Silvio Carta | University of Hertfordshire (original) (raw)

Papers by Silvio Carta

© 2020 The Author. This is an open access work licensed under the terms of the Attribution-NoDeri... more © 2020 The Author. This is an open access work licensed under the terms of the Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-ND 4.0). Please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ for further details.Today, computers are poised to change buildings once again, this time with algorithms that can inform, refine and even create new designs. Even weirder shapes are just the start: algorithms can now work out the best ways to lay out rooms, construct the buildings and even change them over time to meet users’ needs. In this way, algorithms are giving architects a whole new toolbox with which to realise and improve their ideas

International Journal of Architectural Computing

We present initial findings of our project RECOMM: an analytical tool that evaluates the resilien... more We present initial findings of our project RECOMM: an analytical tool that evaluates the resilience of urban areas. The tool utilises Deep Neural Networks to identify characteristics of resilience and assigns a resilience score to different urban areas based on the proximity to certain features such as green spaces, buildings, natural elements and infrastructure. The tool also identifies which urban morphological factors have the greatest impact on resilience. The method uses Convolutional Neural Networks with the Keras library on Tensorflow for calculations and the results are displayed in an online demo built with Node.js and React.js. This work contributes to the analysis and design of sustainable cities and communities by offering a tool to assess resilience through urban form.

End-User Development

Large-scale Text-to-image Generative Models (LTGMs) are a cutting-edge class of Artificial Intell... more Large-scale Text-to-image Generative Models (LTGMs) are a cutting-edge class of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms specifically designed to generate images from natural language descriptions (prompts). These models have demonstrated impressive capabilities in creating high-quality images from a wide range of inputs, making them powerful tools for non-technical users to tap into their creativity. The field is advancing rapidly and we are witnessing the emergence of an increasing number of tools, such as DALL-E, MidJourney and StableDiffusion, that are leveraging LTGMs to support creative work across various domains. However, there is a lack of research on how the interaction with these tools might affect the users' creativity and their ability to control the generated outputs. In this paper, we investigate how the interaction with LTGMs-based tools might impact creativity by analyzing the feedback provided by groups of design students developing an architectural project with the help of LTGMs tools.

Frontiers in Built Environment

CAADRIA proceedings

This work presents the initial results of an analytical tool designed to quantitatively assess th... more This work presents the initial results of an analytical tool designed to quantitatively assess the level of resilience of urban areas. We use Deep Neural Networks to extract features of resilience from a trained model that classifies urban areas using a pre-assigned value range of resilience. The model returns the resilience value for any urban area, indicating the distance between the centre of the selected area and relevant typologies, including green areas, buildings, natural elements and infrastructures. Our tool also indicates the urban morphological characteristics that have a larger impact on the resilience score. In this way we can learn why a neighbourhood is successful (or not) and how to improve its level of resilience. The model employs Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) with Keras on Tensorflow for the computation. The outputs are loaded onto a Node.JS environment and bootstrapped with React.js to generate the online demo.

Architecture and the Smart City, 2019

The study underpinning this chapter stems from the notion of Lefebvre’s production of space where... more The study underpinning this chapter stems from the notion of Lefebvre’s production of space whereby social space is comprised of a network of objects and relationships (Lefebvre and Nicholson-Smith 1991:77). In examining how social space is being reinterpreted and updated by recent technological advancements, we argue that the notion of space production should be reconsidered with more attention given to the role of the individual. The argument for reframing the role played by the individual is based on the way our existing public realm has been intrinsically characterised, and in many ways altered, by the presence of our digital environment and big data. We collected and analysed studies that substantiate the increasing role played by individuals in space making, through their presence and interaction in the digital environment. In this chapter, we present a reflection on the extent to which individuals, through their individual data, actively contribute to the production of public space. This work is intended to add to the on-going research into the idea of code/space (Kitchin and Dodge 2011); transduction (Mackenzie 2002); and mediated spaces (Kitchin et al. 2017).

This paper discusses the idea of disruptive visual urban forcefields and aims at mapping out ways... more This paper discusses the idea of disruptive visual urban forcefields and aims at mapping out ways of re-inhabiting the city. It analyses social configurations in relation to urban assemblages. It consists of three parts: firstly, a photographic inquiry exploring aspects of social relationships and shifting themes that colour modern-day visual existence. Several key coordinates are elaborated on, including the notions of a visual urban forcefield; reinterpreting the concept of the flâneur; the idea of territory; and lastly how these have become associated with deterritorialization and reterritorialization. The second part focuses on differences in visual structure over time. Observations are made about previously documented buildings in urban settings, specifically in relation to disruptive urban forcefields. It looks at how these urban settings evolved and changed over a similar time period. The third part discusses the impact of technological visual forcefields and their influence ...

Visual meaning plays such an important role in our daily lives that as an epistemological concept... more Visual meaning plays such an important role in our daily lives that as an epistemological concept, visual sustainability is curiously absent from pedagogical and modern-day sustainability. Methods: A theoretical framework firstly unpacks how and why we ‘latch on’ to visual elements. Secondly, the construct of a high street is used to help understand more about visual meaning as urban phenomenon in the context of modern-day sustainability. Results: Simulation techniques, used in conjunction with other methods, can be a useful tool in experimenting with the complex relationship between visual affordance and physical use. Conclusion: Visual sustainability is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDGs 3 and 11. But it does more. It orients us at both ends of life’s spectrum: in basic physiological needs, as well as in self-actualisation.

Information, Communication & Society, 2018

This article explores the study trip as an interconnected activity of work and play, constituting... more This article explores the study trip as an interconnected activity of work and play, constituting an extended means of teaching design studio in spatial design related disciplines. This study analyses the case of a cohort of about 200 students involved in a joint project in three cities, Athens, Tokyo and London, where groups were challenged with a common project brief. The students conducted empirical studies of the cities through play and enjoyment. The case study provides evidence of the benefits and issues emerging in this particular teaching and learning method of project-based and field work research in spatial design.

Sustainability, 2021

This article introduces BioZero, a nature-inspired near-zero building proposed for Quay St, Brook... more This article introduces BioZero, a nature-inspired near-zero building proposed for Quay St, Brooklyn, New York. The building is designed for the maximum use of daylight and natural ventilation. This is the result of its shallow plan depth and the inner light wells/ventilation stacks, which also serve the inner circulation space. The light wells/ventilation stacks are created as a result of the organic shape of the internal partitions. The building is constructed from a steel frame and hemp-lime bio-composite material (hempcrete), which smooths out the fluctuations of internal air temperature and relative humidity. The south facing façade is fitted with the Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic array that covers 90% of the opaque surface area of the façade. The design was based on nature-inspired computation, with sustainability principles as guiding constraints. The main findings are that the building achieves −227 tonnes of negative embodied carbon due to sequestration of CO2 in th...

Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Computer-Human Interaction Research and Applications