AGATHÓN | International Journal of Architecture, Art and Design

Scalable territorial identity – Designing the communication of complexity

Luca Casarotto, Monica Oddone — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The design linked to the identity of places is an activity of particular interest for the design discipline, especially in its narration and value communication process addressed to a broad public. The design actions take place in a context of great complexity regarding the stratification of meanings and pre-existing visual systems, confronting very different territorial scales (from the nation to the single typical product). The experimentation described in the contribution presents a potential methodology for defining a scalable and multimodal territorial identity. This methodology, applied to a reference territorial context, is designed with tools specifically developed to counter the widespread fragmentation of communication, which usually determines situations of poor recognisability and strategic effectiveness.

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Received: 07/09/2024; Revised: 09/10/2024; Accepted: 10/10/2024

The mediation of Design – The integration between autonomous artificial agents, manufacturing production, and services

Flaviano Celaschi, Giorgio Casoni, Elena Formia — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper analyses the emergence of Autonomous Artificial Agents (AAA) and their impact on design in the era of Industry 4.0. Equipped with decision-making abilities, AAA is transforming the design of products and services and the relationship between production and consumption, leading to the introduction of new economic actors, such as ‘machine customers’. Through case study analysis in the Italian industrial context, this paper explores the implementation of these advanced technologies in business processes and invites reflection on the role of designers in the age of intelligent machines, suggesting a responsible approach that considers the ethical and social implications. Finally, future perspectives related to the widespread adoption of AAA are discussed, focusing on the evolution of the programmable economy and its effects on design and businesses.

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Received: 09/09/2024; Revised: 22/10/2024; Accepted: 23/10/2024

Verbal Design Modelling – Complexity, AI and product innovation

Jacopo Mascitti, Davide Paciotti — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The constant increase in tools for content generation through Artificial Intelligence (AI) is influencing and will increasingly impact the design field. This paper analyses the application of AI technology for text-to-image conversion in the specific area of product design, particularly during the development of initial concepts, identifying significant implications for innovation in industrial products. For the first time, technology can assist designers in the product conception phase, rather than in a later stage. An experimental approach, called Verbal Design Modelling (VDM), is presented and discussed. It aims to develop innovative product concepts through AI text-to-image software, to manage the complexity of AI-designer interaction in this specific context.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 09/10/2024; Accepted: 10/10/2024

Dealing with Complexity – Knowledge, design, and management of the built environment

Cesare Sposito, Francesca Scalisi — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

AGATHÓN issue number 16 is a collection of essays, studies, research and projects on ‘Dealing with Complexity | Knowledge, design, and management of the built environment’. Complexity (from the Latin verb ‘plectere’ = to weave, ‘cum’ = together) is a condition in which many elements intertwine together to form a unit. The ‘complexity’ of the Planet’s condition is evident: climate change, according to Amitav Ghosh (2017), is not a danger in itself but rather represents a ‘threat multiplier’ that stresses and amplifies the instability and insecurity already present in some areas of the world, even more so because many industrialised countries have already greatly exceeded their relative ‘biocapacity’, effectively becoming ‘ecological debtors’.

In this view, ‘complex’ should be brought back to its etymological meaning of ‘woven’ or ‘held together’, connecting different forms of knowledge in the virtuous circle of a body of knowledge articulated in a systemic view of the real world based on the principle of ‘co-evolution’ of social and ecological systems (of culture and nature) and the awareness that it determines; on the one hand, the interweaving of multiple causal chains (e.g., although the pandemic crisis is a health crisis it has also become a biological, ecological, economic, social, cultural and spiritual crisis) with interdependent effects, and on the other hand, effects that also retroact on causes since causality is circular. According to Ceruti and Bardi (2021), unfortunately, it isn’t easy to translate this vision into the workings of everyday life and to guide both the observation of the world and the project, which is an expression of our being in the world.

How we live, regardless of where this happens, has an impact on the biosphere and determines chain reactions in different areas that affect both nature and human beings on a global scale: climate change, health risks, loss of biodiversity, indiscriminate use of non-renewable resources, inequalities, and accessibility contribute to a condition of ‘polycrysis’ that amplifies the state of uncertainty about our future and the vulnerability of the entire ecosystem, especially since the actions put in place do not address the cogent environmental issue in a systemic and holistic key.

Therefore, the question is, how do we transform complexity from challenge to opportunity? How do we deal with the complex issues that concern the knowledge, the design, and the management of the built compared to the now essential pragmatic indicators of environmental, social, and economic sustainability? Which strategies, measures, actions, and tools can Architecture disciplines implement in a holistic view and with a systems approach to meet the terms of the Paris Agreement? How do we identify those with the best cost/benefit ratio capable of producing synergies to achieve the largest possible number of the Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations? How do we rethink extractive (production-based) economic systems and direct them toward regenerative ones (based on the enhancement of that which already exists and of services)? How to put into practice new systemic design approaches capable of addressing today’s complexities from their roots, developing solutions through which entire societies can intentionally transition to a more sustainable, equitable, and desirable long-term future, including through co-created visions capable of informing the solutions of the present and paving the way to a desirable future? How do we place knowledge and learning into a system to better understand the current era’s multidimensional, fundamental, and global issues in their irreducible complexity?

The articles published in issue 16 of AGATHÓN offer valuable insights into addressing the complex issues surrounding the knowledge, design, and management of the built environment in light of the increasingly urgent pragmatic indicators of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, demonstrating that the complexity of the built environment, rather than being a challenge, can become an opportunity to advance the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The published contributions certainly do not fully encompass the fields of inquiry, strategies, measures, and actions that the scientific community and the construction sector can implement to contain human activity within planetary boundaries and make both the built environment and biophysical systems more resilient. However, they provide an initial theoretical-practical framework on the topic, which will hopefully contribute to stimulating the scientific debate and inspire new research initiatives based on multiscalar approaches, capable of leveraging the potential of digital technologies to address the pressing challenges of contemporary times, including the global goals of climate and carbon neutrality.

Green climate-adaptive streetscapes regeneration – The De Urbanisten Experience in Antwerp

Marcello Corradi, Timo Stevens, Ina Macaione, Alessandro Raffa, Bianca Andaloro — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The contribution aims to explore the theme of complexity in relation to some of the current and urgent challenges of our time. Reflecting on trans-disciplinarity in architecture means venturing into uncertain territory: architecture employs hybrid ways of understanding reality, bridging scientific and non-scientific knowledge, as well as theoretical and practical insights. The paper introduces an ongoing research about nature-based climate-adaptive streetscape applied in the City of Matera, focusing on the role of research-driven design processes in urban regeneration. Inside this theoretical and operational framework, the paper reflects upon the crucial contribution of the globally Dutch architectural Studio De Urbanisten and its spatial approach to contemporary complexity, with a focus on climate adaptation and nature inclusivity. In this regard, the paper discusses the ongoing Research by design experimentation for the Belgian City of Antwerp, which resulted in a global Masterplan and a pilot project currently under implementation.

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Received: 20/09/2024; Revised: 15/10/2024; Accepted: 17/10/2024

Public space project, between complexity and ecological crisis – From challenge to opportunity for urban regeneration

Tommaso Berretta, Federico Desideri, Matteo Staltari — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Contemporary times impose conditions of hypercomplexity, stemming from the overlap of contextual demands with the forces shaping the evolution of the landscape, which design disciplines are called upon to address. The field of investigation for this response is public space, a strategic area for experimenting with and challenging paradigms that cannot interpret current conditions of uncertainty and non-linearity. Starting from the current ecological crisis, the proposed approach abandons rigid formal structures, embracing scenarios with mutable and flexible outcomes. This perspective, already explored in case studies spanning landscape, urban design, and public space, becomes a paradigm to address complexities and design disorder, opening the way for a redefinition of design from both procedural and strategic viewpoints.

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Received: 09/09/2024; Revised: 09/10/2024; Accepted: 10/10/2024

Co(mplex)city – User as urban sensor and accessible mobility in the Mobiquity project

Nicola Valentino Canessa, Chiara Centanaro — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The new media technology tools and co-production processes used in the ongoing POR FESR Mobiquity – Shared Solutions for Safe and Inclusive Mobility project aim to increase the complexity of reading the city, identifying those who live the territory the interlocutor to build shared projects and improve the accessibility of urban services. The project investigates the theme of public transport accessible to all as an element of redesigning the city; through the application of transdisciplinary processes in the multicity, the project investigation is constructed through the relationship of quantitative and qualitative, objective and subjective data, in a decision-making ecosystem involving Administrations, the University, public transport companies and citizens, for the transition to the Co(mplex)city.

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Received: 11/09/2024; Revised: 02/11/2024; Accepted: 04/11/2024

Ageing population and urban spaces – New digital challenges for elderly well-being

Maria Rosario Chaza Chimeno, Rosaria Revellini, Cristiana Cellucci — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The essay proposes a critical reading of some of the main issues currently underway globally concerning the growing percentage of elderly people living in urbanised contexts affecting their well-being. Looking at urban complexity with respect to the elderly cohort means investigating the constant evolution of the person-environment relationship and the existing limits, as well as the negative consequences of climate change and its influence on the health of frail subjects. In relation to these dynamics, digitalisation is identified as a transversal challenge that can support active and healthy ageing. The contribution addresses the issues emerging from the reference literature, highlighting critical issues and potentialities concerning the coexistence of these themes for possible future research scenarios in the field of technological and environmental design.

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Received: 11/09/2024; Revised: 13/10/2024; Accepted: 15/10/2024

Critiquing complexity and contradiction in Architecture

Jonathan Ochshorn — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper challenges the idea that complex building geometries reflect the complexity of contemporary life; it does so by examining Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, Robert Venturi’s seminal work from 1966, as well as later writings by advocates of a computationally-driven complexity. The essay shows that: a) complexity, rather than being defined absolutely, is relative in everyday speech; b) complexity, as defined in natural systems, cannot be extrapolated to human behavior; c) modern life is becoming simpler, rather than more complex; d) complexity is typically embedded within products and systems and, as such, inaccessible to ordinary consciousness; e) architectural complexity reflects a competitive drive for notoriety associated with avant-garde production, and leads to energy-inefficient buildings with an increased risk of control layer failure.

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Received: 06/09/2024; Revised: 03/10/2024; Accepted: 04/10/2024

An Educational Centre in Salez – Designing sustainability through simple interactions between users and architecture

Cristian Dallere, Matteo Tempestini — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article presents the case study of the Landwirtschaftliches Centre as an example of a building capable of promoting new modes of interaction between users and architecture through simple and analogical technologies. The paper aims to understand how a low-tech approach, based on prefabrication, local materials, and solutions without automation, can stimulate user awareness and responsibility. The study, conducted through site visits and interviews with users and the centre’s director, Markus Hobi, underlines how a ‘structural’ design approach can generate conscious and positive interactions between users and architecture. The paper’s originality lies in exploring the educational role of these interactions, which can offer a new perspective on architectural sustainability.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 07/10/2024; Accepted: 09/10/2024

Urban architectural heritage and climate change – An opportunity to address its complexity

Alessandra Biasi, Veronica Riavis, Isabella Zamboni, Alberto Cervesato — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper discusses ongoing research at the University of Udine on environmental sustainability and risk assessment for built Heritage, which is increasingly affected by climate change. The study is part of the iNEST Young Researcher’s Call project, focusing on the rural mountainous areas of northeastern Italy as a case study. It brings together various disciplines to develop critical knowledge aimed at safeguarding built environments and improving holistic management tools. Specifically, it investigates the impact of climate on Daltz architecture, particularly in the village of Andreis (Pordenone, Italy). The research is based on targeted analytical investigations using specialised expertise, with a focus on wooden materials.

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Received: 12/09/2024; Revised: 09/10/2024; Accepted: 10/10/2024

Heritage for a sustainable future – The theoretical principle of reversibility and its reflections on architecture

Roberta Fonti — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The theme of reversibility in architecture focuses on the addition of the new to the existing and how this ‘input’ can be made reversible to preserve the pre-existing ideas budding in the Italian culture of Restoration and promoting new ideas in architectural design and the sustainable reuse of building materials, according to the different seasons of Kunstwollen. The experiences, which the contribution critically exposes, are oriented towards the possibility of ensuring the effective reversibility of interventions while addressing the theme of the design of reversible architectural elements and revisiting traditional techniques and materials, reinterpreted in a new key, also about the themes of demographic increase and the growing need for ‘flexibility’ typical of the contemporary era.

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Received: 21/09/2024; Revised: 11/11/2024; Accepted: 12/11/2024

Knowledge, innovation, and change – The power of error in design and complex systems

Claudia Porfirione, Xavier Ferrari Tumay, Isabel Leggiero — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores the relationship between complexity, error and design, highlighting how the dynamic interaction between these elements is crucial in addressing the challenges of contemporary design. An interdisciplinary analysis investigates the role of error as a strategic resource in education and professional practice, and a methodology is proposed that systematises the management of error, encouraging the emergence of innovative and adaptive solutions. The importance of a flexible and open approach is emphasised, recognising error as a central element in stimulating innovation, broadening perspectives, improving design processes and fostering ongoing growth in the field.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 12/10/2024; Accepted: 14/10/2024

Human-de-centred Design – Towards a (new) era of suffering

Niccolò Casiddu, Francesco Burlando, Boyu Chen — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

To tackle the global challenges of the Anthropocene, this paper proposes the concept of Human-de-centred Design, a new design approach aimed at decisively moving beyond Human-centred Design. Positioned as a stronger alternative to similar attempts from the posthumanism field, this new paradigm promotes a vision in which the needs of ‘non-human agents’ are prioritised. This leads to a proactive removal of the user from the centre of the design process, requiring that human interests be subordinated to the ecosystem’s needs. To achieve this post-anthropocentric revolution, the concept of the ‘era of suffering’ is introduced, intended to highlight the efforts required from humanity. To illustrate this concept, three case studies are analysed, demonstrating how design can challenge traditional logic and adopt a more radical perspective that removes the human user from the centre of the project.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 11/10/2024; Accepted: 14/10/2024

Design and Gastrophysics – Innovation and sustainability of multisensory food systems

Carla Langella, Dario Russo, Francesca Scalisi — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In recent years, Design has assumed an increasingly significant role in the field of food systems, contributing through the formulation of strategies and approaches as well as the creation of innovative artefacts and solutions. This integration is evident in the most advanced iterations of food culture, such as Molecular Cuisine, nutraceuticals, and Sci-Fi Food, which apply scientific tools and principles of Design to food production and consumption processes. From this perspective, the paper explores the emerging scientific field of Gastrophysics, interpreting it not only as an analytical tool but also as a design methodology to foster sustainable innovations in Food Design. The contribution also provides an overview of the state of the art of sustainable food systems, with a focus on recent experiments and projects that, through the synergies between Gastrophysics and Communication Design, Service Design, Technological Innovation, and Medical Design, can open up new holistic and systemic perspectives for research fields that can develop synergies between the different Sustainable Development Goals.

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Received: 03/07/2024; Revised: 10/12/2024; Accepted: 11/12/2024

Bodies, minds, and design – An integrated approach to museum innovation

Antonella Rosmino — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores the impact of emerging technologies, with a particular focus on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), within the museum experience. Analysing various case studies highlights the potential of BCIs in visual communication design to personalise the interaction between the visitor and artwork, making experiences more engaging and meaningful. To overcome the limitations of current approaches, the paper proposes a reflection on an integrated model that combines neuroscience, design, and the humanities, centred on the individual and their interaction with the environment. This interdisciplinary approach, which lacks established design traditions in Visual Communication for Cultural Heritage, aims to offer new research perspectives to enhance individual perceptions during multisensory experiences of cultural heritage.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 10/10/2024; Accepted: 12/10/2024

Complexity and meanings of the mashrabiya in the Islamic arts between tradition and digital innovation

Federica Dal Falco, Omaymah Al Azhari — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In relation to the theme of complexity and its etymological meaning in terms of an intertwining of elements that constitute a unit characterised by variability, the contribution focuses on the cultural heritage of Islamic art by considering the connections, environmental and socio-cultural interactions, and the intersections between craftsmanship and design of the Mashrabiya. Consisting of a projecting volume on the street front, covered with refined modular patterns typically in wood, the screen functions as a climatic and privacy device, adhering to some traditional principles of the Arab world, especially those related to the condition of women. The study investigates the symbolic and cultural role of the Mashrabiya, analysing the calculations and geometries underlying the design of the patterns and proposing their systematisation in open-source archives. Striking a balance between tradition and innovation, to preserve and transmit the value of the Mashrabiya for future developments, the contribution explores the integration between artisanal techniques and parametric design through the collaboration of different expertise.

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Received: 17/09/2024; Revised: 13/10/2024; Accepted: 15/10/2024

Unveiling the complexity of circular transition for the upholstered furniture sector

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper investigates the strategies that Design can implement to reduce the environmental impact of upholstered furniture by addressing its constituent elements, material choices, and methods of assembly and disposal. The literature review highlights that, despite the significant importance of the upholstered furniture sector within the Italian economy, more attention should be given to the circularity and sustainability of processes and materials throughout the product’s life cycle. For this reason, the paper presents the research journey of the Circular Sofa Platform project, emphasising the need to define a new platform paradigm for upholstered furniture that respects its complexity while meeting the requirements of circularity and sustainability, an integral part of a sustainable development scenario for the contemporary production chain.

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Received: 13/09/2024; Revised: 16/10/2024; Accepted: 18/10/2024

Biomaterials and wetlands – Supply chains for construction and textiles through the enhancement of local ecosystems

Eugenia Morpurgo — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Climate change and the consequent loss of biodiversity pose a threat to humanity. In response, design practices that integrate ecosystem conservation and biomaterial production are emerging, promoting ecological design. Two case studies, one in the construction sector and the other in textiles, illustrate how design can contribute to this goal by adapting to the specificity and complexity of local ecosystems. The projects demonstrate that the interaction between materials, technologies, and ecological environments not only fosters sustainability but also creates economic opportunities through innovative and local production chains. The comparison between the two cases highlights distinct yet complementary approaches, suggesting potential cross-pollination between productive sectors to promote more sustainable local economies.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 10/10/2024; Accepted: 11/10/2024

Resilience tactics for coastal urban areas – The Marina di Latina and the New York Harbour

Marcus Carter, Federico Ianiri, Carmela Mariano — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The contribution presents new theoretical and methodological frameworks for urban coastal planning to enhance climate change resilience processes by defining and implementing urban resilience macro-strategies. The research, based on experiments conducted in both American and Italian contexts, highlights the vulnerability and susceptibility of urban coastal areas to hydraulic risks associated with climate change, such as extreme events and sea level rise. The study also reports on the results of current pilot projects testing these macro-strategies. The findings underscore the importance of adopting integrated, multidisciplinary, and interscalar approaches for the transformation and protection of urban coastal areas.

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Received: 09/09/2024; Revised: 13/10/2024; Accepted: 15/11/2024

Revitalising rural communities – Energy self-sufficiency and valorisation of local forest resources

Giuseppe Losco, Chiara Pasqualini, Mohammadjavad Khodaparast — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines strategies for revitalising historic rural mountain settlements suffering from demographic decline, focusing on those in the earthquake-affected area of the central Apennines hit in 2016. Through a holistic, multidisciplinary, and multi-scalar approach, the paper investigates the interconnections between economic revival – driven by the enhancement of local resources – and the energy upgrading of settlements to improve quality of life and encourage long-term repopulation. A methodology for assessing the technical feasibility of achieving energy self-sufficiency is developed to initiate virtuous circular systems, where environmental protection, local economic benefits, and global goals of climate neutrality and energy independence reinforce each other, ultimately benefiting local communities.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 14/10/2024; Accepted: 16/10/2024

Designing BIPV – Strategies for managing complexity in the integration of photovoltaics in facades

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Recent European plans for energy and climate promote the adoption of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPVs) as key technologies to address the diverse challenges associated with climate neutrality. Although advancements in photovoltaic technology offer promising perspectives in terms of efficiency and durability, integrating these technologies into building components remains a complex and uncommon practice. Aiming to address the complexities related to BIPV system design and encourage broader commercialisation, this article presents a series of design strategies to tackle architectural, technological, economic, and environmental issues through a critical analysis of a real-world case study.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 12/10/2024; Accepted: 14/10/2024

Embodied computation and spatiomateriality – Exploring complexity through cybermodelling

Aileen Iverson-Radtke, Otto Paans — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

To improve its effectiveness, today’s digital design requires ‘bounded complexity’ due to the nature of the parameters involved in modelling, creating a balance between the complexity of the design problem and the tool. In addition to parameters related to form and context, a third element emerges, ‘spatiomateriality’, reflecting the connection between objects and space in physical making, as materials respond directly to changes induced by the context. This study explores a new way of using spatiomateriality through an innovative digital-analogue interface called ‘cybermodelling’: by linking real-time environmental data to digital models, cybermodelling creates ‘live’ models that react to changing conditions, generating digitised spatiomateriality. Such computational design environments support phenomenological aspects of form and space by integrating real and virtual spheres.

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Received: 11/09/2024; Revised: 14/10/2024; Accepted: 16/10/2024

Hidden logic of complexity – Graphical interfaces and algorithms for the building system

Anna Osello, Michele Zucco, Emmanuele Iacono, Matteo Del Giudice — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Complexity theory provides an essential framework for analysing buildings as complex systems, influenced by the interaction of architectural, structural and building services elements. To manage this complexity, BIM methods and tools for Facility Management leverage the language of drawing to represent the complexity of data and optimise its management. The analysis of more than three thousand rooms of the Piedmont Region Palace as a case study for this contribution demonstrates how algorithms and automatisms can facilitate the management of large amounts of data to improve the visualisation and interpretation of information. This paper examines the value of graphical interfaces in revealing hidden logics of complexity and transforming them into resources available to users for a new decision support system.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 11/10/2024; Accepted: 14/10/2024

Digital models and natural language – New perspectives for interpreting complexity

Anna Osello, Francesca Maria Ugliotti, Nicola Rimella, Francesco Loddo — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

New perspectives for interpreting complexity are now made possible by the collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence through large language models. This approach can enrich the narrative of construction and infrastructure works through tangible and comprehensible semantic representations that increase the accessibility of digital models to users in the field. The research explores using a chatbot as a possible cognitive interpretation tool to improve understanding and knowledge extraction from increasingly complex data systems. The study results describe and highlight the crucial role of the prototype in supporting the interrogation of graphical and alphanumeric information in OpenBIM format of critical infrastructure for management, maintenance and personnel training purposes.

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Received: 10/09/2024; Revised: 11/10/2024; Accepted: 14/10/2024

Optimising usability in museums – Integrated management of data on the use of space and cultural content

Teresa Villani, Gianmauro Romagna, Angelo Oddi — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In the context of digitalising cultural heritage, museums are evolving from being mere keepers of culture to becoming promoters of knowledge and social participation. This paper explores the museum as a dynamic and inclusive service, advocating for a predictive approach to usability and introducing an integrated methodology that combines qualitative spatial configuration analysis with quantitative data collected via IoT sensors to enhance the museum experience. A digital tool developed in a BIM environment was applied to the Museum of Rome – Palazzo Braschi case study, which integrates and visualises spatial and behavioural data. The results highlight how predictive approaches and advanced technologies improve the management of usability and participation. This methodology can assist museum managers in monitoring spaces, visitor flows, and accessibility regulations.

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Received: 14/09/2024; Revised: 15/10/2024; Accepted: 17/10/2024

Complexity, n-city, and multilevel dynamic systems – Towards a networked (geo)urbanity and networks

Manuel Gausa — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Since the beginning of the 21st century and with the digital revolution, a new relational logic of holistic complexity (based on diversified processes in variable evolution) has replaced the old (com)positional logic of urban planning, necessitating close collaboration with new digital technologies, and especially with the 5 IN prefixes (Information + Interaction + Interconnection + Integration + Innovation). These elements form a foundational equation for a new definition of spaces, cities, and habitats. This paper explores the challenges (and primary research) that have driven the emergence and evolution of this new logic of complexity over the past 30 years, applying the concept of n-City through different strategic approaches tied to its evolution. It also examines how these approaches reformulate practices and terminologies of traditional urbanism (i.e., about the city) via the alternative concept coined by Ildefons Cerdà, ‘urbanism’ (i.e., qualitatively linked to the city).

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Received: 23/09/2024; Revised: 17/10/2024; Accepted: 21/10/2024

The Ideal City

Federico M. Butera — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The planetary boundaries transgressions show that the functional integrity of the biosphere is in great danger. The cause lies in human activities, which are the product of the current economic and cultural model. The complex environmental system, with its tight interconnections between various planetary boundaries, is closely linked to another complex system: human society. Together, they form a super-system whose stability is at risk. The most significant cause of this instability is represented by urban centres, due to their metabolism, the analysis of which allows us to identify actions to minimise their environmental and social impacts. To implement these actions, since urban centres are also complex systems, we must abandon the planning models followed so far and adopt one more suitable for them.

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Received: 13/09/2024; Revised: 28/09/2024; Accepted: 05/10/2024

Generative IA and complexity – Towards a new paradigm in regenerative digital design

Consuelo Nava, Alessandro Melis — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The synthesis of artificial intelligence, deep learning and parametric design in regenerative digital design can significantly reshape the pre-design phase in climate scenarios. By formulating a new workflow linking computational processes with human-centred design, it is possible to realise a more adaptive approach to environmental design that anticipates the complexities of our built environment and fosters responsive and resilient collective creativity. Starting from the abstract and introduction, a focus is proposed to investigate the complexity and emerging field of regenerative digital design, particularly in climate scenarios. The basic premise is that AI’s deep learning and natural language processing capabilities can go beyond simple visual outcomes to address nuanced and multifaceted design challenges.

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Received: 14/10/2024; Revised: 18/10/2024; Accepted: 20/10/2024

Architect training in multifaceted environments – A new cognitive level approach

Andrea Giachetta, Linda Buondonno — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper originates from the awareness that today we live in such a complex world that many of the assumptions on which, until a few decades ago, we based the activity of planning how to transform our environment for living have gone completely awry. On this basis, we will put forward an argument for a cognitive expansion of the training processes for new generations of architects, focusing on the use of mental images. Such an approach, useful for the increasingly indispensable continuous self-training of architects, can accustom them to more appropriate and flexible methods of planning spaces, in their perceptual and material-constructive aspects and could also be helpful – as some recent experiments show – for better tackling the digital transition, one of the most widespread and integrated aspects of contemporary complexity.

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Received: 04/09/2024; Revised: 20/09/2024; Accepted: 26/09/2024