frank petzold | TU Munich (original) (raw)

Papers by frank petzold

International Journal of Architectural Computing

Microscopic agent-based simulations promise the meaningful inclusion of crowd dynamics in plannin... more Microscopic agent-based simulations promise the meaningful inclusion of crowd dynamics in planning processes. However, such complex urban issues depend on a multiplicity of criteria. Thus, an isolated model cannot represent the walk of pedestrians meaningfully in planning contexts. This paper reframes crowd simulation as collaborative experimentation and embeds it directly in the design process. Beyond the simulation algorithm, this perspective draws attention to user interactions, interfaces, and visualizations as crucial simulation elements. Through a prototype, we combine an agent-based pedestrian simulation with a hybrid physical–digital interface. Based on this configuration, we explore requirements of the early design stages and accordingly discuss concepts for interaction, simulation, and visualization. The prototype blends user inputs with intuitive design interactions, adapts the simulation process to qualitative and dynamic negotiations, and presents results immediately in...

Im Rahmen des Sonderforschungsbereiches 524 "Konstruktionen und Werkstoffe für die Revitalis... more Im Rahmen des Sonderforschungsbereiches 524 "Konstruktionen und Werkstoffe für die Revitalisierung von Bauwerken"1 ist das primäre Anliegen des Teilprojektes D2 "Bauplanungsrelevantes digitales Gebäudeaufnahme- und Informationssystem" die Entwicklung von Methoden und Techniken zur Aufnahme von Bestandsdaten vor Ort oder durch Auswertung vorhandener Dokumentationen und deren direkte Integration in ein Bauwerksmodell [11]. Das Vorhaben erarbeitet Grundlagen zu Aspekten der fachplanerischen Nutzung und der wissenschaftlichen Auswertungen arbeitsmethodischer Vorgehensweisen in der Bestandsaufnahme unter Einbeziehung softwaretechnischer Methoden. Dabei finden Sachverhalte der Strukturierung, die Herausarbeitung von Systematiken der wesentlichen Informations-/Datenmengen, die Ableitung von Methoden zur zerstörungsfreien Erfassung und die Darstellung planungsrelevanter Gebäudeinformationen in digitalen Systemen Berücksichtigung. In diesem Artikel werden ausgehend von An...

ABSTRACT Die im vorliegenden Buch dokumentierten Untersu- chungen befassen sich mit der Entwicklu... more ABSTRACT Die im vorliegenden Buch dokumentierten Untersu- chungen befassen sich mit der Entwicklung von Methoden zur algorithmischen Lösung von Layout- aufgaben im architektonischen Kontext. Layout bezeichnet hier die gestalterisch und funktional sinnvolle Anordnung räumlicher Elemente, z.B. von Parzellen, Gebäuden, Räumen auf bestimmten Maß stabsebenen. Die vorliegenden Untersuchun- gen sind im Rahmen eines von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft geförderten Forschungs- projekts entstanden. gefördert

This work explores the possibility of leveraging the OpenBIM standards to create an interactive V... more This work explores the possibility of leveraging the OpenBIM standards to create an interactive Virtual Reality (VR) tool for collaboration in the BIM ecosystem, independent of any vendor-specific software. The highlight of thework is integration of BCF issuemark-ups and a mechanism to add doors and windows from VR with correct semantic relationships to an IFC model. We also lay foundation for a networked, multi-user environment using the same approach.

Europe is facing an increasing demand for new construction, which is pushing the industry away fr... more Europe is facing an increasing demand for new construction, which is pushing the industry away from traditional construction technology towards prefabrication and Mass-Customization. However, prefabrication-based construction requires a more efficient, better informed decision making process due to the increased difficulty of on-site variations. Furthermore, the lack of means to navigate the whole spectrum of solutions for a given design problem using traditional tools, and the absence of the manufacturer's input in the early phases of the project can present significant challenges for the efficiency of the design and construction process. As a way to face these challenges, this paper presents an approach, realized as an Autodesk Dynamo-for-Revit package called Box Module Generator (BMG), which enables the exhaustive generation of configurations for a given building based on a construction scheme that utilizes Box Prefabricates. The output can be sorted, dissected and explored b...

Analyzing the results of multi-objective optimization and building performance simulation can be ... more Analyzing the results of multi-objective optimization and building performance simulation can be a very tedious process that requires navigating between different software and tools. There is a clear scarcity in visualization tools that combine methods for big data analysis and design decision support tools that integrate detailed information for each design and parameter. Having a single visualization tool that provides methods to both visualize and analyze a large amount of data, understand the relation between objectives and variables, and having the ability to compare and analyze the preferred designs thoroughly can support the process of design decision making. In this paper, previous attempts to develop better data visualization tools for both integrated building simulation and optimization outputs were analyzed, then guidelines and a visualization tool prototype that can be effective in decision making and analyzing multi-objective optimizations results was presented.

In the time since European architects first began using computers in the building design process,... more In the time since European architects first began using computers in the building design process, the digital revolution has transformed how architects use planning tools completely. Today, digital tools are an indispensable part of planning practice. Besides a wide variety of digital modeling tools, parametric tools offer architects diverse options for generating cybernetic building models as BIM-models or homeostatic parametric geometry models. Cybernetic models help us to describe the buildings as a system and can improve planning efficiency. The aim of planning is to construct or fabricate an end result. The integration of digital fabrication methods in the digital chain is a fundamental goal if architects are to benefit from the progressive development of computer controlled machine tools. Fabrication integrated digital models can automate the planning process up to the production stage and enable the efficient fabrication of building components. The increased efficiency of pla...

Sketching by hand is without doubt - alongside building models - the most common tool that archit... more Sketching by hand is without doubt - alongside building models - the most common tool that architects employ when design- ing. A disadvantage of the sketch is, even if it is a perspective drawing, that it is a purely two-dimensional planar representation of a three- dimensional product: the three-dimensional impression that the sketch communicates is a product of the viewer's imagination. Digital mod- elling tools on the other hand support the creation of three- dimensional content but fall short in their ease of handling: their com- plexity and potentially un-intuitive operation hinder rather than sup- port the design process. Taking this discrepancy as a starting point, the presented system details the development and prototypical implemen- tation of a dynamic 3D-sketching tool. The underlying core idea is to create a seamless connection between a perspective hand-sketch and the corresponding digital 3D-model in order to benefit from the ad- vantages of hand sketching as a des...

Building Information Modeling, 2021

By open exchange of ideas and artifacts and non apriori hierarchical processes, Open Strategies e... more By open exchange of ideas and artifacts and non apriori hierarchical processes, Open Strategies enable a better usage of distributed resources, and the release of more creative potential. Applying these Open Strategies to the architectural design process, is goal of our project. The technical basis for our research is FREAC, a software framework developed in-house which provides a collaboration space for co-operation between different users and tools. This framework is designed not just for exchanging the outcome of the design process but also for opening up the design process itself and making it more transparent. Such highly open and distributed design processes, however, also present new problems and uncertainties which need to be taken into account in order to reach successful design outcomes. As a result proposals for the management of such processes need to be developed that facilitate collaborative work but do not unnecessarily constrain the inherent complexity of the design ...

The use of digital tools in the early, creative design process is the focus of an interdisciplina... more The use of digital tools in the early, creative design process is the focus of an interdisciplinary teaching and research project. Starting from the question of how a seamless connection between physical and digital tools could be made possible, the proposed method tries to bridge the gap between both methodologies and provide intuitive, visual and collaborative design coupled with advanced, real time computer simulations. A design platform has been developed which supports a seamless connection between freely shaped physical models, GIS data and Grasshopper3D. The environment combines the reconstructed physical models with the digital one (surrounding buildings) and passes the information to a custom Grasshopper3D plug-in which serves as a link to existing and custom developed simulative tools. All simulations are performed and visualized in real time to support the intuitive and iterative design process.

The densification of urban spaces is a major challenge for future cities. With new forms of onlin... more The densification of urban spaces is a major challenge for future cities. With new forms of online consultation, we observe a movement towards open government in urban planning. A stronger participation between a more diverse body of players in a networked environment, is unveiling various discrepancies in the understanding of projects by the different actors in planning, due to access to and the comprehension of planning information. To recognise and utilise the associated capabilities of current transformations, communication between the actors in planning and their sharing of knowledge is vitally important. Information visualisation is an essential form of communication, prompting this explorative paper in considering elements specific to games visualisation and their implications for urban planning. Based on a framework for information visualisation in games it was found that the specifications for actor groups in planning processes mirror the specifications specific to target a...

The utilization of visual programming languages (VPL) as tools for generating complex simulations... more The utilization of visual programming languages (VPL) as tools for generating complex simulations has seen a constant increase in application in architect planning phases. The major advantage of such languages is, that they enable the user to create programs without needing traditional software development skills. In the last few years the CDP // Collaborative Design Platform was developed that seamlessly connects physical models with analyses and simulations in real-time. To facilitate an easier creation, modification and user interaction with the individual simulations, a VPL and an accompanying IDE were conceptualized and developed. In the context of this paper the core requirements, the concept and prototypical implementation of these new components are described in detail.

Case-Based Reasoning Research and Development, 2016

To support the early conceptualization phase in architecture with computer-aided solutions, in pa... more To support the early conceptualization phase in architecture with computer-aided solutions, in particular, with retrieval systems that can find similarly structured building designs in comprehensive collections of such designs, a number of approaches were presented to date. In the Metis project two retrieval coordination approaches (coordinators) were developed to govern the search of similar (sub-)structures of architectural designs. The main task of both coordinators is to select the retrieval method that is appropriate for the given user query. First approach is a standalone service that uses rules only to coordinate the retrieval and can use subgraph matching and database search methods, whereas the second one is rule-and case-based and is part of a distributed system for casebased retrieval of architectural designs. We compared both coordinators in a user study to find out which strengths and weaknesses both coordinators currently possess, and for which retrieval scenarios of the architectural conceptualization phase they could be appropriate. The results showed that the complexity of the particular scenario and the purpose of search are the main points that differentiate both coordinators. The rule-based coordinator performed better when a search for exact (sub-)structures was required, whereas the rule-and case-based coordinator is appropriate for queries aimed to be used for exploration and general search for inspiration. Visualization of the results of both coordinators is in need of improvement.

Blucher Design Proceedings, 2019

The early stages of building design are characterized by a continuous endeavor for the developmen... more The early stages of building design are characterized by a continuous endeavor for the development of variants and their evaluation and consistent detailing. The concept of adaptive detailing aims to enable the architect to evaluate and compare design variants which are partially incomplete and vague (Zahedi and Petzold 2018b). This paper discusses a minimized communication protocol based on BIM, which enables computer-readable interactions between the architect and different domain-experts (representing various analysis and simulation procedures) (Zahedi and Petzold 2018a). This comprises the selection of simulation procedures as well as any necessary consolidation of the information content according to the requirements of the simulations. Any additions required on the part of the simulation procedures are visually prepared globally or space-and component-oriented respectively, in order to perform detailing of a building model in a targeted way. Moreover, this paper proposes various supportive methods for visual representation and exploration of analysis results.

Journal of Information Technology in Construction, 2020

The early stages of building design involve the consideration of different design variants and th... more The early stages of building design involve the consideration of different design variants and their assessment regarding various performance criteria including energy consumption and costs. During the design process, the involved experts from different disciplines frequently exchange building information to develop a design that satisfies the project’s requirements and objectives. In the course of this iterative process, the building design evolves throughout multiple refinement stages. At the same time, different variants are developed. In BIM-based projects, the maturity of the design information provided by the model is expressed by the notion of Level of development (LOD). So far, however, there is no method to formally define the information requirements of a LOD. In particular, there are no means for expressing the uncertainty involved with the provided information. By contrast, despite the insufficient information available in early design stages, a BIM model appears precise...

Visualization in Engineering, 2017

Background Technological developments and globalized working processes have transformed the build... more Background Technological developments and globalized working processes have transformed the building process. However, current digital semantic building models no longer adequately represent the increasing complexity of modern building projects. The potential of combining agent-based and graph-based methods, for example for energy calculations or spatial research strategies, is not fully exploited. Methods In our system, users search for building floorplans, for example as sources of inspiration, by creating conceptual hand-drawn sketches of building parts on multi-touch devices. The sketch is analyzed and used to query a federated database system comprising a building information model server, the graph database neo4j and the content management system mediaTUM. Users interact with client applications that show and continuously update a list of floorplans by sending queries to a central coordinator service. In the paper, we describe the coordinator that enables our databases to appe...