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Space programming requirements representation, analysis and visualization at a large scale architectural firm

University of British Columbia

Space programming is a primary task during the schematic design process, to produce a geometric configuration of a space layout that is in accordance with the project's requirements. By nature, space programming is an iterative process that evolves according to the client’s requirements. A critical challenge of space programming is the limitation in the link between the client’s requirements and design tools. The rigorous process of analyzing, structuring and extracting meaningful information often leads to requirements being overlooked or important requirements failing to be satisfied. Failure to meet the client’s space program requirements, could possibly lead to decline in the performance of the building, cost increase, client dissatisfaction and penalty fines charged by the client which are usually clearly stated in design contracts. This study adopted an observation-based empirical research approach to investigate the current practices and challenges of space program requirements data management, and design workflow at a large scale international architectural/engineering firm. Following the case study and recording challenges, I developed a smart Microsoft Excel® template to structure and parse a client’s space programming requirements data. This was essential to extract significant information such as the name of the rooms that have a proximity relationship requirement. This data was used to develop a dashboard to visualize space programming information and to validate the compliance of a building project’s space programming requirements in conjunction with a visual computational tool through a visual floor plan overlay. The developments were made to help designers extract space programming requirements in an automated manner and improve the iterative design process of space programming by automating visualizations to assess the compliance of space programs.

Text

2018-08-27

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/66952

Civil Engineering

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/