Design support method, design support device, design support program, and design support system

Abstract

This design support method causes a computer to execute: a step for acquiring information for identifying the position of a planned construction site for a building; a step for acquiring, on the basis of the position of the planned construction site, the scale of a building that can be constructed at the planned construction site; and a step for acquiring, on the basis of the scale of the building and information pertaining to the surroundings of the planned construction site, requirements for equipment to be installed in the building.

Description

Design support method, design support device, design support program, and design support system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a design support method, a design support device, a design support program, and a design support system that support the design of buildings.

[0002] As a technique for automatically generating building floor plans, Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing apparatus including a control unit that executes: acquiring land information and building conditions; acquiring a user-selected pattern from a plurality of floor plan generation patterns; generating a building frame based on the land information and the building conditions, and extracting applicable patterns that can be applied within the building frame; and arranging predetermined constituent elements forming the building floor plan within the building frame so that the floor plan matches the user-selected pattern included in the applicable patterns.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-170897

[0004] In Patent Document 1, since a residence is assumed as the building, the user who is the purchaser of the residence selects the floor plan pattern. However, particularly when designing buildings such as commercial facilities and public facilities, there are points to be considered in addition to the user's subjectivity, so a technique that appropriately supports the design of buildings in consideration of these points is required.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique that appropriately supports the design of buildings.

[0006] To solve the above problem, a design support method according to an aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute a step of acquiring information for specifying the position of a planned construction site of a building, a step of acquiring the scale of a building that can be constructed on the planned construction site based on the position of the planned construction site, and a step of acquiring requirements for facilities installed in the building based on the scale of the building and information related to the surroundings of the planned construction site.

[0007] Another aspect of this disclosure is a design support device. This device comprises a site acquisition unit that acquires information for identifying the location of a planned construction site for a building; a building size acquisition unit that acquires the size of a building that can be constructed on the site based on the location of the site; and an equipment requirements acquisition unit that acquires the requirements for equipment to be installed in the building based on the size of the building and information about the surrounding area of ​​the site.

[0008] Another aspect of this disclosure is a design support system. This design support system comprises a site acquisition unit that acquires information for identifying the location of a planned construction site for a building; a building size acquisition unit that acquires the size of a building that can be constructed on the site based on the location of the site; and a plurality of equipment design support devices that each support the design of a plurality of equipment to be installed in the building. The equipment design support devices include an equipment requirements acquisition unit that acquires the requirements for equipment to be installed in the building based on the size of the building and information about the surrounding area of ​​the site.

[0009] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, as well as any conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between methods, apparatus, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., are also valid forms of this disclosure.

[0010] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a floor plan of a building. This is a diagram showing the configuration of a design support system according to an embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the procedure of a design support method according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This is a diagram showing the configuration of a building design support device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This is a diagram showing the configuration of a toilet design support device according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0011] As an embodiment of this disclosure, we will describe a technology that appropriately supports the design of buildings.

[0012] When clients and designers consider the construction of buildings such as commercial facilities, public facilities, and mixed-use complexes, it is necessary to roughly understand the size of the building and the size of facilities to be installed, such as toilets, in order to estimate the construction costs and profits. The land on which a building is to be constructed is designated as a land use zone based on the City Planning Act, such as Category 1 Low-Rise Residential Zone, Category 2 Low-Rise Residential Zone, Commercial Zone, Neighborhood Commercial Zone, and Industrial Zone, and restrictions are placed on building coverage ratio and floor area ratio according to the land use zone, so clients cannot freely decide the size of the building. In addition, in order to construct a profitable building, it is necessary to consider information such as pedestrian traffic in the area surrounding the land on which the building is to be constructed.

[0013] The design support system according to the embodiment of this disclosure acquires considerations such as restrictions according to the designated land use zone for the planned construction site and pedestrian traffic in the surrounding area, based on the location of the planned construction site of the building, and automatically designs facilities such as toilets to be installed in the building, taking these considerations into account. This provides accurate decision-making information in the initial stages of considering the construction of a building, thereby improving convenience for clients and designers. Furthermore, it supports the design of cost-effective buildings that comply with applicable laws and regulations for the construction site, thereby promoting the efficient use of land.

[0014] Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a floor plan of a building. The building 20 is equipped with facilities such as toilets 21, elevators 22, stairs 23, a lobby 24, living rooms 25, and corridors 26.

[0015] Figure 2 shows the configuration of the design support system 1 according to an embodiment. The design support system 1 comprises a building design support device 50, a toilet design support device 100, an elevator design support device 200, a staircase design support device 300, a user terminal 10, and a network 2 for communication between these devices.

[0016] Design support system 1 assists the client in designing the building they are considering constructing, as well as the equipment to be installed in the building. Equipment to be installed in the building includes, for example, toilets 21, elevators 22, stairs 23, lobbies 24, living rooms 25, corridors 26, etc.

[0017] The building design support device 50 assists in the design of the entire building. The toilet design support device 100 assists in the design of toilets 21 installed in the building. The elevator design support device 200 assists in the design of elevators 22 installed in the building. The staircase design support device 300 assists in the design of staircases 23 installed in the building. The design support system 1 may further include design support devices that assist in the design of other facilities installed in the building. In the following description, the toilet design support device 100, the elevator design support device 200, the staircase design support device 300, and the design support devices that assist in the design of other facilities will be collectively referred to as "facility design support devices". The building design support device 50 coordinates multiple facility design support devices to ultimately design the entire building. Two or more of the multiple facility design support devices may be implemented by the same device. The building design support device 50 and one or more of the multiple facility design support devices may be implemented by the same device.

[0018] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the design support method according to the embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] The building design support device 50 obtains information from the user terminal 10 to identify the location of the planned construction site for the building (S10). The building design support device 50 may also obtain information such as the address, lot number, latitude, and longitude of the planned construction site as information to identify the location of the planned construction site for the building.

[0020] The building design support device 50 acquires the size of the building that can be constructed on the planned construction site based on the location of the planned construction site (S12). Based on the location of the planned construction site, the building design support device 50 acquires information indicating restrictions such as the type of building, building coverage ratio, floor area ratio, height, floor area ratio limit by width of the front road, adjacent land setback limit, and shadow regulation set according to the land use zone under the City Planning Act for the planned construction site. Based on the acquired information, the building design support device 50 calculates the maximum values ​​of the floor area, above-ground height, and underground height of the building that can be constructed on the planned construction site. The building design support device 50 may also access a land use restriction database that stores information associated with the location of the land and the land use zone, and acquire information indicating the restrictions set for the planned construction site. The land use restriction database may be created in advance based on urban planning maps issued by local governments. The building design support device 50 may access a building size database that stores the location of the land and the maximum size of the building that can be constructed on the land, and obtain the maximum size of the building that can be constructed on the planned construction site. The building size database may be created in advance based on urban planning maps issued by local governments and relevant laws and regulations such as the Building Standards Act.

[0021] The building design support device 50 obtains a recommended size for the building to be constructed on the construction site based on the size of the building that can be constructed on the construction site and information about the surrounding area of ​​the construction site (S14). Even if the largest possible building that can be constructed on the construction site is built, it is not guaranteed that the revenue will be commensurate with the construction costs. Therefore, based on information about the surrounding area of ​​the construction site, the building design support device 50 obtains a size that makes efficient use of the land, such as the floor area, the height of the above-ground portion, and the height of the underground portion of the building, within the range that does not exceed the maximum size of the building obtained in S12. Information about the surrounding area of ​​the construction site may include information about pedestrian traffic around the construction site, the types of buildings that exist or have existed around the construction site, legal floor area (building area), total floor area, floor area subject to volume calculation, height of the above-ground portion, height of the underground portion, number of floors, number of users, area and shape of the construction site, land use zone, condition and usage of land adjacent to the construction site, and width, condition and traffic conditions of roads adjacent to the construction site. The building design support device 50 may obtain a recommended building size using a building size determination model that takes information about the surrounding area of ​​the planned construction site of the building as input and outputs a recommended building size. The building size determination model may be artificial intelligence (AI) realized by a neural network or the like. The building size determination model may be machine-learned using information about the surrounding area of ​​existing buildings and the size of those buildings as training data. The training data may be selected based on information such as the construction costs and revenues of existing buildings. For example, information about buildings with low cost-effectiveness may be excluded from the training data. The building size determination model may be learned by adjusting the weights of the intermediate layers so that when information about the surrounding area of ​​an existing building is input to the input layer, the size of that building is output from the output layer. The building size determination model may be created for each land use zone and type of building. The building size determination model may take information to identify the location of the building as input and output a recommended building size.

[0022] The equipment design support device acquires the requirements for the area, shape, number, and location of equipment recommended for buildings of the size obtained in S14 (S16).

[0023] The toilet design support device 100 may obtain recommended toilet space requirements using a toilet space requirement determination model that takes the scale of a building as input and outputs recommended toilet space requirements. The toilet space requirement determination model may be artificial intelligence (AI) realized by a neural network or the like. The toilet space requirement determination model may be trained using machine learning with the scale of buildings existing around the planned construction site and information on toilet spaces installed in those buildings as training data. The toilet space information may include the area, shape, number, location of the toilet space, the ratio of the toilet space area to the legal floor area, and the ratio of the total toilet space area to the total floor area. The training data may be filtered based on the condition of the toilet space, the time of installation, the congestion status, etc. For example, information on toilet spaces that have been installed for a predetermined number of years or more, or information on toilet spaces where the frequency of waiting lines is higher than a predetermined value, may be excluded from the training data. The toilet space requirement determination model may be trained by adjusting the weights of the intermediate layers so that when the scale of buildings around the planned construction site is input to the input layer, information on toilet spaces installed in those buildings is output from the output layer. Toilet space requirements assessment models may be created for each zoning district and building type. The same applies to other equipment design support devices.

[0024] The toilet design support device 100 may obtain recommended toilet space requirements by simulating congestion in the toilet space. The toilet design support device 100 may set simulation conditions such as the type of building, size, floor area, number of users, time distribution, attributes, whether it is for men or women, congestion or normal conditions, number of users and attributes during congestion, and number of users and attributes during normal conditions, and then perform a simulation. The toilet design support device 100 may obtain information such as the number of users, time distribution, and attributes to be set as simulation conditions based on pedestrian flow around the planned construction site of the building. The toilet design support device 100 may set toilet space requirements obtained using a toilet space requirement determination model as simulation conditions. The toilet design support device 100 may set behavioral rules for multiple users (agents) and perform a multi-agent simulation in which multiple users act simultaneously, interfering with each other according to their respective behavioral rules. The rules of conduct may include, for example, the type and conditions of toilet equipment and fixtures used by the user (e.g., not using a Japanese-style toilet even if it is available, not using a Western-style toilet without a flushing device even if it is available), the amount of time the user uses the toilet equipment and fixtures, whether to wait in line or move to another toilet room if a queue has formed, and how long a queue is acceptable. The toilet design support device 100 may perform multiple simulations while changing simulation conditions such as the area of ​​the toilet space to obtain the requirements for a toilet space with a low frequency of queues. This makes it possible to plan a toilet space with a low frequency of queues in the early stages of design.

[0025] The building design support device 50 designs the zoning of the space for each piece of equipment recommended in S16 within the entire building and adjusts the space for each piece of equipment (S18). The building design support device 50 obtains the space requirements for each piece of equipment from the equipment design support device and designs the zoning of the space for each piece of equipment within the entire building space. If the ratio of the area of ​​each piece of equipment to the total building area or total floor area is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the building design support device 50 instructs the equipment design support device, which assists in the design of that piece of equipment, to reduce the area of ​​the equipment. If the ratio of the area of ​​each piece of equipment to the total building area or total floor area is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the building design support device 50 instructs the equipment design support device, which assists in the design of that piece of equipment, to increase the area of ​​the equipment. The predetermined value may be calculated from the ratio of the area of ​​each piece of equipment to the building area or total floor area of ​​surrounding buildings of the planned construction site. The equipment design support device that has been instructed to reduce or increase the space of the equipment changes the requirements of the equipment as instructed. This ensures that the area of ​​each piece of equipment in the building is optimally adjusted. The building design support device 50 may also consider the shape and location of each piece of equipment's space and design the zoning of each piece of equipment's space within the entire building. In this case, the building design support device 50 may, if necessary, instruct the equipment design support device to change the shape and location of each piece of equipment's space.

[0026] The equipment design support device designs the interior of the equipment space adjusted in S18 (S20). The case where the toilet design support device 100 designs the interior of the toilet space will be mainly explained.

[0027] The toilet design support device 100 selects fixtures such as toilets, bidet seats, washbasins, and styling corners to be installed in the toilet space (S22). The toilet design support device 100 may also select fixtures to be installed in the toilet space using a fixture selection model that takes information for identifying the location of a building as input and outputs recommended fixtures. The fixture selection model may be artificial intelligence (AI) realized by a neural network or the like. The fixture selection model may be machine-learned using information for identifying the location of an existing building and information on fixtures installed in the toilet space of that building as training data. The fixture information may include the type of fixture, manufacturer, model number, color, price, and quantity. The training data may be filtered based on the condition of the fixtures, the time of installation, etc. For example, information on fixtures that have been installed for a predetermined number of years or more may be excluded from the training data. The fixture selection model may be learned by adjusting the weights of the intermediate layers so that when information for identifying the location of a building is input to the input layer, information on fixtures installed in the toilet space of that building is output from the output layer. The fixture selection model may be created for each land use zone and type of building.

[0028] The toilet design support device 100 determines the number of fixtures to be installed in the toilet space (S24). The toilet design support device 100 may determine the optimal number of fixtures by the simulation described above. The toilet design support device 100 may perform multiple simulations while changing the number of fixtures in the simulation conditions to obtain the minimum number of fixtures that minimizes the frequency of queues.

[0029] The toilet design support device 100 generates a layout for arranging the number of fixtures selected in S22 in the toilet space, as determined in S24 (S26). The toilet design support device 100 may also generate candidate arrangements using an evolutionary algorithm in which an evaluation value calculated using an evaluation criterion for evaluating the quality of the fixture arrangement is used as a fitness index. Any known algorithm may be used as the evolutionary algorithm, such as a genetic algorithm, genetic programming, evolutionary programming, or evolutionary strategy.

[0030] The toilet design support device 100 first generates an initial population in an evolutionary algorithm by arranging a set number of fixtures in the toilet space using a geometric embedding algorithm. The chromosomes of each individual include the type, shape, and position of the fixtures. The toilet design support device 100 generates a layout pattern of the fixtures included in each individual based on layout rules. The toilet design support device 100 calculates an evaluation value as the degree of suitability for each individual, calculated using evaluation criteria for evaluating the quality of the fixture layout. The evaluation criteria may include consideration evaluation criteria that represent the convenience for users with special considerations when using the toilet or fixtures. Multiple consideration evaluation criteria may be set according to the user's attributes. For example, criteria for evaluating accommodations that represent the convenience of wheelchair users may include whether there is sufficient space to move from the door to the toilet while remaining in the wheelchair, whether there is sufficient space to turn the wheelchair around, whether there is sufficient space to move between the wheelchair and the toilet, whether there are handrails within reach when moving between the wheelchair and the toilet, and whether there is a sink where the user can wash their hands while remaining in the wheelchair. Criteria that represent the convenience of users with infants may include whether there is a baby seat for keeping infants, whether the baby seat is within reach of the toilet, whether there is a diaper changing table, and whether there is sufficient space around the diaper changing table. Criteria that represent the convenience of users with ostomies may include whether there is an ostomate-friendly toilet, and whether the ostomate-friendly toilet has a shower for cleaning. Furthermore, criteria representing the convenience of users bringing in accessories such as strollers and carry-on bags may include whether sufficient space is provided for placing these accessories and whether a clear path is provided for bringing in these accessories. The evaluation criteria may also include whether or not there is interference between the toilet and the installed items, and the work efficiency when installing, maintaining, or cleaning the toilet and the installed items. The toilet design support device 100 calculates an evaluation value by assigning weights to each of the multiple evaluation criteria, and uses this as the degree of suitability for each individual unit. The weights of each of the multiple evaluation criteria may be set according to the service level.For example, if the service level is 1, prioritizing a large number of toilets may be more important than ensuring sufficient empty space. Similarly, if the service level is 3, prioritizing sufficient empty space may be more important than ensuring sufficient toilets.

[0031] The toilet design support device 100 induces mutations in the current generation of individuals with a predetermined probability, thereby changing the arrangement pattern or placement. The genes to be changed and the amount of change may be determined according to a predetermined rule, or they may be determined randomly. The toilet design support device 100 eliminates individuals with low fitness from the current generation and preserves the remaining individuals for the next generation. The toilet design support device 100 repeats the above procedure until evolution converges. The toilet design support device 100 may determine that evolution has converged, for example, when the number of generational changes exceeds a predetermined number, when the maximum fitness in the population exceeds a threshold, when the average fitness of the entire population exceeds a threshold, or when generations in which the rate of increase in the fitness of the population is below a threshold continue for a predetermined period. The toilet design support device 100 may use individuals with high evaluation values ​​from the final generation as the optimal equipment layout.

[0032] The toilet design support device 100 may perform the above-described simulation in the toilet space generated in S26 to check the congestion status. If the frequency of queues is higher than a predetermined value, the layout of the toilet space may be regenerated, or the number of fixtures may be increased, or the area and shape of the toilet space may be changed before generating the layout of the toilet space.

[0033] The toilet design support device 100 selects the interior of the toilet space (S28). The toilet design support device 100 may select the interior of the toilet space using an interior selection model that takes information for identifying the location of a building as input and outputs a recommended interior. The interior selection model may be artificial intelligence (AI) realized by a neural network or the like. The interior selection model may be machine-learned using information for identifying the location of an existing building and information about the interior of that building as training data. The interior information may include the type, manufacturer, product number, color, price, and quantity of building materials used for the interior. The training data may be filtered based on the condition of the interior, the construction period, etc. For example, information about interiors that have been in place for a predetermined number of years or more may be excluded from the training data. The interior selection model may be learned by adjusting the weights of the intermediate layers so that when information for identifying the location of a building is input to the input layer, information about the interior of the toilet space installed in that building is output from the output layer. The interior selection model may be created for each zoning district and type of building.

[0034] The toilet design support device 100 presents information about the designed toilet space to the user terminal 10 (S30). The information about the toilet space may include the layout of the toilet space, a floor plan, a list of fixtures, and construction costs.

[0035] When the toilet design support device 100 receives a change request from the user terminal 10, it modifies the toilet space design and, if necessary, performs simulations and generates layouts (S32).

[0036] The toilet design support device 100 may acquire requests from the client or other users from a user terminal 10 or the like before designing the toilet space. In this case, the toilet design support device 100 may consider the acquired requests when determining the size of the building, the requirements for the equipment space, the selection of fixtures to be installed, the determination of the number of fixtures to be installed, and the generation of the fixture layout. The toilet design support device 100 may retrain the building size determination model, toilet space requirements determination model, fixture selection model, interior design selection model, etc., using the requested changes as learning data. This can further improve the accuracy of the models, thereby improving the convenience for users such as clients and designers.

[0037] The toilet design support device 100 calculates an estimate of the construction cost of the designed toilet space (S34). The toilet design support device 100 may also refer to a contractor database containing information on contractors to select a contractor capable of constructing the designed toilet space, and calculate an estimate of the construction cost if the selected contractor constructs the toilet space. When the toilet design support device 100 receives a change request from the user terminal 10, it may calculate and present an estimate of the construction cost of the toilet space before the change and an estimate of the construction cost of the toilet space after the change. This allows the user to use this information to make a decision when considering changes to the toilet space design.

[0038] The building design support device 50 acquires information on equipment designed by the equipment design support device from the equipment design support device, integrates the designs of each piece of equipment, and designs the entire building (S36).

[0039] The building design support device 50 presents information about the designed building to the user terminal 10 (S38). The building information may include the building's floor plan, floor plans, three-dimensional representation (perspective view, bird's-eye view, insect view, walkthrough, etc.), a list of equipment, an estimate of construction costs, and information on construction examples of similar buildings.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a building design support apparatus 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The building design support apparatus 50 includes a communication device 51, a storage device 80, and a processing device 60. The building design support apparatus 50 may be a server apparatus, an apparatus such as a personal computer, or a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone terminal, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0041] The communication device 51 controls communication with other apparatuses. The communication device 51 may perform communication by any wired or wireless communication method.

[0042] The storage device 80 stores programs, data and the like used by the processing device 60. The storage device 80 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or the like. The storage device 80 stores a usage restriction database 81 and a building scale determination model 82.

[0043] The usage restriction database 81 stores the position of land in association with information set according to the usage zone of the land.

[0044] The building scale determination model 82 inputs information around the planned construction site of a building, and outputs the recommended scale of the building.

[0045] The processing device 60 includes a planned construction site acquisition unit 61, a building scale acquisition unit 62, a zoning design unit 63, a building design unit 64, and a building information presentation unit 65. These configurations are realized in terms of hardware by any circuit, a CPU of a computer, a memory, other LSIs, or the like, and in terms of software by a program or the like loaded into the memory, and here, functional blocks realized by the cooperation thereof are illustrated. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms such as hardware alone, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0046] In S10, the planned construction site acquisition unit 61 acquires information for specifying the position of the planned construction site of a building from the user terminal 10.

[0047] In S12, the building scale acquisition unit 62 acquires the scale of a building that can be constructed on the planned construction site based on the position of the planned construction site of the building. In S14, the building scale acquisition unit 62 uses the building scale determination model 82 to acquire the recommended scale for the building to be constructed on the planned construction site, based on the scale of the building that can be constructed on the planned construction site and information on the surroundings of the planned construction site of the building.

[0048] In S18, the zoning design unit 63 designs the zoning of a plurality of facility spaces installed in the building in the entire building, and adjusts the space of each facility.

[0049] In S36, the building design unit 64 acquires information on the facilities designed by the facility design support apparatus from the facility design support apparatus, and integrates the designs of the respective facilities to design the entire building.

[0050] In S38, the building information presentation unit 65 presents the information of the designed building to the user terminal 10.

[0051] FIG. 5 shows the configuration of a toilet design support apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The toilet design support apparatus 100 includes a communication device 101, a storage device 180, and a processing device 160. The toilet design support apparatus 100 may be a server apparatus, an apparatus such as a personal computer, or a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone terminal, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0052] The communication device 101 controls communication with other devices. The communication device 101 may perform communication by any wired or wireless communication method.

[0053] The storage device 180 stores programs, data, and the like used by the processing device 160. The storage device 180 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or the like. The storage device 180 stores a toilet space requirement determination model 181, a fixture selection model 182, an interior selection model 183, and a contractor database 184.

[0054] The toilet space requirement determination model 181 receives the scale of a building as an input and outputs recommended requirements for a toilet space installed in the building.

[0055] The fixture selection model 182 takes information to identify the location of a building as input and outputs fixtures that are recommended for installation in the building's toilet space.

[0056] The interior design selection model 183 takes information to identify the location of a building as input and outputs recommended interior designs for the building's toilet spaces.

[0057] The contractor database 184 stores information about contractors who construct toilet spaces installed in buildings.

[0058] The processing unit 160 includes an equipment requirements acquisition unit 161, a congestion prediction simulator 162, an equipment selection unit 163, an equipment number determination unit 164, a layout generation unit 165, an interior selection unit 166, a toilet space information presentation unit 167, a toilet space modification unit 168, and an estimate calculation unit 169. These configurations are implemented in hardware terms by arbitrary circuits, a computer's CPU, memory, and other LSIs, and in software terms by programs loaded into memory, but here we are describing functional blocks that are realized through the cooperation of these components. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms, such as hardware only or a combination of hardware and software.

[0059] In S16, the equipment requirements acquisition unit 161 uses the toilet space requirements determination model 181 to acquire the requirements for the area, shape, number, and location of equipment recommended for a building of the size acquired in S14. In S18, if the building design support device 50 instructs the equipment requirements acquisition unit 161 to change the toilet space requirements, it changes the toilet space requirements as instructed.

[0060] The congestion prediction simulator 162 simulates congestion levels in a restroom space.

[0061] In S22, the fixture selection unit 163 uses the fixture selection model 182 to select fixtures such as toilets, bidet toilets, washbasins, and styling corners to be installed in the toilet space of the building.

[0062] In S24, the fixture number determination unit 164 determines the number of fixtures to be installed in the toilet space of the building.

[0063] In S26, the layout generation unit 165 generates a layout for arranging the number of fixtures selected in S22, determined in S24, in the toilet space.

[0064] In S28, the interior design selection unit 166 selects the interior design for the toilet space of the building using the interior design selection model 183.

[0065] In S30, the toilet space information display unit 167 displays information about the designed toilet space to the user terminal 10.

[0066] In S32, when the toilet space modification unit 168 receives a change request from the user terminal 10, it modifies the design of the toilet space.

[0067] In S34, the estimation unit 169 calculates an estimate of the construction cost of the designed toilet space by referring to the contractor database 184.

[0068] Equipment design support devices such as the elevator design support device 200 and the staircase design support device 300 may have the same configuration as the toilet design support device 100.

[0069] The present disclosure has been described above based on embodiments, but embodiments merely illustrate the principles and applications of the present invention. Furthermore, many modifications and changes in arrangement are possible in the embodiments, without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims.

[0070] According to the design support system disclosed here, users can obtain building information that appropriately considers restrictions based on the designated land use zone for the construction site and pedestrian traffic in the surrounding area, simply by inputting information to identify the location of the planned construction site. Furthermore, they can also obtain building information that further considers the user's requests. Therefore, accurate information about the building can be used as a basis for considering its construction.

[0071] While the above embodiments primarily described support for the design of buildings such as commercial and public facilities, the technology of this disclosure can be used to support the design of any building, including houses. Furthermore, while the above embodiments primarily described support for the design of toilet space layouts, the technology of this disclosure can be used to support the design of any layout in a building, including furniture and other fixtures.

[0072] This disclosure is applicable to design support methods, design support devices, design support programs, and design support systems that assist in the design of buildings.

[0073] 1...Design support system, 2...Network, 10...User terminal, 20...Building, 21...Toilet, 22...Elevator, 23...Stairs, 24...Lobby, 25...Living room, 26...Corridor, 50...Building design support device, 51...Communication device, 60...Processing device, 61...Construction site acquisition unit, 62...Building size acquisition unit, 63...Zoning design unit, 64...Building design unit, 65...Building information presentation unit, 80...Storage device, 81...Usage restriction database, 82...Building size determination model, 100...Toilet design support device, 101 ...communication device, 160...processing device, 161...equipment requirements acquisition unit, 162...congestion prediction simulator, 163...equipment selection unit, 164...equipment number determination unit, 165...layout generation unit, 166...interior selection unit, 167...toilet space information presentation unit, 168...toilet space modification unit, 169...estimate calculation unit, 180...storage device, 181...toilet space requirements determination model, 182...equipment selection model, 183...interior selection model, 184...construction contractor database, 200...elevator design support device, 300...staircase design support device.

Claims

1. A design support method that causes a computer to perform the following steps: acquire information for identifying the location of a planned construction site for a building; acquire the size of a building that can be constructed on the planned construction site based on the location of the planned construction site; and acquire the requirements for equipment to be installed in the building based on the size of the building and information about the surrounding area of ​​the planned construction site.

2. The design support method according to claim 1, comprising the step of obtaining the scale of a building that can be constructed on the planned construction site and information about the surrounding area of ​​the planned construction site, wherein in the step of obtaining the equipment requirements, the requirements for equipment to be installed in the building are obtained based on the scale of a building that is recommended to be constructed on the planned construction site and information about the surrounding area of ​​the planned construction site.

3. The design support method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information relating to the area surrounding the planned construction site includes information on the flow of people in the area surrounding the planned construction site.

4. A design support method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising the step of designing the zoning of a plurality of facilities based on the requirements of a plurality of facilities to be installed in the building.

5. The design support method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of changing the requirements of the equipment based on the results of zoning the plurality of equipment.

6. A design support method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of determining the number of fixtures to be installed in the equipment based on the requirements of the equipment.

7. The design support method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of generating a layout of fixtures to be installed in the equipment based on the requirements of the equipment and the number of fixtures to be installed in the equipment.

8. A design support method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the step of selecting equipment to be installed in the facility based on information relating to the surrounding area of ​​the planned construction site.

9. The design support method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising the step of selecting the interior of the facility based on information concerning the surrounding area of ​​the planned construction site.

10. A design support method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the steps of: presenting information on the designed equipment; receiving a request to change the design of the equipment; and changing the design of the equipment.

11. A design support method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising the step of calculating an estimate of the construction costs of the designed equipment.

12. A design support method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising the step of presenting information about the designed building.

13. A design support device comprising: a processor; a memory for storing instructions that cause the processor to perform the following operations, wherein the operations include: acquiring information for identifying the location of a planned construction site for a building; acquiring the size of a building that can be constructed on the planned construction site based on the location of the planned construction site; and acquiring the requirements for equipment to be installed in the building based on the size of the building and information about the surrounding area of ​​the planned construction site.

14. A design support program for a computer to function as: a construction site acquisition unit that acquires information for identifying the location of a planned construction site for a building; a building size acquisition unit that acquires the size of a building that can be constructed on the construction site based on the location of the construction site; and an equipment requirements acquisition unit that acquires the requirements for equipment to be installed in the building based on the size of the building and information about the surrounding area of ​​the construction site.

15. A design support system comprising: a construction site acquisition unit that acquires information for identifying the location of a planned construction site for a building; a building size acquisition unit that acquires the size of a building that can be constructed on the construction site based on the location of the construction site; and a plurality of equipment design support devices that each support the design of a plurality of equipment to be installed in the building, wherein the equipment design support device comprises an equipment requirements acquisition unit that acquires the requirements for equipment to be installed in the building based on the size of the building and information about the surrounding area of ​​the construction site.

16. The design support system according to claim 15, further comprising a zoning design unit for designing the zoning of a plurality of facilities based on the requirements of a plurality of facilities to be installed in the building.

17. The design support system according to claim 16, wherein the equipment requirements acquisition unit modifies the equipment requirements based on the zoning results of the zoning of the plurality of equipment by the zoning design unit.

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