The research presented in this thesis investigates the usability of augmented reality (AR) spatial interfaces for knowledge-intensive training environments, focusing on head-mounted display (HMD) systems. The research addresses the growing adoption of AR in professional training and the need for effective usability evaluation methods specific to AR interfaces. Through a series of field-based experiments across aviation, healthcare, and space industries, the thesis develops and validates a novel usability evaluation method called SPINE (SPatial INterface Evaluation). The research begins with a comprehensive review of existing usability evaluation methods, identifying their limitations in AR contexts. This leads to the development of SPINE, which is then validated through internal and external assessments. The thesis progresses from formative experiments to a large-scale summative experiment, using the Microsoft HoloLens as the primary AR device. Key findings include the effectiveness of SPINE in providing de…
The following paper is part of a critical analysis of a survey conducted at the School of Built Environment at Oxford Brookes University. The survey focused on the use of video games as a teaching method to incorporate sensory and interpretive aspects of space, emphasizing the projective process in the teaching and learning of Architecture, Urbanism, and related areas. Through the questionnaire, we were able to shift the perspective and explore students’ perceptions of spaces within videogames and learning in Architecture and Urbanism. The investigation also raised a series of questions that sometimes support previous understandings of virtual space and introduce new possibilities for interpretation at other times.
Heating in buildings in the United Kingdom is responsible for nearly 17% of the total emissions generated, and addressing them is integral as we face an unprecedented climate emergency. As the UK aims to achieve a Net Zero Carbon strategy by 2050, there have been several proposals raised to counteract and replace Carbon and Fossil Fuel based heating with cleaner, more efficient systems such as Electric Heat Pumps, Hydrogen Boilers, and Bio-Methane grids. This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of the proposed alternatives to carbon and fossil based heating in buildings, evaluate their respective efficacies and address the scope and challenges to their implementation and impact on the building heating systems in the future. In order to achieve this aim, an in-depth analysis of alternative proposals was carried out, followed by a set of interviews with industrial experts and academics to obtain their view on the validity of these proposals. The findings revealed that Electrical Heat Pumps are the most viab…
The growing global challenges as climate change, resource depletion, and increasing populations have intensified the focus on green buildings. Building Sustainability Assessment (BSA) schemes, like US LEED, provide frameworks for evaluating and certifying the sustainability of buildings. However, BSA processes are often seen as fragmented, inconsistent, and resource intensive. Meanwhile, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has gained widespread adoption in the building industry, yet its potential to enhance BSA remains underutilized. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a framework named Green Level of Information Need (GLOIN), which utilizes BIM for advancing BSA. GLOIN integrates BIM data with BSA system requirements, drawing from the new international standard ISO 7817 and tailored specifically for the U.S. LEED green certification system. A proofof-concept computer application is developed as a Revit plugin using Microsoft Visual Studio, Autodesk Revit API, and based on the GLOIN framework principl…
The study aims to identify key barriers and drivers associated with the adoption of circular economy(CE) in Kuwait’s construction industry. 36 barriers and 24 drivers were identified upon conducting an intensive literature review. A mixed research methodology was employed to conduct 10 interviews and 39 questionnaire surveys in order to gain insights of these barriers and drivers from the perceptions of the professionals within Kuwait’s construction industry. The findings demonstrate significant obstacles that impede the adoption of CE which include a lack of awareness and knowledge among stakeholders regarding CE principles and limited technological knowledge on how to design and operate circular projects. Additionally, a lack of client interest, demand and urgency prevents widespread adoption. The results also revealed that the key drivers that can facilitate the shift to a CE include the need for raising awareness and knowledge through education and government intervention, improve educational efforts a…
As Industries across the world realign their practices with a key focus on sustainability, the adoption in Construction and Built Environment has been glacial at best despite being one of the top contributors to carbon emissions and waste generation. The industry must restructure its practices to comply with net-zero goals set forth by various governments and international authorities and this study aims to examine how an integrated adoption of Lean construction and principles of Circular economy could help ease this transition. A survey based strategy to collect data measured on a Likert Scale was employed for this study, aided by interviews with professionals in the industry and academia as well as an in-depth analysis of existing data and literature. The results indicated varied levels of awareness of Lean and Circular Economy principles, but several principles associated with them have gradually been adopted in the industry, i.e. greater levels of collaboration, emphasis on cleaner supply chains, waste re…
When we complete sequential movements with different intentions, we plan our movements and adjust ahead. Such a phenomenon is called anticipatory planning for prior intentions and is known to decline with age. In daily life activities, we often need to consider and plan for multiple demands in one movement sequence. However, previous studies only considered one dimension of prior intentions, either different types of onward actions or different precisions of fit or placement. Therefore, in this study, we investigated anticipatory planning for both extrinsic (movement direction) and intrinsic (fit precision) target-related properties in a computer-based movement task and analyzed the computer cursor movement kinematics of both young and older adults. We found that older people consider and adjust for different properties step-by-step, with movement direction being considered as a prior intention during reach movement and fit precision as a motor constraint during drop movement. The age-related changes in the c…