Fibrous smart material: adaptive, low–energy, real–time responsive interior environments

The project is an inter-disciplinary initiative for the ‘designed engineering’ of heterogeneous fibres with variable material behaviors to create real-time responsive interior environments (furniture systems). These smart furniture systems will embody properties of real-time adaptive temperature control, real-time structural adaptability and real-time physiological support of the human body. These properties shall be fully self-regulated (devoid of external power sources) via engineering multi-layered fibre compositions, which can sense the forces exerted by the human body and accordingly alter their physical properties. The scale of operation is chosen deliberately, considering the time-span of one year within which we will produce a fully operational 1:1 physical prototype and scientific material-research guidelines. A research through design approach with 3 iterations shall be adopted in this research: working on the yarn (U Twente + EURECAT), textile (TUE) and product (TUD). Each iteration will consist of the development of a prototype, the creation of future usage scenarios + business possibilities, and a workshop to envision future requirements. In this project, prototypes and material output will be co-designed with material scientists, architects, textile and industrial designers and will be used to assess 1) design challenges, 2) business opportunities, and 3) technical feasibility of scalable multi-performative interior systems for applications such as healthcare and future office environments

Fibrous smart material: adaptive, low–energy, real–time responsive interior environments

The project is an inter-disciplinary initiative for the ‘designed engineering’ of heterogeneous fibres with variable material behaviors to create real-time responsive interior environments (furniture systems). These smart furniture systems will embody properties of real-time adaptive temperature control, real-time structural adaptability and real-time physiological support of the human body. These properties shall be fully self-regulated (devoid of external power sources) via engineering multi-layered fibre compositions, which can sense the forces exerted by the human body and accordingly alter their physical properties. The scale of operation is chosen deliberately, considering the time-span of one year within which we will produce a fully operational 1:1 physical prototype and scientific material-research guidelines. A research through design approach with 3 iterations shall be adopted in this research: working on the yarn (U Twente + EURECAT), textile (TUE) and product (TUD). Each iteration will consist of the development of a prototype, the creation of future usage scenarios + business possibilities, and a workshop to envision future requirements. In this project, prototypes and material output will be co-designed with material scientists, architects, textile and industrial designers and will be used to assess 1) design challenges, 2) business opportunities, and 3) technical feasibility of scalable multi-performative interior systems for applications such as healthcare and future office environments

Implementing UVEs

This chapter introduces unconventional virtual environments (UVEs) in the context of this research. The characteristics, types and parameters of UVEs are defined. Moreover, the role of experience and its efficacy on idea expansion and divergent thinking are also discussed in this Chapter. The brain possesses existing knowledge of architectural space, styles and physical world. By exposure to UVE, previously unknown data feed can be added to this existing knowledgebase. The brain tries to digest this new feed by connecting them to the previous/existing knowledge of space. It is hypothesized that the challenge of the brain to digest new feeds, indirectly stimulate creativity. To prove this hypothesis, more research experiments were designed. These, are discussed in the following chapters. After examining the hypothesis, a possible implementation of UVEs within architectural pedagogy is also discussed. It is also suggested to provide workshops for developing UVEs and let students navigate and interact with them during their education in order to expand their inventory of experiences. The more they can expand their experiences, the more combination of ideas is made possible, which, will indirectly influence their creativity. Respective research findings have been published in the third journal article: “Implementing unconventional virtual environments for enhancing creativity in Architecture pedagogy”, IGI Global Publisher, Volume 3, Issue 4, 2012, pp. 41-52

2D vs. 3D

One of the main targets of this research is to find methods and tools for enhancing creativity. This chapter compares the results of an experiment focusing on the starting phase of a design process from two different dimensions: analogue 2D vs. digital 3D. The experiment involves providing the same design task to a group of students using two different starting points: first, with a lower dimension of analogue 2D (pen and paper) and the next time with a higher dimension using 3D software. Students, in their last semester of Bachelor’s, who were quite familiar with architecture and design were used as test subjects. A group of architecture experts were assigned as jurors, who subjectively judged whether the creative performance of the students had been enhanced after experimenting with the higher dimension 3d environment. This part of the research is elaborated in the second journal article “Thinking Out of the Box” from Out of the Box! Increasing the Dimension of Starting Point, Case study: Architecture students”, Scientific research publishing, 201

Differences in human perception

Spatial navigation involves dynamic and intricate brain functions, fundamentally required to locate oneself in space, which is vital for any human’s survival in their daily life. Sensorimotor abilities are quintessential for spatial navigation wherein subjects associate external sensory stimuli with sensori commands. Individuals for instance process external stimiuli such as buildings in the environment and pathways between the buildings and internally create spatial information in their brain and use this information to navigate in the environment (Brunsdon, Nickels, & Coltheart, 2007; Davis, 1999; Farah, 1989). Therefore, individuals create a mental image of the environment which they are navigating and with respect to their target, they manipulate their current position (Palermo, Iaria, & Guariglia, 2008). The Chapter identifies the difference in human perception of different spatial environments via analyzing activated parts of the brain [of the participants in the experiment], as they encounter three different types of environments: - Fully-designed environment - Semi-designed environments - Abstract-environment The aim of the experiment was to prove that human perception is different in abstract environments as comparison to fully designed and semi designed environments. Since an abstract environment, has multiple degrees of freedom as compared to the physical world and is thus unlike a fully-designed or a semi-designed environment, the difference in perception of these kinds of environments can be related to creativity and divergent thinking. The experiment was conducted at The Goldsmiths University, London in collaboration with the Faculty of Psychology, under the supervision of Professor Joydeep Bhattacharya. The findings have been published in the fifth journal paper “Navigating abstract virtual environment: an eeg study”. Cognitive Neurodynamics, 1-10, Springer publisher, New York, US

Influencing Human Behaviour to Optimise Energy in Commercial Buildings

This paper discusses the impact of user energy choices on building energy demand, and how energy choices could be influenced to minimise building energy consumption using information systems. Accordingly, a socio-technical framework is designed and presented, which draws upon the use of energy interventions. A novel Social-Economic-Environmental (SEE) model is presented within the socio-technical framework which is aimed at nudging inhabitants enabling them to conserve energy in the university buildings, thereby making the world a sustainable place to live. The framework takes into account the Agent-based Modelling (ABM) approach to model user energy choices and their willingness to conserve energy in buildings. This research intends to test the socio-technical framework in the next stage of this study. Finally, this paper highlights gaps and the significance of understanding how user behaviour and their energy consumption can be influenced to optimise energy in university buildings, thereby reducing global greenhouse emission

Navigating abstract virtual environment: an eeg study

Perceptions of different environments are different for different people. An abstract designed environment, with a degree of freedom from any visual reference in the physical world requests a completely different perception than a fully or semi-designed environment that has some correlation with the physical world. Maximal evidence on the manner in which the human brain is involved/operates in dealing with such novel perception comes from neuropsychology. Harnessing the tools and techniques involved in the domain of neuropsychology, the paper presents nee evidence on the role of pre-central gyrus in the perception of abstract spatial environments. In order to do so, the research team developed three different categories of designed environment with different characteristics: (1) Abstract environment, (2) Semi-designed environment, (3) Fully designed environment, as experimental sample environments. Perception of Fully-designed and semi-designed environments is almost the same, [maybe] since the brain can find a correlation between designed environments and already experienced physical world. In addition to this, the response to questionnaires accompanied with a list of buzzwords that have been provided after the experiments, also describe the characteristics of the chosen sample environments. Additionally, these results confirm the suitability of continuous electroencephalography (EEG) for studying Perception from the perspective of architectural environments

Interactive morphologies: An investigation into integrated nodal networks and embedded computation processes for developing real-time responsive spatial systems

The design-research illustrated in this research article focus on the emerging field of interactive architecture focusing on developing real-time information exchanging architectural bodies. These interactive bodies demonstrate a fusion between the material, the electronic and the digital domains. This fusion is explicitly attained through a synergistic merger between the fields of ambient sensing, control systems, ubiquitous computing, architectural design, pneumatic systems and computation. The resultant spatial bodies are thus visualised as complex adaptive systems, continually engaged in activities of data-exchange resulting in physical and ambient adaptations of their constituting components in response to contextual variations. Interdependent nodal networks, where every node/junction of a spatial prototype becomes a potential information hub by means of its ability to collect, process and communicate contextual data apart from working as an actuated detail owing to its ability to kinetically re-position itself in three-dimensional space is thus a critical outcome of this inter-disciplinary way of working. A strategy apt for binding material logistics with the digital to materialize dynamic spatial behaviours owing to real time data exchange between the prototypes and their context is thus embarked upon via three research and design projects, namely: Electronic Media Augmented Spatial Skins, The InteractiveWall and the Muscle Re-configured

The convenient city: smart urbanism for a resilient city

The surge of smart city technology, thinking, publications and consultancy offerings is significant. This implies there is something seriously developing. But to what extent is this a new development? In this paper the case will be made that urban design has always had to include new technologies and the smart city movement is just another wave of technology that demands inclusion in urban design practice. Nevertheless, city designers and policy makers should make use of the new possibilities on offering. Interactive urban environments could support healthy living, while smart and responsive regulators could minimize our energy use, and anticipative traffic management could help minimising congestion. Further to this, crowd-sensing could smoothen urban mobility and new forms of 3d-printing may re-use and reduce waste. The core of all new technological potential however is still to service people and to make life for urban citizens better. How could people in search for a convenient life be better serviced? Many of them want to have a nice house, a clean, safe and healthy environment, access to resources such as clean water, renewable energy and healthy food, a resilient place that is not vulnerable for all kinds of climate impacts and possibly some room for contemplation. With Maslow’s ladder in mind, achieving this not only depends on the availability and use of technology, rather a well-designed and integrated urban plan is asked for. Meeting the needs of contemporary urban citizens must be served by what urban design is supposed to deliver, only now with current available technologies in the back pocket. The paper emphasises how to design the convenient city by making use of the available technology, but it also takes a stand on the relativity of the current hype of smart cities