Conference Grant Reports: Xinwei Zhuang at ACADIA 2024
We are pleased to support our students sharing their work at the premiere conferences in their field. Xinwei Zhuang presented Across Scales: Hierarchical Urban Graph for Neighborhoods Partition and Energy End-use Stability at the ACADIA conference in Banff. From Xinwei:
ACADIA is a leading conference that brings together researchers, practitioners, and innovators at the forefront of computational design. It focuses on the integration of digital tools, systems, and theories in architecture and design. ACADIA 2024, themed “Designing Change,” celebrated a transformative moment in computational design, where advances in digital technology, AI, fabrication, and virtual environments reshape architectural practices.
My presentation, Across Scales: Hierarchical Urban Graph for Neighborhoods Partition and Energy End-use Stability, introduced a multi-layered network-based method designed to reconfigure urban neighbourhood partitions across various scales for energy autonomy. By modelling urban settings as a hierarchical graph, this approach facilitates partitioning neighbourhoods with complementary energy profiles, optimizing the balance between renewable energy generation and consumption. The research highlights a case study in San Francisco, demonstrating how these optimized partitions reduce reliance on centralized grids while reducing energy fluctuation of aggregated energy profiles. The method offers the potential for scalable, data-driven urban energy planning, promoting decentralized and sustainable energy systems.
The conference provided an invaluable platform to exchange ideas and engage with pioneering work in computational design. I participated in a thought-provoking panel on the theme scale XL, alongside Marios Tsiliakos (Foster + Partners), Meghna Roy (Carnegie Mellon University), Andy Watts (Grimshaw), and Daniel Tish (Harvard University), moderated by Russell Loveridge. The panel delved into how architecture and buildings influence multiple scales, from urban settings to broader ecological systems, offering invaluable perspectives that enriched my understanding of the interplay between computational design and urban resilience. The insightful feedback and dynamic discussions during the panel and the conference were inspiring and motivating. I deeply value the opportunity, supported by the Berkeley Center for New Media, to reconnect with peers and establish new connections within the vibrant computational design community. Interacting with experts and peers has enriched my perspective and motivated future directions for my work.