DISSERTATION

RELEVANCE OF RECONFIGURATION IN ARCHITECTURE

EIGHTH SEMESTER B ARCH DISSERTATION APRIL 2022

Submitted by Mr. ASWIN EAPEN THOMAS

Marian College of Architecture and Planning Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram Email:marianarch.in@gmail.com Mob: 8281388111 www.mcap.edu.in

RELEVANCE OF RECONFIGURATION IN ARCHITECTURE

EIGHTH SEMESTER B. ARCH DISSERTATION APRIL 2022

A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture of Cochin University of Science and Technology

Submitted by Mr. ASWIN EAPEN THOMAS

Guided by Prof. POOJA P KRISHNAN

Marian College of Architecture and Planning Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram Email:marianarch.in@gmail.com Mob: 8281388111 www.mcap.edu.in

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the Dissertation entitled “Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture” is an independent work of mine and it has not been submitted to anywhere else for any Degree / Diploma or Title. No material from other sources has been used without proper acknowledgment.

Signature of the student

Place: Thiruvananthapuram Date: 26/08/2023

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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Dissertation entitled “Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture ” is a bonafide record of the dissertation submitted by Aswin Eapen Thomas under our guidance towards partial fulfillment if the requirements for the award of Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) during the year 2021-22 Guide: Prof Pooja P Krishnan Assistant Professor Dissertation Coordinator Priya Pradeep Pournami Narayanan

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HOD Ar. Ganga Krishnan

1. External Examiner

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Principal Ar. Suja Kumari

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Director Prof. Baby Paul K

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2. Internal Examiner

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3. Internal Examiner

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher Prof.Pooja P Krishnan as well as our principal Ar Suja Kumari and our HOD Ar Ganga Krishnan who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture, which also helped me in doing a lot of Research and I came to know about Artificial intelligence , Robotics and its automation and the use of Holographic projection as a medium of communication in order to reconfigure spaces according to the shifting architectural objectives of the humans according to their set of parameters.

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ABSTRACT

This research focuses on developing autonomously reconfigurable buildings with situated and embodied agency, facilitated variation, and artificial intelligence. We can develop experimental design models embedded with the ability to self-organise, self-assess, and self-improve using deep learning to train assembly systems to improve at negotiating shifting architectural objectives through the means of holographic projection and its holograms treating it as a medium of communication between the user groups and the spatial functions by the means of shifting architectural objectives. With varying climatic and socio-economic conditions which are unpredictable during these rapid Roboticization and with growing Artificial intelligence technology and with respect to humanoids; this research focuses on another perspective of humanoids that are trans-humans where we treat architectural spaces as living beings as we can communicate according to our shifting objectives within our current existing environmental and spatial conditions.

Keywords: Roboticization, Holograms, Embodied agency, Humanoids, Artificial Intelligence

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CONTENTS

DECLARATION....................................................................................................... i CERTIFICATE ........................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ iv CONTENTS...............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. vii LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................. viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................1 1

Introduction

2

1.1

What is Reconfiguration? ..........................................................................2

1.2

How it works? .............................................................................................2

1.3

What is the relevance of reconfigurable buildings in the future?..........2

1.4

What kind of building materials are used for recofiguration? ..............3

1.5

How do reconfigurable buildings work ? .................................................4

1.6

What are the varying climatic crisis in the world ? ................................4

1.7

How it can be functioned by user groups ? ..............................................4

1.8

How did reconfiguration evolve? ..............................................................5

1.9

Scope and limitations .................................................................................5

1.9.2

Concern of the study ...........................................................................6

1.9.3

Limitations ...........................................................................................7

1.9.4

Aim .......................................................................................................7

1.9.5

Research questions ..............................................................................7

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1.9.6

Objectives.............................................................................................7

1.9.7

Linear life cycle of Reconfigurable building ....................................8

1.9.8

Methodology ........................................................................................9

2

3

Literature Review 1(Open Architecture: Reconfigurable Buildings) ......... 1 2.1

Introduction ................................................................................................1

2.2

Location .......................................................................................................1

2.3

Configurations ............................................................................................2

2.4

Parameters derrived ..................................................................................4

2.5

Analysis .......................................................................................................5

Literature Review 2 (Sustainability Through Reuse) ................................... 1 3.1

Introduction .....................................................................................1

3.2

Architecture and Automation

4 Literature Review 2 (Sustainability Through Reuse) ................................... 1

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4.1 Robotics in Architecture

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4.2 Modular Reconfigurable Robotics

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4.3 Holographic Projection Technology

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4.3.1 Quality of Experience

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Soft Robotic Materials and Emergent Materials in Architecture ............. 13

5.1 Introduction

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5.2 Remote Sensing and AI for building climatic adaptations

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1:

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Table 1.2:

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Table 1.3:

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LIST OF FIGURES

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

QOE

Quality of Experience

AI

Artificial Intelligence

HDPE

High Density Polyethylene

MRR

Modular Reconfigurable Robotics

SECMAS

Self-healing Elastomeric Cementitious Mechanical Adhesive Structure

HEX-SYS

Hexagonal Structural System

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

CHAPTER 1 1 Introduction 1.1 What is Reconfiguration?

Reconfiguration or Reconfigurable buildings are the transformation or the transforming machine type residential form of buildings according to various norms of human thermal comfort for various local climatic conditions and varying socio-economic-conditions.

FIGURE 1

1.2 How it works?

Reconfiguration or Reconfigurable building works according to the senses being produced by the artificial intelligence system using deep learning and human algorithms in order to self-assess and self-integrate the motion of buildings according to varying local climatic conditions in the urban context through interactive systems based on embedded holographic systemic sensors through the process of “Interactive Architecture”.

1.3 What is the relevance of reconfigurable buildings in the future?

In the world of rapid urbanization high level of urban work force and level of toxicity in the environmental conditions and site contextual conditions are worsening day by day. In order to adapt with the upcoming growing challenges of the environment “Buildings” also need to be adaptable along with the human conditions of living in this environment. Reconfiguration questions the current human relationship with the environment of growing urban population.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture FIGURE 2

“Sustainability” of the buildings are also kept in mind in order to achieve the long life of building for which every deconstruction of building creates a huge imbalance in the environmental impact system. As the global economy and population have expanded, energy demand has increased exponentially. Traditional patterns of energy production have proved to be detrimental to the environment, with excessive emissions of harmful gases causing global warming and extreme weather events such as tornadoes, hail, and thunderstorms causing severe damage to human habitats and posing a serious threat to human life and property.

1.4 What kind of building materials are used for recofiguration?

1) Cost effective building materials such as bamboo, laminated veneer lumber, etc.

2) Structural steel materials in order to reconfigure according to varying solar intensities.

3) Self-healing elastomeric/Cementitious/Mechanical Adhesive structures (SECMAS) or otherwise known as bio-inspired self-healing concrete.

4) Glass or anodised aluminium panels

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture FIGURE 3

1.5 How do reconfigurable buildings work ?

Inhabitants subscribe to the platform through interactive embedded holographic project which uses computational graphs and ai processes to negotiate their programmatic desires and modes of living through varying local climatic conditions of a particular locality or a region.

1.6 What are the varying climatic crisis in the world ?

Disasters linked to climate and weather extremes have always been part of our Earth’s system.

But they are becoming more frequent and intense as the world warms. No continent is left untouched, with heatwaves, droughts, typhoons, and hurricanes causing mass destruction around the world. 90% of disasters are now classed as weather- and climate-related, costing the world economy While science tells us that climate change is irrefutable, it also tells us that it is not too late to stem the tide. This will require fundamental transformations in all aspects of society how we grow food, use land, transport goods, and power our economies.

Scalable new technologies and nature-based solutions will enable us all to leapfrog to a cleaner, more resilient world. If governments, businesses, civil society, youth, and academia work together, we can create a green future where suffering is diminished, justice is upheld, and harmony is restored between people and planet.

1.7 How it can be functioned by user groups ?

The reconfiguration of spaces in a residential type building happens through “Interaction” with each type of spatial configuration based on human comfort according to varying local climatic Marian College of Architecture and Planning, Thiruvananthapuram

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture conditions through the use of: 1) Holograms/Spatial Holographic projections through human sensored Artificial Intelligence functioning system through deep -learning.

2) Functional Algorithms to program the reconfiguration of the building.

3) Self-embodied agencies (miniaturized version robotic systems that helps controlling the Reconfiguration of the building) 4) Integrated Building Management Systems such as HVAC systems, CCTV, public address systems function through AI (Artificial Intelligence) management system.

FIGURE 4

1.8 How did reconfiguration evolve?

Reconfiguration evolved through the use of Kinetic Architecture where certain parts of the building were allowed to move without disturbing its overall structural integrity. The possibilities for practical implementations of kinetic architecture increased sharply in the late 20th century due to advances in mechanics, electronics and robotics. Kinetic architecture was brought up to see moving elements to increase the aesthetic quality the term “movement” was inferred for the functioning of Reconfiguration to build a spatial reorganisation to build up the movement of “Residential” building as a whole.

1.9 Scope and limitations 1.9.1 Need of the study Marian College of Architecture and Planning, Thiruvananthapuram

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture In order to propose an autonomous adaptable architectural system that reassesses the linear life cycle of traditional building practice.

• To explore the spatial configuration and negotiation through an agent-based spatial planner algorithm which exploits reinforcement learning to respond to and continually adjust to situated spatial conditions in relation to multi-user requirements.

• To develop advanced distributed robotic material system with multi-directional for simultaneous state alignment through algorithmic and deep-learning driven decision-making strategies for robotic collaboration.

• Already mindful of the consequences of automation, in order to learn from emerging technology platforms to develop community driven alternatives for residential buildings and various other building typologies.

• Interactive architecture through the use of holograms embedded within the spaces in order to control the reconfiguration of buildings by the user groups.

FIGURE 5

1.9.2 Concern of the study To adjust and to reconfigure by the changing socio-economic needs and environmental conditions.

• Interacting with spaces by the use of holographic projects by the use of holograms in order to reconfigure so that spaces act as units of a living system according to human needs and their thermal comfort.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture • To directly embed local adaptability in the design process.

• In order to incorporate real time control and sensory feedback of physical robotics are to be managed within bespoke digital twin simulation environments developed using unity.

• In order to apply ai (artificial intelligence) to the spatial organization of reconfigurable parts to improve multi objective architectural problem solving.

1.9.3 Limitations Live case study examples Deep learning coding variations 1.9.4 Aim To know the relevance of reconfiguration in architecture spatially and structurally.

1.9.5 Research questions 1) What is the relevance of reconfiguration globally?

2) How long will reconfiguration in residential building sustain by the use of ai, robotics and holograms?

1.9.6 Objectives • To tackle the climatic challenges and the toxic environmental conditions.

• To build a human centric AI (Artificial Intelligence system) through robotics as a medium to adapt in varying conditions and growing challenges.

• To interact with built spaces to re-organize through the use of holograms through spatial holographic projections through embedded sensors.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture 1.9.7 Linear life cycle of Reconfigurable building

FIGURE 6 Sensing of calamities and high precipitation rate.

Robotics act as an output unit for performing the reconfiguration.

Configuration and remodelling of building and spatial functionality based on ai sensing

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture 1.9.8 Methodology

Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

CHAPTER 2 2 Literature Review 1(Open Architecture: Reconfigurable Buildings) 2.1 Introduction In this chapter the concept of “Reconfiguration” is analysed through the literatures. This is a Beijing, China based open architecture system in response to the proliferation of temporary structures erected by property developers during the country’s recent development and construction. This is mainly used as sales offices and showrooms.

FIGURE 7

2.2 Location This mixed use buildings is located in Beijing , China

FIGURE 8 Marian College of Architecture and Planning, Thiruvananthapuram

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

2.3 Configurations • HEX-SYS is a reconfigurable and reusable building system OPEN Architecture firm has designed.

• It is the unique Chinese phenomenon in the recent decades building frenzy the production of vast amount of flamboyant but short-lived buildings, this modular building system can easily adapt to many different functions, and can be disassembled and reused, thus extending a building’s life cycle and saving great amount of resources.

• By being modular and prefabricated, it can be built much faster than traditional buildings.

• The varying configurations of the structural systems have been carefully worked out based on the spatial functioning of the building.

• Inspired by both the ancient Chinese wooden building system which can be taken apart and rebuilt elsewhere with little damage, and Le Corbusier's Pavilion for Zurich which summarized his lifelong research on modular building systems, we designed this prototype comprised of hexagonal cells with architectural, structural and mechanical systems all synthesized within the same geometrical rules. The composition of cells can be rearranged according to different site and programmatic needs.

FIGURE 9

Use of Reconfigurable building materials

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture • The 40 square metre HEX-SYS modulus features a steel structure supporting roofs shaped like inverted umbrellas. These are either solid aluminium panels or slatted screens that filter sunlight to create a shaded outdoor space.

• The enclosed modules are either glass or anodised aluminium panels, and can be grouped together in limitless ways depending on the functional requirement of the project.

• Bamboo plywood is used throughout its interior spaces because of its ecological properties and its durability.

FIGURE 10

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

2.4 Parameters derrived The aspects for transformation analysis are classified under broader category of Physical aspects.

TABLE 1.1

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

2.5 Analysis The architects were influenced by traditional Chinese buildings in which wooden joinery is used to enable the structures to be simply dismantled, moved and remounted elsewhere.

• Further inspiration came from pre-fabricated buildings during the late 20th century by the architects Le Corbusier and Jean Prouve.

• Each of the hexagonal cells are mounted around a central pillar that contains a flue for directing rainwater to a tank so it can be reused to irrigate the surrounding landscaping and refill a small pond. • The pavilion is raised above the existing parkland on individual piles and the small amount of soil that was excavated is incorporated into the landscaping.

• A diagrid structure that rises above the building functions as a beacon that can be illuminated at night and is visible from the nearby train station.

• The prototypal pavilion demonstrates one possible application of the HEX-SYS system, but Li believes it could be used to provide offices, schools, shops, restaurants or any other single-storey structure. This structural system was being devised by Architect Li. • This is a modular style of building. When put up again in a different style it can form a different configuration.

FIGURE 11

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

CHAPTER 3 3.1 Literature Review 2 Sustainability through Reuse: A reconfigurable structural system for residential buildings Current load-bearing systems for buildings rarely have a beneficial end of life. Modular design is a proven solution for revalorizing obsolete structures, but it hardly competes with conventional solutions: the range of future spatial configurations that the modules will accommodate is usually too limited to balance additional upfront costs due to necessary oversized elements and extra connections.

Through a review of building demolition cases, this paper first presents motives, challenges and requirements for overcoming adverse end-of-life environmental impacts of building structures. Then a new structural system addressing the specified design constraints is introduced. The system is a highly versatile kit of slab and column elements.

Contrary to existing modular solutions, its element dimensions do neither constrain the positioning of columns nor the shape of floor plans. Slab elements are stacked vertically to tune bending and shear stiffnesses locally and ensure serviceability requirements for a wide range of column and load cases layouts.

FIGURE 12

3.2 Architecture and Automation (Bartlett School of Architecture) This is an eco-conscious non-profit combination of automated rammed earth and earth – casting techniques to create environmentally sustainable housing communities. This developed a platform with a relocation, reforestation and recreation strategy to target rural ageing , environmental degradation and unaffordable housing.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture It also applied automated technology to community housing design to create a platform that provides people with free flexible housing that can be dismantled and rebuilt in different locations. Using recycled concrete, an automated design process and a user platform, the goal is to encourage a relationship between community, architecture and the environment.

This project applies automated technology with recycled plastics its primary building material to its housing design.

This proposes a circular building process where plastic waste collected from the sea is stored in housing projects as building blocks. This platform provides people with free flexible housing that can be disassembled and rebuilt in different locations.

It also creates an opportunity for heavily polluting companies to pay for recycled materials to offset their waste. High density polyethylene (HDPE) has high feasibility due to its strength. It can be recycled upto 10 times and has a 500 year lifespan.

FIGURE 13

CHAPTER 4 4.1 Robotics in Architecture • While the field of robotics is relatively new, the industry is developing at an unprecedented speed. Most modern construction projects are already using machines in one way or another.

Below, you can find just a few examples of how robots and other complex machines make life easier for architects and project managers alike.

Achieving sustainability • Green, sustainable construction has been the standard for some years now. The trend is only expected to continue, so architects need to take that into account. Machines integrated into the Marian College of Architecture and Planning, Thiruvananthapuram

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture building itself can constantly monitor factors like temperature, air quality, and light. Those devices can then automatically adjust the HVAC system to ensure the building is energy-efficient • The field of robotics has been in rapid development these past years. When it comes to its implications for architecture and construction, there are some exciting possibilities that might be just around the corner. Construction in uninhabitable environments • There has been much talk about creating settlements on nearby planets Mars for example. For such projects, robotics would be key, as machines will be able to work without worrying about oxygen, supplies, and harsh conditions. The same goes for construction in deserts, oceans, and other places that will be hard for humans to work in. With the help of robots, we might be able to achieve feats never before thought possible. Advancements in design • Up until now, the creative process behind building design and architecture has been solely the job of humans. Machines are perfect when it comes to calculation and automation — however, they are yet to become a creative force that comes up with design concepts. All of that might change soon. As technology develops further, machines might be able to create innovative design solutions on their own. On top of that, machine learning can solve problems in ways we humans have never thought of before.

FIGURE 14 Marian College of Architecture and Planning, Thiruvananthapuram

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

FIGURE 15

4.2 Modular Reconfigurable Robotics (MRR) MRR systems can be classified into several architectural groups based on the geometrical arrangement of the units: Lattice reconfiguration architectures: Lattice reconfiguration architectures have units that are arranged in a regular, three-dimensional pattern, such as a cubic crystal lattice or cannonball packing.

These systems exploit this regularity to ease the computational aspects of reconfiguration. Chain architectures: Chain architectures are characterized by units that form serial chains. These chains are often connected to form a tree or closed-chain loops. Through articulation, chain architectures can potentially reach any point or orientation in space, and they are therefore more versatile.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture Generally, however, they are more demanding to represent and analyze computationally and more difficult to control.

Mobile architectures: Mobile architectures have units that use the environment to maneuver around and can hook up to form complex chains, lattices, or a number of secondary robots that can perform swarm-like behaviors.

FIGURE 16

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

FIGURE 17 4.3 Holographic Projection Technology • Users are the primary beneficiary of any type of human communication technology, and holographic communication is no exception. It is therefore essential to understand how they perceive it, along with the benefits from their perspective and their opinions about how to improve the user experience.

• The two major user groups for holographic communication (enterprises and consumers) have different priorities. Enterprises will use holographic communication if it satisfies productivity goals better than existing tools. These can be defined as effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use.

• Consumers, on the other hand, tend to select the communication option that best satisfies their fun goals, characterized by spatial, emotional and experiential perspectives. Emotions are known to be an important guide to decision making . It is therefore crucial that people’s feelings are understood throughout the development process, which is achievable through user studies.

• In an internal study on the topic, it is discovered that a key emotion people feel about holographic communication is excitement. They are excited about seeing a holographic version of people they know in the same room as themselves, and they are excited about the future of this technology.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture Such a response is expected due to the novelty of the interaction, but as the novelty (or “halo”) effect diminishes, people tend to prioritize factors such as usability, usefulness and familiarity.

• While some QoE metrics already exist for XR communication, several other tools are also available. Design thinking can be used early on to ensure the best solution is built, while qualitative methods such as interviews can be used with early prototypes to provide deeper insights into how people feel. Other human-centered topics such as ethics, consent and accessibility should be considered and regularly monitored. Involving experts in human-computer interaction, ergonomics, psychology and user experience early in the design process will ensure that the final product is in line with the intended users’ expectations.

• It is essential that the human factor is prioritized in the development of holographic communication. One way to facilitate this would be to start referring to the end-to-end (E2E) pipeline as human to human rather than glass to glass.

FIGURE 18

4.3.1 QOE (Quality of Experience) • Quality of Experience (QoE) describes metrics that measure the performance of a service from the perspective of a user or viewe. Common streaming video related QoE metrics include rebuffering , playback failures, and video startup time.

• For example, when a viewer is streaming video, the network might experience a 2-second outage that would be captured by a QoS availability metric, however if the video player had buffered enough video data ahead of time the viewer won't experience any issues that would be measured by a QoE metric, like rebuffering.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

• Tracking Quality of Experience metrics can help you focus your optimization efforts on the parts of your system that will have the biggest impact for viewers.

• Interactive architecture through embedded holograms through spatial holographic projections to act as a medium in order to interact with the space through artificial intelligence.

What are holograms?

Holograms are also distinguished by the apparent location of their image. The image produced by a hologram can either appear to be in front of the holographic plate or film, or behind the film. In the former case it is called a real image (projection) and the latter a virtual image. There are 3 types of holograms they are :Reflection Holograms, Transmission Holograms and Hybrid Holograms. If you imagine your position as viewer to be constant then you can easily determine whether an image is real or virtual.

If the image appears between you and the hologram it is a real image, if the hologram is between you and the apparent object then it is called a virtual image.

FIGURE 19

Reflection Hologram The reflection hologram, in which a truly three-dimensional image is seen near its surface, is the most common type shown in galleries. The hologram is illuminated by a “spot” of white incandescent light, held at a specific angle and distance located on the viewer’s side of the hologram.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

FIGURE 20 Hybrid Holograms Computer generated holograms are basically known as Hybrid Holograms.

FIGURE 21 Transmission Holograms The typical transmission hologram is viewed with laser light, usually of the same type used to make the recording. This light is directed from behind the hologram and the image is transmitted to the observer’s side.

FIGURE 22

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

CHAPTER 5

5.1 Soft Robotics and Emergent Materials in Architecture Martin Decker 1New Jersey Institute of Technology, School of Architecture In architecture in particular they have been celebrated for their advanced fabrication capabilities and they are widely regarded as the ultimate flexible manufacturing tool. The individual actuators change their shape and volume from entirely flat to slightly convex with a surface morphology that displays a multitude of protruding air pockets.

This particular shape change allows the system to influence the absorption, diffusion and reflection of sound. They expand to block sunlight when the interior environment is getting too warm or contract to allow the sun to penetrate through the glass façade when the interior room temperatures drop .

The intervention is configured to assist HVAC systems in buildings to reduce the overall energy consumption that would otherwise be expended to maintain interior conditions with mechanical means. In the final design the soft robotic system is envisioned to comprise of a multitude of distributed, individually activated elements that can operate without the reliance of conventional energy production. Each element features a small solar cell that will operate a low power micro blower, which can inflate or deflate the individual element. Furthermore, the actuator design featured a material composite that integrates a photoluminescent material into the silicone mixture. The robotic system can absorb sunlight during the day and emit photons of light during the nighttime hours.

The use of this smart material can compliment electric lighting systems. With a series of soft actuators the robotic system can manipulate thermal transfer through a soft and compliant skin.

Air pockets in the design can modulate the thermal transfer through the envisioned architectural application. The pneumatic actuators can be controlled individually to inflate or deflate.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture

FIGURE 23 5.2 Remote Sensing and AI for building climate adaptation applications (Beril Sermacek and Ricardo Vinuesa) • Climate change is becoming a bigger threat for the well-being of all living beings on the planet day by day. High ecological stress and the heat islands created by urban areas create a huge impact not only in the urban areas themselves but also in the surrounding rural areas because of the urban-heat-island (UHI) effect.

• While being one of the biggest contributors to climate change, cities are also one of the most vulnerable areas to the negative impacts. The United Nations predict that before 2050, 74% of the European population and 68% of the world population will be living in cities.

• For identification of the climate impact on the urban areas, many IT-infrastructured (also called ‘smart’) cities, have been putting efforts and resources to collect a good amount of data which might be helpful to identify the climate-stress factors.

If climate-change and human-activity-related indicators are extracted from remote sensing images, with power of AI methods, there would be possibilities for: • Creating rapid maps of land use and environmental resources in large scales. • Making predictions about future states of the extracted indicators. • Simulating hypothetical scenarios for disaster prevention.

• Identifying abnormal situations (outlier identification).

Explaining the impact of the indicators with explainable AI (XAI) methods.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture • Identifying the relation between human activity, climate change and biodiversity-related changes.

• Real-time predictions and actions in an urban environment based on sparse measurements from within the city.

Considering that, when such AI models are developed, they must immediately be used in real-life applications because of the climate emergency, in this article we would like to discuss also the following practical topics: • Data collection.

• Feature extraction.

• Model selection.

• Generalization.

• Reproducibility.

• Maintainability.

• Simulation tools at different scales.

• The climate-change- related emergency could be understood and the negative impacts could be decreased by changing activities which contribute to this environmental stress. Nevertheless, expectations from AI models about solving climate-related problems should be realistic.

• As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been warning in its reports, climate change is likely to bring devastating consequences to the health of humans and animals, to social living and to environmental resources.

• The accelerated speed of climate change could be slowed down with significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the heat-island impacts created by the urban areas.

• Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have remained around a narrow range over the last million years. In the last hundred years, they have risen from 280 ppm (parts per million) to 400 ppm.

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Relevance of Reconfiguration in Architecture • These changes in CO2 concentration closely match with the human-made developments within urban areas.

• The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published indicators which could be used for observing the sustainability status of the smart cities.

• The EEA has suggested that correlation between the ecological footprint and human development indices (HDI) could be used for measuring the sustainability levels and climate adaptation of countries. Detailed mathematical processes for calculation of the ecological footprint and HDI indices have been introduced in the EEA technical note document.

FIGURE 24

Parameters derived by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) and EEA (European Environment Agency) based on socio-economic condition and climatic challenges:-

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TABLE 1.2

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TABLE 1.3 Marian College of Architecture and Planning, Thiruvananthapuram

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TABLE 1.3

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FIGURE 25

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FIGURE 26 Marian College of Architecture and Planning, Thiruvananthapuram

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FIGURE 27 Marian College of Architecture and Planning, Thiruvananthapuram

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FIGURE 28

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FIGURE 29 The robot mentioned in this paper is a multi-level self-reconfiguring modular robot with high reliability, changeable configurations, and easily expandable functions. The first stage of a mechanical configuration design is from the perspective of the module cell assembly, considering the ease of installation, maintenance, and replacement.

The design process of the target robot follows the multilevel theory, which develops a design concept of a cellular organisation for a reconfigurable modular robot. The robot is composed of various basic cellular functional modules; the cellular modules can form tissues with different functions; then, the different tissues form specific organs to complete the conformational reorganization.

The functional modules set in this paper are designed in a uniform size of 200 mm in an ortho-hexahedron structure. Due to the ortho-hexahedron module’s regular geometric shape and space-filling nature, they can be combined into a stable overall configuration.

Different functional modules are integrated into different functional robotic configurations using a combination of active-and-passive slotted connections. The function modules can be divided into the interstitial function modules, swing function modules, rotation function modules, clamping function modules, etc. In addition, some auxiliary modules realize specific tasks, such as sensor modules, compensation function modules, monitoring and identification modules, etc.

Conclusion Architecture through AI and Robotic Automation through Holographic Projection help in creating creative strategies in order to develop global communities and cities.

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The climatic crisis is addressed by a number of clusters with an emphasis on changing landscapes and ecosystems through environmental sensing and materials. Issues of social justice and poverty are addressed through engagement with the political structures and economics of housing and population programmes.

Bibliography 1)Groat, L., & Wang, D. (2013). Architectural Research Methods. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

2)Turabin, K. L. (2013). A maual for writers of research paper, Theses, and disseratation. London: University of Chicago Press 3)Alex Muresan & Jan Brutteng(2020).

Reconfigurable Structural System

Sustainability through

Reuse:

4) Manuel Gimmenez, Garcia, Gilles, Retsin, Kevin Saey(2019). Architecture & Automation Bartlett School of Architecture.

5) Martin Decker(2016). 1New Jersey Institute of Technology, School of Architecture 6) Ye Dai, Chao Fang Xiang, Zhao- Xiu-Liu (2022). Modular Robotic Design and Reconfiguring Path Planning 7) Frank Pettdemenage, Isabelle Borne, and Jeremy Buisson (2018). Design Process for Systems of Systems Reconfigurations.

8) Rebecca M. Henderson and Kim B. Clark(1990). Architectural Innovation: The Reconfiguration of Existing Product Technologies and the failure of Established Firms.

9) H. Gomaa, M. Hussein(2004) Software Reconfiguration Patterns

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