{"id":24892,"date":"2026-02-03T07:26:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T07:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/?page_id=24892"},"modified":"2026-02-08T13:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T13:07:12","slug":"introduction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/?page_id=24892","title":{"rendered":"Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Integrated System Context<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This project investigates the integration of five civil engineered systems: the station box, tunnel, storm vault system, precast concrete fa\u00e7ade system, and an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). A metro station with integrated retail functions provides an ideal context for studying such an integrated system. The station box and tunnel form the fundamental system of the metro station, serving its primary transportation function by accommodating tracks, platforms, and passenger circulation below ground. These underground systems are combined with an above-ground building that serves as the primary entrance and accommodates commercial spaces. Within this integration context, the precast concrete fa\u00e7ade system and the ETICS together constitute the above-ground station building, forming both the structural enclosure and the thermal envelope of the metro station. In addition, an integrated stormwater vault supports groundwater infiltration and help mitigate surface runoff resulting from the sealing of ground surfaces associated with the station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The central design challenge lies in developing a\u00a0design and modelling tool\u00a0that supports designers and engineers in planning underground metro stations with commercial buildings above ground across diverse urban contexts. Metro station design is highly context-dependent, influenced by spatial constraints, surrounding land use, and the role of the station as an urban node, particularly in terms of passenger volume and network connectivity. Research has shown that metro catchment areas often attract commercial activities and social interactions, fostering dense, mixed-use environments around transit hubs1<\/a><\/sup>. As a result, metro stations frequently extend beyond their primary transportation function and assume additional social and commercial roles that are essential to everyday urban life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within this context, the proposed model enables the exploration of variations in building volume and the integration of up to three underground metro lines. A relatively shallow excavation strategy is adopted, with all tunnels arriving at the same vertical level to reduce the risk of uncontrolled settlement affecting adjacent buildings. The system definition of the station box allows exploration primarily in the horizontal extent, as its construction method inherently supports variation in width rather than depth. These variations are used to estimate operational energy demand and to calculate capacity for both the underground transportation system and the above-ground building. Capacity is represented in two complementary ways. First, the model provides insight into transportation capacity by estimating how many passengers can be served and transported at a given time. Second, it captures spatial and functional capacity by quantifying the amount of commercial and social space that can be accommodated within the station building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By linking these capacity measures to energy performance, the model allows for the assessment of decision trade-offs, such as the impacts of increasing commercial floor area or metro lines to the overall heating and cooling efficiency. In addition, the model provides insight into excavation volumes associated with different design alternatives, which represent a critical factor in the planning and feasibility of large-scale underground infrastructure projects. At the same time, the increase in sealed surface area resulting from station construction necessitates the integration of stormwater vaults, which are considered within the model to mitigate surface runoff and promote controlled infiltration into the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-Performance Criteria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For this project, two high-performance criteria are defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Capacity<\/strong><\/mark> is understood not only in terms of transportation performance, but also in terms of the functional capacity of commercial and social spaces. Both aspects are quantified through the available passenger capacity based on floor area (m\u00b2) allocated to each function. This allows the model to estimate how many passengers can be transported in each train cycle and accommodated within the station, as well as how much commercial and social space can be provided, offering insight into the station\u2019s ability to support both mobility and urban activity. An additional capacity-related performance indicator is the volume of stormwater that can be stored within the stormwater vault system, which reflects the system\u2019s contribution to water management and resilience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The second high-performance criterion is operational energy efficienc<\/strong>y<\/mark>. Metro stations are large, long-lasting infrastructure assets with significant environmental footprints; therefore, minimizing operational energy demand over the station\u2019s lifetime is a critical design objective. For the above-ground building, the model evaluates the overall thermal performance of the envelope through the resulting U-value, providing insight into heat losses and heating and cooling demand. For the underground metro station, the enclosed air volume is used as the key parameter that is usual for simulations based estimation of ventilation-related energy demand, which is driven by functional requirements as well as safety, health, and comfort considerations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Naturally, the integration of the individual civil engineered systems gives rise to a set of critical system interfaces. These interfaces form the foundation for the subsequent modelling processes implemented in Prot\u00e9g\u00e9 and Dynamo. The interactions and mutual influences between the systems at these interfaces are examined in detail in the following chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Group D<\/a><\/td>Subsystem Interface<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    References<\/p>\n\n\n

    1. Yu, Z., Zhu, X., & Liu, X. (2022). Characterizing metro stations via urban function: Thematic evidence from transit-oriented development (TOD) in Hong Kong.\u00a0Journal of Transport Geography<\/em>,\u00a099<\/em>, 103299.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jtrangeo.2022.103299 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Integrated System Context This project investigates the integration of five civil engineered systems: the station box, tunnel, storm vault system, precast concrete fa\u00e7ade system, and an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). A metro stationContinue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284,"featured_media":0,"parent":24890,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"Yu, Z., Zhu, X., & Liu, X. (2022). Characterizing metro stations via urban function: Thematic evidence from transit-oriented development (TOD) in Hong Kong.\u00a0Journal of Transport Geography<\/em>,\u00a099<\/em>, 103299.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jtrangeo.2022.103299\",\"id\":\"12574916-a1a9-4548-a6b6-3f9d392d2be6\"}]"},"class_list":["post-24892","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24892"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27599,"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24892\/revisions\/27599"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/141.23.68.248\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}