The world's tallest timber building, digital twinning and biophilic design. Discover how sustainable architecture is revolutionising the places we live and work in.
The world's tallest timber building, digital twinning and biophilic design. Discover how sustainable architecture is revolutionising the places we live and work in.
In this episode, David Karsten is joined by Zaid Osama, who shares insights into how buildings are being designed to reduce their environmental impact, including Perth’s ground-breaking plan that will have us rethinking the materials we build with.
Zaid Osama, Lecturer in Architecture and Construction, School of Design and Built Environment, Curtin University
Zaid is a lecturer at Curtin University, specialising in architecture and construction. He is a Ph.D. candidate and the director of AFB Architects. His research interests include digital twins, user-centred architecture, data-driven built environment, architectural design and technology, construction systems and materials and infrastructure design and engineering.
This podcast is brought to you by Curtin University. Curtin is a global university known for its commitment to making positive change happen through high-impact research, strong industry partnerships and practical teaching.
Email thefutureof@curtin.edu.au
Host: David Karsten
Episode researcher: Anne Griffin-Appadoo
Producer: Emilia Jolakoska
Recordist: Jayden McLean
Executive Producers: Anita Shore and Matthew Sykes
Curtin University acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which Curtin Perth is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation, and on Curtin Kalgoorlie, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields; and the First Nations peoples on all Curtin locations.
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Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of Curtin University.
Email thefutureof@curtin.edu.au
00:00:00:06 - 00:00:08:21
Intro:
This is The Future Of, where experts share their vision of the future and how their work is helping shape it for the better.
00:00:10:11 - 00:00:36:15
Host: David Karsten
Hello, I'm David Karsten. You may be unfamiliar with the term ‘built environment’, but it's commonly used in architecture, construction, urban planning and design to refer to places where people live, work and socialise. These settings can include buildings, cities and public infrastructure as well as areas like farmlands, dammed rivers and open space. Today, there is an increasing focus on the built environment and its global impact.
00:00:36:20 - 00:01:03:03
Host: David Karsten
With buildings responsible for 40% of the world's energy consumption and the built environment contributing around 42% of the world's annual carbon emissions. With the climate crisis accelerating, finding ways to create more sustainable infrastructure has become critical to the future of the planet. In this episode, I was joined by architect, researcher and lecturer Zahid Osama from Curtin's School of Design and Built Environment.
00:01:03:09 - 00:01:27:15
Host: David Karsten
We discussed what we can learn from the world's most sustainable buildings, the impact of new digital technologies on architectural design, construction and operations, and how Perth's latest projects could see the city become a global leader in sustainable architecture. If you'd like to delve further into these topics and find out more about Curtin's research, you can visit the links provided in the shownotes.
00:01:28:00 - 00:01:40:05
Host: David Karsten
So, I am going to start with a very small and inconsequential question with the world so focused on sustainability. How does architecture play a role in this? It's actually a massive question, isn't it?
00:01:40:14 - 00:02:06:03
Zaid Osama
It is. Well, the world is so focused on sustainability because the world is so concerned about the extreme rapid growth of the built environment and the consequences this has on the natural resources of the environment, the environment itself and its people. In fact, according to statistics and global research, the world's population is projected to be 9.7 billion people by 2050.
00:02:06:03 - 00:02:20:18
Zaid Osama
68% of them will be living in urban areas. And that means in the built environment. And this also means more infrastructure and more cities and more buildings to be built. Of course, at the cost of the natural resources of the environment.
00:02:21:01 - 00:02:43:14
Host: David Karsten
Well, it just gives us an understanding of that sort of impact. I mean, 9.6 billion people Zaid, they've all got to live somewhere. Absolutely. They all need homes built for them. Maybe not all of them need homes built now, but there's a projected growth in building required. What sort of impact does an actual building have in terms of emissions and carbon footprint?
00:02:44:22 - 00:03:12:00
Zaid Osama
Well, it's a dual negative impact. Unfortunately, from one side, for you to build the built environment, you need to consume resources from nature, including fossil fuels, including natural material and so on and so forth. And this was one negative impact. The other negative impact is the emissions that those buildings and cities are posing on the ecological system as they are operating in their end use phase.
00:03:14:03 - 00:03:39:18
Host: David Karsten
That impact, as you say, is massive. But when we look at the numbers that really drives at home, 40% of the world's energy consumption occurs within the built environment. Buildings are responsible for this. And of course, as you say, at the building phase prior to inhabiting these buildings, we're looking at emissions of, well…cement on steel and aluminium are responsible for 15% of emissions.
00:03:39:22 - 00:03:55:17
Host: David Karsten
So at the construction phase we're looking at a serious impact at that point. I know you've sort of covered this, but really 9.6 billion people needing somewhere to live and work. You have a massive task ahead of you to solve all of this on your own Zaid!
00:03:56:23 - 00:04:41:23
Zaid Osama
Hopefully not! If you look at to put this in context, it starts from the production of material. And if I give you an example, it's concrete and cement, which is one major component of concrete on its own emitting almost 7% of carbon footprint globally just to make the concrete material and then take it from production to transportation on site and then from transportation to building that build asset and from construction to the operation phase, which is the risky one, because in the operation phase you'll need massive amounts of energy to run these buildings and cities in some instances.
00:04:42:10 - 00:05:05:17
Zaid Osama
And to do that, your main resource is fossil fuels, your main resource is non-renewable energy and all of its kind. And if you exceed the limit of using those natural resources, then you will harm the ecological system. And this is where you going to see the climate change happening. And this is where you're going to see things changing around you really radically.
00:05:06:09 - 00:05:21:06
Host: David Karsten
You talk about a dual negative at the construction phase and the operational phase, but typically how long is a lifespan of a building? Can you talk to us about that? I mean, is there a sustainability issue with buildings attached to a finite lifespan?
00:05:22:03 - 00:05:43:23
Zaid Osama
Absolutely. Look, the lifespan of buildings depend on the typology of those buildings. So if we're talking about housing, then we are in the range of 30 years of life span. But if you're talking about skyscrapers and, you know, major buildings, you know, public amenities, hospitals and so forth, then this is supposed to be 50 to 80 years of lifespan.
00:05:44:15 - 00:06:09:13
Zaid Osama
In whatever case, you really need to have a holistic approach towards the planning design, constructing and operating those assets. And this is the only way you will adapt with the present needs of the say, environmental challenges. And we'll also be able to be resilient and to be part of it instead of against it.
00:06:10:05 - 00:06:37:11
Host: David Karsten
Well Zaid you're at the coalface, you're at the research side of this industry design and construction. But you are also in a working context, part of an architectural practice. There are responsibilities incumbent on you to show us the way. Are there examples in play at the moment where perhaps the thinking is changing and that we are taking all of these issues into account and working that into our design future?
00:06:37:22 - 00:07:05:16
Zaid Osama
So I understand architecture as the cost of designing and constructing buildings and structures to achieve a purpose. This purpose might be functional. It can be societal, political, spiritual or symbolic, or all of them. There must be a purpose, David. That purpose has evolved throughout history. It has changed from the basic need for a shelter, which was the first representation of architecture in early ages.
00:07:06:06 - 00:07:39:21
Zaid Osama
And then we've seen and witnessed a different form of architecture, which is showing glory and power. And this was in the first civilisation of the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia, where I come from, today's architecture and the purpose of today's architecture is to achieve sustainability. And in doing so, the UN Commission has defined in 2012 and the Rio de Janeiro conference what we call now sustainability, the development goals, and these are 17 goals.
00:07:40:05 - 00:08:07:07
Zaid Osama
I pick up goal number three, seven, nine and 11. Number three is about well-being and health. And this was in one way integrated into architecture and the current practice of architecture where architects nowadays are tending to address human well-being in their designs, which wasn't really a concern in the 20th century, which was all about function and production and industry, right?
00:08:07:08 - 00:08:07:17
Host: David Karsten
Yes.
00:08:08:10 - 00:08:21:21
Zaid Osama
Which really helped. And we've witnessed now many examples around the world where timber is the main building material sustainable development goal number nine is about innovation and advancement.
00:08:22:13 - 00:08:26:16
Host: David Karsten
Oh, that's always that's always a magnet for architects, right?
00:08:26:16 - 00:08:27:03
Zaid Osama
Absolutely.
00:08:27:03 - 00:08:27:18
Host: David Karsten
Always.
00:08:27:21 - 00:09:00:02
Zaid Osama
Especially on the city scale. This is where the concept of digital governance has emerged and this is where governments around the world has moved the protocols of from being traditional paper work and so on and so forth to be to becoming digital. All the planning of cities, municipalities and so forth has become digital. And this is where we could learn why we are deciding on the built environment in such decisions, why we are designing and planning in such a way, why not the other way?
00:09:00:09 - 00:09:39:23
Zaid Osama
This is where we could also include people and participation in our planning of cities and the design of them. And that was another great move. And the last sustainability development goal that really impacted architecture in a way after 2012 is number 11, which is about sustainable cities and communities. Sustainable development goal of sustainable cities and communities has really shifted the practice of architecture towards more ecological designs, towards biodiversity, towards Biophilia, towards living with nature and not consuming nature, not living on nature.
00:09:40:05 - 00:09:41:01
Zaid Osama
Yeah.
00:09:41:03 - 00:09:55:04
Host: David Karsten
Well as architects, that's probably your biggest opportunity. Your greatest opportunity to both, I guess, educate and also to have a real living 24/7 impact on people because home is where it all begins, right?
00:09:55:04 - 00:09:56:22
Zaid Osama
Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:09:56:22 - 00:10:17:22
Host: David Karsten
Well Zaid another great opportunity exists for you and your cohort, given that three quarters of the infrastructure that we'll be using in 2050 is yet to be built. So have you and your cohort started taking that opportunity now? Are there examples that we can look at as as a way of stepping forward in the right direction?
00:10:18:12 - 00:10:33:19
Zaid Osama
Definitely, David, I will give examples of different building typologies. So to give our audience a sense of what could be done for the future and what are the good examples. My first example is the Edge building in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
00:10:33:20 - 00:10:39:06
Host: David Karsten
The edge. Sounds, sounds, sounds edgy. So it edgy about this building.
00:10:39:14 - 00:10:48:08
Zaid Osama
Well, it's technology. It's technology is what it's about it. So this when this building was designed by PLP architecture and it was built in 2017.
00:10:48:15 - 00:10:54:23
Host: David Karsten
So let's just before context, this is the headquarters of Deloitte. Yes. Yes. So it's an office building, essentially? Yes.
00:10:54:24 - 00:11:28:21
Zaid Osama
Yes, it's an office building. And it's a 15-storey building that is mainly used for office purposes. This example is about smartening of the built environment and to start with, this is a very clever prototype, David, that a could show as a self-sufficient building, a building that doesn't require fossil fuels to run its operations. I know that the thing about this building is the clever architectural design of it, the clever use of natural lighting, the clever use of intonation and so on and so forth.
00:11:28:21 - 00:11:38:07
Zaid Osama
So this really reduced the pressure on the mechanical systems of the building, say heating and cooling, lighting, so on and so forth, to consume more energy.
00:11:38:19 - 00:11:57:17
Host: David Karsten
And and so if I could just jump in there, that really is the simple principle of being north facing a roof and having a lot of glass on the north side. Right. So that that way you you reduce the requirement of so of all for artificial lighting. You've got all that beautiful natural sunlight, things dreaming in.
00:11:58:00 - 00:12:20:07
Zaid Osama
Exactly. Well, it sounds to be easy in a way, but it's hard to be implemented because you need to have a tangible calculation that would tell you whether this building's got to be self-sufficient or not. So it's not that easy in practice, I would say. But yes, you are right. These are the basic principles I love the thing about this building its interconnection with its users.
00:12:20:07 - 00:12:41:09
Zaid Osama
So once you arrive and you know, stop your car and the car parking, then you're connected to the building. All the working spaces would be working in coordination with the users who are using those spaces. So for example of there are some spaces that aren't used, then the energy consumption of that place would shut down. So to, you know, save more energy.
00:12:41:09 - 00:12:51:24
Zaid Osama
And then same goes in the opposite way where another spot is being used, then lighting would work and so on and so forth for the heating and cooling system.
00:12:52:04 - 00:12:55:12
Host: David Karsten
So so how does a building know where you are, Zaid, at any one time?
00:12:55:16 - 00:13:22:13
Zaid Osama
Mm hmm. So they have placed 28,000 sensors in this building, and those sensors are connected with the…What happens actually in the building in terms of what we call occupational behaviour, so how users are using this building. So the building really continuously adjusts itself according to what is happening. And this is where we call a building, a dynamic building, because it's like a living body.
00:13:22:17 - 00:13:33:22
Zaid Osama
It's not like it didn't static structure and it's a dynamic body that can adjust itself according to the change in conditions that have been inside it. And also outside.
00:13:35:01 - 00:13:45:00
Host: David Karsten
Zaid, closer to home, is there an example that perhaps showcases alternatives on a smaller scale for building design and construction?
00:13:45:24 - 00:14:16:16
Zaid Osama
Absolutely. So we are so proud, David, to have the C6 building probably since the being approved by the City of Perth. This is going to be the tallest mass timber building to be built in the world and it's going to be in Perth. What is exciting about this development is not being the tallest building actually, but being the tallest building that uses almost 40% of its structural component to be timber.
00:14:17:01 - 00:14:55:17
Zaid Osama
And instead of purely concrete. This radical shift from concrete and steel, which are the conventional building systems to timber or mass timber, is so significant for many reasons. I start with the basics. Timber as a natural material is a bank of carbon, so it absorbs carbon and it keeps it in it for a long period of time. And in contrast to concrete and steel, which would, you know, normally emit this carbon footprint and give it back to the to the environment.
00:14:56:04 - 00:15:26:00
Zaid Osama
So in timber, you have a less impact in terms of carbon footprint on the environment. Another important thing, which is the ability of making timber a renewable resource. If we look at concrete, for example, you need to produce it, right? And in order to produce it, you need cement, which is the main component of it. And in order to make the cement, you need fossil fuels and you need non-renewable energy to be able to produce that material, which is a chemical material.
15:26:09 - 00:15:37:04
Zaid Osama
However, in timber we can simply dedicate farms. We call it timber farms by which we'll be able to produce the amount of timber required.
00:15:37:07 - 00:15:52:23
Host: David Karsten
So so just to clarify food for the listener, that's pine trees in the building of this 191 meter tall building. Yes, 50 stories. And it's been calculated or forecast to require just under 600 hand-raised for this design to work.
00:15:53:01 - 00:15:53:15
Zaid Osama
Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:54:14 - 00:16:01:18
Host: David Karsten
So it's it certainly is an exciting development and somewhat it's almost looking back to look forward. We're going back to timber.
00:16:01:21 - 00:16:28:23
Zaid Osama
Absolutely. Absolutely. And this is the happy news, you know, and I think in driving the way and leading the world and showing examples that would radically change the industry. So important at this stage and it is really a great opportunity for path to come to the global stage and be a leader in sustainability and sustainable architecture and sustainable built environment.
00:16:29:19 - 00:16:54:12
Zaid Osama
And you really want to make use of this opportunity and really you want to make use of what we call city branding. And city branding is where you have a special thing and you showcase the special thing to the world. So the world come and visit you. And this, by nature, would positively impact your economy. So architecture can be a great way to what we call city branding and to bring a city to the global stage.
00:16:54:12 - 00:17:20:08
Zaid Osama
And if you look at the history and, you know, throughout history, many cultures and many cities have really evolved around architecture and have really used architecture as their language and identity by which we are visiting those countries as it is nowadays. And while impressed by the architecture that they've got. So take this concept and apply it on the current context and the current challenges that we're facing.
00:17:20:08 - 00:17:25:24
Zaid Osama
Showcase a good example, have a prototype and you will be [inaudible].
00:17:26:08 - 00:17:27:10
Host: David Karsten
Zaid We've solved it.
00:17:28:09 - 00:17:28:24
Zaid Osama
[laughs]
00:17:28:24 - 00:18:00:04
Host: David Karsten
Few. Well, look, we talk about the construction of office building having I guess so much potential for, for showcasing, I guess, a renewable future. But the operation of this building is something we need to talk about as well. We talked before about the sustainability, the starting in the home, what we're going to have occupants of 200 apartments in this building living in a structure that has been constructed, half of timber that is operating apparently at a carbon negative rating.
00:18:00:13 - 00:18:07:01
Host: David Karsten
It's going to be contributing to, I guess, the energy grid possibly. Is that a fair assumption?
00:18:07:14 - 00:18:34:23
Zaid Osama
Well, it's an assumption. We will know once the building is in operation. But to be fair, this building is revisiting the sustainability development goals that I mentioned earlier. Goal number three, number seven, number nine and then 11, because it is really providing a healthy environment for its occupants, which is sustainable development goal numbers. See, it is really affordable in terms of energy consumption, which is sustainable development.
00:18:34:23 - 00:19:01:22
Zaid Osama
Goal number seven, it is innovative and the way it's being constructed in its construction system and this is goal number seven and it is really an example of a sustainable community, which is sustainable development goal number 11. So in a way, yes, this is an example of a sustainable development, revisiting the sustainable development goals that we have. We have mentioned and I think those are certainly achieved in this development.
00:19:02:04 - 00:19:12:08
Host: David Karsten
Zaid, you're very excited about the prospect of this happening. The excitement is palpable, but what else is Curtin doing closer to home in in this space?
00:19:13:06 - 00:19:50:13
Zaid Osama
Yeah. So on a smaller scale we have the Legacy Living Lab developed by Professor Madsen, Roberto Miunno and other colleagues. It's a great example of a circular building which used material that being recycled basically, and then reused in the construction of the elements of this building, say the walls, roof ceilings, so on and so forth. And despite being a small in size example, it is really an excellent prototype to showcase the world and to draw attention to it.
00:19:51:03 - 00:20:12:03
Host: David Karsten
So again, just for fuller context for our listeners, this is a modular two storey design. It's yes. In White Gum Valley and it very much echoes the design of homes around it as the development continues around it. But yes, please carry on. We're talking about a circular economy, showcasing a circular economy in terms of its construction.
00:20:12:20 - 00:20:42:24
Zaid Osama
Yep. So starting with this is a building example, like you mentioned, that follows the existing typology of that neighborhood. So it's a continuous extension of what housing is in that. Yeah. However, the construction methods implemented in this typology are different methods, including prefabrication methods, including modular construction, so making the element in the factory and assembling it on site.
00:20:43:13 - 00:21:01:22
Zaid Osama
So it is really again a great example of a small scale because look, David, you have to start from a smaller step. And this is the thing. This is a small but first step towards a bigger and more comprehensive developments. And it is really a great example that's been done by Curtin University.
00:21:02:11 - 00:21:16:02
Host: David Karsten
Zaid alongside the Legacy Lab, you're also working on a very specific area of sustainability and and future design. Can you talk us through your area of expertise? This is fascinating.
00:21:16:02 - 00:21:52:19
Zaid Osama
Thank you. Yeah. So currently I'm working on something called digital twinning and digital twins are virtual copies of the built environment from which we can know what exactly happens in that built environment in terms of the energy being consumed, in terms of the occupancy behaviour, in terms of the usability minus one is all this information is foreseen to be the key and transformative methodology towards an adaptive and resilient built environment.
00:21:53:06 - 00:21:59:14
Host: David Karsten
So you use this digital twinning at the design stage. Is that is that correct? Well, while the building is an operation.
00:21:59:14 - 00:22:19:19
Zaid Osama
Well, it could be used in the planning and the design construction operation of the building. It has multi layers and multiple levels and depending on what stage you are in, you can implement this technology. But the very basic concept of it is that in order to drive informed decisions, you need to know what is happening. Actually.
00:22:20:04 - 00:22:26:11
Host: David Karsten
You need to see the future, Zaid. Is that correct? Is that what you're doing? Is it like a as a like a crystal ball for you?
00:22:26:20 - 00:23:04:07
Zaid Osama
This is what we call proactive planning and design. You are right. You are right. Yeah. So once you've got this information, whatever it is related to energy occupancy, usage management and so forth, then you would know what is actually happening and for what reason. And therefore you can adjust your settings, your built environment accordingly. So to adapt with these changing factors, so to be less negatively impactful on the environment, so to be more positively functional, so to be more integrated and interconnected if that makes sense.
00:23:04:23 - 00:23:20:23
Host: David Karsten
And look, it does make sense. We need data ahead of time to make better decisions. However, can you paint a picture for us? I'm a visual sort of guy. How does this take place? Is it on a just a computer screen or are you creating a virtual reality world? How are you doing this.
00:23:21:19 - 00:23:46:02
Zaid Osama
Before diving into this subject? You need to know that it's not about planning for the future only. Actually, the change comes from adapting the challenges that the existing setting is facing and adjusting the existing setting to be resilient and to be integrated with those changes. And give you an example. Now, you're not going to build a new world.
00:23:46:05 - 00:24:09:09
Zaid Osama
You have to know that you're not going to build totally new infrastructure. What you need to do, what we all need to do, actually, is to adjust our existing built environment, including the cities that we live in, including the urban areas that are highly dense of buildings and people, and then including each and every individual building and that system, which we call the built environment.
00:24:09:19 - 00:24:32:08
Zaid Osama
And then linking this with the digital, it's when the digital twin is introducing itself as a technology of copying this existing built environment that is already built. Now for the future, not the one that is built now. I give you a tangible example. We used as architects to design a building without really knowing why we are designing in the way we do.
00:24:33:21 - 00:24:38:13
Host: David Karsten
Oh my my my mind is blown Zaid! That. That was quite the revelation. And you have heard it here first.
00:24:47:21 - 00:25:24:06
Zaid Osama
Yeah. So generally, generally architects used to fulfill a functional purpose or an aesthetic purpose. And in both scenarios they are not necessarily aware of the implications of this design on the environment. What the digital twin is proposing in the area of architecture is studying what is being designed with information. So to come out with informed decisions, informed design decisions that would make sense, and instead of following the function or the aesthetics only this is in architecture.
00:25:24:08 - 00:26:01:11
Zaid Osama
Then another example in infrastructure planning of such engineering, which of course has a big and bigger impact as cities are expanding now and as we are building more houses and, you know, fulfilling the population growth requirements, we are really aware of the climatic changes that we are being responsible of without knowing, not necessarily are we aware of the consequences of the expansions of our cities and of the volume of housing that we are doing.
00:26:01:16 - 00:26:27:19
Zaid Osama
We owe the consequences of that on the environment. So in the infrastructure engineering example here, David Digital, it's when can be so beneficial in what we call proactive planning and disaster management planning. So it gives us kind of simulated scenario as to if something happens, then what would be the response? Yes, and in what format and in which methodology?
00:26:28:05 - 00:26:57:23
Zaid Osama
Right. So that approach on its own and they got to infrastructure engineering and city planning is also so significant when we look at it from the digital twin point of view and and then linking it with sustainability and achieving sustainable future, how would you achieve a sustainable future without really knowing what you are doing and without really basing and grounding your decisions on data and, you know, tangible analytics that would drive this whole process.
00:26:58:11 - 00:27:11:00
Host: David Karsten
So what sort of data are you working with and what are you creating for an existing building? Are you creating a model? Is it AI driven? Tell us more said Absolutely.
00:27:11:00 - 00:27:36:24
Zaid Osama
Well, this is part of the PSG that I'm conducting now, and it's about what we call a human centered digital twin. So in basic terms, I've developed a digital twin for the Curtin University campus. This digital twin is basically a virtual replica of the, you know, of the existing campus and including the buildings and the spaces of of the of the campus.
00:27:37:07 - 00:27:57:09
Zaid Osama
And this digital replica is then connected to the users of the university campus. In that way we studied what we call the form function user interaction on a simple terms, the usability manner, how Curtin University users are actually utilizing the facilities of the university campus.
00:27:57:09 - 00:28:02:22
Host: David Karsten
So how long has this been active, Zaid, and are you implementing change? Are you making a difference through this digital twin?
00:28:03:05 - 00:28:31:23
Zaid Osama
Mm hmm. So we are in the third year now of this project, and we were successful in really involving quite a good amount of Curtin University users in this experimentation where we could exchange data in real time and live format between the digital twin and between the users of Curtin University. This data was mainly about the users explaining what is happening in the Curtin University campus in real time.
00:28:31:23 - 00:29:12:17
Zaid Osama
Now imagine the mechanical system, right? The mechanical sensor would tell you measurable facts. And this is why we call this a quantitative study, because if you do it with sense says denseness, as would measure, say, humidity, air temperature, soil and so forth, I'll give you an insight of what is happening in reality. But we've taken it from another of what should we call qualitative approach, where the user in that way is being introduced as a dynamic sense in the built environment where they could describe to us certain things such as why they are using building X, not building why, why they prefer this pathway, not the other pathway.
00:29:12:24 - 00:29:39:16
Zaid Osama
And through that we've got really interesting data suggesting improvements to the campus probably, but also emphasizing going to good things that are happening such as building, say the library is functioning in in an excellent way. It provides us with different kind of spaces and facilities, which makes it a dynamic building. This is a positive thing. So we know that the library is running successfully.
00:29:40:14 - 00:30:03:21
Zaid Osama
But then there were other examples where, for users say that this pathway is so long and it requires kind of stopping points or more shedding, especially in summer time. Yeah. So to be more usable, see, we have got this data and this data has now become part of our existing and future planning and design for the Curtin University campus.
00:30:04:06 - 00:30:42:20
Zaid Osama
And take it from this example, which is the PTSD and then implement it on larger scale on cities and buildings and so on and so forth. You would find that the process of architectural planning, design and building operation would become informative, would become evidence based. And this is a very quick way that we can mitigate our negative, negative impact on the environment, but at the same time, being resilient and being adaptive to what is required either from the uses or from the environments desired.
00:30:42:20 - 00:30:59:00
Host: David Karsten
Is this just raw data that you're gathering or are you then applying that raw data to a model? Are we seeing a walk through of the campus on your screen? How does all of this actually take shape as far as a digital twin manifesting?
00:30:59:19 - 00:31:25:11
Zaid Osama
Absolutely. So you can imagine the digital twin as an equipment. A digital equipment data would come through the users and be illustrated on the digital twin night data would be location based, information would be descriptive information connected to the location, saying that, for example, hey, there is a problem in this elevator. It's a class maintenance night and real time.
00:31:25:11 - 00:31:49:20
Zaid Osama
And once you've got the start on, it starts when you can react accordingly. See? So the digital twin is the equipment. It shows data that illustrates data on its virtual, say, environment and this different kind of raw data. Yes, it's raw data that comes from the users because we don't know what they say or what they describe would be later used to develop any actions.
00:31:49:24 - 00:32:20:23
Zaid Osama
And I give one good example, which is why users using the facilities of the building by element in such manner, why not in another manner? I'm hearing the description of what is happening, and according to their description, I'm developing a framework for adjusting the existing built environment to hopefully enhancing its functional performance and energy performance as well. Talking about sustainability according to the description of the users who are actually using them.
00:32:21:12 - 00:32:35:10
Host: David Karsten
You have a foot in both camps in terms of research, but also in industry. I'm imagining the architectural community is a fairly close one. Is there some excitement about the potential of your research and how it can be applied in a real world setting?
00:32:35:10 - 00:33:10:02
Zaid Osama
Definitely in terms of research so far we've managed to publish a book chapter in Springer and two other publications and a Q and leading journals. And of course, this gives you a great exposure to the global community in terms of what kind of research being done in Perth and Curtin University, in terms of the architectural community. Being a practitioner in this field, I always tend to open this kind of methodological approaches in design and try to implement it with my team in what we are doing and designing.
00:33:10:05 - 00:33:37:05
Zaid Osama
Recently, we are involved in designing the Bardot Pavilion. Bardot is the capital of my country and there is a proposal of population being to be built really and we are part of this competition. I'm trying to integrate what I've learned from the digital twin in terms of the usability among them, in terms of what happens in reality, in terms of phone function, interaction and implement that in the process of the design.
00:33:37:11 - 00:34:02:01
Zaid Osama
So to come out with more informative design decisions and in terms of getting exposure to the wider community here in Perth, so far I think I've done two exhibitions so far in the school design and built environment in and getting university campus, those were public exhibitions where, you know, people and general audience has attended and we've demonstrated what we are doing to them.
00:34:02:11 - 00:34:16:04
Zaid Osama
And although the course that seems to be quite new, but they were impressed by the positive implications such methods would have or such technology would have on the future of the built environment, especially in terms of sustainability.
00:34:17:00 - 00:34:37:16
Host: David Karsten
Zaid as an architect, you're living in very interesting times with a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, and it's been really great to see the work that you're doing in in actually meeting that responsibility. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours, in your research and in your practice as well. And we thank you very much for being part of the podcast today.
00:34:37:24 - 00:34:39:10
Zaid Osama
Thanks, David. Thanks for having me.
00:34:40:03 - 00:34:55:23
Host: David Karsten
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