︎

IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENT

AND VISUALIZATION

 
                           

Interactive exploration through immersive visualization environments is a backbone of TRACE lab’s research. Such immersive environments provide a perfect space in which to design and develop novel data visualization approaches and tools towards making heterogenous data accessible and insightful. Visualization environments enhance the research projects currently underway at TRACE lab by supporting the study of new approaches to understanding, designing, and studying the built environment.


Given the advances in digital technology over the pandemic, much exciting change and upgrades are now available in this sphere. Some initial investigations of immersive environments were part of an exhibit of Data Homebase at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Conference and Trade Show in Toronto, May 2023 in collaboration with Avi Friedman. The exhibit showcased the ‘Data Homebase’ as a rethinking of how we build our homes in response to the challenges of climate change and social equity. The research consolidates and analyzes disparate data sources about our homes to inform how we balance decisions involving affordability, construction waste, energy use, and carbon emissions. Through the immersive visualization the goal to transform housing data through visualization into actionable knowledge was clearly in display. The research investigates the feasibility of tackling housing supply via a circular economy, where materials and buildings are kept in use for as long as possible to reduce waste and promote future use architecture and design preservation. This project and exhibit at FCM were supported by the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC) and the Peter Guo-Hua Fu School of Architecture.



Team 


Naomi Keena, Principal Investigator

Daniel Rondinel
Martha Milagros Pomasonco Alvis

Alexandre Bouffard



Seva Team


Naomi Keena (School of Architecture, McGill, Director TRACE lab)
Anna Dyson (Yale University, Director Yale CEA) 
Mohamed Aly Etman (Yale University, Yale CEA) 


Learn more here: https://www.cea.yale.edu/research-frameworks/seva

Publications


Keena, N., Friedman, A., Parsaee, M. & Rondinel-Oviedo, D. (2024). Housing Passports. A semantic knowledge graph for Canadian residential buildings to support a circular economy in ACADIA 2024: Designing Change by University of Calgary School of Architecture Planning & Landscape.


Keena, N., Friedman, A., Parsaee, M., & Klein, A. (2023). Data Visualization for a Circular Economy: Designing a Web Application for Sustainable Housing. Technology | Architecture + Design. 7(2), 262-281.


Keena, N., Aly Etman, M., & Dyson, A. (2020). Mapping the Built Environment Process (BEP) Ecosystem via a Data to Knowledge Framework. In Proceedings of the 2020 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research Conference: Carbon. Pennsylvania State University, virtual conference.

Etman, M. A., Keena, N., & Dyson, A. (2020). Socio-Ecological Visual Analytics Environment “SEVA”: A novel visual analytics environment for interdisciplinary decision-making linking human biometrics and environmental data. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 588, No. 3, p. 032062). IOP Publishing.

Keena, N., et al. (2020). SEVA: A Visual Analytics Environment for the Assessment of Socio-Ecological Factors within Built Environment Design towards a more Circular Approach In Proceedings of the next WSBE | World Sustainable Built Environment conference, BEYOND 2020. Gothenburg, Sweden (virtual demonstration)


Talks


Keena,N., Friedman,A., Parsaee, M., Rondinel-Oviedo, D. (2024, November 16). Housing Passports. A semantic knowledge graph for Canadian residential buildings to support a circular economy [Presented by: Parsaee, M.]. ACADIA 2024 - Designing Change by University of Calgary School of Architecture Planning & Landscape, Calgary, Canada


Keena, N. (2024, September 20) EvolveUX - Visualizing Canada’s Housing Characteristics [Presented by: Keena, N.]. EvolveDrupal Summit, New York City, USA.


Keena,N., Friedman,A., Parsaee, M., Klein, A. (2024, March 14-16). TAD Journal: Meeting environmental challenges [Presented by: Rondinel-Oviedo, D.]. 2024 ACSA 112th Annual Meeting Disrupters on the edge, Vancouver, Canada


Keena, N. And Friedman, A. (2023, April 13-15). From Trace Paper to Digital Tools: Computation for Yield Analysis. Digitalization, Data, and Housing Design. At Beyond Single Use: Open Building Council, Architecture & Urban Design Conference. Boston.


Keena, N. And Friedman, A. (2023, June 14-16). A Data Visualization Web Application for Planning Sustainable Cities in a Circular Economy. AMPS Conference on Livable Cities – New York: A Conference on Issues Affecting Life in Cities. New York.


Keena, N. and Friedman A (2023, May 25-28). Data Homebase: A web application visualizing Canada’s housing characteristics to foster a circular economy. Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Conference and Trade Show, Toronto, Ontario.


Keena, N., Friedman, A. and Oeser, A. (2023, May 26). How the McGill School of Architecture used Data Visualization to Innovate the Housing Circular Economy [Presented by: Keena, N. and Oeser A.]. At Evolve Drupal Hosted by Evolving Web, Montreal, Quebec.

RESEARCH

IMMERSIVE

ENVIRONMENT

AND VISUALIZATION

                           

Interactive exploration through immersive visualization environments is a backbone of TRACE lab’s research. Such immersive environments provide a perfect space in which to design and develop novel data visualization approaches and tools towards making heterogenous data accessible and insightful. Visualization environments enhance the research projects currently underway at TRACE lab by supporting the study of new approaches to understanding, designing, and studying the built environment.


Given the advances in digital technology over the pandemic, much exciting change and upgrades are now available in this sphere. Some initial investigations of immersive environments were part of an exhibit of Data Homebase at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Conference and Trade Show in Toronto, May 2023 in collaboration with Avi Friedman. The exhibit showcased the ‘Data Homebase’ as a rethinking of how we build our homes in response to the challenges of climate change and social equity. The research consolidates and analyzes disparate data sources about our homes to inform how we balance decisions involving affordability, construction waste, energy use, and carbon emissions. Through the immersive visualization the goal to transform housing data through visualization into actionable knowledge was clearly in display. The research investigates the feasibility of tackling housing supply via a circular economy, where materials and buildings are kept in use for as long as possible to reduce waste and promote future use architecture and design preservation. This project and exhibit at FCM were supported by the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC) and the Peter Guo-Hua Fu School of Architecture.



Team

Naomi Keena, Principal Investigator
Daniel Rondinel
Martha Milagros Pomasonco Alvis
Alexandre Bouffard


Seva Team

Naomi Keena (School of Architecture, McGill, Director TRACE lab)
Anna Dyson (Yale University, Director Yale CEA)
Mohamed Aly Etman (Yale University, Yale CEA)

Learn more here: https://www.cea.yale.edu/research-frameworks/seva


Publications


Keena, N., Friedman, A., Parsaee, M. & Rondinel-Oviedo, D. (2024). Housing Passports. A semantic knowledge graph for Canadian residential buildings to support a circular economy in ACADIA 2024: Designing Change by University of Calgary School of Architecture Planning & Landscape.


Keena, N., Friedman, A., Parsaee, M., & Klein, A. (2023). Data Visualization for a Circular Economy: Designing a Web Application for Sustainable Housing. Technology | Architecture + Design. 7(2), 262-281.


Keena, N., Aly Etman, M., & Dyson, A. (2020). Mapping the Built Environment Process (BEP) Ecosystem via a Data to Knowledge Framework. In Proceedings of the 2020 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research Conference: Carbon. Pennsylvania State University, virtual conference.


Etman, M. A., Keena, N., & Dyson, A. (2020). Socio-Ecological Visual Analytics Environment “SEVA”: A novel visual analytics environment for interdisciplinary decision-making linking human biometrics and environmental data. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 588, No. 3, p. 032062). IOP Publishing.


Keena, N., et al. (2020). SEVA: A Visual Analytics Environment for the Assessment of Socio-Ecological Factors within Built Environment Design towards a more Circular Approach In Proceedings of the next WSBE | World Sustainable Built Environment conference, BEYOND 2020. Gothenburg, Sweden (virtual demonstration)


Talks


Keena,N., Friedman,A., Parsaee, M., Rondinel-Oviedo, D. (2024, November 16). Housing Passports. A semantic knowledge graph for Canadian residential buildings to support a circular economy [Presented by: Parsaee, M.]. ACADIA 2024 - Designing Change by University of Calgary School of Architecture Planning & Landscape, Calgary, Canada


Keena, N. (2024, September 20) EvolveUX - Visualizing Canada’s Housing Characteristics [Presented by: Keena, N.]. EvolveDrupal Summit, New York City, USA.


Keena,N., Friedman,A., Parsaee, M., Klein, A. (2024, March 14-16). TAD Journal: Meeting environmental challenges [Presented by: Rondinel-Oviedo, D.]. 2024 ACSA 112th Annual Meeting Disrupters on the edge, Vancouver, Canada


Keena, N. And Friedman, A. (2023, April 13-15). From Trace Paper to Digital Tools: Computation for Yield Analysis. Digitalization, Data, and Housing Design. At Beyond Single Use: Open Building Council, Architecture & Urban Design Conference. Boston.


Keena, N. And Friedman, A. (2023, June 14-16). A Data Visualization Web Application for Planning Sustainable Cities in a Circular Economy. AMPS Conference on Livable Cities – New York: A Conference on Issues Affecting Life in Cities. New York.


Keena, N. and Friedman A (2023, May 25-28). Data Homebase: A web application visualizing Canada’s housing characteristics to foster a circular economy. Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Conference and Trade Show, Toronto, Ontario.


Keena, N., Friedman, A. and Oeser, A. (2023, May 26). How the McGill School of Architecture used Data Visualization to Innovate the Housing Circular Economy [Presented by: Keena, N. and Oeser A.]. At Evolve Drupal Hosted by Evolving Web, Montreal, Quebec.


RESEARCH