Traditional urban plans use definitive design systems, without the flexibility required to deal with the complexity and change that characterize contemporary urban societies. To conceive urban plans with increased flexibility, a shape grammar-based design methodology is proposed which is capable of producing various design solutions instead of a single rigid layout. In this approach the plan is a design system encoding a set of alternative solutions, rather than a single, specific solution. This methodology was developed on the basis of the analysis of existing plans and on a series of experiments undertaken within the controlled environment of design studios. Results show that shape grammars produce urban plans with nondefinitive formal solutions, while keeping a consistent design language. They also provide plans with explicit and implicit flexibility, thereby giving future designers a wider degree of freedom. As a result, they are particularly appropriate for dealing with complexity and change throughout the legal lifespan of the plan. Finally, they provide students with a concrete methodology for approaching urban design, fostering the development of additional design skills.
The use of typomorphology as a means of understanding urban areas has a long tradition amongst academics but the reach of these methods into urban design practice has been limited. In this paper we present a method to support the description and prescription of urban form that is contextsensitive, multi-dimensional, systematic, exploratory, and quantitative, thus facilitating the application of urban typomorphology to planning practice. At the core of the proposed method is the k-means statistical clustering technique to produce objective classifications from the large complex data sets typical of urban environments. Block and street types were studied as a test case and a context-sensitive sample of types that correspond to two different neighbourhoods were identified. This method is suitable to support the identification, understanding and description of emerging urban forms that do not fall into standard classifications. The method can support larger urban form studies through consistent application of the procedures to different sites. The quantitative nature of its output lends itself to integration with other systematic procedures related to the research, analysis, planning and design of urban areas.
<p>As construções em terra são soluções reconhecidas de baixo impacto ambiental. São construções duráveis, fortes, climaticamente eficientes, formalmente flexíveis e são compostas por recursos renováveis e reaproveitáveis favorecendo o desenvolvimento sustentável. Este artigo classifica as variações construtivas de aplicação da técnica de construção em terra superadobe. Também conhecido como “adobe ensacado”, “saco contínuo de terra estabilizada”, “<em>earthbag building</em>” ou “<em>Earth-filled bags</em>”, o superadobe consiste na técnica construtiva onde as paredes são construídas basicamente por sacos preenchidos com terra e areia empilhados, com arame farpado entre eles. A técnica foi desenvolvida como possível solução de construção na lua, depois foi aplicada pare resolver a problemática de habitação popular, atualmente é possível encontrar construções em superadobe robustas, com diferentes usos e com associações de outras técnicas construtivas. Este artigo tem por objetivo tabular as variações construtivas de aplicação da técnica de construção em terra superadobe já executadas, a fim de auxiliar pesquisas futuras no reconhecimento e superação dos limites e variações da técnica construtiva. O método é descritivo qualitativo, com investigação de cunho exploratório interdisciplinar, por meio de levantamento técnico em revistas especializadas em arquitetura, engenharia e sustentabilidade.</p><p><strong>Palavras-Chave:</strong> Superadobe, sustentabilidade, arquitetura, construção em terra.</p>
In this paper we show the structure of an urban design parametric system. The system is dynamic and builds an interactive relation with the designer updating the layout and related data at each input change. The responsiveness of the system allows the designer to gain awareness on the qualitative consequences of each design move by comparing a design state with a set of urban indicators and density measures which are automatically calculated along with the geometrical updates.
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