Building Banter
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: Sch of Performance & Cultural Industries
Abstract
By exploiting and co-opting existing technologies, and developing a user-centred design approach,the project team will address energy efficiency through the delivery of 'conversational tools', that use existing technologies combined with interventional solutions that are simple, novel and playful in nature. It will augment existing building systems with additional low-cost sensors, and use information processing approaches to make sense of this data, and to detect novel and unusual patterns within this data. It will communicate interventions to the users of the building through intuitive and engaging display techniques and actuators (eg a mobile phone sends a 'shiver' to an employee passing an open window that should be closed). These interventions will initially be informed by a systematic data gathering process including a review of published evidence and use of current models. From this we will identify key energy saving opportunities and challenges within the trial building, and capture the perspectives, values and drivers of users' energy saving choices.The project will seek to develop fundamental and generalisable approaches to monitoring and sensing building use and energy consumption. It will demonstrate them within the context of the industrial setting provided by Federal-Mogul. It will make use of the innovative user-centred interventions developed by Vitamins and the Universities of Dundee and Southampton, which are in turn informed by a systematic data gathering process including a review of published evidence and use of current models performed by Arup and University College London. It will interface with the sensing and interaction hardware developed by Moixa Energy and More Assoicates. The research to be carried out by the University of Leeds is summarised below:Research into effective modes of engagement for behaviour change / utilising expertise to inform the design process:The research process will, in the first instance, include site visits to observe the flow of human movement and the movement styles /patterns of the site occupants. Information will be gathered regarding the site-users' relationship to the existing site in relation to their expectations, hopes and aspirations for the future predicted site as a means for developing person-centred information and subjective responses which will inform the development of the new site's interactive 'conversational' content. This research information and data will then feed into the development of site-user focus group sessions, the results of which will then feed into the development of the design process. As the project develops, the research process will incorporate a process of observing and exploring the site-users' exploration and usage of the emerging 'conversational tools' informed by observation and analysis of the site-users' engagement with the solutions and prototypes informed by theories and expert knowledge of of spatial awareness and kinaesthetic empathy. The intention is to develop very quickly a large number of ideas from lots of angles, and that these would be concurrently 'tested out' with the people in the building through description, conversation, and hacking very quick mock ups of the proposals (undertaken by Moixa / Vitamins - / Leeds / Arup), resulting in a shortlist of tested communications that will be effective in prompting behaviour change, and that represent an innovative and fresh approach. Towards the end of the project,the research will focus on the evaluation of the process and the preparation of an academic paper / conference presentation.
Organisations
Publications
Bannon F
(2014)
Deepening discipline: digital reflection and choreography
in Research in Dance Education
Bannon, F
(2015)
Mindful motion: engagement with the messy vitality of research
Bannon, F
(2013)
Landscape, Well-Being and Environment
| Title | Architects of the Invisible |
| Description | 'Architects of the Invisible' was a performance project that investigated a series of visual, conceptual and organisational provocations centred around collective creativity, process-oriented methodologies and social interaction. The main focus of the company production was to explore ways that 17 individuals could construct and deconstruct their social environments through the use of non-linear strategies to generate and articulate ideas. It developed as a spin-off idea from engagement with literatures addressing ways that people behave in social, hierarchic groups with identified roles and responsibilities. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2013 |
| Impact | 1.'Architects of the Invisible' was performed for public audiences over four days in the stage@leeds complex at the University of Leeds. The work was seen by over 200 people with positive responses in terms of he complexity and challenges that the performers explored. 2.The close attention given to 'behaviour change' as a theme underscoring the work proved to be significant in terms of learning and teaching and future research projects that concern relational aesthetics and ethics (in press). |
| Description | Building Banter (Energy Project) explored ways to encourage individuals to engage more fully with their environment and improve energy efficiency in buildings. The intention has been to consider non-domestic settings and to explore strategies that might be utilised to improve work force 'buy-in' to the value of energy efficiency at their place of work. Working from a qualitative research perspective it was important to identify a range of methods to use as initial prompts that might promote and sustain energy efficiency awareness for individuals and amongst teams. In the early phases of the study we sought to stimulate new ways of thinking about team dialogue and to utilise where possible insights from existing research on behaviour change from a range of disciplinary fields. The main area of engagement in the study has involved exploration of effective modes of engagement with the workforce in order to establish sustainable routes to behaviour change. Key to this was the building of trust, encouraging engagement with the project as a shared endeavour and the early identification with the potential to make significant impact on attitudes and sustainable behaviour change at all levels. It quickly became evident that delivering energy reductions within the particular industry setting would be dependent on enhanced understanding of the work based environment and culture as well as observation of the work behaviours exhibited at the site. In order to achieve this a series of investigations using focus groups, social dialogue, workshops and processes of personal mapping were designed. The content of these events included individual and group explorations of energy use, roles and responsibilities, awareness of changes in the work environment, personal spatial use and work pattern locations. Capturing impressions of how the workplace functioned and the individual and team roles within the activity allowed us to gather rich and relevant data at the site. It provided insight into the varied perceptions of work roles, responsibilities, accountability and self-identity within team work. The process enabled the identification of the operation of various pieces of machinery alongside the interactions of shift workers in conjunction with the site. These workshops were informed by a wealth of literature concerning behaviour change models, now evidenced in journal publications. Data from the staff workshop experiences was fed back to the full research team. This helped inform the development of prototype interventions, deliberately designed to enhance existing protocols. Part of the sophistication of the study has been a willingness to explore adaptive behaviours and to design items that co-opt knowledge from existing technology interfaces. Importantly the new monitors were capable of capturing and displaying live energy data about the operation of the facility. These lightweight and intelligent energy monitoring interfaces are strategically deployed at key parts of the factory production line. Each phase involved a process of team review and critical engagement with team members sharing outcomes at planned specific stages of the research process. Using a cyclical process of design, consultation, engagement, feedback and feed-forward methods enabled and empowered the research team to critically engage with the maturing project and to make clear the valuable input of workforce at the site. Four key lessons are particularly pertinent to the outcome of work undertaken by University of Leeds during the research. They include, 1, investigating through creative workshop practice DEFRA's 4E's of exemplify, enable, engage and to encourage work based change. 2, promoting personal and shared ownership of the project through open communication. 3, exploring sustainable behaviour change, as a process and not an event. 4, exploring the importance of design interventions in work places that offer elegant solutions through design. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes can make a significant contribution to non-academic contexts as this was the primary focus. 1. the lightweight, intelligent energy monitoring interfaces have versatile applications ( industrial and domestic) 2. case study project in training and facilitation using DEFRA's 4E's of exemplify, enable, engage to encourage work based change. 1. the use of lightweight, intelligent energy monitoring interfaces strategically deployed at key parts of a building, 2. relevant to commercial and domestic settings. 3. case study project in training and facilitation - work based learning using DEFRA's 4E's of exemplify, enable, engage to encourage work based change. 4. Contribution to the growing field of discussion concerning sustainability. 5. Case study of interdisciplinary research teams |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Energy,Environment,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism |
| URL | http://www.moixaenergy.com/energy.asp |
| Description | Varied use in terms of building artistic, social and cultural networks using experience gained through workshop activity during the period of research. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Education,Environment,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |