Global Warming, Computerized Design Tools and Industrialized Housing
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Date
1990-11
Authors
Brown, G. Z.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Center for Housing Innovation, University of Oregon
Abstract
This paper reviews the author's and his associates' current research in the areas of global
warming, computerized design tools and industrialized housing. The global warming study
for buildings in the United States concluded that annual cooling loads will increase at a much
greater rate than heating loads will decrease; the timing, magnitude and duration of short
term changes, peaks, is as large a concern as the sheer magnitude of the large annual
changes in demand due to global warming.
This paper also describes ongoing research on the development of user interfaces for energy
software to be used by building designers. In order to develop interfaces, the unique
characteristics of the building design process must be understood and used in the creation of
software. The two characteristics discussed are (1) that the architectural design process
emphasizes synthesis rather than analysis and (2) that the symbols used to transmit
knowledge are primarily graphic abstraction, rather than alphanumeric abstractions.
In the United States, housing is becoming increasingly industrialized. At the same time, the
need for energy efficiency in housing is increasingly apparent. We are studying how to
produce new housing that offers improved energy performance, and uses industrialized
production to achieve higher quality at lower cost. The research focuses on three related
concerns: energy conservation, industrial process, and housing design.
Description
12 pages
Keywords
Architecture and climate, Global warming
Citation
Presented at Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society Conference, November 1990