Aesthetically Pleasing Efficient Intelligent Building Skins Engineering Essay

Aesthetically Pleasing Efficient Intelligent Building Skins Engineering Essay Architecture is no longer static and unchangeable – instead it is dynamic, responsive and conversant – The idea that building skins reflect the skins of living organisms: properly designed, they breathe, change form, and adapt to variations in climate – But can highly efficient intelligent skins still be aesthetically pleasing? â€Å"A building becomes a chameleon which adapts. A properly equipped and responsively clothed building would monitor all internal and external variables, temperature, hygrometry and light levels, solar radiation etc, to determine the best energy equation given these conditions and modify the building and it’s internal systems accordingly. It is not too much to ask of a building to incorporate, in its fabric and its nervous system, the very basic vestiges of an adaptive capability.† (Rogers 1978) The aim of this paper is to explore the notion of incorporating intelligence into a buildings faà §ade. The discussion about the energy efficiency of faà §ades has inspired many architects to no longer view the building envelope as static but as a dynamic being, that can adjust its shape, surface, function and interior spaces in real time in response to intelligent controls that monitor active feedback from the environment. Solar and wind energy, daylight, and water can be captured by buildings and reused efficiently. An Intelligent building is one that combines both active features and passive design strategies to provide maximum user comfort by using minimum energy. The intelligent faà §ade forms part of the intelligent building, it is what protects the inhabited interior whilst controlling exchanges between inside and outside at the envelope level. The plan being to respond effectively to changing climate conditions and inhabitant needs in order to improve functional performance. A buildings faà §ade doesn’t just play a key role in the sustainability of a building; adding to both energy efficien cy and the quality of the internal climate. It is also a fundamental part of the building’s aesthetic, adding to the structural outline and defining its visual impact on the urban surroundings. A faà §ade can only be described as intelligent when it makes use of natural renewable energy sources such as solar energy, airflows or ground heat to meet a building’s requirements in terms of heating, cooling and lighting. The idea that the fabric of a building can increase its interaction and response to external changes and internal demands with a prime objective of lowering the environmental load is an exciting concept. The facades almost become local, non-polluting energy suppliers to the building. The notion of intelligent building facades is not a new idea; however the implementation of high-tech skins has been slow. While fashionable and almost certainly advantageous, sceptical architects are afraid that operable components are magnets for value engineering or foresee them being stripped off their buildings in the future due to poor performance or poor maintenance. However, the rising cost of energy, latest environmental initiatives and the focus on the green propaganda has put great responsibility on architects and engineers to make continuous energy savings and this must be achieved through effective building design and clever management. Almost seven years after the European Union passed legislation requiring property owners to report on the energy performance of their buildings, a new round of tougher regulations is under way. Plans to revise the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in 2010 are expected to result in even tighter emissions targets for new buildings. Gradually more and more architects are beginning to enjoy automating their facades rather than leaving energy-efficient functions to chance. Consequently, the crucial boundary connecting the interior environment and the elements is getting more consideration and consequ ently more animated.

Article critique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Article critique - Assignment Example In the recent times, the vacancies for headship in school in UK are swelling up at alarming rate with increasing number of head-teachers who are opting for early retirement. Effective succession planning for selection and retention of head-teachers through leadership development programmes has become priority for UK government. The paper would critically analyze the article for the various issues and paradigms within the educational system that promote the need for government programmes. The initiatives are designed to create future educational leaders who would be able to fill the vacancies of senior school staff. Critique The article is highly relevant and gives deep insight into the developing crisis situation in UK schools which are faced with the huge problems of filling the vacancies of Headship with right candidates. Howson report (2007) shows concern on the government’s inability to fill the vacancies of headship in 35% of primary, 19% of secondary and 33% of special s chool. The authors are hopeful that FL program would be able to create committed leaders who would be able to do justice to the post of headship in the future. ... It greatly limits the scope of the programs and deters talents from non academia. They can bring in new ideas and approach to various paradigms of educational system and teaching. The article is divided into two distinct parts: one that elaborates an evaluated the ‘Future Leader’; and second part that tries to look into the crisis that has emerged with low retention and increasing trend of early retirement of the heads of the schools. While the two issues are important paradigms of education system, the authors’ have been ambiguous in clarifying whether the existing heads actually lack leadership traits. The issues have been examined in relative detail so that developing crisis of low retention of senior staff of schools could be identified. But the article is unable to identify linkages between the two issues for efficient delivery of goals of the FL programmes. There is ambiguity as to how the FL would be able to resolve the issue of early retirement of heads. B ut it has been successful in showing the viability of FL in schools primarily because of the fast transforming societal format which has increasingly become multicultural. The authors have used questionnaires, interview schedules and case studies to analyze the inputs from participants of the programme. At various stages of the programmes, the inputs from the participants and various stakeholders like host school management, senior staff, mentors of the participants etc. have been judiciously evaluated against the wider goals and objectives of the programme. The authors assert that while the initial programme was highly successful in developing educational leaders, the