As a result of the diversity of home buyers within the current housing market, houses are increasingly designed with but little user input into the overall design process. Home builders require the development of design tools which will accommodate user needs within specific housing markets. This thesis investigates the reaction of builders to the participation of home buyers in the design process through the use of computer-aided design (CAD). / A review of the role of computers within the homebuilding industry is provided, including an historical overview of the use of CAD. The state of the art in CAD software applications is explored, with an assessment made of three low-cost software programs. Following a description of the existing design process in the homebuilding industry, a proposed system of user participation is outlined. A survey is taken of six builders in the Montreal and Ottawa regions to determine industry response to home buyer use of CAD as a design tool. / An analysis of the survey results reveals that although the builders are not currently participants in such a process, they are tentatively positive in their receptiveness to the idea of user-related CAD. The builders express many reservations concerning the available CAD systems, and they declare little interest in adopting the process as it presently exists. The relevant computer programs are found wanting, revealing a need for further development of both the software applications and the procedure for implementing CAD at the user participation level. Suggestions are offered for improvements in the process to the benefit of builder, designer, and end user.

No description available.

The purpose of this paper is to present, illustrate and systematize documentation on projected and existing international examples and housing conditions for an aging population and to question the architect's role in terms of person-environment relations.As architects we often base our design on assumptions. A thorough training in the techniques of systematic observation can provide information, and data for improvements and necessities.The paper consists of two main parts. The first part focuses on research of theoretical and practical design aspects through a retrospective look at the history and the physiology of aging.Major goals are:• To increase the knowledge of person-environment interactions through a better understanding of behavioral systems of older people (environment as a stimulant).• To examine environmental attributes constituting an appropriate environment for an independent life (therapeutic aspects of design).• To identify necessities and ways of filling gaps in the relationship between theoretical design aspects and their practical application.•To refelect on historical aspects of aging by showing the ambivalence and changeability in man's systems of values.The second part of the paper considers several international innovative housing and living arrangements in an illustrative way. / Department of Architecture

To build for living is to understand that built form exists only in relationship to the life that occupies it and that human life is better when it is in constant interaction with the built environment; we design it, build it, and change it as we design, build, and change our selves. Making your own place and changing it over time is an important component of living one's life to its fullest. To explore these issues, designs were made for an adaptable building type - the "mountain hut," a temporary accommodation for its wandering inhabitants. Designing it twice, as well as relocating the initial building type across the globe, from the mountains of Sierra Nevada to the Himalayas in Nepal, provided an opportunity to compare and understand the influences of local environmental and cultural conditions on the building's adaptability, as well as the level of interactivity its inhabitants could experience as they occupied and transformed the dwelling. Both designs incorporate sustainable design principles, which strengthen the overall comparison of climatic responses and the use of local materials and building technologies. / Department of Architecture

In this study, Multidimensional Scaling of a reperatory grid using five point scale was found to be a flexible, precise and sensitive method of measuring visual quality and preference. The results of the multidimensional scaling were found to be consistent with the arithmetic means of a five point rating scale. Each of the two major dimensions of the spatial configuration gave important insights into the criteria by which Muncie residents (Ball State Students) evaluated townscapes. "Dim 1" revealed the importance of whether the townscapes have dense or little vegetative cover, and "Dim 2" indicated that visual perception of a townscape is influenced by whether it is "old" or "new". In addition the resulting solutions also showed a high positive correlation between visual quality and preference.The dimensions may be used as generalized guidelines for determining characteristics of visual quality and preferred townscapes. / Department of Landscape Architecture

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between windows and interior design preferences in enclosed office spaces. The research sample consisted of forty executives from NASA. Subjects were asked to plan the interior design of an executive office space (simulated with a scale model) in response to four different window types and then asked to choose one of the four window types for the space. Subjects' reactions were observed and questioned throughout the experiment, to study the relation between windows and interior design preferences. Window functions and configurations, subjects' age, sex, country of origin, activity, and interaction levels were investigated as independent variables influencing the dependent variable perception of the relation between windows and interior design preferences. The data was analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and in-depth theoretical analysis of individual responses. Subjects' consciousness of the relation between windows and interior design preferences increased as activity and interaction levels increased. Window configurations and functions influenced interior· design preferences, especially furniture arrangement and color selection preferences. Interior design preferences influenced the choice of a window type to a considerable extent, perhaps as much as view and daylight. An overview of the study indicates that windows and interior design preferences are parts of a cyclic inter-relationship where each factor influences the other and therefore should each be considered with equal importance by both architects and interior designers. / Master of Science

No description available.

No description available.

Chan King Tak Alfred. / On double leaves. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2001-2002, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-106). / thesis statement --- p.2 / research methodology --- p.6 / interpretation in dance --- p.7 / Chapter - --- definition / Chapter - --- "thinking in folk, ballet & modern" / Chapter - --- boundary / Chapter - --- sets application / interpretation in architecture --- p.23 / Chapter - --- definition / Chapter - --- architectural theory / Chapter - --- transformation / Chapter - --- surface study / program --- p.40 / Chapter - --- program selection / Chapter - --- prcedent study / site selection & analysis --- p.51 / Chapter - --- TST East / Chapter - --- Pok Fu Lam / Chapter - --- Tai ̐ơ□ / design process --- p.69 / Chapter - --- research summary / Chapter - --- design methodology / Chapter - --- design development / Chapter - --- special study / appendix --- p.103 / Chapter - --- time schedule / Chapter - --- interview / Chapter - --- biblography

Gordon Kwok Tung Fong. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes Bibliographical references (p. 275-289). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.