Triangles are an ever-present feature in nature, which the building construction industry duly echoes. However, an exact expression intended to supply the radiant field of any triangle in an upright ...or inclined position has not been identified by previous research. In this case, the author has been able to solve, via direct integration, the canonical expression of radiative transfer. This result alone confers a myriad of possibilities, that had been inconceivable before, for studying in detail the three-dimensional heat-transfer behavior of volumes and figures in which triangles manifest, such as fins, windows, roof-gables and louvers of various kinds. Typically, shading devices, when tilted, give rise in their extremes to rhomboidal shapes which were difficult to take into account or had to be subject to discretization and subsequent Monte Carlo methods in order to perform an approximate calculation of their emissions. This implied a lengthy and inexact procedure that induced many errors and consumed computing time. We can now avoid all these former downsides due to the advances hereby presented. As this novel expression can be converted into an algorithm, it will be advantageously employed for simulation. This significant finding dovetails into the intricate puzzle of radiated heat and we believe that its consequences will greatly affect the conception and design of HVAC devices, aircraft manufacturing and specifically the building or lighting industries, among others.
The classic equations used to find the form factor inside fragments of spheres are often unassailable. The main difficulties that they present lie in iterative integrations effected over curved ...surfaces. The typical simulation software for this kind of issue is not capable of tackling the drawbacks that appear in the process, among them we could cite the impossibility of discretizing curved shapes with equal matching tiles, whether triangles or rectangles, especially when we arrive at the contour elements. The current type of cylindrical tiles employed for the calculation of spheres, due to incoherence in curvature, presents a significant array of gaps that render the whole procedure inadequate and inconsistent. To countermeasure this drawback, the recent finding of some innovative principles by the present author has provided a sure and exact path towards the solution of the problem in the frequent case of a volume enclosed within a spherical fragment and two limiting sections of the said sphere placed at arbitrary positions. The coherent application of such postulates by virtue of form factor algebra leads to an encompassing expression which solely requires the input of the surface areas of the involved shapes and, thus, avoids the lengthy resort to integration. A relevant number of cases in radiative heat transfer simulation, that cannot be solved by any other method, become feasible and accurate. Since the new tool can be implemented as an algorithm for simulation software, pivotal advances emerge in the complex domain of radiation which are applicable for the lighting industry, building simulations, and aerospace technologies, among others.
The aim of this article is to orient the evolution of new architectural forms offering up-to-date scientific support. Unlike the volume, the expression for the lateral area of a regular conoid has ...not yet been obtained by means of direct integration or a differential geometry procedure. In this type of ruled surface, the fundamental expressions I and II, for other curved figures have proved not solvable thus far. As this form is frequently used in architectural engineering, the inability to determine its surface area represents a serious hindrance to solving several problems that arise in radiative transfer, lighting and construction, to cite just a few. To address such drawback, we conceived a new approach that, in principle, consists in dividing the surface into infinitesimal elliptic strips of which the area can be obtained in an approximate fashion. The length of the ellipse is expressed with certain accuracy by means of Ramanujan’s second formula. By integrating the so-found perimeter of the differential strips for the whole span of the conoid, an unexpected solution emerges through a newly found number that we call psi (ψ). In this complex process, projected shapes have been derived from an original closed form composed of two conoids and called Antisphera for its significant parallels with the sphere. The authors try to demonstrate that the properties of the new surfaces have relevant implications for technology, especially in building science and sustainability, under domains such as structures, radiation and acoustics. Fragments of the conoid have occasionally appeared in modern and contemporary architecture but this article discusses how its use had been discontinued, mainly due to the uncertainties that its construction posed. The new knowledge provided by the authors, including their own proposals, may help to revitalize and expand such interesting configurations in the search for a revolution of forms.
Radiant heat interchanges are pivotal to assessing the energy use of buildings and facilities that channel some sort of solar radiation. Form factor integrals are needed for an accurate simulation of ...the main features of the envelope of such buildings. However, the expressions required when the space under analysis is curved, for instance, in domes and vaults, are not feasible. The calculation process of algorithms is usually addressed by cumbersome analytical deductions or else by rough statistical approximations included in the simulations, such as ray-tracing methods. Neither of which works properly under curved geometries. The following article deals with an innovative methodology for employing an exact property that solves any spherical configuration of the radiant surfaces. The newly found relationship is validated by comparison with other solutions previously deducted by the author and by numerical simulations when available. Since there is no other exact method of calculating radiation exchanges within spherical fragments, we consider that this finding represents an advance which contributes to overcoming a variety of unexplained and practical problems of radiative heat transfer applicable to architectural developments, lighting elements and aircraft components.
Baroque temples were developed in the context of cross-cultural influences through new territories where the climatic conditions were often opposed to those prevailing in Europe. The nature of ...weather differences could not be predicted with the knowledge of the era and consequently, a set of gradual and successive transformations in the typologies “imported” from Europe was produced. These adaptations were lengthy, intuitive, and not always recognizable by the Metropolitan culture. Although daylight requirements played an important role in this process and its quality in baroque temples is celebrated by architectural historians, very few daylighting simulations and on-site measurements have been developed. Therefore, a twofold result is produced: Daylighting’s beneficial effects can neither be transmitted nor reproduced in other new buildings. Consequently, we discuss in this article the results of a daylighting simulation program capable of analyzing complex baroque temples around the world and to show the implications of its environmental attitude.
We present a scientific discussion about Chinese historical architecture and cultural paradigms in order to analyze the formation of building patterns objectively connected to environmental features. ...In this regard, we will demonstrate the process of standardization from architectural modules related in different levels of composition around “voids”, onto cosmological urban tissues in harmony with nature. The conclusions show that we can only understand Chinese architectural patterns in relation to Dào or nature, and in turn, they possess profound social and environmental values from which we receive useful lessons to advance towards sustainability in architecture and urban planning. The authors believe that it is critical for China and the world to find a new approach to the building construction industry with an ecological and philosophical background recognizable as “Chinese” and based in its own past. In order to support the information provided in the first part of the article, the authors have conducted an environmental analysis of the traditional Chinese urban layout whose results greatly confirm the initial hypotheses, i.e. the historical fashion of constructing neighborhoods improves conditions of the town in terms of comfort and is able to save energy, thus reducing pernicious change effects.
Heritage issues have increased significantly in recent years. However, they tend to remain in the cultural sphere and are often resistant to scientific analyses. If we have to deal with the ...contradictory matter of sustainability in design for ancient buildings, such hindrances appear frequently. A crucial aspect in Architecture has always been its capacity to dispose internal spaces and apertures in a manner that enhances the balance of light and thus provides attuned perception and well-being. Poor performance in that respect raised objections against the prestige of admirable works and famed artists. If we reject the absurd idea of accurately reproducing identical buildings in the same place repeatedly, how are we supposed to benefit from the said knowledge without the help of any objective design tools? It is easy to agree that at least we would need some scientific support to transmit such proper effects. Aware of the former notions, authors have developed a novel simulation software called DianaX, which is based on mathematical models and equations produced and expanded by Joseph Cabeza-Laïnez, from roughly 1990 to 2018. This non-commercial software deals with radiative exchanges in all kinds of surfaces (for instance domes, vaults, cylinders, hyperboloids and curves in general). It also includes direct sun in the simulations unlike most programs. Therefore, it is ideally suited for the analysis of heritage architecture and especially that which identifies with the Renaissance, baroque and neoclassical epochs. The case of temples from the baroque period resumes the conflict expressed in the first paragraph and the Jesuit Church of Saint Louis (1699–1731) is one of the most relevant examples of efficient illumination found in Mediterranean latitudes, having been recently restored. In this article, we would like to discuss the subtle and interesting implications of employing our simulation software for lighting in such a complex baroque temple. The methodology would be to identify the main energy sources within the church in order to construct a suitable model for simulation. Subsequently we apply the said software DianaX to such model and establish the most significant results trying to compare them with available on-site measurements. Finally, a strategy to enhance day-lighting and supplement it with other light sources in the church is proposed.
Radiation fireballs are singular phenomena which involve severe thermal radiation and, consequently, they need to be duly assessed and prevented. Although the radiative heat transfer produced by a ...sphere is relatively well known, the shadowing measures implemented to control the fireball’s devastating effects have frequently posed a difficult analytical instance, mainly due to its specific configuration. The objective of this article is to develop a parametric algorithm that provides the exact radiative configuration factors for the most general case in which the fireball is located at any distance and height above the ground, partially hidden by a protective wall over an affected area at different positions with respect to the said fireball. To this aim we use methods based on Computational Geometry and Algorithm-Aided Design; tools that, departing from the projected solid-angle principle, provide exact configuration factors, in all cases, even if they do not present a definite analytical solution. This implies dealing with spatially curved radiative sources which had not been addressed formerly in the literature due to their mathematical difficulties. Adequate application of this method may improve the safety of a significant number of facilities and reduce the number casualties among persons exposed to such risks. As a similar radiative problem appears in volcanic explosions; we hope that further extensions of the method can be adapted to the issue with advantage.
The purpose of this article is to disclose the strenuous efforts of László Hudec in China and Antonin Raymond in Japan and India to create a modern architectural stance by heralding an incipient ...space syntax. At the turn of the 19th century, for dynastic, political and economic reasons, Eastern Asia had very little modern architecture. It is a surprising fact that, out of happenstance, two European architects, Antonin Raymond and László Hudec, had to intervene to remedy this situation, to the point of becoming 20th century icons in Japan and China. Their fruitful careers spanned over thirty years and included locations like Tamil Nadu and the Philippines. The oriental territories were not an easy ground for the bold architectural achievements that they produced. Despite faraway strangeness and uncountable personal losses, in revolutions and wars, which eventually forced them both to leave for the United States of America and never to return, they were successful in the manner of establishing a broad avenue for modern Asian architecture which is still recognizable today thanks to their systematic approach. However, theirs is an endangered heritage and the intention of this article is to offer a just remembrance of the way in which such actions could be performed, how they predated by many years a syntactic approach to architectural composition and why their legacy should be preserved.
The different technical and legal tools intended for heritage protection have augmented the possibilities to acknowledge important monumental complexes. However, a contrast lies in the artistic ...contexts in which, due to the consolidation of their programmatic typology, such monuments require habitation, unlike more conventional monuments. This article collects the results of an accurate investigation conducted by the authors, whose main objective was to obtain a tool that allows consistent measurement of different indicators in which both the protection of the elements, and the capacity for habitation, are safeguarded. To this aim, we contextualized the research at the Monastery of Santa Clara de la Columna in Belalcázar (Córdoba), a monastery with the highest heritage protection in Spain, and which, in turn, accommodates a religious community. The results have allowed us, for the first time in Andalucia, to define objective habitability parameters, within protected heritage contexts.
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