Aesthetically Pleasing Efficient Intelligent Building Skins Engineering Essay

Aesthetically Pleasing Efficient Intelligent Building Skins Engineering Essay Architecture is no longer static and unchangeable – instead it is dynamic, responsive and conversant – The idea that building skins reflect the skins of living organisms: properly designed, they breathe, change form, and adapt to variations in climate – But can highly efficient intelligent skins still be aesthetically pleasing? â€Å"A building becomes a chameleon which adapts. A properly equipped and responsively clothed building would monitor all internal and external variables, temperature, hygrometry and light levels, solar radiation etc, to determine the best energy equation given these conditions and modify the building and it’s internal systems accordingly. It is not too much to ask of a building to incorporate, in its fabric and its nervous system, the very basic vestiges of an adaptive capability.† (Rogers 1978) The aim of this paper is to explore the notion of incorporating intelligence into a buildings faà §ade. The discussion about the energy efficiency of faà §ades has inspired many architects to no longer view the building envelope as static but as a dynamic being, that can adjust its shape, surface, function and interior spaces in real time in response to intelligent controls that monitor active feedback from the environment. Solar and wind energy, daylight, and water can be captured by buildings and reused efficiently. An Intelligent building is one that combines both active features and passive design strategies to provide maximum user comfort by using minimum energy. The intelligent faà §ade forms part of the intelligent building, it is what protects the inhabited interior whilst controlling exchanges between inside and outside at the envelope level. The plan being to respond effectively to changing climate conditions and inhabitant needs in order to improve functional performance. A buildings faà §ade doesn’t just play a key role in the sustainability of a building; adding to both energy efficien cy and the quality of the internal climate. It is also a fundamental part of the building’s aesthetic, adding to the structural outline and defining its visual impact on the urban surroundings. A faà §ade can only be described as intelligent when it makes use of natural renewable energy sources such as solar energy, airflows or ground heat to meet a building’s requirements in terms of heating, cooling and lighting. The idea that the fabric of a building can increase its interaction and response to external changes and internal demands with a prime objective of lowering the environmental load is an exciting concept. The facades almost become local, non-polluting energy suppliers to the building. The notion of intelligent building facades is not a new idea; however the implementation of high-tech skins has been slow. While fashionable and almost certainly advantageous, sceptical architects are afraid that operable components are magnets for value engineering or foresee them being stripped off their buildings in the future due to poor performance or poor maintenance. However, the rising cost of energy, latest environmental initiatives and the focus on the green propaganda has put great responsibility on architects and engineers to make continuous energy savings and this must be achieved through effective building design and clever management. Almost seven years after the European Union passed legislation requiring property owners to report on the energy performance of their buildings, a new round of tougher regulations is under way. Plans to revise the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in 2010 are expected to result in even tighter emissions targets for new buildings. Gradually more and more architects are beginning to enjoy automating their facades rather than leaving energy-efficient functions to chance. Consequently, the crucial boundary connecting the interior environment and the elements is getting more consideration and consequ ently more animated.

IHRM and Ethical and Moral Leadership - Case Study Report Essay

IHRM and Ethical and Moral Leadership - Case Study Report - Essay Example In this respect, labour flow is considered to be an important factor making the development of global economy at large. It has been perceived that the labour forces on a global context are recognised to be facing inequality problem with the development of technologies as well as ‘foreign direct investment’ (FDI). Companies in the worldwide market segments are seemed to be demanding more skilled labour in order to develop their overall business or operational performance (Bowles, 2009). In this modern era, it can be viewed that companies normally seeks employing low-paid skilled labour forces for lessening operational costs which resulted in raising the problem of unemployment in various business market segments. Additionally, with this concern, the problem of inequality in income has also been raised in the worldwide context. In this regard, migration of labour forces is recognised to be the imperative factor which is accountable for loss of jobs as well as inequality of wages amid developed countries (The IMF, 2008). With growing aspect of globalisation, multinational corporations (MNCs) are observed to devise policies as well as principles with the objective of enhancing labour standards. Companies formulated ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) related policies with the aim of performing business activities in a legal as well as ethical manner. The CSR policies of companies also ensure that they are quite able to meet and accomplish the expectations of the stakeholders. MNCs seek that the policies and principles for the CSR are formulated in accordance with the national as well as international labour standards. Moreover, labour forces are required to be provided with better human rights principles as well as working environment. There are certain provisions on the basis of which companies are required to acquire labour forces. In this respect, MNCs with better CSR and business codes will be facilitated with the opportunity of ex ecuting business operations effectively with minimised inequality in relation to wages and culture among others (UNCTAD, 2012). In this similar context, ‘International Labour Organisation’ (ILO) has formulated as well as implemented policies and principles with the objective of promoting enhanced labour standards with the assistance of international contracts. The standards as well as policies that formulated by ILO are required to be adopted by MNCs with the intention of offering better working environment and rights to labour forces. The standards of ILO signify that MNCs should not acquire labour forces in a forced manner. MNCs should ensure that children under the age of 14 or 15 are not employed. MNCs are also required to ascertain that employees are not discriminated and are provided with the right of collective bargaining. There should not be any abuse as well as harassment in the working environment. The employees should be provided with better healthcare facili ties and must be offered with equitable and minimum wages (Xiaoyong, 2006; ILO, 2003). Part (ii) MNCs are observed to adopt three main strategies which include multinational, transnational and global strategy. Multinational Strategy Multinational strategy implies that a business organisation execute activities in numerous countries or market segments. This strategy is adopted by companies with the aim of

Cockpit display visual Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cockpit display visual - Research Paper Example The cockpit will inform them the positions to be in order to avoid any encounter (Weber, 2011). However, proper information has to be fed to the pilots for them to make accurate decisions. Cockpit visual display systems rely solely on highly reliable and accurate mathematical algorithms that correctly tell the cockpit the right air path that the pilot should maintain in order to avoid collisions. Despite the many lives that the cockpit has already and is still saving, the problem lies with the vision of the pilots. Does the lighting system of the cockpit affect the eyes of the pilots? The human visual sense has so many limitations that make it had to adapt to the complex environment in the air. The three dimensional movements and high speeds present in the air are too demanding for the human eye. Furthermore, the human vision is prone to illusions especially at night or when there is poor lighting. Since the human eyes cannot be relied upon to safely navigate through the air, the best substitute is automatically the cockpit. However, the cockpit system should not be a hazard to the pilots because as the eyes’ performance keeps waning, the higher the risks of accidents occurring (Aviationknowledge, 2012). The human eye has two color receptors: Rods and Cones. The cones are found at the center of the Retina while the rods are found at the periphery of the retina. Cones are responsible for photopic vision used when there is light while Rods are responsible for Scotopic vision used in darkness or when there is poor illumination. During the post World War II era, all aircrafts utilized the red light for the cockpit lighting since it did not degrade adaption of the eye to darkness (American Optometric Association, 2011). Nowadays, cockpits are made up of white light that is poor at preserving visual sensitivity for viewing. White light cockpits are being used today because they do not distort the true color of objects. Furthermore, red lighting