Audrey Mertens - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Audrey Mertens

Research paper thumbnail of Towards Empowering Cohousing Communities: Finding Balance with a Group of Users-clients Throughout the Architectural Process

Proceedings of DRS, Jun 23, 2024

Research paper thumbnail of Interactions between analogue and digital explorations in Computational Design: lessons learned from Architectural Workshops

This study investigates the use of analogue tools throughout the process of parametric architectu... more This study investigates the use of analogue tools throughout the process of parametric architectural design and explores the impact of modelling technologies on such design activities. This research focuses on the interaction between students, sketches and scale models, the roles and methods of materializing such prototypes, and the difficulties they face. The originality of this paper lies in considering both the traditional physical models and the computer-aided manufacturing technologies available, examining the various applications of materialization tools, and analysing the roles fulfilled more specifically by physical models throughout a parametric design process. The research methodology is based on observations in the context of architectural training, through two workshop case studies: (i) "Digital Materiality" organized at the University of Mons, in collaboration with the University of Liège; (ii) and "Digital Design Fabrication" at the National School of Architecture in Nancy. Additionally, a survey is conducted amongst the students to gain insight from their perspectives. The results reveal different levels of integration of digital technologies in modelling processes, and highlight certain limitations regarding the adoption of digital fabrication tools. Analogue practices are shown to still constitute a key component of the students' thinking, designing and communicating processes. Findings emphasize the roles of physical models and their significance in the current digital context.

Research paper thumbnail of Méthodologies et méthodes d’analyse des pratiques interactionnelles entre l’architecte et le client-usager dans le cas de projets d’habitation

ModAct2023

Les relations entre les architectes et leurs clients-usagers représentent toujours une difficulté... more Les relations entre les architectes et leurs clients-usagers représentent toujours une difficulté majeure pour chacune des deux parties, notamment au fil des processus de conception de projets d’habitations. Pour établir un état des lieux des pratiques architecturales belges francophones en matière d’interactions sociales avec le client-usager du projet, nos recherches se sont basées sur plusieurs méthodes : l’entretien-approfondi, l’étude de cas et le processus de codesign. Les données collectées permettent de mettre en avant l’intérêt propre à chaque méthode et leurs limites en matière de recueil et d’analyse des activités interactionnelles, mais également d’en souligner la complémentarité.

Research paper thumbnail of Interactions between architects and end-users during housing design processes: a systematic literature review

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research

PurposeThis research focuses on the interactions between architects and end-users during the desi... more PurposeThis research focuses on the interactions between architects and end-users during the design process of housing projects, both experiencing challenges and friction points when meeting.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic literature review (SLR), based on and adapted from Kitchenham and Charters' work (2007). The thematic analysis of N = 104 identified articles reveals 13 main themes and 30 subthemes specific to architects, end-users and the interactions of architects and end-users, and 3 main groups of other actors intervening in these dynamics. The authors organize the data by actors and the actors' social encounters, themes and subthemes. The authors focus on some aspects, given possible evolution of practices.FindingsThe authors question the role of architects and the ways both parties share respective knowledge. The authors also discuss the various scales of social encounters depicted through literature, from traditional discursive meeting...

Research paper thumbnail of House Loti

2019 International Bamboo Construction Competition, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of La "co-conception" en architecture domiciliaire: analyse des pratiques et résistances praticiennes

Research paper thumbnail of Bamboo construction : Qualitative indicators for housing - Case study in Bali, Indonesia

The present study consists of trying to understand what the bamboo has to offer as well as what i... more The present study consists of trying to understand what the bamboo has to offer as well as what its limits are. The location was chosen in Bali, Indonesia, because it is currently a place where we can find a high concentration of bamboo craftsmanship and bamboo factories. The material is locally available and a couple of emblematic buildings are located there. Bamboo does not seem to be used much by the local Balinese population as a traditional construction material for housing. This master thesis confirms this statement and answers non‐exhaustively why. Furthermore, it seeks to evaluate the perception Balinese people have of bamboo construction, particularly for housing. In order to do so, we establish qualitative indicators as guidelines for the evaluation of the perception of bamboo housing. The methods we choose to learn about the Balinese people’s perception are the questionnaire survey, the in‐depth interview and the commented walk. The first one, the 24‐question‐survey, aims...

Research paper thumbnail of Transformative effects of co-design: The case of the “My Architect And I” project

IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design

In this paper, we present a co-design process intended to develop tools to improve the experience... more In this paper, we present a co-design process intended to develop tools to improve the experience of architectural design services for single-family housing projects in Belgium. Our main goal is to identify the transformative effects of this co-design process through the lens of the participants' experiences. This paper is based on focus groups conducted with architects and user-clients for post-evaluation of the process. Findings include insights on (i) their experiences during the co-design process; on (ii) transformative effects such as changes in perspective (including empathy) and practice; and on (iii) ownership of the project and its outputs. This paper shows that co-design processes can have a lingering effect on participants, even more so on the ones (N=4) showing up more than once (three or more events). These observations help inform co-design processes, and, more broadly, participatory design research and practices.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards Empowering Cohousing Communities: Finding Balance with a Group of Users-clients Throughout the Architectural Process

Proceedings of DRS, Jun 23, 2024

Research paper thumbnail of Interactions between analogue and digital explorations in Computational Design: lessons learned from Architectural Workshops

This study investigates the use of analogue tools throughout the process of parametric architectu... more This study investigates the use of analogue tools throughout the process of parametric architectural design and explores the impact of modelling technologies on such design activities. This research focuses on the interaction between students, sketches and scale models, the roles and methods of materializing such prototypes, and the difficulties they face. The originality of this paper lies in considering both the traditional physical models and the computer-aided manufacturing technologies available, examining the various applications of materialization tools, and analysing the roles fulfilled more specifically by physical models throughout a parametric design process. The research methodology is based on observations in the context of architectural training, through two workshop case studies: (i) "Digital Materiality" organized at the University of Mons, in collaboration with the University of Liège; (ii) and "Digital Design Fabrication" at the National School of Architecture in Nancy. Additionally, a survey is conducted amongst the students to gain insight from their perspectives. The results reveal different levels of integration of digital technologies in modelling processes, and highlight certain limitations regarding the adoption of digital fabrication tools. Analogue practices are shown to still constitute a key component of the students' thinking, designing and communicating processes. Findings emphasize the roles of physical models and their significance in the current digital context.

Research paper thumbnail of Méthodologies et méthodes d’analyse des pratiques interactionnelles entre l’architecte et le client-usager dans le cas de projets d’habitation

ModAct2023

Les relations entre les architectes et leurs clients-usagers représentent toujours une difficulté... more Les relations entre les architectes et leurs clients-usagers représentent toujours une difficulté majeure pour chacune des deux parties, notamment au fil des processus de conception de projets d’habitations. Pour établir un état des lieux des pratiques architecturales belges francophones en matière d’interactions sociales avec le client-usager du projet, nos recherches se sont basées sur plusieurs méthodes : l’entretien-approfondi, l’étude de cas et le processus de codesign. Les données collectées permettent de mettre en avant l’intérêt propre à chaque méthode et leurs limites en matière de recueil et d’analyse des activités interactionnelles, mais également d’en souligner la complémentarité.

Research paper thumbnail of Interactions between architects and end-users during housing design processes: a systematic literature review

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research

PurposeThis research focuses on the interactions between architects and end-users during the desi... more PurposeThis research focuses on the interactions between architects and end-users during the design process of housing projects, both experiencing challenges and friction points when meeting.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic literature review (SLR), based on and adapted from Kitchenham and Charters' work (2007). The thematic analysis of N = 104 identified articles reveals 13 main themes and 30 subthemes specific to architects, end-users and the interactions of architects and end-users, and 3 main groups of other actors intervening in these dynamics. The authors organize the data by actors and the actors' social encounters, themes and subthemes. The authors focus on some aspects, given possible evolution of practices.FindingsThe authors question the role of architects and the ways both parties share respective knowledge. The authors also discuss the various scales of social encounters depicted through literature, from traditional discursive meeting...

Research paper thumbnail of House Loti

2019 International Bamboo Construction Competition, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of La "co-conception" en architecture domiciliaire: analyse des pratiques et résistances praticiennes

Research paper thumbnail of Bamboo construction : Qualitative indicators for housing - Case study in Bali, Indonesia

The present study consists of trying to understand what the bamboo has to offer as well as what i... more The present study consists of trying to understand what the bamboo has to offer as well as what its limits are. The location was chosen in Bali, Indonesia, because it is currently a place where we can find a high concentration of bamboo craftsmanship and bamboo factories. The material is locally available and a couple of emblematic buildings are located there. Bamboo does not seem to be used much by the local Balinese population as a traditional construction material for housing. This master thesis confirms this statement and answers non‐exhaustively why. Furthermore, it seeks to evaluate the perception Balinese people have of bamboo construction, particularly for housing. In order to do so, we establish qualitative indicators as guidelines for the evaluation of the perception of bamboo housing. The methods we choose to learn about the Balinese people’s perception are the questionnaire survey, the in‐depth interview and the commented walk. The first one, the 24‐question‐survey, aims...

Research paper thumbnail of Transformative effects of co-design: The case of the “My Architect And I” project

IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design

In this paper, we present a co-design process intended to develop tools to improve the experience... more In this paper, we present a co-design process intended to develop tools to improve the experience of architectural design services for single-family housing projects in Belgium. Our main goal is to identify the transformative effects of this co-design process through the lens of the participants' experiences. This paper is based on focus groups conducted with architects and user-clients for post-evaluation of the process. Findings include insights on (i) their experiences during the co-design process; on (ii) transformative effects such as changes in perspective (including empathy) and practice; and on (iii) ownership of the project and its outputs. This paper shows that co-design processes can have a lingering effect on participants, even more so on the ones (N=4) showing up more than once (three or more events). These observations help inform co-design processes, and, more broadly, participatory design research and practices.