Introducing IEA EBC annex 79: Key challenges and opportunities in the field of occupant-centric building design and operation

Abstract

Despite the fact that buildings are designed for occupants in principle, evidence suggests buildings are often uncomfortable compared to the requirements of standards; difficult to control by occupants; and, operated inefficiently with regards to occupants' preferences and presence. Meanwhile, practitioners-architects, engineers, technology companies, building managers and operators, and policymakers-lack the knowledge, tools, and precedent to design and operate buildings optimally considering the complex and diverse nature of occupants. Building on the success of IEA EBC Annex 66 ("Definition and simulation of occupant behavior in buildings"; 2013-2017), a follow-up IEA EBC Annex 79 ("Occupantcentric building design and operation"; 2018-2023) has been developed to address gaps in knowledge, practice, and technology. Annex 79 involves international researchers from diverse disciplines like engineering, architecture, computer science, psychology, and sociology. Annex 79 and this review paper have four main areas of focus: (1) multi-domain environmental exposure, building interfaces, and human behavior; (2) data-driven occupant modeling strategies and digital tools; (3) occupant-centric building design; and (4) occupant-centric building operation. The objective of this paper is to succinctly report on the leading research of the above topics and articulate the most pressing research needs-planned to be addressed by Annex 79 and beyond.

Acoustics for Supportive and Healthy Buildings: Emerging Themes on Indoor Soundscape Research

“…As highlighted in Section 3.1, the soundscape framework would provide practitioners with a greater design flexibility and a wider range of design options. This can lead to the development of new technologies or to rethinking existing ones according to new perception-based knowledge (e.g., building automation systems, active noise control, ventilation systems [40]), in keeping with an occupant-centric design and operation of buildings [9].…”

“…In response, a user-centered theory of building design has been proposed [2,9] that acknowledges the active role of building occupants and incorporates their interactions with the built environment and advocates for more complex comfort models, addressing cultural, psychological, behavioral, social, and contextual dimensions [3] while taking into account the multi-sensory nature of human experience [10][11][12]. Given the complex and holistic nature of this framework, the use of qualitative methods is appropriate to collect in-depth data about user experiences in the built environment [2,4].…”

“…Spaces are required to not only reduce negative impacts on comfort, health, and productivity but also to support the activities of users and to produce enjoyment and health in their inhabitants. Occupant-centric [2,9], participatory [12,19], regenerative [20,21], salutogenic [12,22,23], and biophilic [24,25] design approaches represent substantial cornerstones of the search for a "flourishing" built environment [13]. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [26] require the sustainability debate to be elevated to include aspects related to social and environmental justice [27] alongside climate change and resource concerns [20].…”

Application of Internet of Things in academic buildings for space use efficiency using occupancy and booking data

“…However, as stated by Ref. [ 7 , 8 ], there is a need for better linkage between these aspects. Fig.…”

“…They also identified a knowledge gap on the connection between the technical and management aspects and inferred the need to provide management information that guides the practitioners to use smart tools for space use management [ 7 ]. This gap is restated from a broader perspective by O'Brien et al (2020), stating the promotion of the occupant-centric applications in buildings requires studies focusing on developing guidelines that include the collection of in-situ data from sensors in the buildings and its visualization [ 8 ].…”