Revolutionizing Architecture Now: How Data-Driven Design Will Reshape the Design Process Irreversibly and Improve Its Quality

ANNA BEZA: Hello, everyone. My name is Anna Beza, and together, with me today is Andrzej Samsonowicz. And I'm a Project Manager and BIM Coordinator at Higher Architect Team and Architecture Firm in Warsaw, specializing in residential project, an integral part of the entire investment process from concept and building permits to executing design. I am responsible for interdisciplinary coordination, constant team supervision, and ensuring compliance with BIM standards.

First of all, let's quickly go over what we were talking today. Before even designing the building, we had to gather, filter, and decide which data will be beneficial to our project. Next, we will try to explain to you why the data-driven design is such a game changer and how it enhance our design workflow. Followed by that, we will present visualization of how the data is shaping the final design. And we will finish with quick summary and key takes away.

The investor specifies the requirements and provides us with the location of the project. We begin our work by collecting data that will define the project. In Poland, we primarily have two planning documents, either the development conditions, or the local zoning plan. They define how a plot of land can be developed.

In addition to this, there are a number of available data, data that can be used. Not all of it applies to every project. Individuals approach is what we are aiming for.

From a whitelist, we select this data that apply to our plots, streets, buildings, plots, noise, public transportation, et cetera. During the design, we narrowed down the data even further. We select those that have the greatest impact to our design, landforms, lots, roads, surrounding buildings, trees, railroads, utility infrastructure. A variety of data created the design. The ability to collect data from reliable sources trims the design process.

By overlaying all the data in one place, we can analyze the relationship between them. The conclusion [? draw ?] will help refine conditions and design the building using data from reliable sources like city websites open source government data makes the data used in design collectivity. This is very important in the design process. It's the same time is checking the reliability of the data.

For example, inserting map data about coordinates is much better. Moving maps can result in accurate design and lost time to improve that. Quick access, check of relevant data, we do not have to wait for each subcontractor, of course. [? We ?] [? ordered ?] to get the most [? up ?] data for the already very accurate technical and design solutions. However, at the beginning of the project, we can use open-source data, which includes maps, various networks, trees and buildings, information.

Even if something raises our doubts or we want even newer data than available, we can subcontract additional inventory or work or a noise study. However, even without perfect data at the first, it can already give us some basic conclusions valuable to the project.

We overlay the data and analyze its relationship to the project. Having access to the data so quickly streamlines the project process. The whole team can participate in the data collection process and check independently the various aspects affecting the project.

About data use, we can check some of them. We use data from various things, ranging from utility infrastructure, trees, wind.

Let's getting started-- select programs for design, data collection, and analysis, like QT Civil 3D, Autodesk Forma, Revit. We start working in the QGIS program. We access WSAM database from the city office website. We enter the URL of the data and choose from the list what category of data we want to download.

At the beginning, we choose plot outlines in the basis for a design. Then, using an additional overlay, we can select the lots we are interested in. We select some amount, then we can enter more as we find that we want to analyze a larger area.

Here you can see two colors selected. This is the two approaches to the size of the area. We then export drawing exchange format.

From the list available in the WSAM data, we can select further areas we want to download-- for example, a orthophoto map, a geographic map, and other. After that, in Civil 3D, we can also use WSAM data, both from the website of cities and government institutions. We download data on utility infrastructure-- different colors, different areas.

We can outline them, only fragments from the analyzed area, and use them, for example, in other software, like Autodesk Forma. Then we can download information about the public transport, like stops and rows and bicycle paths or location of school and kindergartens. Now we can move to preparing the analysis.

The data collection take place in Autodesk Forma program. Here you can download landforms. We mark site limits on the basis of previous prepared outlines of plots in drawing exchange format.

After that, we created the zones at its streets and railroads. Then you can import the prepared file with the surrounding buildings and, finally, insert trees in the area. Now all the components then allow you to perform the following analysis, like sunlight, wind, noise, microclimate, and study how the project's area metrics are shaping up.

Experimentations begin. Now the architect creates conceptual blocks that can be examined in terms of these various analyses. Starting with the sunlight analysis, the date and the hours at which the analysis to be performed must be selected. Infinite options can be prepared this way.

Then there is a super tool for comparison, drawing conclusions, conceptual check of the amount of insulations. For example, in Poland, there are technical conditions and required insulations for the apartments [? to ?] [? have ?] [? three ?] hours from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. There are some more additional requirements.

Side effects are physical and mental health of people and the biological clock. Most people instinctively seek light, even if they are not aware why. While in sunlight, the human body secretes endorphins, hormones that are responsible for euphoric states. Limited access to them contributes to poor moods.

Staying in too-dark rooms causes people to miss ultraviolet radiation. It is necessary for the production of vitamin D by the human skin. In times when there were no antibiotics yet, it was discovered that sunlight can kill bacteria, which was a breakthrough in the field of medicine.

Danish Dr. Finsen invented a lamp to treat tuberculosis patients. Being outdoors in the sun can have positive effects in treating myopia. Studies have been carried out in Asia, Taiwan, USA, UK, Australia, in such different places, and have shown that children who spend more time outdoors, their risk of myopia drops by half. It is necessary to design common spaces, playgrounds, parks, squares that encourage people to be outside.

The position of the sun, this is determined by the azimuth, which is the angle between the direction of north and the horizontal direction from which the sun shines and the angular height of the sun. We check how much time the sun's rays will fall into the center of the room, depending on the shape and height.

The narrower the courtyard and the distances between buildings, the [? harder ?] is the [? light, ?] especially to the first floor. Lighting of the apartments is both legally mandatory, but also necessary for people to function properly, like I said earlier. Even a nicely maintained park shaded by buildings being built next to [? them ?] [? empties ?] over time.

Then, in-- or any other-- you can test the wind on the concept. It is necessary to choose the direction of the wind. For example, in a given location there are mainly winds from the west, so it's the direction we choose.

We do the analysis again for two options and even experiment for the next option. By comparing the options, we draw a conclusion. We see that the taller the buildings and narrower the distance, the stronger the winds form. [? Doing ?] the buildings in the direction of wind also generates drafts.

In San Francisco in 1980s, the city's master plan would have allowed the construction of skyscrapers. Many of these would have caused shading and increased wind on the city streets, students-- on the streets. And students, along with scientists from the University of California, conducted a study. Then a referendum was held, and the new plan was designed so it would not worsen the climate.

Airflow around buildings is a very complex and three-dimensional issue. It is conducted by wind gusts, which means constant changes. However, after many studies in wind tunnels, CFD oil visualizations, for example, conclusions have been drawn.

Increased velocity arises at the corners of building in the constrictions between buildings-- building gates, the strongest at narrow streets, [? when ?] the width of the street is less than three times the height of the buildings.

We can design air turbine where the draft. If we already have a poor alignment to buildings due to the microclimates, then at least get renewable energy. The higher the building, the greater impact. This is due to the fact that the wind loads increase significantly with the height of the building. Even vibrations can occur.

The next analysis that must be already made with wind analysis is microclimate. Speaking of microclimate, we did analysis for a few options. We studied the microclimate in summer and wintertime.

The data from the flight of satellites measuring temperature, height [? island-- ?] I measured 2 meters above the terrain. [INAUDIBLE] near the ground, surface [? more ?] [? precise, ?] according to the Polish Space Agency.

Data from June 2022 in Warsaw shows that not the center, but the very neighborhood has higher temperature. It turns out that the most and fastest to heat up are roofs of older [? hulls ?] covered with ordinary black bituminous roofing paper. And it is the-- and it is this that accumulates heat. Therefore, we design gravel or green roofs and place their photovoltaic panels.

We can do that also on a more specified scale. Our conclusion-- the more trees, the more pleasant the microclimate for people.

Trees are calming. They also lower blood pressure, [? relevant ?] depression, and mental disorders. Trees are even [? completement ?] the expanse of city life. First of all, they lower the temperature in urbanized spaces. For example, a temperature of 33 Celsius in the air, the temperature of the asphalt is 50 in a street without trees, while, in the shade of trees, asphalt on other street is 28. This affects the microclimate of place, that is, well-being of people.

The aforementioned asphalt can last 15 years longer than it is in the shade. In addition, roots form on the roads constantly in the sun, which results in the need for roads repair, resulting in traffic jams. They even lower crime and ADHD disorders in the settlements. They calm things down.

Last but not least, produce oxygen-- trees and shaping of buildings have an impact not only in summer, but also in winter. A place in the city where drafts form is especially unpleasant for pedestrians. In the winter months, the perspectival temperature is even lower. Greenery design at any scale is important, from designing parks to designing foregrounds to ivy on a facade.

Next analysis is noise. We give values to the streets, and we can do this in Autodesk Forma, maybe just using belt of street to cordon off. Trees are a natural barrier. The noise level even affects the shape of the building, as an additional [INAUDIBLE] should be used if the values are too high.

It's not just the building's materials that count in the carbon footprint. Sometimes, there are also paradoxes. Earlier, I mentioned that tall buildings are not so pleasant for the microclimate of the residents, and Vancouver is an example of the inverse-- the more people there, the more people want to live there.

It's gaining a higher and higher position in the ranking of the best places to live in the world. As the author writes in his book Happy City, it has the lowest carbon footprint of all cities in North America. This is related to the fact that people live in dense place, which contributes to reducing the energy needed to maintain communications and heat buildings.

Based on the conceptual solids, you can collect data and process it in Excel. Regarding traditional use of data, in the book The [? Well-Turned ?] [? City, ?] we read about the planned New York City, which adopted the goals of planting 1 million new trees. Each tree was tagged with a GPS tracker. This was intended to give residents information on how many trees had already been planted and where.

With more and more data, goals are becoming measurable, and institutions are becoming accountable. When designing buildings, [? we're ?] taking into various analyses-- [? sound lines, ?] wind, microclimates, structure, appearance. Sometimes, we have to make compromises and choose the right solution. Sometimes, we have to give up something in favor of something else. With each project, we gain valuable experience, learn lessons, and try to do better and better architectural design.