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Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Modularity and architecture: a framework for space.

Hanny Marone , Kennesaw State University Follow

Date of Submission

Spring 5-9-2022

Degree Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Architecture

Architecture

Committee Chair/First Advisor

Christopher Welty

Secondary Advisor

Arief Setiawan

This thesis focuses on the role and use of modular design within the field of architecture. Modularity is the use of smaller, less complex units in an organizational framework in order to create a more complex whole system. Modular systems can broken down into three components that make the system: elements, rules (organizational logic), and connections. Within this project the use of parametric design allows for the creation of simple and complex rules which allow for manipulation of the basic elements. These manipulations ultimately result in impacts on the form, spatial quality and tectonic expression.

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How Can Modular Design Be Used to Revolutionize Housing Architecture?

• Written by Enrique Tovar
• Published on April 25, 2024

Housing is a diverse architectural typology whose configuration is determined not only by those who design it but also by the use of those who live in it. Therefore, homes are fundamentally adaptable structures that evolve in line with their time and users, undergoing constant changes manifested in the ways of living. The house conceived today will not be the same as the one built tomorrow, so it becomes necessary to maintain a critical and profound approach to the role it plays in the built environment.

In this sense, modular architecture has consistently presented itself as a dynamic design strategy that has revolutionized housing, developing versatile solutions for sustainable spaces and construction practices. Thus, modular housing has been fertile ground for exploring and deepening ways of inhabiting space and addressing human needs. From the prefabricated catalog houses of the 19th century to the post-World War II housing boom, its evolution reflects both past proposals and the exploration of new concepts for the future.

Understanding the transformation of habitat through modular design requires a comprehensive examination of its sustainability and practical implementation. Moreover, it's crucial to consider the global impact of these trends on future architecture. This pursuit drives exploration into conceptual, material, technological, and political innovations in housing and urban strategies. Buildner's promotion of such explorations via architectural competitions demonstrates how housing architecture can be continually revolutionized, akin to Jean Prouvé's demountable houses , the demountable concept of the Dymaxion House , or Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian houses.

A Path for Facing the Housing Crisis

Around the world, the lack of affordable housing continues to be a growing problem, especially with diminishing natural resources, climate change, and economic crisis. Events such as MICROHOME —an annual competition launched by Buildner—seek simple solutions for smaller and more efficient living. The proposals developed around this topic focus on off-grid modular homes of up to 25 square meters. Their approaches are as diverse as their strategies; using fewer materials, encouraging flexibility, and promoting sustainable communities to address poverty and climate change.

The variety of housing approaches demonstrates that while the housing crisis is a global concern, its manifestations vary based on local context. In their examination of affordable housing , researchers have highlighted how major cities like Berlin, Paris, and Toronto grapple with limited housing stocks.

To enhance housing conditions in urban areas, various proposals have offered radical ideas. These include using spaces under highways , building on top of underutilized infrastructure, reworking laneways between existing residential developments, and building new structures that combine architectural programs. Such initiatives aim to enhance vacant urban cores.

Minimizing Waste and Construction Time

The pressing need for sustainable and adaptable architecture has spurred the exploration of alternative ways to build efficiently. These techniques, such as modular construction, leverage technology to streamline processes around construction, including the transport of materials , reducing execution time, and minimizing waste, thereby promoting cleaner and more efficient construction sites. In addition, advances in digital fabrication, such as 3D printing and robotics , allow for greater precision and customization.

In terms of materials, architects are increasingly opting for environmentally friendly options that work cohesively with the dismountable, foldable, and collapsible systems that some modular housing propose, such as recycled steel, cross-laminated timber (CLT) , and bamboo , along with energy-efficient insulation systems. At the same time, the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and geothermal heating systems, further enhances the sustainability of modular home proposals, closing the loop between processes, materials, energy, and climate control systems.

Design Competitions as an Industry-Wide Tool for Education and Innovation

To sustain the momentum of innovation in architecture, ongoing dialogue and critical analysis about modular housing are key. Design competitions are crucial in this space, serving as educational tools and creative hubs to foster ideas. These competitions offer opportunities for creative freedom that might otherwise be restricted by traditional projects while integrating current concepts around innovation, sustainability, and technology .

Design competitions represent a way to transcend established norms, becoming drivers of positive change based on contemporary issues. Through them, significant ideas that contribute to finding solutions for contemporary discussions are highlighted and recognized.

That is why Buildner, in the spirit of addressing the current challenges of architecture, works closely with leading architects in various fields to create competitions that foster creative thinking. It also collaborates with international juries to evaluate the designs submitted by individuals, teams, and studios from around the globe. These jury panels provide an objective assessment in the search for innovative ideas that inspire the next generation of designers to propose sustainable and replicable solutions that tell a story and challenge the status quo.

Approaching modular housing through design competitions offers a perspective that, with each iteration, introduces new ideas to a building system whose efficiency allows the replacement or addition of elements without impacting the rest of the system. This flexibility encourages the exploration of new ideas concerning homes, a concept familiar to all and therefore constantly challenged. Through the analysis of past and future cases, modular housing emerges as a blank canvas that deftly balances standardization with customization in contemporary living.

This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Modular Housing , proudly presented by BUILDNER .

BUILDNER celebrates architecture competitions as an effective tool for achieving progress by fostering groundbreaking ideas that push the industry forward. “Through academic and project competitions, we are building an inclusive and diverse community of architects and designers, by promoting critical topics such as affordable, sustainable and small-scale housing to address global challenges. Our goal is to inspire the next generation of designers to propose innovative solutions and challenge the status quo.” 

Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics . And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us .

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Modular Construction in Architecture: The Future of Flexible Design

As we meander through these ‘unprecedented times ’ ,  t he  concept of impermanence has never been more pervasive in  many of  our lives .  In the midst of a pandemic , and eventually a post-pandemic society, the demand for architecture and design to facilitate our changing needs is clearer than ever.

The home, for example, has recently had to take on many more roles,  at times  b ecoming  a hospital, gym, office, recreation space, concert hall, isolation tank, and much more.  This has led many to believe that  such  structure s should  be designed and constructed to allow for adaptation , in order for them  to  be able to support  the  changing  lifestyle s and habits of  those housed within  them . Designing and constructing structures with the user as an evolving entity with changing needs in mind, is a core value of modular architecture.

Modular architecture is basically separate elements of a building that are prefabricated in isolation, then combined with other modules to create a unit. Modularity can tackle the shortcomings of traditional structures and provide users with flexibility, adaptable interfaces, standardised repair, durability and personalisation, whilst also being sustainable and resilient to the effects of time.  

Philosophy, art, literature, society, and architecture have always been influenced by the theory of impermanence. Much like Heraclitus wrote in his  Fragments , many cultures have strong connotations to change as ‘the only constant.’ In Eastern philosophy , Buddhism identifies three tenets that explain all phenomena: change, dissatisfaction, and impermanence. Architecture reflects the impermanence of our surroundings, with buildings acting as markers of the passing of time. 

As such, construction and demolition can have a strong impact on the inhabitants of a place and can signify prominent cultural change. Throughout history, architectural innovation has been most notable after significant periods of upheaval. In the period after WWII, Japanese ‘Metabolist’ designers created a new style of architecture based on organic growth, which included prefabricated modules that could be added to a central structure in order to expand it.

Metabolist Tower

‘Mono no aware’ is the Japanese evocation of ‘the bittersweet   reali s ation   of the ephemeral nature of things.’ One of the founders of   the Japanese   Metabolis t movement , Kisho   Kurakawa , designed the   Nagakin   Capsule Tower in 1972 as an embodiment of this sentiment:   of   flexibility and fluidity. Modularity has  in fact  long expressed itself in Japanese architecture ,  as traditional buildings were built  with  columns  placed  on top of  each other , each the size of a traditional bamboo mat in diameter.

The 2. 5x4 m etre  capsules in  Kurakawa’s  tower were prefabricated and  attached to two interconnected  concrete  towers . With 140 capsules ready to be ‘ metaboli s ed ’  and  cantilevered  out wards  like cells in an organism  capable of  renewing  themselves  from time to time , his vision was  that of an   evolving mixed -use   space  for future renters.   

Movable Modules

In the West   in the 1950s, the possibility of mass-producing partition walls and units in order to configure them to a user’s needs was groundbreaking and greatly influenced the Modernist movement.   George Nelson ,   a prominent American architect   of the time ,   had   similar   ideas   to the   Metabolists .  

He worked   with   prefabricat ed elements   and the implementation of movable modules into one interface.   Nelson’s   ‘ Experimental House ’ was   designed   to be built with cube shaped units in a multitude of arrangement options ,   depending on preference.

New Horizons

Today , the possibilities for   prefabrication and   modular   construction   are   seemingly endless.

In   UNStudio’s   Ardmore Residence   in Sing apore , prefabricated   interlocking   modular   s ections   are used to   create the   tower’s   outer   structu re .   The repe ated   structur al   sections , made from reinforced concrete, branch   out from the core wall to support the apartments from both above and below. Prefabricated systems that   climb up   the central structure like puzzle pieces   utili s e   every element of the space.

The residential building repeats the same floor layout per every   fourth   floor, making the design seamless   and   creating   curves   and openings   that let in just the right amount of sunlight   and   fram e   view s of   Singapore ’s   lush greenery   from within .

The Age of Reconfiguration

Evidently, prefabrication today has significantly changed since the 1950s, a shift that has been facilitated by new methods of modular construction. Whereas prefabricated buildings are commonly composed of different structural parts that are assembled on site, today’s modular units allow prefabrication to be much more functionally integrated. Modules are built separately and then transferred to the site completely intact with plumbing, wiring, insulation and structural reinforcements that are safer than non-modular formats.  

The benefits of modular design and construction are numerous. According to Van der Woort  ( Costs and Benefits of Flexible Workspaces: work in progress in the Netherlands , 2004 ) , modular units enable “30-50% quicker completion than traditional housing, as well as 80 years of compensation for building a new building in terms of natural resources and waste produced.” 

In addition, benefits include the creation of new jobs, the use of sustainable materials that are produced locally, energy efficient and durable design, fewer construction zones, the ability to replace, add, or change parts seamlessly, the economic productivity associated with “reduced maintenance, better workplace performance, and the increased value of green buildings,” as well as social and community benefits.  

Currently building information modeling (BIM), which uses the digital representation of a building, is leading the way for designing and envisioning the reconfiguration possibilities of buildings. Through the use of BIM, architects can not only design in 3D how the buildings are structured and will operate, they can also specify the different parts and materials in the building, making possible both reconfiguration, retrofitting and circular strategies.     UNStudio is currently involved in the EU-funded  BIM-SPEED consortium which aims to develop a combination of methodologies and tools with one central BIM information source at its core. This model will be the catalyst for a smarter and more efficient deep renovation method for the residential building sector. Led by TU Berlin, the consortium, comprising 24 partners from various disciplines, aims to determine the most energy efficient alterations for buildings, with the goal of reducing their energy usage by 60%. It also aims to help reduce the renovation time by 30%.       

Design innovation can exacerbate or mitigate social inequality, ecological crises, the effects of a pandemic and periods of unrest and change.

Design needs to tackle the realities of our current and future societies and it is here that the reliance on modular design and construction could continue to gain traction more than ever before.   

You can read more about our approach to flexible and adaptable architecture in our special report here .  

Written by Selma Larsson  Lead image: Iwan Baan

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Characterization of modular architecture principles towards reconfiguration: a first approach in its selection process

• ORIGINAL ARTICLE
• Published: 21 March 2015
• Volume 80 , pages 221–232, ( 2015 )

Cite this article

• Jaime Mesa 1 ,
• Heriberto Maury 1 ,
• René Arrieta 1 ,
• Antonio Bula 1 &
• Carles Riba 1  

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Reconfiguration is required in the adaptation of manufacturing systems for facing the constants and unexpected changes in the customer requirements or distinct requirement to face different use modes or life cycle phases with advantages. The modularity is the most important design principle in reconfiguration theory. In consequence, the selection and implementation of modular architecture principles (MAPs) are crucial in the design and manufacturing of the product portfolio architecture or of the manufacturing system. In this paper, a first basic characterization of 11 modular architecture principles is shown, 2 of these 11 are new principles. Life cycle analysis (LCA) and a functional characterization focused in the advantages and limitations of each principle are considered. The aim of this work is to provide indicators for an objective selection of the best modular architecture solution in the design stage. A robust selection conduces to a major cost-effectiveness in the product design process, adding benefits such as longer useful life, optimal material usage, and easy adaptability to market requirements as well.

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Modular Design: Product Design Opportunities and a Case Analysis

A Systematic Approach to Development of Changeable and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems

Tailored Reconfigurability: A Comparative Study of Eight Industrial Cases with Reconfigurability as a Key to Manufacturing Competitiveness

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Mesa, J., Maury, H., Arrieta, R. et al. Characterization of modular architecture principles towards reconfiguration: a first approach in its selection process. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 80 , 221–232 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-6951-3

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Received : 08 August 2014

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Published : 21 March 2015

Issue Date : September 2015

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-6951-3

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Prefab, Modular and the opportunities that emerge from efficiency

Retreat in Finca Aguy by Mapa Architects, Uruguay.

Image: Leonardo Finotti

The practice of prefabricating architecture has attracted notable interest of recent, making headlines for the potential role it could play in addressing both the housing and climate crises. While efficiency, sustainability and flexibility lie at the heart of the practice, prefabrication is not a new concept in the field of architecture. Prefab and Modular explains that the practice of producing components off site in a controlled environment for later transportation and on-site assembly is in fact “as old as the very essence of human ingenuity.”

Prefab and Modular, published by Gestalten. Feature image: Bert by Studio Precht and Baumbau, Austria.

Image: Cover: Christian Flatscher

The book delves into the inception of the construction and assembly technique, citing examples of Neolithic structures built approximately 6,000 years ago that were constructed off site and later conveyed to their permanent locations. The volume follows the accelerated evolution of prefabrication, drawing a clear connection between the increasing efficiency of the human race with the advancing efficiency of prefabrication – particularly with the introduction of machinery during the industrial revolution and the rise of digital technology thereafter.

Gimme Shelter by Gimme Shelter Solutions, Sweden.

Image: James Silverman

With the assistance of technologies like 3D printers, artificial intelligence, and virtual or augmented reality, the construction of housing and other essential structures can be expedited with greater accuracy. Prefab and Modular invites its readers to consider how, armed with our current understanding of environmental deterioration and the technology now available to us, we can use prefabrication methods to benefit both the environment and society.

From critical housing for refugees to urgent shelters for victims of natural disasters, the book showcases the societal and humanitarian possibilities of prefabricated construction. Readers are introduced to 52 international projects, most – if not all – of which have been developed in reaction to global cataclysmic challenges, such as climate change and inadequate housing supply.

The depicted projects not only have the potential to serve as templates for solving worldwide catastrophes but also disprove the misconception that prefabrication lacks character or visual interest. Through the customisation of arrangements and the application of distinctive materials and colour schemes, the book demonstrates that an unrepeated and unmatched quality can be achieved through clever planning.

Prefab and Modular was published and edited by Gestalten. To find out more about the publication, visit the Gestalten website .

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Modular Architecture: When Beauty and Efficiency Meet

Modular architecture or “modularity in design” is a design approach that subdivides a system into smaller parts called modules or skids that can be independently created and then used in different systems. A modular system is characterized by functional partitioning into discrete scalable and reusable modules, rigorous use of well-defined modular interfaces, and making use of industry standards for interfaces.

The benefits of modular design are flexible in design and reduction in costs. Examples of modular systems are modular buildings, solar panels, wind turbines, and so on. The modular design combines the advantages of standardization with those of customization. A downside to modularity is that low-quality modular systems are not optimized for performance.

The Interlace, OMA, Ole Scheeren, © Iwan Baan

The Origin of Modular Design

Historically, in classical architecture, the diameter of a column was used as the basis for a number of modules. In Japanese architecture, room sizes were determined by combinations of rice mats which were 90x180cm. Matila Ghyka’s work on the golden section was one of the sources of the Modular, but his work, in general, was used by other architects, such as Le Corbusier ’s rival Andre Lurcat.

Lurcat proposed his own range of proportions related to the work of builders as much as to that of designers. Proportions and modules – thus became a central issue in the postwar French reconstruction, as architects struggled to maintain their status amid changing procedures in building production (Cohen, 2014).

What is the difference between modular and integral architecture?

A Modular village, fit for new Dyson students

There are many ways of categorizing architecture. Architecture can be either modular or integral. In reality, fully modular or fully integral architecture is rare and almost all architecture is somewhere in between.

On one hand, modular architecture has functionally de-coupled interfaces between components. In practice, this often leads to architecture that is one, where the functional elements in the building are mapped one-to-one to the components of the design.

However, integral architecture is the opposite of modular architecture. Integral architecture has coupled interfaces between components. It tends to have a more complex (not one-to-one) mapping from functional elements in the function structure to the components of the design (Holtta, 2005).

The Challenge of Modularity

Modularity means using the same module in multiple configurations enabling a large variety of designs without using any component types. This modularity brings several advantages such as reduced capital requirements and economies. Modularity is especially advantageous when the scale and scope of the project are relatively large. In such cases, it is a practical and economic option.

Through modularity, you can achieve various designs, while achieving low-cost development, as well as, cost-saving in design and construction. Thus, you find that modularity is pushing out the productivity frontier in design creation (McCluskey, 2000). On the contrary, modularity may lead to excess cost due to over-design, inefficient performance, and too many common modules may result in loss of design identity.

What is modular product architecture?

1. charles de gaulle international airport – terminal 2e (paris –france).

Charles-de-Gaulle airport, Terminal II, modules A & B, Paris, 1972-1982. Image © Labo ADP

The most recent, though surely not the final, extension of the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris is Terminal 2E, completed in 2003. With a theoretical capacity of 11 million passengers per year and an area of 230,000 square meters, 2E is larger but less complex than the airline terminal 2F. 2E is an outgrowth of Andreu ’s work on 2F. The architect has insisted on developing and changing the design, rather than permitting a sterile reproduction of earlier designs (Jodidio, 2004).

Owing to its modular design, Terminal 2E was designed to address constant traffic conditions. The road infrastructure is part of the site’s entire composition as roads and viaducts come together and converge at the center of the terminal, flanked by two modules on each side. All these modules, located at the heart of the aircraft apron area, form four narrow 60 meter-wide buildings where travelers can see aircraft from the road. Each module is covered with trapezoidal shells forming four radiating arcs when seen from the sky.

Modular Design Approach

It is significant to use the modular approach in architectural designs. Modular design is characterized by properties such as upgradability, serviceability, flexibility, and so on. Also, the beauty of modular architecture is that you can replace or add any module without affecting the rest of the system. But, how important is it to encourage designers to use modularity? The answer is in the way we use modularity and the objectives of modular systems. Think of all the infinite numbers of architectural designs and forms we can create with a simple set of modules.

Written by: Riham Nady Edited by: Aiysha Alsane

  References

• Cohen, Jean-Louis. (2014). “ Le Corbusier’s Modulor and the Debate on Proportion in France ” . Architectural Histories, 2(1):23, pp.1-14.
• Holtta-Otto, Katja. (2005). “ Modular Product Platform Design ”. Doctoral Dissertation, Helsinki University of Technology. Finland.
• Jodidio, Philip. (2004). “ Paul Andreu Architect ”. BIRKHAUSER-Publishers for Architecture, Basal. Switzerland.
• McCluskey, Alan. (2000). “ Modularity: upgrading to the next generation design architecture ”. Business and Media official website: http://www.connected.org/media/modular.html.

Tags: Architecture Design Flexibility integral interfaces Le Corbusier Modular Modular architecture Paris Paul Andreu

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MODULAR/PRE-FAB ARCHITECTURE IN RURAL EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN INDIA

2016, Dissertation, School of Planning & Architecture, Delhi

It is established as a matter of fact that Modular/ prefab architecture is a highly efficient and sustainable method of construction in terms of the time taken to finish a building and energy consumed in the process. However, even after its capabilities have been recognized, it is not popular in the construction industry, especially in India. It has failed to recognize itself with the masses because of its difficult designing process which requires high levels of coordination amongst parties and stakeholders and its unappealing appearance due to repetitive modules. Nevertheless, this research is an attempt on giving cues for re-evaluating modularity by integrating it with the pre-existing vernacular techniques in India, to give rise to a novel form of pre-fabricated architecture which would be specific to the regions it is used in. Through this endeavour, the research tries to give a strong, stable and permanent solution to the problem of lack of school buildings in rural India. Modular architecture when combined with the vernacular knowledge of a place can be an answer to the question.

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10 Examples of Modular architecture around the world

Cheap. Quick. Easy. That’s how modular architecture is. 

Taking a module, often prefabricated, as a base piece, it repeatedly places it until creating a fully developed design , offering a quick answer of low prices to the user’s needs.

It is precisely because of its rushed feature, its ephemeral character, that it originally suited eastern architecture best. But, today, its efficiency has made it popular all around the world.

Here are 10 examples of modular architecture around the world.

1. Nakagin Capsule Tower | Modular architecture

When thinking of “modular”, this will probably be the first project that comes to our minds. It is a classic, it is iconic, and it reflects the best of Japanese society when applied to this type of living: reduction of the living space to a minimum and stacking the pieces, thus creating such a unique building .

2. Modskool

Away from disease, but not from human risk, eviction is a great risk to underdeveloped societies.

In Delhi, farming families are often at risk of losing their lands due to legal action, so this project makes the most of the easy assembly and lightness of materials of modular construction, made out of local material and techniques in this case, in order to relocate the school quickly into a safer place if the settlement was to be demolished by the authorities. 

3. Makoko Floating School  

In the same line of uncontrollable events, flooding is still a danger to many communities where complex and expensive water-control solutions are not an option. 

In the 2016 Biennale, we could see the proposal of a light triangle-based floating structure that was meant to be used as a school: a floating structure that could never be flooded.

Today, and due to the flexibility of its growth, this solution could be a whole new way of urbanizing certain areas.

4. Nest Toolkit

But we don’t need to go far away or step into a land susceptible to natural disasters to find a social purpose for modular architecture. 

Homelessness is all around, and affordable housing can easily be achieved through this type of construction .  In LA, Brooks+Scarpa studio has proposed a model of cheap prefabricated living units that can easily be arranged into different displays, according to the users’ needs.

5. Tetris Apartments | Modular architecture

In Slovenia, the same principles were applied to a collective of 650 social apartments.

Conceived as social housing , the development of the project was a great success and finished a year before the planned date, which implied an even bigger reduction in the cost and contributed to the low pricing of the spaces.

6. My Micro NY

Even though this type of construction was initially popular among the cultures of the east, its influence has spread overseas and this “micro” living style can now be found even (or precisely) in the overcrowded city of NY. 

My Micro NY applies the minimal housing space to a building whose location within the Little Tokyo area reveals its inspiration source.

7. Wuhan Hospital

One of the main reasons behind the expansion of modular architecture has been the efficiency and quickness it offers, which is the perfect solution to natural disasters that require a fast but organized response.

 This year’s events are no different from other shows of nature’s rage, as the quick expansion of Covid-19 created an urge for a hospital in Wuhan.

The city’s solution was to build a modular hospital out of containers held together through a light steel structure, accelerating the process and allowing the hospital to be built in only 10 days.

8. Charles De Gaulle Terminal 2E 

In a public building that never ceases to grow, modularity can bring in all the flexibility needed to carry on with the development of Charles de Gaulle International Airport, in Paris.

The latest terminal is built out of modules . However, instead of being traditional cubic ones, the arched pieces allow for the curved aesthetics to be maintained while remaining open to future additions.

9. The Farmhouse

Besides social and growth issues, modular architecture can address the experimental side of architecture and constructions.

When a module is structurally stable on its own, the assembly of many of them together can bring in new possibilities that may have seemed unfeasible otherwise. 

That is the case of The Farmhouse , where the efficiency of modulation is put together with the resistance of triangulation.

10. Alibaba Offices | Modular architecture

It is for all these reasons that the popularity of modular architecture has reached even the most popular firms. Many studios have already opted for this type of solution, and Foster+Partners is one of the latest examples of this success.

The British firm has just won the competition to build the new offices for Alibaba in Shanghai, with a modular proposal that comes back to the eastern countries where it was born, directly from one of the most influential western cities.

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CS&E Announces 2024-25 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) Award Winners

Seven Ph.D. students working with CS&E professors have been named Doctoral Dissertation Fellows for the 2024-25 school year. The Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship is a highly competitive fellowship that gives the University’s most accomplished Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to an outstanding research project by providing time to finalize and write a dissertation during the fellowship year. The award includes a stipend of $25,000, tuition for up to 14 thesis credits each semester, and subsidized health insurance through the Graduate Assistant Health Plan.

CS&E congratulates the following students on this outstanding accomplishment:

• Athanasios Bacharis (Advisor: Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos )
• Karin de Langis (Advisor:  Dongyeop Kang )
• Arshia Zernab Hassan (Advisors: Chad Myers )
• Xinyue Hu (Advisors: Zhi-Li Zhang )
• Lucas Kramer (Advisors: Eric Van Wyk )
• Yijun Lin (Advisors: Yao-Yi Chiang )
• Mingzhou Yang (Advisors: Shashi Shekhar )

Athanasios Bacharis

Bacharis’ work centers around the robot-vision area, focusing on making autonomous robots act on visual information. His research includes active vision approaches, namely, view planning and next-best-view, to tackle the problem of 3D reconstruction via different optimization frameworks. The acquisition of 3D information is crucial for automating tasks, and active vision methods obtain it via optimal inference. Areas of impact include agriculture and healthcare, where 3D models can lead to reduced use of fertilizers via phenotype analysis of crops and effective management of cancer treatments. Bacharis has a strong publication record, with two peer-reviewed conference papers and one journal paper already published. He also has one conference paper under review and two journal papers in the submission process. His publications are featured in prestigious robotic and automation venues, further demonstrating his expertise and the relevance of his research in the field.

Karin de Langis

Karin's thesis works at the intersection of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and cognitive science. Her work uses eye-tracking and other cognitive signals to improve NLP systems in their performance and cognitive interpretability, and to create NLP systems that process language more similarly to humans. Her human-centric approach to NLP is motivated by the possibility of addressing the shortcomings of current statistics-based NLP systems, which often become stuck on explainability and interpretability, resulting in potential biases. This work has most recently been accepted and presented at SIGNLL Conference on Computational Natural Language Learning (CoNLL) conference which has a special focus on theoretically, cognitively and scientifically motivated approaches to computational linguistics.

Arshia Zernab Hassan

Hassan's thesis work delves into developing computational methods for interpreting data from genome wide CRISPR/Cas9 screens. CRISPR/Cas9 is a new approach for genome editing that enables precise, large-scale editing of genomes and construction of mutants in human cells. These are powerful data for inferring functional relationships among genes essential for cancer growth. Moreover, chemical-genetic CRISPR screens, where population of mutant cells are grown in the presence of chemical compounds, help us understand the effect the chemicals have on cancer cells and formulate precise drug solutions. Given the novelty of these experimental technologies, computational methods to process and interpret the resulting data and accurately quantify the various genetic interactions are still quite limited, and this is where Hassan’s dissertation is focused on. Her research extends to developing deep-learning based methods that leverage CRISPR chemical-genetic and other genomic datasets to predict cancer sensitivity to candidate drugs. Her methods on improving information content in CRISPR screens was published in the Molecular Systems Biology journal, a highly visible journal in the computational biology field. 

Hu's Ph.D. dissertation is concentrated on how to effectively leverage the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) – especially deep learning – to tackle challenging and important problems in the design and development of reliable, effective and secure (independent) physical infrastructure networks. More specifically, her research focuses on two critical infrastructures: power grids and communication networks, in particular, emerging 5G networks, both of which not only play a critical role in our daily life but are also vital to the nation’s economic well-being and security. Due to the enormous complexity, diversity, and scale of these two infrastructures, traditional approaches based on (simplified) theoretical models and heuristics-based optimization are no longer sufficient in overcoming many technical challenges in the design and operations of these infrastructures: data-driven machine learning approaches have become increasingly essential. The key question now is: how does one leverage the power of AI/ML without abandoning the rich theory and practical expertise that have accumulated over the years? Hu’s research has pioneered a new paradigm – (domain) knowledge-guided machine learning (KGML) – in tackling challenging and important problems in power grid and communications (e.g., 5G) network infrastructures.

Lucas Kramer

Kramer is now the driving force in designing tools and techniques for building extensible programming languages, with the Minnesota Extensible Language Tools (MELT) group. These are languages that start with a host language such as C or Java, but can then be extended with new syntax (notations) and new semantics (e.g. error-checking analyses or optimizations) over that new syntax and the original host language syntax. One extension that Kramer created was to embed the domain-specific language Halide in MELT's extensible specification of C, called ableC. This extension allows programmers to specify how code working on multi-dimensional matrices is transformed and optimized to make efficient use of hardware. Another embeds the logic-programming language Prolog into ableC; yet another provides a form of nondeterministic parallelism useful in some algorithms that search for a solution in a structured, but very large, search space. The goal of his research is to make building language extensions such as these more practical for non-expert developers.  To this end he has made many significant contributions to the MELT group's Silver meta-language, making it easier for extension developers to correctly specify complex language features with minimal boilerplate. Kramer is the lead author of one journal and four conference papers on his work at the University of Minnesota, winning the distinguished paper award for his 2020 paper at the Software Language Engineering conference, "Strategic Tree Rewriting in Attribute Grammars".

Lin’s doctoral dissertation focuses on a timely, important topic of spatiotemporal prediction and forecasting using multimodal and multiscale data. Spatiotemporal prediction and forecasting are important scientific problems applicable to diverse phenomena, such as air quality, ambient noise, traffic conditions, and meteorology. Her work also couples the resulting prediction and forecasting with multimodal (e.g., satellite imagery, street-view photos, census records, and human mobility data) and multiscale geographic information (e.g., census records focusing on small tracts vs. neighborhood surveys) to characterize the natural and built environment, facilitating our understanding of the interactions between and within human social systems and the ecosystem. Her work has a wide-reaching impact across multiple domains such as smart cities, urban planning, policymaking, and public health.

Mingzhou Yang

Yang is developing a thesis in the broad area of spatial data mining for problems in transportation. His thesis has both societal and theoretical significance. Societally, climate change is a grand challenge due to the increasing severity and frequency of climate-related disasters such as wildfires, floods, droughts, etc. Thus, many nations are aiming at carbon neutrality (also called net zero) by mid-century to avert the worst impacts of global warming. Improving energy efficiency and reducing toxic emissions in transportation is important because transportation accounts for the vast majority of U.S. petroleum consumption as well as over a third of GHG emissions and over a hundred thousand U.S. deaths annually via air pollution. To accurately quantify the expected environmental cost of vehicles during real-world driving, Yang's thesis explores ways to incorporate physics in the neural network architecture complementing other methods of integration: feature incorporation, and regularization. This approach imposes stringent physical constraints on the neural network model, guaranteeing that its outputs are consistently in accordance with established physical laws for vehicles. Extensive experiments including ablation studies demonstrated the efficacy of incorporating physics into the model. 

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