Search Results (3)

This work involves the building occupants of a smart building during a period of hybrid working, with the purpose of co-designing data-rich workplaces that support wellbeing. Through the design of a custom card-kit based on PROWELL Model of Workplace Wellbeing Assessment, this work provides insights from an online 90 min co-design workshop with six building occupants utilizing the card-kit to speculate on the design of data-driven physical interventions that support workplace wellbeing. Transcript data from the video-recorded workshop were thematically analyzed, producing findings namely framing novel socio-technical dimensions for biophilic and biomimetic designs in the built environment. Contributing to discourses on Human-Building Interaction (HBI) research, findings were synthesized into a design agenda and considerations for supporting wellbeing in the hybrid workplace that utilizes physical feedback and passive sensing. Composed under the premise of co-creating smart environments together with their occupants, the proposed agenda highlights areas of critical research interest for HBI, Biophilic Design and Soft Robotics in the built environment. Full article

Human-building interaction is an emerging field of study that investigates the interactions and reciprocal impacts of humans and building systems. In this discipline, sensing technology is critical for data collection. The application of sensing technology is divided into six categories based on the research topics: (1) occupancy status, (2) occupant physiological indicators, (3) building components, (4) building environment, (5) building consumption, and (6) fusion of multi-sensing system. By evaluating 127 relevant research articles, this study attempts to provide a systematic review of the implementation of sensing technologies in each HBI research topic. Four significant sensing technologies were investigated for the occupancy status study: camera-based sensing, infrared-based sensing, radial frequency signal-based sensing, and ultrasonic sensor. Methodologies for biosensing brain activity, muscle and skin function, and cardiac function were examined as occupant physiological indicator measurements. The magnetic reed and vibration sensors were discussed for sensing changes in building components. The air property sensor, sound sensor, and illuminance sensor were introduced to monitor the building environment. The smart meter and smart plug were examined for sensing building consumption, and the application of multi-sensor fusion was also included in this article. Furthermore, this systematic study discussed three aspects of contemporary sensing technology deployment: data concealment, sensor cost tradeoffs, and privacy concerns. Full article

Current research is focused on sensing and modeling occupant behavior to predict it and automate building controls. Another line of research recommends influencing the behavior of occupants through feedback mechanisms and engagement. Yet, most of the work has focused on pushing occupants to reduce energy consumption over a long time and does not explore the potential to guide users to take specific actions promptly. The study examines a new interface mechanism that aims to solicit immediate and predefined actions from occupants. Building on seminal research in the field, the study uses art visualization to reinterpret social feedback. We test this approach in an immersive interaction space where participants react to artistic visuals to attain predefined settings for three indoor devices. In the 197 interactions recorded, participants’ overall actions conformed with the predefined goals. The participants were able to reach all or some of the targets in more than 80%, within an average of less than 30 seconds. We also see that complementing the visuals with textual hints improved the interaction in terms of engagement and accuracy. We conclude that ambient, abstract, and artistic real-time goal-driven feedback is effective in influencing immediate actions. We recommend that guiding occupants didactically has a strong potential for advancing building controls. Full article