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Virginia Tech

A Framework for the Utilization of CFD in the Early Stages of Architectural Design

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) refers to numerical methods for simulating the movement of fluid. Due to its efficiency, CFD has been widely used in aerospace engineering and automotive design since the 1970s. It also has potential in architectural design since airflow has been an important player in the design process. However, the CFD users in the building industry tend to be limited to researchers and engineers rather than architectural designers due to the complexity of the simulations including the extensive knowledge required for the processing. The benefit of using CFD would be maximized through its early application by architectural designers since the key design decisions are made in the early stages. In response to this, simulation tools specialized for the early stages of architectural design are developed recently, which offer more user-friendly interfaces. Within this context, the present study aimed to introduce and test the simulation tools for the early stages of design and establish a framework for supporting architectural designers to utilize CFD. Under this objective, a mixed-method approach was employed that includes quantitative and qualitative assessments of simulation tools, development of a knowledge set that can help the users to understand the simulation processes and results, an immersive case study for structuring the procedural model, and a Delphi method for evaluating and reaching a consensus on the proposed framework.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture and Design Research
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2021

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Jo, SooJeong
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Jones, James R.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Schubert, Robert P.
  • Grant, Elizabeth Joyce
  • Battaglia, Francine
  • Telionis, Demetrios P.

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:32905
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/114809

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Jo, SooJeong. A Framework for the Utilization of CFD in the Early Stages of Architectural Design. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/114809