This book explores how the concept of ‘region’ has evolved over time and shaped architectural culture and practice. It questions what the words ‘region’ and ‘regional’ mean for architecture, cities and landscapes past and present, and speculates on the forms they might take in the future. Region is explored in many thematic guises: as a real geographical site of evolving socio-economic activity; as a mythical locus of enduring value; as a gatekeeper of indigenous crafts and vernacular tech...

Adaptable Architecture provides thought-provoking and inquisitive insights into how we can prolong the useful life of buildings by designing them to be more adaptable, and hence create a more sustainable built environment. The book provides a theoretical foundation counterpointed by the experiences and ideas of those involved in the design and use of buildings. It explains many approaches to designing for change, with lessons from history, and case studies including The Cedar Rapi...

This chapter provides an overview of the Thinking Processes, their nature and use; addressing the TP's conceptual, philosophical and methodological foundations; cataloguing their use and practice as reported in the published literature; discussing the need, the design and purpose of the TP's; and reviewing their effectiveness, on their own, in concert with one another, or with other decision-making methods. We find that TOC serves as a near-complete methodological set on its own, and note syn...

This book provides comprehensive coverage of issues that facility managers in the property industry need to understand and apply in the pursuit of value for money over the life span of built facilities. The authors introduce the fast-growing discipline of facility management, examine the core competencies that facility managers should possess and study different contemporary drivers of change. The book emphasises the need to consider facilities management issues at the pre-design stage of ...

Construction projects involve a complex set of relationships, between parties with different professional backgrounds trying to achieve a very complex goal. Under these difficult circumstances, the quality of information on which projects are based should be of the highest possible standard. The line-based, two dimensional drawings on which conventional construction is based render this all but impossible. This is the source of some major shortcomings in the construction industry, and this...

This book draws on the author’s considerable expertise in land development processes and planning, and planning education. It takes a learning-by-doing studio approach and shows how to undertake a development feasibility study in three main stages: the preliminary proposal, a design and finally, a full report with a financially appraised proposal.Understanding Land Development shows how to tackle a real life project where there are situations of uncertainty and where there...

Buildings are increasingly ‘dynamic’: equipped with sensors, actuators and controllers, they ‘self-adjust’ in response to changes in the external and internal environments and patterns of use.Building Dynamics asks how this change manifests itself and what it means for architecture as buildings weather, programs change, envelopes adapt, interiors are reconfigured, systems replaced. Contributors including Chuck Hoberman, Robert Kronenburg, David Leatherbarrow, Kas Oosterhuis, Enric ...

As museums have taken on more complex roles in their communities and the number of museum stakeholders has increased to include a greater array of people, effective museum planning is more important than ever. The Manual of Museum Planning has become the definitive text for museum professionals, trustees, architects, and others who are concerned with the planning, design, construction, renovation, or expansion of a public gallery or museum.Rewritten and reorganized, the third editi...

Explaining and critically reviewing management procedures such as performance indicators and strategic planning, this book shows how techniques from mainstream management can be used to facilitate a holistic and professional approach to the business of conservation and collection preservation. It offers practical guidance on strategy, quantitative planning and condition surveying, and presents many solutions to the challenges faced by museum staff and conservation specialists. This new edi...

Recent technological developments in biology, computation, cybernetics, engineering, industrial design, materials, and robotics allow architecture to evolve beyond static functionality and become an active participant—with the capacity to perceive, react to, and connect—with humans and the natural world. The first process-based guide by Michael Fox and Miles Kemp introduced interactive architecture in 2009, and the past few years have seen its prototypical potential unleashed, manifest in ...

Showing how worker productivity and stress levels are affected by factors such as lighting, ventilation, temperature, noise and layout, this book demonstrates how the technical aspects of human comfort do not always tally with users' perceptions and behaviour. With vivid examples and case studies to illustrate how space is a corporate resource rather than simply overhead, Vischer reveals how companies can improve their ability to make design decisions on how best to accommodate their emplo...

Challenged by the recent economic crisis, the building and construction industry is currently seeking new orientation and strategies. Here mass customisation is uncovered as a key strategy in helping to meet this challenge. The term mass customisation denotes an offering that meets the demands of each individual customer, whilst still being produced with mass production efficiency. Today mass customisation is emerging from a pilot stage into a scalable and sustainable strategy...Th...