TAD Journal 9:1
TECHNOLOGY | ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
Generative
TAD is a journal of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and is also made possible through additional support from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Building Technology Educators Society (BTES).
In design practice and education today, technologies infuse the design process across all stages of project development. Computer-aided design tools allow design problems to be explored in ways that impact human cognition and augment its capabilities. The emergence of generative AI technologies capable of human-like writing and image creation has the potential to supercharge these impacts – opening the door to new modes of knowledge and design creation and a host of new problems. Current generative AI technologies are built on massive amounts of curated data that can infringe on intellectual property and promulgate biases. These generative systems also problematize notions of authorship and responsibility, posing new legal and ethical questions. Therefore, the development and application of these systems in the design disciplines must be carefully considered from various perspectives to foster their humane and ethical use.
RVTR's contribution - K. Velikov, K Hasan, G. Lewis, C. Menassa, V. Kamat, G. Thün “Stretch Codes and the Building Envelope.” explores the ways in which legislation and standards governing the built environment are transforming in response to the climate crisis, imperatives for decarbonization, and concern for building occupants’ mental and physiological well-being. Stretch codes, the most rapidly evolving legislation adopted by states and municipalities, set higher and more comprehensive targets than base codes for energy, emissions, and resource usage. This review paper assembles an overview of current city, state, and provincial energy stretch codes in the US and Canada, specifically focusing on those that impact building envelope design. The review also investigates emerging embodied carbon regulations and voluntary occupant health standards and identifies potential conflicts across those and operational energy targets. The article argues for more verifiable and standardized data, multioptimization design tools, and research into low-carbon envelope materials.