Human-centric building design
With a trend towards greater building automation, occupant needs and preferences during the design process are often forgotten. Meanwhile, occupants are often distrusted because of their seemingly irrational behaviours. Based on findings of post-occupancy evaluations from several hundred offices and apartments and extensive simulation studies, this talk is focused on designing and operating buildings to optimize occupant comfort, building usability, and energy performance. It will contrast current occupant modelling practice to the latest research. The talk will provide humorous anecdotes, strange findings, and some general lessons learned and future recommendations. Finally, the recently published book titled Occupant-Centric Simulation-Aided Building Design will be introduced.
Liam O’Brien, Ph.D., P.Eng. is a Professor in Building Engineering at Carleton University. He is the principal investigator of the Human Building Interaction Lab, which consists of a team of 15 researchers with diverse backgrounds in engineering, architecture, and design. In the past decade, he has led over $8-million of projects. His team is developing occupant-centric design processes, standards, and controls for high-performance buildings. He has authored over 250 publications and three books on these topics. He is currently an Operating Agent for the five-year, 100-researcher International Energy Agency Annex 95, titled “Human-centric buildings for a changing climate” and the past president of the Canadian chapter of the International Building Performance Simulation Association.