Browsing by Subject "Building culture"

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Documenting architectural practice
(2018-05) Pierce Meyer, Kathryn Alisa; Doty, Philip; Galloway, Patricia K; Clement, Tanya E; Moore, Steven A; Langmead, Alison
This study is a situated socio-technical examination of the culture of architecture, wherein the decisions and negotiations of actors in everyday practice effect artifact creation, management, and preservation. My argument is that all participants in architectural practice are making archival decisions when they actively select what to make, what to discard, and what to keep. As a historical narrative, the study addresses continuity of architectural documentation by examining how everyday practices, and the resulting artifacts, have changed over time. Working from a critical constructivist framework and employing an interpretivist methodology, I adopted mixed methods to provide a rich understanding of the history of architectural and archival practices in which to situate my analysis and address the following question: How might architectural artifacts be preserved in ways that illuminate the complexity of practice and the multiple layers of assumptions and values that inform the co-construction of the built environment? The story I want to tell about architecture requires investigation through three methods, each addressing one of the primary concerns of my research. The historical examination of computer technologies for architecture situates my understanding of the artifacts of practice within the context of debate about the value of specific tools for architecture and discussions about role of the architect within the industry. A reflective analysis of learning architectural technology describes my work to understand two specific tools used in architecture, AutoCAD and Revit. I introduce how complexity and uncertainty are woven throughout architectural practice, problematize the attribution of architecture to solo creators, and establish a framework for how to study complex workplaces, in particularly situated action in an architectural firm. Employing Howard Davis’ concept of “building culture” as a frame for considering the larger context within which people do architectural work, I describe historical cases of technological change and how information (as concept) is used in doing architecture. I examine an in-depth case study that provides an enhanced understanding of what contemporary architectural practice looks like and how artifacts are an integral part of the doing of architecture. Drawing on results of my research, I develop an “architectural information system” concept and address building social and technical infrastructure to document and preserve architectural artifacts.
The social construction of performance-based design
(2012-12) Powell, Ashleigh Boerder; Moore, Steven A., 1945-; Cleary, Richard
Construction and operation of commercial and residential buildings in the United States have been identified as the single largest sector of energy consumption and contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Subsequently, buildings must be a primary target for reductions. From short-term incentives, to long-term milestones, building energy efficiency, specifically net zero energy buildings, have emerged as a significant and unprecedented objective for a variety of public and private organizations in the United States. Altering the practices of the building culture requires not only technological innovation, but also an understanding of how practitioners within the building culture see their role in transforming it. Consequently my research seeks to understand how building industry professionals comprehend their capacity to influence the cultural boundaries of their profession in order to account for and mitigate the impacts of energy and emissions in the built environment. Ultimately, this study is an investigation into the social construction of technological change. The AIA+2030 Professional Series offered by the Denver Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has served as the single case study for this investigation. By limiting local conditions to the Denver-based Series and defining advocates as the self-selected group of participants, I’ve narrowed this analysis to reflect a workable microcosm of practitioners who are committed to the investigation and integration of net zero energy design, construction, and building operation practices. In order to substantiate this empirical analysis, I employed a triangulated series of data collection and interpretation consisting of: participant observation, interviews, and a survey. Data analysis involved an iterative process of coding and categorizing the primary key words and themes that emerged throughout my investigation. Each of the perspectives offered during this investigation indicate that architects who are advocates of net zero energy building design perceive that consequential opportunities for fundamental change exist within the social and cultural facets of the building culture. Ultimately, by preferencing social and cultural activism over technological manipulation, these advocates have corroborated the notion that technological change is fundamentally rooted in social change.