Pervasive sensing for collaborative facilities management
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Strathclyde
Department Name: Energy Systems Research Unit
Abstract
A major bottleneck in the UK Government's drive to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the non-domestic sector has been the lack of involvement of building users in implementing the required measures. This project will equip facilities managers, who are in the forefront of tackling the problem, with the localised data and analysis tools they can use to increase engagement with building users. These users, in turn, will gain opportunities to influence their preferred working environment - a major advance on the usual situation where they have no influence. There is increasing evidence of the economic impact associated with increased productivity derived from energy efficiency and improved working conditions.
The project will develop a radically different, data-centred and negotiated approach to facilities management as a means to resolve the conflicting demands of occupant comfort and energy use. It will establish continuous, personalised information on environmental conditions and energy use in support of occupant engagement and negotiation between co-workers and with facilities management. The research will investigate the potential of personalised information in social and digitally-mediated negotiations to meet common energy and comfort needs, and develop the tools and procedures that facilities managers can utilise to improve user engagement and decide fairly between potentially conflicting demands between users and between users and efficient building operation.
The project will deploy a previously developed pervasive sensing system, BuildAx, to capture data on environmental conditions, occupant behaviour (movement and activity) and personalised energy use at high spatial and temporal resolution, and map these data to continuous information in support of digitally-mediated negotiation between occupants and facilities managers. Approaches to staff-centred facilities management, including occupant-activated alerts, collective and individual action in working practices adaptation and reward-driven negotiation will be investigated.
The project will develop a radically different, data-centred and negotiated approach to facilities management as a means to resolve the conflicting demands of occupant comfort and energy use. It will establish continuous, personalised information on environmental conditions and energy use in support of occupant engagement and negotiation between co-workers and with facilities management. The research will investigate the potential of personalised information in social and digitally-mediated negotiations to meet common energy and comfort needs, and develop the tools and procedures that facilities managers can utilise to improve user engagement and decide fairly between potentially conflicting demands between users and between users and efficient building operation.
The project will deploy a previously developed pervasive sensing system, BuildAx, to capture data on environmental conditions, occupant behaviour (movement and activity) and personalised energy use at high spatial and temporal resolution, and map these data to continuous information in support of digitally-mediated negotiation between occupants and facilities managers. Approaches to staff-centred facilities management, including occupant-activated alerts, collective and individual action in working practices adaptation and reward-driven negotiation will be investigated.
Planned Impact
The proposed research offers a spectrum of benefits ranging from new opportunities for cross-discipline collaboration through a potential for new businesses and business services. The principal beneficiaries are the academic community, building occupants, building facilities managers and ICT technology developers. If successful, the research signposts a different means of operating and managing buildings, where pervasive sensing and eServices facilitate detailed feedback on human comfort and energy use, and facilitates the participation of building occupants in the operation and management of the building's energy systems.
Academic impact
The work promises significant academic impact across a range of disciplines. A varied project team comprising psychologists, engineers, architects and IT specialists will deliver mass data collection and processing in support of new software services that facilitate and digitally-assisted negotiation between building occupants and facilities managers. The innovative nature of the concept means that there are further avenues for research exploitation by the investigators and other groups. For example, the work paves the way for a radical re-thinking of automated control of the indoor environment based on pervasive sensing and digitally-elicited feedback from users on environmental preferences. To this end, a work package has been dedicated to identifying and developing strategies for further research exploitation of project outcomes.
Impact for end-users
The wider end-user benefits of the research are numerous. First, the research offers the building occupant the means to participate through feedback and negotiation in the operation of the environmental systems that directly affect their comfort and wellbeing. Second, the research offers building facilities managers the means to cheaply and quickly gain a richer picture of the performance of their building and occupant satisfaction; moreover, the proposed eServices will give facilities managers new means to interact more widely with their co-workers towards the common goals of improving comfort and reducing energy use.
Industry impact
The envisaged research outputs offer the potential for business growth: the use of wireless, distributed sensors in buildings offer the potential for new businesses in areas such as building performance monitoring and new services offered by facilities management companies. Additionally, the project offers some of the project industry partners the opportunity to refine, test and evaluate the efficacy of the distributed sensors to be deployed in the project. This offers the prospect of new product development and device sales post project. Additionally, pervasive sensing offers the building design and construction industry new opportunities to close the gap between building energy performance production and post-occupancy performance; in this project this will be delivered through the provision of accessible and high-resolution performance datasets, which can be used in design tool validation.
Academic impact
The work promises significant academic impact across a range of disciplines. A varied project team comprising psychologists, engineers, architects and IT specialists will deliver mass data collection and processing in support of new software services that facilitate and digitally-assisted negotiation between building occupants and facilities managers. The innovative nature of the concept means that there are further avenues for research exploitation by the investigators and other groups. For example, the work paves the way for a radical re-thinking of automated control of the indoor environment based on pervasive sensing and digitally-elicited feedback from users on environmental preferences. To this end, a work package has been dedicated to identifying and developing strategies for further research exploitation of project outcomes.
Impact for end-users
The wider end-user benefits of the research are numerous. First, the research offers the building occupant the means to participate through feedback and negotiation in the operation of the environmental systems that directly affect their comfort and wellbeing. Second, the research offers building facilities managers the means to cheaply and quickly gain a richer picture of the performance of their building and occupant satisfaction; moreover, the proposed eServices will give facilities managers new means to interact more widely with their co-workers towards the common goals of improving comfort and reducing energy use.
Industry impact
The envisaged research outputs offer the potential for business growth: the use of wireless, distributed sensors in buildings offer the potential for new businesses in areas such as building performance monitoring and new services offered by facilities management companies. Additionally, the project offers some of the project industry partners the opportunity to refine, test and evaluate the efficacy of the distributed sensors to be deployed in the project. This offers the prospect of new product development and device sales post project. Additionally, pervasive sensing offers the building design and construction industry new opportunities to close the gap between building energy performance production and post-occupancy performance; in this project this will be delivered through the provision of accessible and high-resolution performance datasets, which can be used in design tool validation.
Organisations
- University of Strathclyde (Lead Research Organisation)
- XIIlab Co. Ltd (Collaboration)
- Building Research Establishment (Collaboration)
- Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) (Collaboration)
- Skills Development Scotland (Collaboration)
- Bouygues Construction SA (Collaboration)
- TreeGreen Ltd (Collaboration)
- Freescale Semiconductors (Collaboration)
- Lodz University of Technology (Collaboration)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Collaboration)
- QU Systems (Collaboration)
- GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL (Collaboration)
Publications
Clarke J A
(2020)
A Simulation-Based Procedure for Building Operational Resilience Testing
Allison, J.
(2017)
Simulation and implementation of heat load shifting in a low carbon building
Description | That pervasive sensors can be rapidly deployed within a building to quantify, at low cost, problems reported by occupants. That the information so collected can be processed in a timely manner that alerts Facility Managers to problems as they occur. That the collected data can be used to engage occupants in change negotiation as an apt response to problem alleviation. That the collected data can also be used to calibrate models which may then be used to undertake performance assessments aimed at imforming energy actions. |
Exploitation Route | As the basis of online support for the facilities management process and the development of business offerings that assist with the clean energy transition. |
Sectors | Construction Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Energy Environment |
Description | The findings are used by Facilities Managers to undertake rapid quantification of problems reported by building occupants. Two KTP projects are employing the findings to establish new commercial services. The findings are also the basis of a new approach to building resilience testing that is being translated to industry via CIBSE. |
Sector | Construction,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Energy,Environment |
Impact Types | Economic |
Description | Resilience testing of building performance at the design stage |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | Dissemination to CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Buildings Services Engineers) members of a new approach to the testing of resilience of bulding performance at the design stage. |
Description | Centre of Excellence in Energy Utilisation |
Amount | £318,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Building Research Establishment |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2017 |
End | 12/2017 |
Description | Development of Standardised Approaches and a Prototype Software Tool for Resilience Testing of Building Performance |
Amount | £49,594 (GBP) |
Organisation | Construction Scotland Innovation Centre |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2019 |
End | 02/2020 |
Description | Glasgow City Council: Future Cities Demonstrator |
Amount | £247,221 (GBP) |
Organisation | Innovate UK |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2014 |
End | 07/2016 |
Description | H2020: Highly innovative building control tools Tackling the energy performance gap |
Amount | € 414,581 (EUR) |
Funding ID | 680708 |
Organisation | European Union |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 06/2015 |
End | 06/2019 |
Description | H2020: Rotterdam, Umea and Glasgow - Generating Exemplar Districts in Sustainable Energy Deployment. |
Amount | £377,312 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 731198 |
Organisation | European Commission |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 06/2016 |
End | 06/2021 |
Description | Impact Accelerator Account project with QUSystems |
Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2015 |
End | 12/2015 |
Description | Integrating advance air quality monitoring with HVAC for improved productivity, health & wellbeing. |
Amount | £59,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | Construction Scotland Innovation Centre |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2017 |
End | 04/2021 |
Description | International Collaboration Programme |
Amount | £279,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | Korea, Republic of |
Start | 01/2015 |
End | 12/2018 |
Description | International collaboration Programme |
Amount | £250,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | Korea, Republic of |
Start | 05/2015 |
End | 05/2018 |
Description | Knowledge Transfer Partnership |
Amount | £145,377 (GBP) |
Organisation | Innova UK |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2015 |
End | 04/2017 |
Description | Knowledge Transfer Partnership |
Amount | £171,959 (GBP) |
Funding ID | KTP011060 |
Organisation | Innova UK |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2018 |
End | 03/2020 |
Description | Knowledge Transfer Partnership |
Amount | £152,286 (GBP) |
Organisation | Innova UK |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2016 |
End | 08/2018 |
Description | Commercialisation of research outcomes |
Organisation | Building Research Establishment |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | New commercial services are being established for delivery by BRE internationally. These include low cost monitoring for post occupancy evaluation of buildings, new approaches to energy model calibration, and building upgrade quality assurance - all based on pervasive sensing, high resoluaion model simulation and e-service delivery. |
Collaborator Contribution | The BRE Trust give finanical support to Strathclyde as their 'Centre of Excellence in Energy Utilisation', one of four centres included within their University Partnership Programme. |
Impact | Funding approximately 3 PhD studentships per year. Funding for new staff appointments. Support (from BRE Scotland) for the commercialisation of research oputcomes. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Field deployments of e-services |
Organisation | Glasgow City Council |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Experimental deployment of timely information delivery services to facilities managers and use of information to research data-mediated negotiation between facilities managers and building occupants. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to building areas and assistance with the evaluation of outcomes. |
Impact | Adoption of a new monitotring ans imulation approach by those responsible for building control and performance improvement. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Field deployments of e-services |
Organisation | Skills Development Scotland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Experimental deployment of timely information delivery services to facilities managers and use of information to research data-mediated negotiation between facilities managers and building occupants. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to building areas and assistance with the evaluation of outcomes. |
Impact | Adoption of a new monitotring ans imulation approach by those responsible for building control and performance improvement. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | International field deployments of experimental e-services |
Organisation | Bouygues Construction SA |
Country | France |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Deployment of pervasive environmental sensors and data processing software at test sites to pilot e-service delivery within separately funded research projects.The latter is used to transform data recovered from the former to new information services for timely delivery to personnel and agencies associated with facilities management and research. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to building areas and assistance with the evaluation of outcomes. |
Impact | Publications, new research partnerships and staff exchanges. Adoption of the new approach by those responsible for building environmental conditions control and energy-related performance improvement. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | International field deployments of experimental e-services |
Organisation | Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) |
Country | Korea, Republic of |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Deployment of pervasive environmental sensors and data processing software at test sites to pilot e-service delivery within separately funded research projects.The latter is used to transform data recovered from the former to new information services for timely delivery to personnel and agencies associated with facilities management and research. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to building areas and assistance with the evaluation of outcomes. |
Impact | Publications, new research partnerships and staff exchanges. Adoption of the new approach by those responsible for building environmental conditions control and energy-related performance improvement. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | International field deployments of experimental e-services |
Organisation | Lodz University of Technology |
Country | Poland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Deployment of pervasive environmental sensors and data processing software at test sites to pilot e-service delivery within separately funded research projects.The latter is used to transform data recovered from the former to new information services for timely delivery to personnel and agencies associated with facilities management and research. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to building areas and assistance with the evaluation of outcomes. |
Impact | Publications, new research partnerships and staff exchanges. Adoption of the new approach by those responsible for building environmental conditions control and energy-related performance improvement. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | International field deployments of experimental e-services |
Organisation | XIIlab Co. Ltd |
Country | Korea, Republic of |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Deployment of pervasive environmental sensors and data processing software at test sites to pilot e-service delivery within separately funded research projects.The latter is used to transform data recovered from the former to new information services for timely delivery to personnel and agencies associated with facilities management and research. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to building areas and assistance with the evaluation of outcomes. |
Impact | Publications, new research partnerships and staff exchanges. Adoption of the new approach by those responsible for building environmental conditions control and energy-related performance improvement. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | eService deployment procedures |
Organisation | Building Research Establishment |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Technical support for e-service definition and field deployment in various circumstances and for various clients. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to client premises and development of business propositions. |
Impact | Deployment within BRE's international network of innovation parks to support a standard assessment procedure. New information services being delivered commercially. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | eService deployment procedures |
Organisation | Freescale Semiconductors |
Department | Freescale Semiconductor UK |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Technical support for e-service definition and field deployment in various circumstances and for various clients. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to client premises and development of business propositions. |
Impact | Deployment within BRE's international network of innovation parks to support a standard assessment procedure. New information services being delivered commercially. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | eService deployment procedures |
Organisation | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Technical support for e-service definition and field deployment in various circumstances and for various clients. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to client premises and development of business propositions. |
Impact | Deployment within BRE's international network of innovation parks to support a standard assessment procedure. New information services being delivered commercially. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | eService deployment procedures |
Organisation | QU Systems |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Technical support for e-service definition and field deployment in various circumstances and for various clients. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to client premises and development of business propositions. |
Impact | Deployment within BRE's international network of innovation parks to support a standard assessment procedure. New information services being delivered commercially. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | eService deployment procedures |
Organisation | Treegreen Ltd |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Technical support for e-service definition and field deployment in various circumstances and for various clients. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to client premises and development of business propositions. |
Impact | Deployment within BRE's international network of innovation parks to support a standard assessment procedure. New information services being delivered commercially. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Title | BuildAX/ EnTrak |
Description | This eService delivery platform is made available under an Open Source/ Common license agreement. |
IP Reference | |
Protection | Protection not required |
Year Protection Granted | 2014 |
Licensed | Yes |
Impact | More rapid take-up of the technology and a willingness by others to share in its applicability testing and refinement. |
Title | Pervasive service supporting an eService delivery platform |
Description | The tool comprises a hardware/ software system for low cost, pervasive sensing of building environmental conditions and the use of high frequency data to deliver relevant and timely information to a range of stakeholders, including facility managers and building occupants. |
Type Of Technology | New/Improved Technique/Technology |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Impact | Adoption by Glasgow City Council for the quality assurance of housing upgrades. Adoption by the Electronic Technology Research Institute of Korea as an essential component in their 'big data' platform. Adoption my 2 SME's (QUSystems and Treegreen) for use to provide commercial information services relating to building performance. Deployment within the EU H2020 project, Hit2Gap, to deliver new information to facilities managers. Adoption by Xiilab, a Korean IT company. Adoption by Hurrley Palmer Flatt, an energy systems engineering company. Adoption by CO2Estates, a real estate management company. Deployment within the EU H2020 project, Ruggedised, to quality assure new energy deployments in 4 partner cities. |
URL | http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk |
Description | Training courses in e-service delivery |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Hands-on training in the configuration and deployment of multi-sensors and the definition of the analytics to be applied to the data to deliver specific information to different stakeholders. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
URL | http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk |