In many countries around the world, we spend the vast majority of our time indoors. As a result, the design and operation of buildings impacts our experiences and outcomes (e.g., well-being, productivity). This building-human relationship is not one sided, however: human behavior is the largest factor in driving energy consumption in buildings. An important area for research is how we can best design buildings—or make interventions in existing buildings—to support both energy efficiency and positive occupant experiences. How can we use modern sensing tools to understand social dynamics in buildings? How does the spatial design of the building influence our experiences? How can we change the layouts of buildings to address our social and environmental goals?
Key projects:
- Capturing the social value of buildings with ambient sensing, Swiss National Science Foundation
- Opt-USE: Optimizing the physical workspace for Urban Socio-Environmental performance, ENAC Fribourg Grant
- Integrating social and environmental perspectives in building design and operation, Stanford PhD Thesis