Architectural Engineering improvements in the Design Projects

Architectural Engineering is a discipline concerned with design, planning, construction and operation in architecture. In order to have a proper transfer of the AE principles, there should be a methodology clearly defined; which has not been properly documented in the literature related in this field yet. The objective of this thesis is to describe and analyze the Architectural Engineering Design Process and to explore the advantages and tradeoffs that this approach presents to the project realization over the traditional Architecture Design Process. In order to analyze and describe some of this process in relation to the architectonic project it is necessary to use project management tools and concepts. It is also necessary to explore some of the explored concepts in a design project that has been developed in parallel to this research. The main difference between Architectural Design Process and the Architectural Engineering Design Process is the use of diverse tools and Building Performance Simulation software in order to assess the design. This alteration from the traditional ADP helps to implement innovation in design projects; from performative simulations and scenario exploration; which are later reflected in other decision assessment tools from PM. Creativity and innovation can be limited in the design of a project since most of the time they are associated to risk and exposure in the construction process. However, a careful exploration of the AEDP methodology as the one proposed in this thesis could orientate the project towards an efficient implementation of innovative technological concepts. Implementing the AEDP has some tradeoffs from the traditional process; time and money invested in the design stage of a project could produce savings or a surplus in the final project, not to mention the incremental innovation in technology through the continuous insertion of new concepts in the market. In this thesis this process is explored in two aspects from the design: the structural optimization and a new technology implementation in design. The advantages of the use of AEDP in regards to these examples are illustrated comparing these results to common mistakes in projects. The awareness of the tradeoffs is necessary to implement the AEDP in traditional projects and firms. In the last part of this report there is a chapter related to DSS that reflect the constrains caused by diverse subjects of the design. This would locate some of the aspects explored in the holistic description of the project, and allowing total approach in the design decisions. A good design exploration with the AEDP structures and produces improvements and added value in architectonic design that can ensure the success of the project.Building TechnologyArchitectur