Special Issue "Architecture: Integration of Art and Engineering"

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Oleg Kapliński
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Guest Editor
Faculty of Architecture, Poznań University of Technology, ul. Jacka Rychlewskiego 2, 60-965 Poznań, Poland
Interests: project engineering and management; decision making; integral design and management; sustainability; research methods in CE and architecture
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Agata Bonenberg
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Architecture, Poznan University of Technology, Poland
Interests: flexible interior design; design of inclusive and universal environments; color in architecture
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Wojciech Bonenberg
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Architecture, Poznań University of Technology, Poznań, Poland
Interests: requirements engineering in architectural design; BIM technology in architectural design; sustainable architecture and infrastructure; prefabrication and modular building; research methods and techniques applied in architecture
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Marco Lucchini
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Interests: social housing; architectural design; the identity of architecture concerning fragile and marginal territories

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Architecture and engineering generate much excitement. New design techniques and methods and implementation results stimulate the interest of researchers, designers, and the public. It is common knowledge that interesting solutions exist at the border of architecture and engineering. We would like to invite you to share your creative and engineering accomplishments. After all, borderline issues are attractive and inspiring.

In the current Special Issue, we pay attention not only to the engineering of architecture itself, but also to beauty, creativity, social aspects in architecture and engineering, and to interior design—thus, not only to cubature architecture.

The problem area at the border of beauty and engineering, or the border of art and technology, is multidimensional. In this issue, we list a few subject groups.

Please note the whole range of evolving design paradigms, including open-source architecture (OSArc) based on imagination, and shaping the universalization of infrastructure. Note the importance of knowledge, including examples of the use of evidence-based design, intelligence-based design, design thinking method, as well as the ways in which quality assessment methods, such as post-occupancy evaluation (POE), building performance evaluation (BPE) are applied in architecture. To what extent are they related to the designer’s creativity?

Presentations of experiences of the use of, among others, integral design and management, BIM and building life cycle modeling (BLCM), 3D to 7D modeling, parametric design, and advanced visualization will be welcome. Digital support for decision-making processes in architecture and civil engineering already has a long-standing tradition worthy of presentation.

As part of sustainability, we suggest paying attention to architectural revitalization and bioclimatic architecture. Cost–benefit analysis (CBA), circular economy (including circular building), building life cycle, and reducing energy consumption in buildings are inextricably linked with those issues.

In the area of interior architecture, we can expect articles in the realm of virtual reality and parametric methods, sustainable and recycling materials in interior design, flexibility, responsibility, experiences in interior architecture, and light and color in interior design.

Two threads are also worth highlighting: the designer’s place in the chain linking architecture, engineering, construction, and operation and maintenance; and public participation in architectural design.

Prof. Dr. Oleg Kapliński
Prof. Dr. Agata Bonenberg
Prof. Dr. Wojciech Bonenberg
Prof. Marco Lucchini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Art
  • Construction engineering
  • Cubature architecture
  • Interior architecture
  • Process design
  • Design paradigms
  • Cost–benefit analysis
  • Digitization in architecture and civil engineering

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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Article
Application of Advanced Building Techniques to Enhance the Environmental Performance of Interior Components
Buildings 2021, 11(7), 309; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11070309 - 17 Jul 2021
Viewed by 625
Abstract
This paper discusses the impact of advanced building techniques, in tune with selected building materials and their physical attributes, applied to complete constitutive interiors components on these components’ environmental performance and aesthetics. There is an understanding of technological practices as essential for the [...] Read more.
This paper discusses the impact of advanced building techniques, in tune with selected building materials and their physical attributes, applied to complete constitutive interiors components on these components’ environmental performance and aesthetics. There is an understanding of technological practices as essential for the effective management of the design process; still, the creative introduction of advanced building techniques is not commonly recognized by interior architects. The objective of the research is to indicate the possible multidimensional consequences of the analysis of materials’ physical attributes and the consistent application of advanced building techniques to complete interior components. The basis for this study formed the design concepts of aesthetic functionalism, place attachment, and a content-context model of the association between interior components and the building fabric. Some theoretical frameworks were used for a qualitative evaluation of interior components of selected cultural facilities completed in the last decade in Poland. The performance of these components was measured in the function of applied innovative building techniques and specified building materials. Research findings have proved the impact of building techniques on the performance of interior components as instruments to increase interior functional use, formal uniformity, and aesthetic cohesion of buildings and their inner spaces, as well as the scale of multisensorial effectiveness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architecture: Integration of Art and Engineering)
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Article
Contemporary Odeon Buildings as a Sustainable Environment for Culture
Buildings 2021, 11(7), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11070308 - 16 Jul 2021
Viewed by 766
Abstract
The subject of this study is contemporary odeons in Poland, where 11 covered amphitheaters (odeons) have been built since 2005. The odeons were selected from a wider collection of 57 functioning amphitheaters. The study collected data on location, form, function, and construction. The [...] Read more.
The subject of this study is contemporary odeons in Poland, where 11 covered amphitheaters (odeons) have been built since 2005. The odeons were selected from a wider collection of 57 functioning amphitheaters. The study collected data on location, form, function, and construction. The data sources included the literature, archival research, design documentation, and competition entries. Descriptive and graphical comparative analyses of the phenomena, based on the statistics for completed structures and on design experiments in the case of unbuilt structures, were the two main research methods used in this study. The emergence and development directions of the typology of open cultural spaces from amphitheaters to odeons are presented in a global and regional context. Their interrelationships, affecting form and function, were also analyzed. The influence of high-end materials that were used to create these complex, large-scale spatial structures, and their impact on the environment, has been presented. The contemporary roofs covering the entertainment and stage complex were analyzed in relation to environmental factors, determining the location of the odeons. The functional aspects of these buildings and their cultural significance on a local, regional and global scale were discussed. The odeon in Biała Podlaska, built in 2019, was chosen as a case study to show, in detail, the complexity of the formation of contemporary odeons. In the discussion on the direction of the further evolution of open spaces for culture, an example of an unrealized competition design proposal of mobile roofing forms for the eighteenth-century amphitheater in the Royal Baths Park in Warsaw, Poland, was presented. The conclusions emphasize the environmental, spatial, functional, social and economic values of the establishment and functioning of contemporary odeons as open spaces of culture that are compliant with the principles of sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architecture: Integration of Art and Engineering)
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Article
The Impact of Avant-Garde Art on Brutalist Architecture
Buildings 2021, 11(7), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11070290 - 04 Jul 2021
Viewed by 726
Abstract
Brutalism was an architectural trend that emerged after World War II, and in the 1960s and 1970s, it spread throughout the world. The development of brutalist architecture was greatly influenced by post-war avant-garde art. The greatest impact on brutalism was exerted by such [...] Read more.
Brutalism was an architectural trend that emerged after World War II, and in the 1960s and 1970s, it spread throughout the world. The development of brutalist architecture was greatly influenced by post-war avant-garde art. The greatest impact on brutalism was exerted by such avant-garde trends as art autre, art brut, and musique concrète. Architects were most inspired by the works of such artists as Jackson Pollock, Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Schaeffer, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Nigel Henderson. The main aim of the research was to identify and characterize the most important ideas and principles common to avant-garde art and brutalist architecture. Due to the nature of the research problem and its complexity, the method of historical interpretative studies was used. The following research techniques were employed: analysis of the literature, comparative analysis, multiple case studies, descriptive analysis, and studies of buildings in situ. The research found the most important common ideas guiding brutalist architects and avant-garde artists: rejection of previous principles and doctrines; searching for the rudiments; mirroring the realities of everyday life; glorification of ordinariness; sincerity of the material, structure, and function; use of raw materials and rough textures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architecture: Integration of Art and Engineering)
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Article
Influence of the Widespread Use of Corten Plate on the Acoustics of the European Solidarity Centre Building in Gdańsk
Buildings 2021, 11(3), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11030133 - 23 Mar 2021
Viewed by 728
Abstract
This paper describes the relationship between a strong architectural vision that is difficult to balance, and user expectations in terms of acoustics. The focus is on the use of corten steel as the dominant finishing material on façades and interiors to achieve an [...] Read more.
This paper describes the relationship between a strong architectural vision that is difficult to balance, and user expectations in terms of acoustics. The focus is on the use of corten steel as the dominant finishing material on façades and interiors to achieve an expressive, symbolic message through program-based design. The architectural premises justifying the adopted solutions are presented, especially the universality and homogeneity of the material. Against this background, the influence of corten steel on the acoustics of the two largest rooms of the European Solidarity Center, which are the winter garden and the multi-purpose hall, was discussed. Remedial steps have been taken to reduce the greatest acoustic inconveniences resulting from the widespread use of metal sheet as a finishing material in rooms, i.e., excessive reverberation and a low degree of sound dispersion. A positive result for the acoustic conditions achieved in the winter garden was the presentation of a large body of classical music in the building. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architecture: Integration of Art and Engineering)
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Article
Medieval Bourgeois Tenement Houses as an Archetype for Contemporary Architectural and Construction Solutions: The Example of Historic Downtown Gdańsk
Buildings 2021, 11(3), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11030080 - 25 Feb 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 620
Abstract
The basic urban tissue of medieval European cities consisted of brick townhouses. In the cities of northern Europe, these tenements were characterised by a block based on an elongated rectangular plan, covered with a gable roof with a ridge oriented perpendicularly to the [...] Read more.
The basic urban tissue of medieval European cities consisted of brick townhouses. In the cities of northern Europe, these tenements were characterised by a block based on an elongated rectangular plan, covered with a gable roof with a ridge oriented perpendicularly to the street. The side walls of the tenement house were common for both neighbours and constituted a basic structural element. The gable façades were not loaded with ceilings, providing freedom in shaping them. The aim of this work is to determine the reasons why this method of shaping tenement houses in historical city centres has survived to the present day, becoming an archetype for contemporary architectural and construction solutions, despite the passage of time, numerous historical events, war damage, changing architectural styles, fashions and building techniques and technologies. The historical centre of Gdańsk has become the research material in this paper, where by means of such methods as historical source material analysis (iconographic), observation (operationalisation of preserved historical objects), comparative analysis of completed contemporary investments, and 3D modelling of structural systems, an attempt has been made to determine the main factors determining contemporary architectural and structural solutions. The reason for the extraordinary durability of this type of construction model can be found in the enormous rationality and efficiency of this solution. It allows for very intensive use of land, easy access of all front elevations to the main communication routes, cheapness of construction resulting from small spans and use of common structural walls for the neighbouring buildings, ease of shaping gable elevations, and fire safety. Aesthetic considerations are probably also important here, although it should be assumed that their significance began to grow only in the second half of the 19th century. However, it seems that the most important factor which made the model of the mediaeval bourgeois tenement house become an archetype for contemporary architectural and construction solutions is the timeless message contained in this model, a specific code allowing it to be unambiguously identified as a form of urban house—a place of safe living and at the same time a visible sign of the rich history of European cities, an element creating their cultural and spatial identity, a component of the living, constantly transforming urban fabric. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architecture: Integration of Art and Engineering)
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Article
A Simple Framework for the Cost–Benefit Analysis of Single-Task Construction Robots Based on a Case Study of a Cable-Driven Facade Installation Robot
Buildings 2021, 11(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11010008 - 24 Dec 2020
Viewed by 1096
Abstract
Single-task construction robots (STCRs) have become a popular research topic for decades. However, there is still a gap in the ubiquitous application of STCRs for onsite construction due to various reasons, such as cost concerns. Therefore, cost–benefit analysis (CBA) can be used to [...] Read more.
Single-task construction robots (STCRs) have become a popular research topic for decades. However, there is still a gap in the ubiquitous application of STCRs for onsite construction due to various reasons, such as cost concerns. Therefore, cost–benefit analysis (CBA) can be used to measure the net economic benefit of the STCRs, compared to traditional construction methods, in order to boost the implementation of STCRs. This paper presents a simple and practical framework for the economic evaluation of STCRs and conducts a case study of a cable-driven facade installation robot to verify the method. The results show that the cable-driven robot for facade installation is worth investing in in the UK, as well as in the majority of G20 countries. Furthermore, other socioenvironmental implications of STCRs and the limitations of the study are also discussed. In conclusion, the proposed method is highly adaptable and reproducible. Therefore, researchers, engineers, investors, and policy makers can easily follow and customize this method to assess the economic advantages of any STCR systems, compared to traditional construction technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architecture: Integration of Art and Engineering)
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Review

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Review
The Decline of Architects: Can a Computer Design Fine Architecture without Human Input?
Buildings 2021, 11(8), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11080338 - 06 Aug 2021
Viewed by 271
Abstract
Architects are required to have knowledge of current legislation, ergonomics, and the latest technical solutions. In addition, the design process necessitates an appreciation of the quality of the space and a high degree of creativity. However, it is a profession that has undergone [...] Read more.
Architects are required to have knowledge of current legislation, ergonomics, and the latest technical solutions. In addition, the design process necessitates an appreciation of the quality of the space and a high degree of creativity. However, it is a profession that has undergone significant changes in recent years due to the pressure exerted by the development of information technology. The designs generated by computer algorithms are becoming such a serious part of designers’ work that some are beginning to question whether they are more the work of computers than humans. There are also increasing suggestions that software development will eventually lead to a situation where humans in the profession will become redundant. This review article aims to present the currently used, implemented, and planned computer technologies employed in the design and consider how they affect and will affect the work of architects in the future. It includes opinions of a wide range of experts on the possibility of computer algorithms replacing architects. The ultimate goal of the article is an attempt to answer the question: will computers eliminate the human factor in the design of the future? It also considers the artificial intelligence or communication skills that computer algorithms would require to achieve this goal. The answers to these questions will contribute not only to determining the future of architecture but will also indicate the current condition of the profession. They will also help us to understand the technologies that are making computers capable of increasingly replacing human professions. Despite differing opinions on the possibility of computer algorithms replacing architects, the conclusions indicate that, currently, computers do not have capabilities and skills to achieve this goal. The speed of technological development, especially such technologies as artificial superintelligence, artificial brains, or quantum computers allows us to predict that the replacement of the architect by machines will be unrealistic in coming decades. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architecture: Integration of Art and Engineering)
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