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This report provides a detailed overview of the building-volume optimization (BVO) model. It allows for insights into elements that comprise the BVO model, describes its setup as an optimization tool for design and tests its possibilities through exemplary runs. It includes the description of all life-cycle cost (LCC) members involved and explains the implemented optimization process approach. It also provides a perspective regarding the sensitivity and consequences of the BVO model. Serving as decision-support for designers the model qualifies as a practice-oriented application during the early design stage. Test results indicate that LCC considerations can significantly affect building-volume designs during this stage.Therefore, the introduction of cost objectives to the building-volume design represents a valuable approach. Enabling for their inclusion, design issues referring to estimated building performances, are capable of improvement before design finalization. Especially comparisons between initial and operational costs imply that, with increasing life-cycle periods, the impact of operational costs on shaping building-volume design is continuously growing.

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Teaching the understanding of critical thinking within architectural design education supportsstudents to develop design thinking and strengthens individual creative design processes. To comprehendarchitectural design teaching through critical thinking more effectively, an approach to introduce characterreading as a design methodology was investigated in a second year architectural design studio. Through aguided process, students were asked to explore distinctive qualities of characters appearing in a novel andimplement them into an architectural design for residential use. The student’s performance was measured byevaluating their argumentative approach and their final design. As an outcome, most students successfullyshowed improved creative and visible development of their designs through character reading and itsimplementation as a design methodology. Critical thinking as well as character reading proved to be acritical in design education and design thinking.