Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Marburg, 1980. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 214-240).

This thesis focuses on the development of design constraints for use in analyzing the capacity of the residential units' floor areas in Open Building projects. Two cases are used to demonstrate the use of these constraints: a vacant office building (Kales Building) being converted to residential occupancy; a new multi-story building the lower floors of which are hotel rooms and the upper floors are residential condominium units.The thesis suggests that these constraints and the capacity analysis of residential floor areas associated with them can assist design teams, at the beginning of similar projects; provide important "added value" to clients, and contribute to the long term "sustainability" or adaptability of buildings.The first part of the thesis addresses the question of how to design a residential base building which can accommodate an optimal number and variety of fit-out unit layouts. The answer to the question links to the need for design constraints and points to their use in capacity analysis.The second part of the thesis focuses on the deduction of "constraint-designing" for Open Building residential layout. Plumbing systems, which are one of the most significant barriers to the application of Open Building, are specifically and more deeply studied in this part. A series of constraints are developed, which can generally assist in designing and analyzing floor plate capacity. . It is akin to learning to know the rules before starting a game.The third part of the thesis focuses on the demonstration of the uses of constraints in the design process of the conversion of an abandoned office building to residential uses.The last part of the thesis demonstrates the use of constraints and capacity analysis in a new multi-story condo project.In short, the paper is initially concerned with both the design concept and its application into detail levels in one of the many issues. It is a study of methods and technical rules of designing floor plan layouts when capacity analysis is the aim. / Department of Architecture

The word "vecindad" in Spanish means neighborhood, but the word is also used to describe a dwelling form. The vecindad is usually known as a row of one-room dwellings surrounding an open space or patio. This kind of dwelling form exists in most Latin American countries as well as in Spain, however the word "vecindad" is used exclusively in Mexico. This dwelling form existed in Spain under the name of "corrales" and it was brought to Mexico in the XVI century with the Conquest of 1521. Initially, vecindades were built as multi-family tenements to rent to low-income artisans or workers in Mexico. There are two kinds: the multi-storied ones which were built within the Traza, which was the first design of Mexico City by the Spaniards; and the one-storied buildings built in the Indian barrios located on the periphery of the Traza. / While each vecindad is different, they share the same elements such as the zahuan (entrance), the patio, the dwellings and the accesorias (commercial spaces). The number and dimensions of these elements vary depending on the characteristics of each vecindad. / From the XVI century until the early XX century, vecindades comprised the majority of the housing stock in Mexico City. In the 1940's, due to the ideas of Functionalism, vecindades ceased to be built and were relegated as an old and traditional dwelling form in the center of the city. / This thesis presents the origin, evolution and present condition of vecindades within the Traza of Mexico City. Their adaptability to fulfill social, cultural and political circumstances throughout the history of Mexico City reveals their importance as the city's main collective urban dwelling form.

Room layout generation is the problem of generating a drawing or a digital model of an existing room from a set of measurements such as laser data or images. The generation of floor plans can find application in the building industry to assess the quality and the correctness of an ongoing construction w.r.t. the initial model, or to quickly sketch the renovation of an apartment. Real estate industry can rely on automatic generation of floor plans to ease the process of checking the livable surface and to propose virtual visits to prospective customers. As for the general public, the room layout can be integrated into mixed reality games to provide a better immersiveness experience, or used in other related augmented reality applications such room redecoration. The goal of this industrial thesis (CIFRE) is to investigate and take advantage of the state-of-the art mobile devices in order to automate the process of generating room layouts. Nowadays, modern mobile devices usually come a wide range of sensors, such as inertial motion unit (IMU), RGB cameras and, more recently, depth cameras. Moreover, tactile touchscreens offer a natural and simple way to interact with the user, thus favoring the development of interactive applications, in which the user can be part of the processing loop. This work aims at exploiting the richness of such devices to address the room layout generation problem. The thesis has three major contributions. We first show how the classic problem of detecting vanishing points in an image can benefit from an a-priori given by the IMU sensor. We propose a simple and effective algorithm for detecting vanishing points relying on the gravity vector estimated by the IMU. A new public dataset containing images and the relevant IMU data is introduced to help assessing vanishing point algorithms and foster further studies in the field. As a second contribution, we explored the state of-the-art of real-time localization and map optimization algorithms for RGB-D sensors. Real-time localization is a fundamental task to enable augmented reality applications, and thus it is a critical component when designing interactive applications. We propose an evaluation of existing algorithms for the common desktop set-up in order to be employed on a mobile device. For each considered method, we assess the accuracy of the localization as well as the computational performances when ported on a mobile device. Finally, we present a proof of concept of application able to generate the room layout relying on a Project Tango tablet equipped with an RGB-D sensor. In particular, we propose an algorithm that incrementally processes and fuses the 3D data provided by the sensor in order to obtain the layout of the room. We show how our algorithm can rely on the user interactions in order to correct the generated 3D model during the acquisition process.

No description available.

Cree communities in Northern Quebec have been going through rapid changes since the first arrival of the Eurocanadians on their lands. Their customs, their houses and their eating habits have been deeply influenced by western living patterns. Today, the houses and the community designs remind more of the suburban Canadian landscape. Yet, Native social, cultural and natural environment still differs from non-Native communities in Canada. / Traditionally, women used to play an important role in the domestic area. Due to colonization, Native women have lost their status and are not part of the decision making process of their homes. Despite that, Native women have continued to play a special role in fostering a sense of identity in their communities. It is therefore important to involve them in housing projects in order to find designs more adapted to the needs of their families. / The case study took place in Chisasibi, a Cree village at the North of James Bay, which has been relocated 17 years ago, and been living in fully equipped houses based on western designs. This thesis aimed at revealing the opinion of Native women about their domestic environment and collect their suggestions for future improvements. The results showed that Native families' lifestyles have become more and more diversified: some want to incorporate traditional behavior patterns, other on the contrary, are more inclined in living the western way. Of course age and social background play an important role in their opinions. Still, the major critic concerns the inappropriate designs, the lack of space and storage which tend to influence the way people use the space in the house. The thesis pointed out the importance of defining housing layouts in accordance to the Native families' choices and sense of identity.

No description available.

L’objectif de cette thèse CIFRE est d’étudier et de tirer parti des derniers appareils mobiles du marché pour générer des 3D des pièces observées. De nous jours, ces appareils intègrent un grand nombre de capteurs, tel que des capteurs inertiels, des cameras RGB, et depuis peu, des capteurs de profondeur. Sans compter la présence de l’écran tactile qui offre une interface pour interagir avec l’utilisateur. Un cas d’usage typique de ces modèles 3D est la génération de plans d’intérieur, ou de fichiers CAO 3D (conception assistée par ordinateur) appliques a l’industrie du bâtiment. Le modèle permet d’esquisser les travaux de rénovation d’un appartement, ou d’évaluer la fidélité d’un chantier en cours avec le modèle initial. Pour le secteur de l’immobilier, la génération automatique de plans et modèles 3D peut faciliter le calcul de la surface habitable et permet de proposer des visites virtuelles a d’éventuels acquéreurs. Concernant le grand public, ces modèles 3D peuvent être intégrés a des jeux en réalité mixte afin d’offrir une expérience encore plus immersive, ou pour des applications de réalité augmentée, telles que la décoration d’intérieur. La thèse a trois contributions principales. Nous commençons par montrer comment le problème classique de détection des points de fuite dans une image, peut être revisite pour tirer parti de l’utilisation de données inertielles. Nous proposons un algorithme simple et efficace de détection de points de fuite reposant sur l’utilisation du vecteur gravite obtenu via ces données. Un nouveau jeu de données contenant des photos avec des données inertielles est présenté pour l’évaluation d’algorithmes d’estimation de points de fuite et encourager les travaux ultérieurs dans cette direction. Dans une deuxième contribution, nous explorons les approches d’odométrie visuelle de l’état de l’art qui exploitent des capteurs de profondeur. Localiser l’appareil mobile en temps réel est fondamental pour envisager des applications reposant sur la réalité augmentée. Nous proposons une comparaison d’algorithmes existants développés en grande partie pour ordinateur de bureau, afin d’étudier si leur utilisation sur un appareil mobile est envisageable. Pour chaque approche considérée, nous évaluons la précision de la localisation et les performances en temps de calcul sur mobile. Enfin, nous présentons une preuve de concept d’application permettant de générer le plan d’une pièce, en utilisant une tablette du projet Tango, équipée d’un capteur RGB-D. Notre algorithme effectue un traitement incrémental des données 3D acquises au cours de l’observation de la pièce considérée. Nous montrons comment notre approche utilise les indications de l’utilisateur pour corriger pendant la capture le modèle de la pièce. / Room layout generation is the problem of generating a drawing or a digital model of an existing room from a set of measurements such as laser data or images. The generation of floor plans can find application in the building industry to assess the quality and the correctness of an ongoing construction w.r.t. the initial model, or to quickly sketch the renovation of an apartment. Real estate industry can rely on automatic generation of floor plans to ease the process of checking the livable surface and to propose virtual visits to prospective customers. As for the general public, the room layout can be integrated into mixed reality games to provide a better immersiveness experience, or used in other related augmented reality applications such room redecoration. The goal of this industrial thesis (CIFRE) is to investigate and take advantage of the state-of-the art mobile devices in order to automate the process of generating room layouts. Nowadays, modern mobile devices usually come a wide range of sensors, such as inertial motion unit (IMU), RGB cameras and, more recently, depth cameras. Moreover, tactile touchscreens offer a natural and simple way to interact with the user, thus favoring the development of interactive applications, in which the user can be part of the processing loop. This work aims at exploiting the richness of such devices to address the room layout generation problem. The thesis has three major contributions. We first show how the classic problem of detecting vanishing points in an image can benefit from an a-priori given by the IMU sensor. We propose a simple and effective algorithm for detecting vanishing points relying on the gravity vector estimated by the IMU. A new public dataset containing images and the relevant IMU data is introduced to help assessing vanishing point algorithms and foster further studies in the field. As a second contribution, we explored the state of-the-art of real-time localization and map optimization algorithms for RGB-D sensors. Real-time localization is a fundamental task to enable augmented reality applications, and thus it is a critical component when designing interactive applications. We propose an evaluation of existing algorithms for the common desktop set-up in order to be employed on a mobile device. For each considered method, we assess the accuracy of the localization as well as the computational performances when ported on a mobile device. Finally, we present a proof of concept of application able to generate the room layout relying on a Project Tango tablet equipped with an RGB-D sensor. In particular, we propose an algorithm that incrementally processes and fuses the 3D data provided by the sensor in order to obtain the layout of the room. We show how our algorithm can rely on the user interactions in order to correct the generated 3D model during the acquisition process.

iDuring the past twenty years, China has been making dramatic progress in both the quality and the quantity of collective housing construction. However, many old problems still exist, and many more new problems have emerged, especially in some historical and compact but now fastgrowing cities, such as Suzhou, a 2500-year historic city with more than one million people.The objective of this study is to explore a design strategy to improve the collective dwelling environment --- the most popular dwelling type in China today --- in such a fast growing context. In order to provide an improvement in urban dwelling environments for residents, it is necessary to rethink the interaction between the individual resident and his or her dwelling. "Because building a house is a cultural phenomenon, its form and organization are greatly influenced by the cultural milieu to which it belongs."' In concurrence with this statement, this study examines not only the contemporary urban situation and typical residential environment but also the traditional urban fabric and housing settlement.Based on the principle that a harmonious environment results from "a whole range of sociocultural factors"Z, this study seeks several equilibriums: between the urban tissue and the building, between the building and the dwelling, between nature and the human being. The author's longterm goal is to apply the knowledge gained in this study in future practice.In the first part of this report, theoretical research is presented concerning the evolution of Chinese housing. Narrowing its geographical focus, this study selects Suzhou, a medium-size city at Yangtze Delta --- one of the most rapidly growing and developing plains in China --- as the site for the study. The historical dwelling pattern and current public housing style have been studied. Drawing on extensive research and field observation, the scope of the study is confined to rebuilding the harmony between human beings in all their diversity and common needs, and the morphological, functional and environmental aspects of residential environments.In the second part, a design model is proposed. Inspired by traditional interdisciplinary design strategies, as well as by a brief study of contemporary social needs, the author has proposed a new housing type: bio-climatic "atrium type" collective housing. This type links bioclimatic design principles to the framework of Open Building. On this basis, an experimental design proposal is next presented. In a specific site, it examines a way to help people exercise control of their immediate living environment, with both individual and social sustainable perspectives in mind. / Department of Architecture