Ubicomp-Kaizen

• Ubicomp-Kaizen

Schoch, Odilo; Russell, Peter (Thesis advisor)

Aachen : Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University (2009)
Dissertation / PhD Thesis

Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2009

Abstract

This paper describes the successful development of a tool for use within architectural design. The tool is named ‘Ubicomp-Kaizen’. It enables quality control for the design of computer integrated academic buildings. Based on the principles and methods of the Japanese management philosophy ‘Kaizen’, it aims for the holistic consideration of heterogeneous demands of both building and digitally networked building- and media-services (known as ‘ubiquitous computing’ or ‘Ubicomp’). In order to achieve this goal, aspects of both areas are integrated into one tool. Concepts based on Kaizen are mainly applied in the car manufacturing industry. The philosophy is as well the foundation of the more public Toyota Production System. When applying Ubicomp-Kaizen, requirements of building design and Ubicomp are compiled into the technical specifications. The use of the tool generates positive impact on both the design quality and the resource-optimized operation of a building. Innovations of this paper are: In the field of building design, a method for quality control is set up in order to integrate demands of the upcoming topic of Ubicomp. In the field of quality management, a tool for the elaboration of an immaterial product such as a ‘design’ is developed. In the field of digital Building Information Models (BIM) an extension of the so called IFC-classes is proposed. The underlying question of this paper is: ‘How can architects handle the demands and services of Ubicomp, despite their weak knowledge of this fast-changing topic?’ The application of Ubicomp-Kaizen generates solutions towards the integration of digitally networked devices and services. It networks existing tools based on the Kaizen philosophy such as ‘quality function deployment (QFD)’ with building design, resource management and Ubicomp. The paper is elaborated based on the point of view of a holistically arguing architect on Ubicomp. In order to achieve this foundation, Ubicomp is defined to be a novel constructional element. The design considers the building only from building envelope to detailing. This relates to usual design scales from 1:500 to 1:10. The focussed building types are academically used buildings except specialized buildings such as laboratories. The paper is based on experiences and standards from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.