Capital gains and architectural losses: the transformative journey of Caudill Rowlett Scott (1948–1994)

The history of Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS) provides a powerful account of the cultural transformations, technological shifts and socio-political opportunities that shaped the idea of professional practice in the United States of America between the end of World War Two and the post-Reagan years. It can also be used to discuss the natural limits of architectural practice as a financial, profit-making enterprise. Established immediately after the war in small-town Texas by two college professors released from the Navy, CRS took twenty-two years to become an independent architectural public company, thirty-six to top the list of US design firms, and less than fifty to reach its natural end as a business. The article uses data from the company's archives to show that the growth and demise of CRS were tied to a broad, highly dynamic idea of design and to the company's constant search for new markets. Whilst these two elements contributed to CRS's performance as a successful economic machine relative to standard architectural providers, they also put its professional service orientation on a par with other revenue-generating enterprises. These proved to be more profitable and less volatile than conventional architecture and engineering, and thus more enticing to shareholders and corporate board members.

Process Bifurcation and the Digital Chain in Architecture

Russell Alexander Loveridge

This thesis investigates the impact of digital technology on the methods of design and production in architecture. Through research of history, theory, technology, and methods, the work determines whether the current use of new technologies should be considered as iterative development of the architectural practice, or as a radically new paradigm. The computer has now matured into the primary working medium for architectural design. Digital tools are increasingly expanding their role, from design and visualization, to use in empirical simulation and evaluation, digital fabrication, and in on-site construction validation. This combination of linked tools, into a single project-wide solution system is called the "digital chain". This procedure is a significant opportunity for optimization of process, but it can also be seen as a catalyst to reinforce creative collaboration between disparate professionals in a design team. Because of this change to both methods and relationships the digital chain, and its components are understood to be disruptive technologies. The digital chain has caused a bifurcation in architectural productivity, because of this disruption many theorists and critics claim that digital technologies now define a new era of architecture. This thesis seeks to understand if this inflection can also be considered a new paradigm. The contemporary computer, as an "information machine" is characterized by three specific capabilities: control, prediction, and processing. Research and project work to examine the digital chain have been undertaken and categorized using these three investigation channels. Each topic for investigation has been instigated with a pedagogic work. Thereafter, additional "proof of concept" projects have been undertaken to advance the work to the professional level. The results and findings occur at two levels: Practical production of architecture, but also as conclusion about "digital learning" and the scope of technological adoption within the architectural profession. The conclusions of the thesis state that a technologically induced paradigm-shift in architecture has not occurred. The current implementation of digital tools still only qualifies as iterative innovation of traditional methods. The technology and use of digital tools in architecture has developed significantly in the last decade. Emerging technologies, new methods, and the prognosis for future developments will have significant effect on architectural design and production. Because architecture has a well established precedent of "re-purposing" technology from other disciplines, the thesis concludes that there is strong potential that a paradigm-shift may yet happen. By examining emerging innovations from other industries it is possible to make highly informed predictions about incoming innovations in materials, production methods, and conceptual systems. This insight into the next wave of potential catalytic influences is presented in the discussion, and it is concluded that a broader range of new innovations may yet invoke a technologically driven paradigm-shift in architecture.

EPFL2012

Intégration des critères de durabilité dans le processus de conception des constructions temporaires à vocation événementielle

Loïc Vivien Fumeaux

Sustainability is a constant search for balance between the needs and the means implemented, which implies meeting the needs present without compromising those of generations to come. Later generations will indeed imperative to consider. So that their scope for action not be mortgaged by human activities of previous generations, it is necessary to provide some leeway, especially from the perspective of the built environment transmitted by inheritance. Alongside these general theoretical considerations, it is now observed a glaring mismatch between the rapidly changing socio-cultural practices and the very slow renewal of the built environment . Whether in the way to live or work , or occupy constructed in the need for research space flexibility , the frame is characterized by the notion of "impermanence" increasingly important, in contrast with the perennial character commonly accepted and implemented in current practices . Most buildings are built to last, but are part of a society where everything is changing rapidly and so are facing frequent shifting situations between form and function of spaces. In this context, the temporary architecture can therefore be a good potential to seek to meet the challenges of multiple time frames and offer a potential mutation. This architectural approach is thus fully in sustainability concerns mentioned above, since it aims to offer a potential for adaptation rather than fixed solutions. Aware of the extent of the issue and complexity of reflections on the question of the impermanence of the frame, especially in view of the nature of architectural practices, this work focuses specifically on a little explored area that day at the research for which the notion of temporality is short intrinsic data: the field of temporary constructions events vocation. Through an exploratory approach, research methodology convene an archetype of the temporary architectural design to examine it as an object of study that can ideally translate the challenges of a design associated with an approach based on time restricted use. The research first observed in detail these practices sometimes considered at the margin of the architectural discipline. The structured analysis of four representative case helps highlight their limitations in terms of sustainability. part of the research, evaluative approach includes the development of an assessment methodology, specifically adapted to this type of construction. The approach then proposes the development of an alternative solution, which optimizes its multiple performances in a perspective of sustainability and overall quality. Through an approach of "research by the project" an integrated design process (IDP), both interdisciplinary and participatory, is experienced first sketches to detailed development of a prototype. Finally, from the product of this reflection, research in general rises and explores many possibilities of using this new system. This approach allows to demonstrate the potential contribution of multiple functional areas, illustrating what could be the conceptual foundations of an "architecture of the event." The result is a research methodology both "multi-scale" and "multidisciplinary", which demonstrates the great potential for optimizing this type of construction and the need to achieve to grasp the design simultaneously at multiple scales and integrating all stakeholders.

EPFL2016

Designing Energy-Efficient Façades to Meet Energy Transition Targets

Angela Clua Longas

The contemporary energy context can be considered as a period of energy transition, where the latest protocols focus on limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving energy efficiency across the different energy consumption sectors. As the largest single energy consumer in Europe, the building sector faces the particular challenge of meeting the latest energy efficiency requirements in the prospect of a growing population, whose growing demand results in increased construction activity and energy consumption. In line with the objectives of the energy transition, the European Union (EU) is committed to drastically reduce its GHG emissions by 2050. This objective is applied to the construction sector through new building energy efficiency requirements specified in the latest building directives. The latter highlight the potential of the building envelope to yield energy efficiency by passively reducing energy demand and through the incorporation of active energy generation systems, including solar systems. Among the latter, Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems have a demonstrated potential to increase energy efficiency, especially when they are an integral part of the buildingâs design and construction. However, despite their energy-efficiency improvement potential, BIPV systems are not widely used among architectural practices. This results simultaneously from the particular attention required by BIPV in terms of design and construction, the still low number of examples of successful architectural integration, the generalised lack of awareness among professionals and the perception of the high cost of this technology. These barriers, among others, reveal a tangible gap between the potential of energy-efficient technologies and their application to current architectural practices, specifically with regards to faÃ§ade design due to its public character as an urban landscape generator. To contribute bridging this gap in the context of energy transition, this thesis proposes a research-by-design methodology structured in different interdisciplinary research phases. These phases aim to design and assess an energy-efficient faÃ§ade solution with the potential of contributing to the building sector's energy transition. The research adopts an architectural approach to explore the collective residential faÃ§ade design potential and improve its construction energy efficiency. The research process entails an analysis of the contemporary residential faÃ§ade design currents and the advanced practices on energy-efficient construction. The research methodology is structured in three iterative phases: the design of an energy-efficient faÃ§ade, its quantitative assessment and the evaluation of its transfer potential towards professional practices. The concrete contribution of this research is to provide architecture professionals with energy-efficient architectural visions that can guide them to explore such energy-efficient strategies, integrate these issues in their own design processes and thus contribute to the energy transition at that scale. Similarly, the design methodology and the assessment processes can support construction stakeholdersâ decisions concerning the integration of energy-efficient design strategies into building development, improving contemporary faÃ§ade construction practices.

EPFL2019