίσια της εργασίας δημιουργήθηκε και ένας ηλεκτρονικός οδηγός, του ηλεκτροακουστικού συστήματος του αμφιθεάτρου Ι1 και των πολλαπλών δυνατοτήτων που αυτό παρέχει. / The subject of this diploma thesis is the study of the Conference Center’s main hall (I1).The main purpose was to draw useful conclusions of the main hall’s suitability for concerts and speeches and to accurately predict its acoustic behaviour. In practice, acoustic and electroacoustics measurements took place, in order to specify the unique acoustic parameters. With the use of the simulation software program Catt -Acoustic a detailed model of the hall was produced and was later differentiated, as far the absorption of the surfaces and the effect of the source’s place on the stage. Furthermore an application was created, in order to show the main hall’s multiple capabilities and also to behave as a digital guide for its electroacoustic system.

Κάθε κτίριο που δημιουργείται είναι απαραίτητο να έχει τη στοιχειώδη προστασία έναντι πυρκαγιάς, πολύ δε περισσότερο όταν αυτό το κτίριο είναι ένας χώρος που μπορεί να φιλοξενήσει εκατοντάδες ανθρώπους καθημερινά σε διάφορες εκδηλώσεις. Σκοπός αυτής της διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι να αποτυπωθούν οι εγκαταστάσεις πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης του Συνεδριακού & Πολιτιστικού Κέντρου του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών με το AutoCAD. Στόχος της είναι να διαπιστώσει αν ικανοποιούνται οι κανονισμοί πυρασφάλειας που έχει θέσει το Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα και λειτουργεί σύμφωνα με τους νόμους όσον αφορά τον τομέα της πυροπροστασίας. Η διπλωματική εργασία απευθύνεται σε άτομα που ασχολούνται με την εκπόνηση μελετών πυρασφάλειας, είτε είναι φοιτητές, είτε μηχανικοί, είτε στελέχη του Πυροσβεστικού Σώματος. Στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο γίνεται μια γενική περιγραφή του συστήματος πυρανίχνευσης και αναφέρονται τα είδη των πυρανιχνευτών, καθώς και τα κριτήρια επιλογής τους. Στη συνέχεια, καθορίζεται η μελέτη της παθητικής πυροπροστασίας, δίνονται υπολογισμοί και ανάλογα παραδείγματα. Ακολουθεί η ενεργητική πυροπροστασία, όπου αναφέρονται οι κατηγορίες των πυρκαγιών. Παρουσιάζονται αναλυτικά τα μέσα πυρόσβεσης, όπως και οι βασικότερες απαιτήσεις των Κανονισμών για την ενεργητική πυροπροστασία, ανά είδος κτιρίου. Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζουμε τις μελέτες πυρασφάλειας που έχουν εκπονηθεί για το Συνεδριακό Κέντρο του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών από την Τεχνική Υπηρεσία του Πανεπιστημίου. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, πρώτα παρουσιάζουμε τη μελέτη ενεργητικής πυροπροστασίας όπως αυτή συντάχθηκε από τον αρμόδιο μηχανικό. Στη συνέχεια υπάρχουν οι τεχνικές περιγραφές, οι οποίες αναφέρονται στα τεχνικά χαρακτηριστικά των στοιχείων πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης που χρησιμοποιούνται στο Συνεδριακό Κέντρο. Επίσης παρουσιάζεται η μελέτη παθητικής πυροπροστασίας στην οποία περιγράφονται τα πυροδιαμερίσματα του κτιρίου με τους θεωρητικούς πληθυσμούς και τις οδεύσεις διαφυγής. Στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζονται όλα τα σχέδια των χώρων του Συνεδριακού Κέντρου στα οποία είναι αποτυπωμένα τα στοιχεία πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης με το πρόγραμμα AutoCAD. Στη συνέχεια εξηγούμε το σκεπτικό με το οποίο έχουν τοποθετηθεί τα στοιχεία της πυρασφάλειας και πυρόσβεσης σε κάθε χώρο, έτσι ώστε να ικανοποιούνται οι κανονισμοί. Παράλληλα ελέγχουμε αν το κτίριο καλύπτει τους κανονισμούς πυρασφάλειας και είναι κατάλληλο για χρήση ή υπάρχουν κάποιες ελλείψεις που πρέπει να αντιμετωπιστούν. Τέλος στο παράρτημα παρουσιάζονται οι κανονισμοί πυρασφάλειας και πυροπροστασίας όπως αυτοί έχουν καθοριστεί από το Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα. Πιο συγκεκριμένα παρουσιάζεται το προεδρικό διάταγμα «Κανονισμός Πυροπροστασίας Κτιρίων (Π.Δ. 71/88)», το οποίο αποτελεί το βασικό διάταγμα σύμφωνα με το οποίο γίνονται όλες οι μελέτες πυροπροστασίας. / Each building that is being built is necessary to have the elementary protection in a case of fire. That is most important if a building can host everyday hundreds of people on several exhibitions. The main purpose of this work is to design the fire safety and fire protection systems of the installations in the Conference and Cultural Center of the University of Patras using the AutoCAD. The purpose of this work is to ascertain if the fire protection regulations instituted by the Fire Brigade are satisfied and the Center is safe on the part of the fire safety system. This work is addressed to people working on fire safety studies, such as students, engineers and members of the Fire Brigade. In the first chapter a fire detection system is described and various types of fire detectors are reported, as well as their choice criteria. Then, passive fire safety study determination is introduced, giving calculations and related examples. The description of energetic fire safety follows, where the categories of fires are reported. The means of firefighting are analytically presented, as well as the basic requirements of Regulations on the energetic fire safety, related to the building type. In the second chapter we present the fire safety studies that have been designed on the Conference and Cultural Center of the University of Patras by the Technical Service of the University. Firstly, we present the energetic fire safety study made by the engineer. Next, we present the technical rules, which report the characteristics of the fire safety elements in the Conference Center. Then, we present the passive fire safety study on which the fire compartments of the building are described, including the design populations and escape ways. In the third chapter all the drawing of the installations in the Conference and Cultural Center of the University of Patras are presented, on which all the fire safety and fire protection elements are designed using the AutoCAD. Then, we explain the reasons of why each element is installed in each room, using the Fire Brigade regulations. We also check if the regulations are accomplished and the building is safe for use or else if there are a few deficiencies to cope with. Finally, in the appendix we present the fire safety and fire protection regulations instituted by the Fire Brigade.

This study examined the perceived importance of availability of ICT-based features and technical support on meeting planners' recommendation/selection of a conference center. In addition, this study attempted to explain relationships between meeting planners' beliefs (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) toward ICT-based features and other factors: personal innovativeness of ICT (PIICT); perceived importance of the availability of technical support; self efficacy; and result demonstrability. A conceptually integrated and expanded model of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1986, 1989) was used as a theoretical frame. The subjects of the study were meeting planners who used the selected two conference centers for their meetings or were considering them for their future meetings. A total of 167 usable responses were gathered and the proposed model was empirically examined using the data collected. The results of the model test revealed that the expanded TAM with the integration of key factors provided a systematic view of the meeting planners' beliefs in selection/recommendation of a conference center with ICT-based features. In addition, factor analysis of the fifteen ICT-based features revealed three underlying dimensions based on meeting planners' perceived importance of the availability of each feature for a conference center selection: 1) high-speed wireless Internet; 2) network backbone; and 3) ICT-based service outlet. Specifically, high-speed wireless Internet was the most important ICT-based determinant of a conference center selection/recommendation to all types of meeting planners. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, the results provided limited facets of the impact of ICT-based feature and technical support on meeting facility selection/recommendation. Nevertheless, this study is the first research effort of its kind to investigate what type of ICT-based feature and technical support impact conference center selection/recommendation by different types of meeting planners the most. The results revealed that corporate meeting planners consider wireless Internet and a fast network more important in selection than other types of meeting planners do. The availability of ICT-based features was less important to association meeting planners when they make a conference center selection. This study also identified that there is a serious lack of knowledge in terms related to network backbones across all types of meeting planners. Technical support, especially on-site technical support, was perceived as very important to all types of meeting planners. This study also identified that meeting planners with high PIICT possess stronger confidence in using and visualizing the advantages of ICT-based features. Thus conference centers should make efforts to measure meeting planners' PIICT and use the score effectively for their marketing of ICT-based features. The study also identified result demonstrability—the visualizing of positive outcomes of using ICT-based features—as very important to meeting planners. PIICT and result demonstrability were positively related to perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness which were identified as key antecedents of actual acceptance/usage of technology in previous studies. The results of the current study present an important step toward providing practical as well as theoretical implications for future technology impact studies in the context of meeting facility selection. / Ph. D.

This thesis discusses the process of modeling a 21,000 seat fan-shaped auditorium using methods of geometric acoustics. Two commercial geometric acoustics software packages were used in the research: CATT-Acoustic™ 8.0 and EASE™ 4.1. The process first included creating preliminary models of the hall using published absorption coefficients for its surfaces and approximate scattering coefficients based on current best-known techniques. A detailed analysis determined the minimum numbers of rays needed in both packages to produce reliable results with these coefficient values. It was found that 100,000 rays were needed for CATT™ and 500,000 rays were needed for EASE™. Analysis was also done to determine whether the model was sensitive to the scattering coefficients of the seating areas. It was found that most acoustic parameters were not significantly affected by scattering coefficient variation. The models were subsequently refined by including measured absorption coefficients of dominant surfaces in the hall: the seats, audience and suspended absorptive panels. Comparisons were made between measurements made in the hall and results from the computer models with impulse responses, acoustic parameters, and auralizations. The results have shown that the models have been successful at representing characteristics of the hall at some positions but less successful at representing them at other positions. Comparisons have shown that positions on the rostrum were especially difficult positions to model in this hall. Significant differences were not found between the preliminary models and the refined models. There was not significant evidence showing that either the EASE™ or the CATT™ model was more successful in accurately representing the acoustical conditions of the hall. The results from this research suggest that more work must be done to improve the modeling capabilities of these packages for this application.

The main content of this master thesis is the proposition for the heating of a multi-purpose building. The aim of this project is to find the best way how to manage heating with "nearly zero" energy consumption. In the first part of the thesis there is a description of currently the most common systems leading to energy savings. The second part consists of three possible technical alternatives, containing technical solutions for this particular building with the regard to the requirements of the task. The third part then consists of the chosen solution.