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.
Timber-based façade technologies have the potential to effectively reduce the carbon footprint, reduce water use in construction, and minimize waste, when their manufacturing process is highly prefabricated. Additionally, avoiding glue parts can enhance the sustainability of the façade as its elements can be replaced (extending the durability of façades and therefore buildings) and separated once that they reach their end of life (to re-use or recycle them). Thus, the connection between materials might have a considerable impact on the façade’s sustainability. Moreover, timber-based façades can have different claddings, impacting on the water needed for the technology and their Global Warming Potential (GWP). This paper assesses, through a novel methodological approach, materials’ reusability, water use, and GWP for different façade connections and claddings. Four prototypes with different connections (staples, screws, timber nails, and geometrical assembly) were built. Experimental activities representing façade elements’ substitution and disassembly provided qualitative and quantitative information about production, extraordinary maintenance, and end-of-life phases. Through these tests, the quantity of material that could be re-used and disposed in such phases was quantified and then inserted in a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). LCA was conducted using EF v.3.0 impact method and components were modelled with EPD information and Ecoinvent cut-off 3.7 database. According to the results, a timber-based façade with timber nails and wood cladding is the most promising of reusable façade materials, decreasing the water use and GWP.
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