Zhang Qu, Weimin Zhuang

Abstract

Architectural programming is a process of defining goals and requirements of the project. Architectural programming theory was introduced to China twenty years ago. As an international academic organization, EDRA plays a significant role in this field. The thesis gives a brief introduction about the history of architectural programming and the current study, and how to teach the architectural programming and POE course in china. We would like to share the theoretical development and teaching experience in China.

Subsidized by the National Science Foundation of China, project No. 51808390 and No. 51778315.

Introduction

Architectural programming is a process of defining goals and requirements of the project. By seeking the possible problems, architectural programming can provide solutions to the research questions proposed in the design brief. In the United States, a number of scholars are working on the field. In 1969, William Caudill and William Pena, partners in CRS, published the first edition of Problem Seeking: An Architectural Programming Primer. (Pena, et al., 2012) Fifty years later, the idea of architectural programming has spread worldwide. And architectural programming is recognized as a crucial phase in the pre-design stage.

Architectural programming theory was introduced to China twenty years ago. As an international academic organization, EDRA plays a significant role in this field. The research by EDRA members such as Prof. Wolfgang Preiser, has been translated into Chinese. As China is undergoing a rapid urbanization, architecture programming is becoming an increasingly important realm. On behalf of the Architectural Programming and Post-evaluation Committee (APPC), of China, we would like to share the theoretical development and teaching experience in China.

Background: The History of Architectural Programming and the Current Study in China

1.1 The Necessity of the Architectural Programming Study

With the rapid development in China, a large number of mega projects have been constructed. However the rapid development also brings certain problems at the same time. Awareness of the built environment study in the urban and rural construction is lacking in China. Also, it is difficult to make scientific prediction and decision in the pre-design stage. According to the national construction procedure, there is a gap between urban planning and the following architectural design. In other words, a scientific demonstration phase is needed, in order to study the scientific and rational issues of the design basis. This phase is called briefing in Britain, and architectural programming in the US.

After World War II, architectural programming raised concern in the western countries. As motioned above, many scholars and institutions kept working on both methodology and practice. Based on the western experience, the Chinese State Council issued instructions on urban construction in 2014 and 2016, to avoid possible mistakes in the pre-design phase. The instructions explicitly require that public buildings must have programming study, and must be evaluated after use.

1.2 The Development and the Current Study of Architectural Programming in China

The idea of architectural programming was widely understood but not specifically defined in China before 2014. Then the architectural terminology committee of China revised their dictionary. And “architectural programming” and “post-occupancy evaluation” were formally listed in the professional terms of architecture. In 2016, Architectural Programming and Post-Occupancy Evaluation (in Chinese) was published. It became the first official textbook for the universities in China. It was also the textbook for the Chinese registered architect education. The textbook illustrates the theoretical research of architectural programming. (Zhuang, 2016)

In China, architectural programming is one of the most important theoretical points in today's architecture study. It has been widely introduced into the higher education. In December 2018, the first “Architectural Programming and POE Teaching Seminar” was held by Tsinghua University. Architectural practitioners from universities and design companies conducted dialogues and discussions. The topics included the significance of programming and POE study, integration with the existing teaching system, possible research directions in the future, etc. In 2019, the Architectural Programming and Post-evaluation Committee (APPC), China is established, which is the official organization in this field. Professor Weimin Zhuang, Dean of APPC, pointed out that, due to the demand of architect career planning, demand of market, and demand of the innovative society, it is necessary to pay more attention to architectural programming study today.

Why We Set the Architectural Programming and POE Course

According to the UIA Accord, architectural programming and post occupancy evaluation (POE), as pre-design and post-design studies, form a closed loop of the architectural practice. At present, in the aspect of architectural practice, architectural programming and POE teaching has been carried out in the regular education of national registered architect. While in the college, further education integrated with international standard and requirement is required. In Tsinghua University and Tongji University, China, there are architectural programming courses for both bachelor degree and master degree, with over eighteen years teaching experience. We would like to introduce our course from three aspects: the current situation, the theoretical system, and the driving force for further development.

Figure 1 Architectural Programming and POE in the Architectural Process

2.1 Current Situation of the Course

In the institutions which have passed the certification of architectural education in China, there are 10 colleges and universities that have opened separate specific course in architectural programming and POE, including Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Chongqing University, and etc. It accounts for 15% of the certificated institutions. Meanwhile, 12 colleges and universities have incorporated the programming study into the design process. As can be seen, the course is embraced by top institutions, but it can be promoted better. One of the main reasons is insufficiency of researchers engaging in architectural programming and POE study. It is difficult to open a full two-credit course. Thus, more researchers and lecturers should be fostered in collaboration with the distinguished institutions around the world. It will be explained in the following paragraphs.

2.2 The Theoretical System of the Course

According to the certification of architectural education, several indicators reflect the basic theory of architecture, such as architectural, environmental behavior study, space and social survey, economy and regulations, practice and services and responsibilities, etc. The new course involves both theory and practice. It should be added in the teaching of design process and method. At the same time, the new course aims to foster professional practice ability of the students. So, the curriculum has to simulate real projects and team assignment.

In accordance with the framework of architecture disciplines proposed by Tsinghua University, the horizontal axis represents from living environment to concrete entity, in other words, from subjective to objective. And the vertical axis is from art to science. The Four quadrants defined by the two axis present different research directions. The first quadrant is about technical level. The second quadrant is about society and humanity. The third quadrant is about culture. And the fourth quadrant is about method. Architectural programming belongs to the second quadrant, which is compatible with the hotspots of architecture research in China. (Zhuang, 2016)

Figure 2 The Framework of Architecture Disciplines

2.3 The Driving Force of the Course

Based on the external motivation and internal needs mentioned above, it is necessary to set the architectural programming and POE course. Furthermore, it may expand the existing secondary subjects, which are architectural design and its theory, building technology science, architectural history and theory, architectural heritage protection and urban design. As an important emerging subject, the new course will provide innovative thinking and more interdisciplinary course, for instance, with consulting or marketing.

According to the market investigation, the need for architectural programming and POE grows increasingly. In 2018, the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the Guiding on Promoting the Development of Construction Consulting Services in the Whole Process, which clearly requires the implementation of the programming, consulting services, project survey and design. It means more demands of the training course and reference in these fields in the future.

How We Teach the Architectural Programming and POE Course

The course of the architectural programming and POE is divided into three major directions. The first is theoretical teaching. An independent course is offered, which is mainly based on the concept of theory, research method and process, techniques, and implement. The second is the academic research, which includes postgraduate training, science fund programs. The last is professional training for national registered architect. The thesis will mainly introduce the first two directions.

3.1 Theoretical Teaching

Figure 3 How We Teach the Architectural Programming and POE Course

One of the key references in the course is Problem Seeking: An Architectural Programming Primer, by William Pena and Steven Parshall. The 5^th Edition of the book is being translated into Chinese by Dr. Zhang Qu. As a masterpiece of American programming theory, Problem Seeking is not merely a method, but a way of scientific thinking. In China, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, has established programming courses and introduced the theory since 2005. The bilingual course is offered to both undergraduate and graduate students. In 2005, Professor Solomon Pan, who worked at HOK and later founded ADP in the United States, brought the Problem Seeking theory into China for the first time. Professor Pan has been engaged in programming and practice for a long time. And he introduced the technical tools such as five step matrix and analysis card. This method has been optimized by HOK's for decades. And it has been proven to be efficient and practical.

In Tongj University, the theoretical course combines with the design studio as well. In the fourth grade studio instructed by Prof. Huijun Tu, architectural programming will introduce in the pre-analysis phase of urban design. Through the site survey, case analysis, environmental behavior research, the functional and morphological programming is formed. Through the combination of courses, students are expected to understand the methods and process of architectural programming, and pre-evaluate the project. (Tu, 2017)

Another key reference in the course is Assessing Building Performance, by Wolfgang Preiser and Jacqueline Vischer. As the founder of POE study, Prof. Preiser proposed a systematic research framework, from urban planning to programming and architectural design, then from construction to reuse. (Preiser, et al. 2005) This is a process of information flow and material flow along the loop. The architectural programming course of Tsinghua University learned from those courses held by universities in Japan in 1990s. Prof Weimin Zhuang, once a visiting researcher in Chiba University, Japan, published the first Chinese textbook Introduction of Programming (in Chinese) in 2000. In 2006, Preiser’s Book was translated into Chinese and introduced in the course. The objective of building performance assessment is to improve building performance, including the sustainable development of building facilities and the built environment. And its focus is on the separate assessment of each stage of the building's life cycle, which makes the feedback process more accurate for programming. The research team in Tsinghua has accomplished a series of theses in this area.

3.2 Academic Research

In the field of academic research in China, Prof. Weimin Zhuang's Introduction to Architectural Programming systematically introduces the role, definition, and process of architectural programming, which lays the foundation for the research. (Zhuang, 2000) Dr. Wei Zhang's thesis combines American programming theory and practical experience, and initially proposes the operational system of Chinese architectural programming. Dr. Shi Su’s thesis proposes new research methods for spatial prediction of architectural programming. Dr. Zhang Qu’s thesis discusses the architectural programming cooperative mode in new design projects in historic contexts. One of the important research organizations in China is the Architectural Programming and Post-evaluation Committee China (APPC), Architectural Society of China, established in 2019. The organization assists the government to formulate the professional standards of architectural programming and POE. The Environmental Behavior Association, China (EBRA) is also a promoter of the research. Architectural programming and POE is also one of the main topics of the EBRA conference.

Table 1: Scholars and Publications in the Architectural Programming Study (Grey shading shows the Publications by Chinese Scholars)

In the field of national science foundation, China (NSFC), six programs have been subsided in this area so far. At present, the research of architectural programming involves more interdisciplinary researches, such as the program directed by Prof. Weimin Zhuang, “Research on Architectural Programming Methodology Based on Fuzzy Decision Theory”. Another program directed by Prof. Huijun Tu, “Group Decision Making Model of Architectural Programming in Mega Projects”, introduces how to use group decision making with data analysis to assist programmer in mega construction projects. Prof. Guangtian Zou’s program “Method and Application of the Extension Theory in Architecture Programming and Design" studies in interdisciplinary with extension theory. With the wide application of BIM technology, how to conduct collaborative analysis has become a new direction of programming research. Dr. Zhang QU discusses the feasibility of applying BIM collaborative analysis technology in architectural programming.

Moreover, the current topics our team is working on in China are as follows:

- Research and practice research: Special programming and POE in health building, educational building and exhibition buildings;

- Research on technical tools: research with BIM tools and data analysis techniques in architectural programming;

- Research on theoretical extension: architectural programming and POE research at the urban design level.

Figure 4 Academic Researches of Architectural Programming and POE in China

The international cooperation in the architectural programming and POE study

At present, the whole process construction consulting service is advocated in China. The service also addresses architectural programming and POE. The experience and expertise in America is worth learning. At the same time, American research institutions need to raise their profile in China. Therefore, it is significant to establish the Architectural Programming and Post Occupancy Evaluation Joint-Center, based on the world top universities in these fields. The center will engage in collaborative researches, such as theoretical study, educational system, project practice, etc. In 2007, the first round table session of the architectural programming and POE was held at Texas A&M University. A number of famous American and Chinese scholars in the field participated in the session. The session discussed many important issues in architectural programming and POE. And it was a good beginning of the international cooperation. The joint center will make effort to hold a roundtable session regularly, as an international research platform. (Zhuang, 2016)

The establishment of a joint center will bring a number of advantages. First, members of the center can share ideas and experience in collaborative researches. The American institutions can take advantage of the platform of Tsinghua and Tongji University to increase the academic publicity in China. Second, The Chinese institutions have a number of projects in architectural programming and POE study. They would like to invite the US team to participate in the projects, or as collaborative research cases. Third, Chinese and American colleges can collaborate in the dual degree certification program and the visiting Ph.D. students program, in order to foster young researchers. Fourth, the center will make a profit from programming and POE projects, research funding, training course, programming and POE workshop and certification, etc. Therefore, besides Texas A&M, we hope that more American institutions will collaborate with the joint center in the future.

Perspective: How to advance the architectural programming and POE study in the future

To promote the study of architectural programming and POE, the academic institutions should pay more attention to the integration of teaching and research. Specifically, it can be advanced in the following aspects.

The first aspect is to establish a professional teaching team. The instructors of architectural programming and POE should affiliate with a research team. They are not merely the faculties of architectural design, but also have ability and certification of architectural programming and POE. Second, the syllabus needs to be optimized. The colleges and universities need to improve the teaching system. It is necessary to discuss what the syllabus is, how to supplement the content of architectural programming and POE, how much time the course needs, what teaching methods are used, and how to evaluate the result of teaching. The third aspect is expansion of the scientific research. The colleges and universities should encourage researchers to innovate in this field and explore new arena of architecture. At last, at present, since an increasing number of projects require pre-design analysis and post use evaluation, the research and teaching can get feedback through practice.

In the last 50 years, EDRA plays a significant role in academic organization and communication as well. Architectural programing and POE is one of the sub-themes in EDRA. There are many distinguished EDRA members involved in architectural programming and environmental behavior research. Through the EDRA50/50 special session, we would like to share the development of the architectural programming and teaching in China. Through the efforts of EDRA and our researchers in China, it is hoped that an international platform will be built, and make new breakthroughs in the field.

The thesis is subsided by the National Science Foundation of China, project No. 51808390 and No. 51778315.

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[Authors]

Zhang Qu

Postdoctoral Researcher, Tongji University, China P.R.

Visiting Researcher, University of California, Berkeley, the United States

Member, the Architectural Programming and Post-evaluation Committee China (APPC)

Weimin Zhuang

Dean and Professor, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, China P.R.

Councilor, the International Union of Architects (UIA)

Chairman, the Architectural Programming and Post-evaluation Committee China (APPC)

Committee, the Environment-Behavior Research Association, China (EBRA)