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Abstract
Artificial Intelligence in Performance-Driven Design: Theories, Methods, and Tools explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically machine learning (ML), for performance modeling within the built environment. This work establishes the theoretical foundations and methodological frameworks for utilizing AI/ML, with an emphasis on multi-scale modeling encompassing energy flows, environmental quality, and human systems.
The book examines relevant practices, case studies, and computational tools that harness AI's capabilities in modeling frameworks, enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and integration of physics-based simulation, optimization, and automation processes. Furthermore, it highlights the integration of intelligent systems and digital twins throughout the lifecycle of the built environment, to enhance our understanding and management of these complex environments.
This book also:
• Incorporates emerging technologies into practical ideas to improve performance analysis and sustainable design
• Presents data-driven methodologies and technologies that seamlessly integrate into modeling and design platforms
• Shares valuable insights for developing decarbonization pathways in urban buildings
• Includes contributions from expert researchers and educators across a range of related fields
Artificial Intelligence in Performance-Driven Design is ideal for architects, engineers, planners, and researchers involved in sustainable design and the built environment. It’s also of interest to students of architecture, building science and technology, urban design and planning, environmental engineering, and computer science and engineering.
Ashayeri, M., & Abbasabadi, N. (2024). Unraveling energy justice in NYC urban buildings through social media sentiment analysis and transformer deep learning. Energy and Buildings, 306, 113914-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2024.113914
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Abstract
This study explores the intricate relationship between human sentiment on social media data, herein tweet posts on X platform, urban building characteristics, and the socio-spatial dynamics of New York City (NYC) boroughs. Leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, particularly sentiment analysis, augmented by the capabilities of transformer deep learning models, RoBERTa, the study places particular emphasis on the term ‘Stay-at-Home’ to encapsulate the pronounced shift in building occupancy during the pandemic's inaugural year. This focus intertwines with pivotal terms like ‘Energy Bill’ and ‘HVAC’, shedding light on their interconnected implications. The sentiment analysis leverages data from New York City's PLUTO and the Department of Energy's LEAD databases to emotional disparities connected to urban building characteristics as well as demographic and socioeconomic factors. This analytical approach unravels prevailing public emotions and extends the discussion to include energy justice concerns, viewing them through the lens of the city's built infrastructure. The research uncovers profound disparities in the built environment and the allocation of resources in NYC, highlighting the critical need to embrace a spatial justice framework for a sustainable future. This research can aid designers, planners, and policymakers in their efforts to promote equitable and inclusive urban development.
Three CBE researchers were awarded Royalty Research Funds. This cycle, 93 proposals were submitted to the University of Washington Office of Research. 25 were selected for funding, a success rate of 27%. Vince Wang, Assistant Professor in the Runstad Department of Real Estate and Dylan Stevenson, Assistant Professor in Urban Design and Planning were awarded funding for their project entitled “Exploring Transformative Solutions to Build Housing Security and Climate Resilience: The Community Land Trust Model” Narjes Abbasabadi, Assistant Professor in…
Population Health Initiative awarded a Climate Change Pilot Grant to two teams that includes CBE researchers. Projects will begin January 2024, and were awarded $50,000. Read the full story here. Project title: “Sustainable metamaterials for insulation applications.” Project team: Eleftheria Roumeli, Materials Science & Engineering Tomás Méndez Echenagucia, Architecture Project abstract: Amidst an urgent global shift towards a circular economy, the demand for sustainable materials has reached a critical juncture. This transformation requires materials sourced from renewable sources, processed via…
The CBE Climate Solutions Community of Practice was featured in a story on the CBE website. See the excerpt below. “Through the materials we use and the ecosystems we alter, arguably more than 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions are related to the built environment,” says Kate Simonen, a professor of architecture at UW’s College of Built Environments and founding director of the Carbon Leadership Forum. Simonen’s primary research focus is reducing the environmental impact of building materials, and she’s been…
The new cohort of faculty have made a big impact in their initial time on campus. Please see the full story here. The cohort includes: Dr. Narjes Abbasabadi, an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture and affiliate data science faculty UW eScience Institute, studies computation and decarbonization of the built environment. Dr. Amos Darko, an assistant professor in Construction Management, studies how digital technologies can help people better monitor, assess, understand, and improve the sustainability performance of the built…
The Population Health Initiative announced 12 climate change planning grant awardees. Of those 12 teams, 4 include College of Built Environments researchers. Descriptions of their projects are below. Read the CBE News story here. Linking Climate Adaptation and Public Health Outcomes in Yavatmal, Maharashtra Investigators Sameer H. Shah, Environmental and Forest Sciences Celina Balderas Guzmán, Landscape Architecture Pronoy Rai, Portland State University Project abstract This proposal collects primary interview data with landed and landless agriculturalists in Yavatmal district in…
Narjes Abbasabadi, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington. Dr. Abbasabadi also leads the Sustainable Intelligence Lab. Abbasabadi’s research centers on sustainability and computation in the built environment. Much of her work focuses on advancing design research efforts through developing data-driven methods, workflows, and tools that leverage the advances in digital technologies to enable augmented intelligence in performance-based and human-centered design. With an emphasis on multi-scale exploration, her research investigates urban building energy flows, human systems, and environmental and health impacts across scales—from the scale of building to the scale of neighborhood and city.
Abbasabadi’s research has been published in premier journals, including Applied Energy, Building and Environment, Energy and Buildings, Environmental Research, and Sustainable Cities and Society. She received honors and awards, including “ARCC Dissertation Award Honorable Mention” (Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), 2020), “Best Ph.D. Program Dissertation Award” (IIT CoA, 2019), and 2nd place in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Race to Zero Design Competition (DOE, 2018). In 2018, she organized the 3rd IIT International Symposium on Buildings, Cities, and Performance. She served as editor of the third issue of Prometheus Journal, which received the 2020 Haskell Award from AIA New York, Center for Architecture.
Prior to joining the University of Washington, she taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and the Illinois Institute of Technology. She also has practiced with several firms and institutions and led design research projects such as developing design codes and prototypes for low-carbon buildings. Most recently, she practiced as an architect with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG), where she has been involved in major projects, including the 2020 World Expo. Abbasabadi holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Architecture from Tehran Azad University.