Walid Saba’s Post

Check out my new publication (the first of my PhD student Efrain Villatoro) on plasmonic optical fiber sensing. It deals with partially coated tilted FBGs; this new sensing architecture has important practical assets: (1) a simpler fabrication process, (2) no need for polarization control, (3) limited bandwidth interrogation, and (4) maintained refractometric accuracy. This publication was in collaboration with Médéric Loyez, Christophe Caucheteur, under the leadership of Prof. Jacques Albert. More details here: https://lnkd.in/edhZc4pJ

Yes, how do we integrate new methods into our creative planning processes? How do we create a better understanding of the fundamental structures of our work and provide impetus for contemporary solutions? I am very curious. Tomorrow, the nine interdisciplinary teams from architecture and civil engineering will present their results after a week of intensive work at the University of Antwerpern.

How to put transformative research into a course. 👇

"To err is human, to really mess things up, one needs a computer." Our very own Carl Nehme, E.I. is presenting this week at the University of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg for a deep dive into "Structural Analysis: Bridging Idealization and Reality."   Through his presentation, attendees will discover the subtle art of building robust and reliable structural analysis models. He will unveil how to combine scientific rigor and creativity to shape the buildings of tomorrow. #WhatsOnTheInsideMatters

Today's riddle: what do these two extraordinary buildings have in common? On the left you have Palazzo Ducale di Urbino, one of the most interesting architectural examples of the Italian Renaissance, on the right you find #NEST, the technological gem of the Empa campus in Switzerland. Curiously.. they both have an #ice #storage! During winter, the "neviera" sitting below the gardens of Palazzo Ducale was filled with layers of snow and straw to help conserve food. Today, we investigate how to use the same principle to provide free cooling during summer using ice formed during the winter in a closed storage! How big should the storage be? What performance can the ice storage reach and how to operate it in the most efficient way? You find some answers to these tricky questions in our latest open-access paper published on #EnergyandBuildings: https://lnkd.in/ebTQNxd5 Thanks to my co-authors Philipp Heer and Massimo Fiorentini, responsible of the SNSF Swiss National Science Foundation funded project SOTES!

  Expert Talk: OFF-EARTH MANUFACTURING We invite you to: ‘Advanced Manufacturing Concepts for Off-Earth Manufacturing and Construction’ by Dr. Advenit Makaya (European Space Agency - ESA) next Thu 4.4.24 Vienna University of Technology, Hochbau 2   Advenit Makaya is an Advanced Manufacturing Engineer at the European Space Research and Technology Center of the European Space Agency. It supports the development of advanced materials and processes for space applications and supports ESA materials and processes missions. In this context, Advenit coordinates the Out-of-Earth Manufacturing initiative with the aim of promoting the development of technologies for in-orbit and on-planet manufacturing.   In his talk, he will explain why it is important to look at manufacturing in space, what is being done, worldwide in this field, what can be achieved at the moment and how it can contribute to more sustainable space activities in the future. Advenit Makaya along side ESA - Christophe Lasseur, Johann Fellner, and Marina Konstantatou (Foster + Partners) are set to teach the second module in our Executive MBA Space Architecture Programm TU Wien – Academy for Continuing Education. The module is titled "Making Most of What We Have: Resources, Cycles, and Integration" . This module, focusing on sustainable approaches, circular systems, and optimization strategies, highlights the importance of these concepts for long-term economic sustainability, whether on Earth or in space. The four-day course features insights from leading experts in both space and Earth domains, encouraging discussions and comparisons of different approaches to identify synergies and innovative ideas. #spacearchitecture #earthtospace #spaceshipearth #advancedtechnologies #spacemanufacturing #hochbau2 #austriainspace Space Architecture Technical Committee(SATC-AIAA)

The benefits of #erasmusplus is the opportunity to share knowledge with students in different contexts. This is happening next week during my visiting period at Università Iuav di Venezia where I will be hosted by the Department of Architecture and Arts and delivering lectures as part of the Transport Technology and Economics Course. Thanks to Silvio Nocera and Federico Cavallaro for hosting and organising these lectures. University of Malta #transportplanning #transportgeography #landuseplanning #sustainablemobility

Call for Critical Practices now open! 🚀 Call for Critical Practices is a track of #ICSA2025. It aims to uncover and showcase work that breaks boundaries and demonstrates engagement with the frictions inherent in architectural and engineering practice. The final submission is a prototype at a scale that has been critical in the development process. Each prototype is accompanied by a video that contextualises, describes, and reflects on the work. The submission is directly tied to the overall theme: Restructure REmaterialize REthink REuse. The contributions of the #CriticalPractices will form a dedicated exhibition displayed during the entire conference, and result in an exhibition publication and a special journal issue published afterwards.  Critical Practice Organising Committee: Isak Worre Foged, Hugo Mulder, Anne-Catrin Schultz, Filip Van de Voorde, Mario Rinke Submit your abstract for Critical Practices by 28 February 2024 The review of this track is conducted by peers from academia and practice in two rounds of peer review. The first-round submission is a Representational Abstract. https://lnkd.in/e2QCCh3A

Dear colleagues, if you are interested in digital solutions for modelling geometric patterns, I share with you our latest paper in SiGraDi 2023, titled "From Sacred Traditions to Digital Syntax: Navigating Formal Grammar's Role in Modelling Contemporary Islamic Geometric Patterns", with Eloi Coloma and Quim Moya. Islamic geometric patterns (IGP) have been an integral component of Islamic art for centuries. Developed using traditional techniques and tools, these patterns have been profoundly influenced by them. However, the emergence of digital tools has posed novel challenges to the creation and preservation of these intricate designs, leading to compatibility issues between original methodologies and new technologies. Consequently, the process of generating new patterns based on the same syntax has become notably more intricate. This paper delves into the application of Formal Grammar Methodology (FGM), specifically the string rewriting system (SRS), for digital modeling of star patterns that originated in historical Iran, substantiated by existing evidence. We assess the potential of adapting these patterns to the digital realm while respecting their cultural context for design and production purposes. Our study draws upon both historical and contemporary sources to gather, scrutinize, and analyze patterns utilizing both traditional and innovative approaches. The outcomes reveal an 85% success rate for the introduced method, as opposed to 55% for the traditional approach in production. You can find our paper here on page1009. https://lnkd.in/dfFzjZu8

We had very good discussions the last 2 days during the 4th European Lightweighting Conference in Liège. The topics were well chosen, the conference rooms were nice AND functional and the atmosphere was relaxed and productive. Thanks for organizing, Pierre, Anne, Jérôme, Romain and Catherine! Representatives from 12 nations from business (companies from different sectors), science (institutes and universities), associations and politics (ministries and the EU Commission) discussed how a climate-friendly industry can be created with the help of effective, lightweight products, the best materials, designs and manufacturing processes. Lightweight construction is a cross-sectional technology that reduces CO2 emissions, uses resources more efficiently, strengthens Europe's independence and is therefore not only environmentally friendly but also important for our economy. I had the honor to present and discuss the topics bio-inspired lightweight design of AWI and connected engineering of our spin-off Synera GmbH in the session “Advanced Simulation and digital Twins for lightweight structures” - together with Samson Cooper, Dassault Systemes, Michael Bruyneel, Scientific Director at GDTech, Martin Swab, CEO of 4aengineering Gmbh, Marie Jonsonn, and Rafael Cebolla from GoAhead Engineering. Next meeting (2025) will be organized by the Polish Government in the beautiful city of Krakow. A bit sooner we will have a nice conference on simulation in engineering in Bamberg, Germany (https://lnkd.in/ewJAZHTm) A very nicely summarized white paper on the value of lightweight engineering and resource efficiency is available here: https://lnkd.in/eZa-Ffw8