Joon-Ho Choi, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Research & Creative Work; Associate Professor
- Send Email
- Phone:(213) 740-4576
B.S. and M.S. Architectural Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea M.S. Arch., Texas A&M University Ph.D. Building Performance and Diagnostics, Carnegie Mellon University
Dr. Choi, Joon-Ho. is the Associate Dean for Research & Creative Work and an Associate Professor of Building Science in the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California. Prior to taking the position, he worked as an assistant professor in the Dept. of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Building Performance and Diagnostics at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Choi's primary research interests are in the areas of advanced controls for high performance buildings, bio-sensing controls in the built environment, smart building enclosure, passive building strategies, human-centered building environmental control, building systems integration, environmental sustainability, and comprehensive POE (post-occupancy evaluation), indoor environmental quality, and human health, and work productivity. As an interdisciplinary researcher, he has participated in multiple research projects sponsored by governmental agencies, industry partners and research grant programs including General Services Administration (GSA), Boston Society of Architects/AIA, Green Building Alliance (GBA), ALCOA, SIEMENS, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and UNEP. His research outcomes have been published on prestigious journals including “Building and Environment”, and “Energy and Buildings”. He is currently a technical committee member of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and is an active member of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality (ISIAQ), American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), and Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA).
Professor Choi's work is supported by the AC Martin Family Fund for Faculty Excellence in Architecture and Building Sciences.
Related Links: www.hbiresearchlab.org
- 576Sustainable Design for Healthy Indoor EnvironmentsSustainable Design for Healthy Indoor EnvironmentsThis course will expose seniors and/or graduate students to a systematic evaluation process for performing and diagnosing indoor environmental quality relative to thermal, lighting, air quality, acoustic, and spatial conditions in buildings. Emphasis will be on fundamental approaches for developing integrated environmental design methods that are primary requirements for students in the fields of architecture, environmental design, and building science. This knowledge is basic to understanding the principles underlying human-architecture interaction. The course will focus on the building design process required to assure indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the needs of building occupants to promote their environmental health, work productivity, psychological comfort, aesthetic quality, and satisfaction. Technical applications will involve user surveys, environmental data collection, and in-depth analysis, as well as suggested steps and processes for solving environmental problems. Course content is designed to help students develop a framework for addressing architectural design and research problems and for identifying practical solutions to the design planning process that will assure a successful building project.
- 582A.I. in Sustainable Architecture PracticeA.I. in Sustainable Architecture Practice
This course will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms can be integrated with various aspects of sustainable architecture, such as façade design, environmental performance, indoor environmental quality, and post-occupancy evaluation. The focus will be on applied machine learning and its role in enhancing the sustainability of the built environment through integrated design processes and environmental control mechanisms.
The course will emphasize the importance of user-centered design and the use of advanced computational algorithms without compromising any architectural or project resources. It will cover the building design process and the necessary steps to assure sustainability, user satisfaction, and environmental comfort and wellbeing.
The course content will include hands-on technical applications such as post-occupancy surveys, environmental data collection, design parameter surveys, and virtual reality. Students will also learn various artificial intelligence algorithms to aid in their coursework. By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of how to integrate artificial intelligence algorithms into the building design process to enhance sustainability, user satisfaction, and building performance. They will be equipped with the skills to identify challenges and develop practical solutions by using artificial intelligence algorithms in the built environment.
- 692bLBuilding Science ThesisBuilding Science Thesis
This course has several coincident agendas. We will complete the Master’s Thesis for the Building Science program which each student has developed in preceding 596 and 692a classes. But in the process, we will address a broad range of ancillary topics. We will create a “culture of learning” as part of the course. Although it is a studio course, there will be guest lecturers, lectures of assigned topics and periodic reviews, as well as normal studio time. We will review the scientific method in general and as it applies to each thesis topic. We will consider the value and impact of investigative tools in the process and product of Architecture. We will write papers which could be submitted to conferences or journals as a prototype of technology transfer (and a measure of the value and validity of the material.) Those of you who have had abstracts accepted will use the abstracts as topics for these papers. We will do several interim presentations to the first year students and to outside consultants and to committee members, prior to the final presentation. We will examine topics in Building Science which are of current interest, whether or not one of the current theses addresses these topics. We will write the thesis in several stages, so that there is opportunity to modify and improve both the research and the writing prior to the thesis due date. Prior to the due date, each student will produce a thesis in the format acceptable to the University and with content acceptable to all committee members. Finally, each student will produce a shorter version of the thesis material in a format consistent with publication. In the process, each student will learn something about the content area of each other student’s thesis.
Prerequisite(s): ARCH 596