Architecture Engineers Award

Integrating natural ecosystems into building envelopes has emerged as a promising strategy to improve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in urban contexts. Living Walls (LWs), as vertical green systems, offer both thermal regulation and ecological benefits. This study introduces a dynamic numerical model designed to accurately capture the complex thermal and moisture interactions between living walls and building façades, addressing current limitations in conventional Building Energy Simulation (BES) tools. Development of the Dynamic Living Wall Model The proposed Living Wall model was developed in the MATLAB® environment with a structure specifically designed to represent sensible and latent heat exchanges within the vegetation layer. Careful management of inputs and outputs enables seamless coupling with TRNSYS®, allowing the LW system to interact dynamically with the building fabric. This integrated approach facilitates whole-building energy simulations that accou...

Thermal comfort is a fundamental component of indoor environmental quality, directly affecting occupant health, productivity, and overall building performance. In office environments, achieving comfort while minimizing energy use remains a persistent challenge. Conventional HVAC systems typically rely on dry-bulb temperature (DBT) control; however, this simplified approach often overlooks radiant temperature effects, leading to spatial discomfort and inefficiencies. Limitations of Dry-Bulb Temperature–Based Control DBT-based HVAC control assumes uniform thermal conditions within indoor spaces, neglecting the influence of surrounding surface temperatures. In practice, variations in wall, window, and façade temperatures—especially near building perimeters—create uneven radiant conditions. These discrepancies can result in localized discomfort for occupants, even when DBT setpoints are technically met. Influence of Building Envelope Performance on Comfort Field measurements conducted...

  The continuous growth in the use of electrical equipment within buildings has intensified global concerns about rising energy consumption. In response, architectural design has increasingly focused on passive strategies that reduce cooling demand while maintaining indoor comfort. Among these strategies, shading devices play a critical role in mitigating overheating and managing solar gains when they are thoughtfully integrated into building façades at the early design stage. Role of Shading Devices in Climate-Responsive Design Shading devices are especially vital in regions with hot summers, where excessive solar radiation significantly increases cooling loads. Properly designed shading systems allow beneficial solar gains during winter while blocking unwanted radiation in summer. This seasonal adaptability positions shading devices as key architectural elements for balancing thermal comfort and energy efficiency across varying climatic conditions. Typologies of Architectural Sh...

Achieving an effective balance between indoor thermal comfort and operational energy consumption is a core objective of building thermal performance design. Conventional envelope design methods typically rely on fixed occupancy and operation schedules, overlooking the inherent randomness of real building use. This limitation often leads to inaccurate performance estimations and suboptimal design decisions. This study addresses this gap by integrating stochastic building operation behavior into the thermal optimization design of office building envelopes. Limitations of Deterministic Thermal Design Approaches Traditional thermal design practices assume predefined schedules for air-conditioning use and window operation, which fail to capture the variability of occupant behavior and operational uncertainty. Such deterministic assumptions can distort predictions of heating and cooling loads, ultimately affecting indoor comfort and energy efficiency. Recognizing these limitations provide...

Material-led design has emerged as a pivotal strategy in contemporary architectural research, emphasizing how the intrinsic properties of materials can shape both form and function. Hybrid structures, combining multiple natural materials, offer unique opportunities to expand the architectural design repertoire. This paper investigates a bamboo-wood hybrid pavilion that integrates the robustness of forked wood with the flexibility of bamboo poles, demonstrating the potential of hybrid material systems for sustainable and adaptive architectural solutions. Rationale for Bamboo-Wood Hybrid Systems Natural bamboo and wood possess complementary structural characteristics: bamboo provides lightweight flexibility and tensile strength, while forked wood offers load-bearing capacity and robustness. By strategically combining these materials, the hybrid system addresses limitations of individual materials, enabling complex spatial forms, improved resilience, and higher construction tolerance, pa...

Microbial colonization of buildings has traditionally been understood as a negative phenomenon associated with material decay and biofouling. This review reframes that perspective by positioning microorganisms as active, beneficial agents within architectural systems. By reconceptualising microbial presence as programmable biocatalysis, the study establishes a new foundation for integrating living systems into the built environment in ways that support ecological performance and regenerative design. From Biofouling to Beneficial Biocatalysis The transition from viewing microbes as contaminants to recognising them as functional partners marks a significant paradigm shift in architectural research. Microbial and fungal communities are shown to enable processes such as bioremediation, biomineralisation, and even energy generation. These processes transform architectural surfaces from passive envelopes into active metabolic interfaces capable of contributing to urban ecological cycles....

  Early-stage architectural design is highly dependent on precedent cases and accumulated domain knowledge, which help designers explore concepts, establish design logic, and reduce uncertainty. However, existing digital assistance tools struggle to effectively support this phase due to the dominance of visual information and the linguistic diversity found in architectural descriptions. This study addresses these challenges by proposing a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) framework specifically tailored to architectural design contexts. Challenges in Precedent-Based Architectural Assistance Architectural precedents are complex, multimodal, and context-sensitive, combining drawings, images, diagrams, and textual narratives. Traditional retrieval systems often fail to capture the underlying design logic or to align visual data with semantic descriptions. These limitations reduce retrieval accuracy and restrict the usefulness of precedent recommendations during conceptual desig...

The rapid diffusion of digital technologies has reshaped urban planning through data-driven and smart city paradigms. However, these approaches often overlook cultural continuity and contextual sensitivity, particularly in historic urban environments. This study responds to this gap by introducing a “wise city” approach that prioritizes heritage values while leveraging advanced digital tools. Focusing on architectural decision-making, the research positions 3D GIS as a bridge between technological efficiency and cultural preservation. Conceptual Framework of the Wise City in Heritage Contexts Unlike smart city models that emphasize efficiency and automation, the wise city concept integrates spatial knowledge, historical continuity, and place identity. Within this framework, architectural design is informed not only by present-day data but also by temporal layers of heritage significance. This study narrows the broader wise city framework to its architectural dimension, demonstratin...

In response to accelerating global challenges such as resource depletion, climate risk, and urban health inequality, architectural design is undergoing a fundamental shift from experience-based approaches to intelligence-driven practices. Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Architectural Design (AI4SAD) has emerged as a critical catalyst in this transformation. This study provides the first comprehensive mapping of AI4SAD research, examining how AI is being applied across architectural design stages, sustainability objectives, and algorithmic domains. Scope and Methodology of the Systematic Review The research is grounded in a systematic review of 408 scholarly studies, offering a robust spatiotemporal overview of global AI4SAD development. By analyzing patterns across regions, time periods, design phases, and sustainability targets, the study establishes a structured evidence base that reveals dominant research trajectories as well as underexplored areas within AI-driven sustai...

The construction sector continues to struggle with long-standing challenges related to low productivity, limited innovation, and fragmented organizational structures. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents significant opportunities for transformation under the paradigm of Smart Buildings and Construction 4.0 (SBC4.0), its implementation at the organizational level remains insufficiently understood. This study addresses this gap by examining how construction firms adopt AI and the organizational forces shaping these decisions. Theoretical Foundations for AI Implementation The research develops an integrated theoretical framework drawing on institutional theory, the resource-based view, and dynamic capabilities. Institutional theory explains how external pressures influence organizational behavior, while the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities highlight the internal assets and adaptive capacities required for AI adoption. Together, these perspectives provide a comprehens...

Understanding how users perceive and experience architectural spaces is a central concern in architectural research. With the advancement of immersive technologies, virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a powerful tool for simulating designed environments. This study focuses on evaluating a multisensory VR system that integrates visual, olfactory, and auditory stimuli to investigate human–built environment interactions under multimodal conditions. Multisensory VR and Sensory Architecture The research is grounded in the emerging field of sensory architecture, which seeks to move beyond vision-dominated representations of space. By incorporating smell and sound alongside visual cues, the multisensory VR system aims to simulate a more holistic and embodied spatial experience. This approach enables architects and researchers to better understand how multiple sensory inputs collectively shape perception and meaning in built environments. System Design and Prototype Development The study eval...