Maximized Space Usage

Master thesis (2018)

Authors

T. Somova Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

H.H. Bier (supervisor 1)
Sina Mostafavi (supervisor 1)
K.J. Vollers (supervisor 1)
F. Adema (supervisor 1)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2018 Tanya Somova
Freeform Design Wood architecture Interactive Design Robotic Building Space Optimization Adaptive boundaries
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Published Date

31-01-2018

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

The project site is located on the main street of the TU Delft campus.The building consist of adaptable and
interactive housing integrated with public and semi-public studying and working spaces. The hybrid of the
working spaces mixed together with housing was chosen due to the increased number of people working from
home and the proximity of the building site to the TU Delft Campus, which needed additional study spaces.
For this project the main goal was to minimise unusable space of the housing complex during the day and night radii of attraction towards different functions. This simulation helped to achieve an optimized layout of the
spatial arrangement within the building, based on the agents’ paths.
Parallel to the studies of the agents’ flow within the site and the building, another study was performed on the
ergonomics of the space needed for certain activities. That study helped to create optimized apartments, where
places were designed for different activities that can be carried out while walking, standing, sitting or laying
down, and with a different need for privacy.
During the design process different parametric tools and simulations were applied. This helped to achieve the
complexity within the building and interaction of the spaces, which was impossible without parametric input.
The chosen concept led to a more social and interactive environment within the building. Spaces that are used
during the day for working places and public activities will become an extension of the private apartments in the
evening when people return from work/studies. Moreover inhabitants can customise their space according to
their preferences, making it more open or private.
time. This was achieved by taking into account the movement of the people within the building, their everyday
activities, space reconfiguration and an introduction of adjustable boundaries between private, shared and
semi-public and public spaces.
The site entrances and the circulation within the site were determined after running a simulation of a swarm of 4
different classes of agents approaching the site and circulating within it between different attraction points and
repellers. Different groups of residents were studied to create these 4 classes of agents, representing visitors,
families, bachelor students, master students and researchers. Each class of agents, depending on their
everyday activities, was given a different factor of cohesion, alignment and separation. Agents also had
different speeds, view angles and tail lengths (which other agents could follow), as well as different factors and