TechNews digests: Jan - Nov 2009

TechNews is a technology, news and analysis service aimed at anyone in the education sector keen to stay informed about technology developments, trends and issues. TechNews focuses on emerging technologies and other technology news. TechNews service : digests september 2004 till May 2010 Analysis pieces and News combined publish every 2 to 3 month

Occupant-Facade interaction: a review and classification scheme

The interest in occupant interaction with building controls and automation systems is growing due to the wider availability of embedded sensing devices and automated or intelligent building components that can integrate building control strategies with occupant-centred data and lead to greater occupant satisfaction and reduction in energy consumption. An area of particular interest is the interaction strategies between occupants and the so called automated facades, such as dynamic shading devices and switchable glazing. Occupant-Facade interactions are often disruptive and source of dissatisfaction because of conflicts between competing requirements, e.g. energy-efficiency and indoor environmental quality. To solve these conflicts, expertise from several disciplines is required, including Behavioural Science and Building Physics, but the absence of common research frameworks impedes knowledge transfer between different fields of expertise. This paper reviews existing multi-disciplinary research on occupant interaction with facades, buildings and automation systems and provides a new classification scheme of Occupant-Facade interaction. The scheme is based on an extensive review of interactive scenarios between occupants and facades that are summarised in this paper. The classification scheme was found to be successful in: 1) capturing the multidisciplinary nature of interactive scenarios by clarifying relationships between components; 2) identifying similarities and characteristics among interactive scenarios; 3) understanding research gaps. The classification scheme proposed in this paper has the potential to be a useful tool for the multi-disciplinary research community in this field. The review also showed that more research is needed to characterise the holistic and multi-disciplinary effect of occupant interaction with intelligent building components.EPSRC Doctoral Training Accoun

Implementation of Nature-based solutions in the Stavanger university campus with the aim of sustainability and establishing a green campus

A sustainable future depends on achieving energy efficiency since it lowers energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. In order to attain energy efficiency, the adoption of nature-based solutions (NBS) is growing in popularity since it offers numerous environmental, social, and economic advantages. This paper will define NBS, examine their role in energy efficiency, and discuss how they might be employed to further sustainable development. From greenhouse gas emissions to waste generation, college campuses can have a substantial negative impact on the environment. However, through green campus initiatives, several colleges are taking proactive measures to minimize their ecological footprints. This applies to Stavanger University's campus as well, which could learn a lot from NBS about how to become a more sustainable and environmentally friendly institution. The introduction of the essay defines NBS and emphasizes their potential as a tool for attaining energy efficiency. NBS include a variety of tactics that make use of natural resources and processes, including reforestation, green infrastructure, and the restoration of wetlands, among others. These solutions have a number of benefits, such as lower energy use, better air and water quality, increased biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. The overarching objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change can be achieved by integrating NBS into energy systems and infrastructure. Finally, recommendations for improving the UiS campus and strategies to implement NBS there are made based on the learned insights

Using visual analytics to develop situation awareness in astrophysics

We present a novel collaborative visual analytics application for cognitively overloaded users in the astrophysics domain. The system was developed for scientists who need to analyze heterogeneous, complex data under time pressure, and make predictions and time-critical decisions rapidly and correctly under a constant influx of changing data. The Sunfall Data Taking system utilizes several novel visualization and analysis techniques to enable a team of geographically distributed domain specialists to effectively and remotely maneuver a custom-built instrument under challenging operational conditions. Sunfall Data Taking has been in production use for 2 years by a major international astrophysics collaboration (the largest data volume supernova search currently in operation), and has substantially improved the operational efficiency of its users. We describe the system design process by an interdisciplinary team, the system architecture and the results of an informal usability evaluation of the production system by domain experts in the context of Endsley's three levels of situation awareness

Literature review - Energy saving potential of user-centered integrated lighting solutions

Measures for the reduction of electric energy loads for lighting have predominantly focussed on increasing the efficiency of lighting systems. This efficiency has now reached levels unthinkable a few decades ago. However, a focus on mere efficiency is physically limiting, and does not necessarily ensure that the anticipated energy savings actually materialize. There are technical and non-technical reasons because of which effective integration of lighting solutions and their controls, and thus a reduction in energy use, does not happen. This literature review aims to assess the energy saving potential of integrated daylight and electric lighting design and controls, especially with respect to user preferences and behaviour. It does so by collecting available scientific knowledge and experience on daylighting, electric lighting, and related control systems, as well as on effective strategies for their integration. Based on this knowledge, the review suggests design processes, innovative design strategies and design solutions which – if implemented appropriately – could improve user comfort, health, well-being and productivity, while saving energy as well as the operation and maintenance of lighting systems. The review highlights also regulatory, technical, and design challenges hindering energy savings. Potential energy savings are reported from the retrieved studies. However, these savings derived from separate studies are dependent on their specific contexts, which lowers the ecological validity of the findings. Studies on strategies based on behavioural interventions, like information, feedback, and social norms, did not report energy saving performance. This is an interesting conclusion, since the papers indicate high potentials that deserve further exploration. Quantifying potential savings is fundamental to fostering large scale adoption of user-driven strategies, since this would allow at least a rough estimation of returns for the investors. However, such quantification requires that studies are designed with an inter-disciplinary approach. The literature also shows that strategies, where there is more communication between façade and lighting designers, are more successful in integrated design, which calls for more communication between stakeholders in future building processes

Scenarios for Educational and Game Activities using Internet of Things Data

Raising awareness among young people and changing their behavior and habits concerning energy usage and the environment is key to achieving a sustainable planet. The goal to address the global climate problem requires informing the population on their roles in mitigation actions and adaptation of sustainable behaviors. Addressing climate change and achieve ambitious energy and climate targets requires a change in citizen behavior and consumption practices. IoT sensing and related scenario and practices, which address school children via discovery, gamification, and educational activities, are examined in this paper. Use of seawater sensors in STEM education, that has not previously been addressed, is included in these educational scenaria

Thermochromic Metal Halide Perovskite Windows with Ideal Transition Temperatures

Urban centers across the globe are responsible for a significant fraction of energy consumption and CO2 emission. As urban centers continue to grow, the popularity of glass as cladding material in urban buildings is an alarming trend. Dynamic windows reduce heating and cooling loads in buildings by passive heating in cold seasons and mitigating solar heat gain in hot seasons. In this work, we develop a mesoscopic building energy model that demonstrates reduced building energy consumption when thermochromic windows are employed. Savings are realized across eight disparate climate zones of the United States. We use the model to determine the ideal critical transition temperature of 20 to 27.5 {\deg}C for thermochromic windows based on metal halide perovskite materials. Ideal transition temperatures are realized experimentally in composite metal halide perovskite film composed of perovskite crystals and an adjacent reservoir phase. The transition temperature is controlled by co-intercalating methanol, instead of water, with methylammonium iodide and tailoring the hydrogen-bonding chemistry of the reservoir phase. Thermochromic windows based on metal halide perovskites represent a clear opportunity to mitigate the effects of energy-hungry buildings

A Model for Performance Evaluation of Climate-Adaptive Building Envelopes Using Parametric Models and Multi-Criteria Optimization

The goal of this research is to enable designers to evaluate the performance of Climate-Adaptive Building Envelopes (CABE) to make better decisions at the conceptual design stage. This goal was accomplished by delivering three contributions to the fields of parametric modeling, building performance simulation, and multi-criteria optimization. There are three main challenges in CABE performance evaluation that cannot be overcome by conventional methods: 1) defining a suitable relationship between environmental factors and their thresholds by focusing on a given condition in CABE behavior control; 2) representing a CABE’s time-series behavior by using a single Building Performance Simulation (BPS) model; and 3) managing information related to a CABE’s performance and behavior for use in design decisions. To overcome these issues, this research developed a new CABE performance evaluation method called Parametric Behavior Maps (PBM), which makes three key contributions. First, the PBM method is able to generate a CABE operation schedule as an Hourly Behavior of Openness (HBOO) scenario to evaluate CABE performance using a single BPS model. Second, the PBM method produces more reliable outcomes than the conventional process, especially in terms of the time-lag effect of thermal performance. Third, the use of a Function-based Behavior Control System (FBCS) for the CABE efficiently facilitates a multi-criteria optimization process by progressively simulating alternative HBOO scenarios, allowing designers to choose the best scheme. These three contributions offer logical proof that the use of parametric modeling and simulation tools can help designers make better decisions regarding CABE alternatives. The PBM method was validated by investigating several test cases. First, static shading scenarios were developed using the PBM; the amount of incoming solar radiation was then compared with outcomes from the BPS with static shading. Second, indoor temperature profiles were simulated using the PBM method and an HBOO scenario; the results were compared with the outcomes obtained from the existing method, in order to determine the PBM’s reliability. Third, the integration of the PBM method and evolutionary multi-objective optimization technique illustrates the usefulness of the FBCS in CABE performance optimization