Showing papers by "Thomas Kvan published in 2006"

A comparative study of problem framing in multiple settings

Abstract: of the thesis entitled A comparative study of problem framing in multiple settings Submitted by Gao Song for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Hong Kong in December 2005 Problem framing is an essential element of the design process because it is an important design activity in solving design problems It is the first part of a cyclical design process which involves “framing”, “moving”, and “reflecting” Framing activities can be considered as a typical cognitive design process involving several levels As an essential design activity, framing can be considered an indicator to trace whether digital media changes the way designers engage in their work Teamwork protocol analysis is adopted as the research method in this study Three design settings are set up for the comparison: online remote setting, online co-located setting, and paper-based co-located setting Eighteen pairs of postgraduate students from the Department of Architecture in the University of Hong Kong are equally assigned into these three settings To encode design protocols, two coding schema are utilized One is Schon’s design model to isolate framing activities, and the other is Minsky’s frame system to classify these framing activities into four types A linkographic study is employed to structure design communication The results indicate that problem framing activities are significantly different in an online remote setting as compared to the two other settings It appears that a chat line-based remote setting does not only facilitate a greater proportion of framing activities, particularly high level framing, but also shows more richly interlinked design activities A comparative study of problem framing in multiple settings

Competence-Based Assessment in Professional Education Validation.

Abstract: This paper investigates the appropriateness of competence‐based assessment in professional education validation, considering architectural education in Asia as a case study. Competence‐based assessment originated in teacher training and vocational training settings in the USA and the UK. Competence‐based assessment has been increasingly adopted by many professional education validation systems, for example the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), the Royal Institute of British Architects / Architects Registration Boards (RIBA / ARB). Despite its growing application and longstanding continuity in professional education, its appropriateness for this purpose has never been investigated. In conclusion, this study finds that the competence‐based model followed by the CAA validation system has been narrowly defined and it requires modifications when it is adopted for professional education validations. Competence‐based assessment in professional education settings should focus on learning and ...

Architectural Animation becomes Alive - Creating Spatial Narrative with Spatial Characters for Animations

Abstract: This paper sets up a paradigm for creative architectural animations, drawing cinematic, architectural and narrative theories together to form a ‘Spatial Character’. Based on this definition, students created architectural animations. These served as working platform of an entry to the FEIDAD-Competition that defined and placed architecture into a cinematic context.

CoBlocks: An Improved Voxel-Based Design Tool by Object Structuring of Voxel Models:

Abstract: This paper introduces a voxel-based collaborative modelling system called CoBlocks which was developed to support designers in building models together in a synchronized virtual environment. This is due to the fact that voxel models are gaining more attention in computer-aided design (CAD) systems as they support simple and intuitive modelling for the early design phases. However, due to the discrete nature of voxels, it is common practice in most voxel-based design systems that the voxel modelling methods have limited users to manipulate models at the level of individual voxels. From the literature, however, we might expect that voxel modelling would benefit from higher-level interaction as supported by the object structuring of such models. In light of these, a controlled lab study was therefore carried out to examine the benefits of the structuring of these models in voxel-based design systems. The results show that users prefer working with structured voxels and that they can interact better with them.

Designo ergo sum

Abstract: Reviewing a decade of research from the University of Hong Kong, the paper traces a path that develops understandings of communication in design activities.