Tool Name: Courtyard-based Architecture for Urban Settings (CAUS)
Brief Overview
The intended users are real estate developers in Lagos, Nigeria, trying to understand the most comfortable yet most economical building forms to build new housing in. My tool evaluates the “optimal” shape for applying a courtyard building form in urban settings. It optimizes for the number of inhabitable units (function of building area), potentially comfortable area in the building (considering ventilation and natural lighting; calculated through building perimeter and % of spaces within 20’ of an opening), and building cost (function of both area and perimeter). The tool compares various %’s of comfortable area with number of inhabitable units and building costs, as is shown in the image above.
Using the Tool
The tool takes size of courtyards, as well as building combinations as inputs. Combination 0 involves only the largest building, combination 1 involves the two largest ones, combination 2 involves the largest and smallest building, and combination 3 involves all three buildings.
The tool produces total area, perimeter, % comfortable living space, number of inhabitable units and total building cost as output.
The generative design study helps developers to understand what the cost and density implications of comfort in the development might look like, and it shows the parameters through which one can start making reasonable tradeoffs
Demo Video: