Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Building Engineering

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jobe

Smart innovation systems for indoor environmental quality (IEQ)

Shahryar Habibi
Department of Architecture, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

art ic l e i nf o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This work explores the application of a real-time monitoring system to achieve optimal indoor en-
Received 27 May 2016 vironmental quality (IEQ). It focuses on information and communication technology (ICT) applications
Received in revised form and building information modeling (BIM) through a case study from an architect point of view. ICT-
25 August 2016
related applications have drawn attention from smart buildings as potential means of providing corre-
Accepted 25 August 2016
Available online 30 August 2016
lations between users and building systems to improve energy efficiency and comfort. This work at-
tempts to present the main progress in the fields of energy efficiency and energy management strategies
Keywords: through a cost-effective ICT application. In order to investigate whether users can take advantage of
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) natural environmental factors during occupied hours in office buildings, daylight and energy perfor-
User interface
mance simulations were carried out. This work explores users as the primary factors to improve indoor
Smart sensor systems
environmental quality (IEQ) and energy efficiency. The results support the use of real-time monitoring
Energy efficiency
systems in office buildings. It seems, however, that there is a need for individual user control of thermal,
ventilation, and lighting.
& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction sustainable development. Furthermore, in their study two points

of view techno-optimistic and techno-pessimistic were discussed.
Rising energy costs and consumption in recent years, especially The currently prevailing misconceptions distorting the role of ICTs
in buildings, have led researchers to consider new methods and in sustainable development is a “techno-optimistic” view ex-
approaches for reducing energy use. The building sector accounts pressed by the documents produced at the World Summit on the
for about 40% of total energy consumption and 38% of the CO2 Information Society (WSIS) and a “techno- pessimistic” view ex-
emissions in the U.S. [1] and the commercial and residential pressed by some scholars as an antithesis to the WSIS position.
building sector account for 38.7% of the total energy consumption From techno-pessimistic point of view, ICT development could
in Europe [2]. Energy efficiency in buildings nowadays has become result in pollution and unsustainable structure.
a prime objective for energy policy at regional, national, and in- Although ICT applications are still assumed to involve complex
ternational levels [3]. arrangement of devices that cannot be easily controlled, they have
Information and communications technology (ICT) and digital opened up new possibilities for user interactions with the sur-
transmission of data have changed sustainable development rounding environment. Furthermore, they can fruitfully contribute
methods and principles. In a study by Hilty and Ruddy [4] the role to move towards more sustainable development and improve
of ICT in sustainable development was discussed. Their hypothesis spatial and functional qualities of the built environment. For ex-
was founded on the “Brundtland definition,” the definition of ample, ICT based systems have the significant role in energy effi-
sustainable development as that which meets the needs of the ciency and HVAC services [5]. Their study presented control and
present without compromising the ability of future generations to monitoring strategies to reduce energy consumptions for lighting
meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and and air conditioning through both wired and wireless sensor
Development 1987). They pointed out that the normative im-
networks.
plications of the Brundtland definition, if taken seriously, have
It is clear that current smart approaches and specific ICT-re-
been underestimated in the discussion of sustainable development
lated applications such as sensors, mobile technologies, networks,
during the last two decades and that this underestimation (among
big data, etc. can achieve sustainable development goals with
other negative consequences) leads to a misconception of the role
physical intervention in the natural environment. A generic de-
of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in
scription of relevant ICT applications and their impacts on sus-
tainability improvements links together ICT applications, smart
E-mail address: hbbshr@unife.it objects, and sustainable design objectives (Fig. 1). ICT applications

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2016.08.006
2352-7102/& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
2 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13

Fig. 1. Relevant examples of ICT applications and improved results.

can provide key contributions to smart and sustainable growth. operational efficiency among ICTs, it is necessary to use methods
There are many initiatives with methods and devices to lever- based on key dimensions of sustainable development such as
age ICTs for smart sustainable cities and buildings. For example, environmental, economic and social. A series of sustainability ac-
the eeRegio Wiki is a resource for local, regional and national tion plans and targets should be taken into account for the
authorities (cities, municipalities and regions) throughout Europe. adoption of ICTs and digital technologies prior to launching ap-
The Wiki and forum provide an extensive body of practical advice plications. According to Mitchell [8], there are five main oppor-
and examples of good practice in the planning and implementa- tunities such as dematerialization, demobilization, mass customi-
tion of energy efficiency initiatives involving ICT [6]. zation, intelligent operation and soft transformation for ICTs to
Although ICTs may have side effects associated with energy make cities and buildings more environmentally sustainable. In
consumption and incompatible materials, they play significant the field of intelligent operation, ICTs have potential roles in fa-
roles in enabling energy efficiency services in buildings. In order to cilitating energy management in buildings and cities. They can
understand better the impacts of ICTs on sustainable development, provide pathways to lower energy use through advanced mon-
it is necessary to compare two main types of direct and indirect itoring. Furthermore, the use of ICT applications can help users to
effects. As mentioned in the previous sections, ICTs have made better understand and manage energy consumption.
major positive impacts to many areas of the built environment It is worth noting that ICTs have a direct impact on user be-
including smart buildings, grids, smart transport, etc. Therefore, a havior and awareness. The end-user behavior is one of the most
life-cycle analysis may be useful to address potential effects of ICT important factors for achieving positive systemic outcomes re-
applications on sustainable development and climate change levant to the use of ICTs in the built environment.
adaptation. Recent development and technologies in the domain of archi-
According to SMART 2020 [7], report published by the Global tecture, engineering and construction, have led to the emergence
e-Sustainability Initiative report (GeSI), ICT technology can lead to of so-called smart buildings and cities. Smart buildings are defined
emissions reductions from main sectors such as buildings, trans- as buildings that should be sustainable, healthy, technologically
port, industry and power (Fig. 2). It can be concluded that ICTs aware, meet the needs of occupants and business, flexible and
should be investigated in depth from climate change mitigation adaptable to deal with change [9]. The word “intelligent” was first
and sustainability goals perspectives. In order to enhance used at the beginning of the 1980s to describe buildings, together

Fig. 2. The enabling effects of ICTs: Reducing GHG emissions by 2020 [7].
 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13 3

with the American word “smart” [10]. In another definition of place sustainable, then smart, then work on the behavior of the
smart buildings, they are more efficient, comfortable, healthy, user in the building to meet efficiency goals.
environmentally friendly, and economic. Achievement of desired Sustainable smart behavior can offer significant opportunities
indoor comfort conditions is one of the most important goals of for developing smart and sustainable built environment. However,
smart buildings. In particular, control of environmental parameters its main contribution is to highlight the importance of users in
plays a crucial role in providing indoor environmental quality addressing sustainable development and smart growth. The aim of
(IEQ) and further opportunities for energy efficiency. Information sustainable smart behavior methodology is to find optimal com-
and communications technology (ICT) can be a significant driving fort conditions related to sustainable and smart systems. This can
force for measuring and controlling indoor and outdoor condi- not only provide significant techniques for both new construction
tions. It also can enhance management systems, energy savings, and retrofits, but also improve environmental attributes of re-
individual control systems and opportunities for real-time energy newable resources and users' comfort towards fostering sustain-
consumption data. able smart buildings. Sustainable smart behavior methodology can
In the context of architectural practice, especially in areas of be used for optimization of multi-energy systems and environ-
sustainable design, innovative digital environments and tools can mental parameters in buildings through sensorization or cost-ef-
provide useful insights. For example, building information mod- fective smart systems. To achieve an efficient environment, it is
eling (BIM) has become ubiquitous within the architectural sus- essential to find practical methods to take advantage of sustain-
tainable design for addressing the issues related to a full lifecycle able and smart facilities at the same time.
of a target project. BIM can offer an opportunity for extending the In the context of building performance and user satisfaction,
life-cycle analysis of buildings. indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is one of the major issues that
In this respect, it is possible to claim that building information should be taken into consideration. It can also be considered as a
modeling (BIM) is a part of ICT development. BIM is able to solve key aspect of assessment approach in the sustainable buildings.
complex challenges in refurbishment projects. It can play a role in In order to investigate user satisfaction and its relationship
determining optimization requirements. It is considered as a long- with parameters of indoor environmental quality (IEQ), it is es-
term vision for building renovation. Furthermore, BIM is more cost sential to understand environmental factors that influence user
and time effective to assess the sustainability of refurbishment comfort in the built environment considering the fact that user
projects and can contribute to economic growth. According to satisfaction has been defined as an independent criterion for in-
Kensek [11], BIM is collaborative, encouraging the sharing of data, door environmental quality (IEQ). However, user satisfaction in
knowledge, responsibility, risk and reward. It fosters integrated office buildings is associated with indoor environmental quality
project delivery (IPD), while still providing benefit to projects (thermal, visual, acoustic environment and air quality) and work-
under other types of project delivery contracts such as design–bid– space and building features including size, esthetic appearance,
build, design–build, or construction manager (CM) at risk. furniture and cleanliness [12]. In this context, a number of studies
have investigated the principal factors influencing user satisfaction
[13–17]. As can be deduced from the studies, thermal environ-
2. Methods and objectives ment, lighting and acoustic are the three most important factors
influencing user satisfaction. Furthermore, the literature survey
To reach high performance buildings through climate re- conducted by Frontczak and Wargocki [18] suggests that user sa-
sponsive and smart systems, it is important to pay attention to tisfaction can also be influenced by other variables “unrelated to
environmental parameters and their impact on the built environ- environmental quality, that influence whether indoor environ-
ment. Sustainable smart behavior is considered as a new method ments are considered to be comfortable or not”, such as features of
to investigate interaction between users and environmental the building and the workspace, personal characteristics of the
parameters for improving comfort, efficiency and smart solutions users, and their work activities. According to a study by Wagner
in the built environment (Fig. 3). This concept can also be used to et al. [19] user satisfaction is defined as the individual perception
explain how users can make a place sustainable and smart. X-axis of the thermal, visual and audible environment, the air quality at
and Y-axis are considered as the built environment and efficiency the workplace and the office layout.
goals in the figure. This also shows the importance of making a In this respect, it can be useful to point out that post occupancy
evaluation of IEQ not only provides an initial step towards in-
vestigating physical and operational attributes of building systems,
but also helps to measure the impacts on user satisfaction in re-
lation to indoor environmental factors. In fact, the indicator of user
satisfaction reveals a very close relationship between the social
aspects of sustainable development and technical, economic or
financial considerations [20]. In other words, the evaluation of
user perception and satisfaction forms a significant aspect of
probing the indoor environmental quality within the workplace
[21]. The current work methodology is focused on designing a
user-oriented environmental control model. This includes pro-
cesses for collecting and monitoring environmental data for find-
ing solutions which are more efficient and suitable to users.

3. Data and results

Building information modeling (BIM) can play a key role in

analyzing indoor environmental quality (IEQ). It has an important
Fig. 3. Overview of sustainable smart behavior methodology and influencing effect on the accuracy of estimates. As building information model
factors. (BIM) is a tool to estimate accurate building information it can also
4 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13

be used to predict the energy performance of retrofit measures by Table 1

creating models of existing buildings, proposing alternatives, The relevant case study (PUC) data.

analyzing and comparing building performance for these alter-

Surface areas of floors 797.79 m2
natives and modeling improvements [22,23]. BIM is also accepted Total south window 209.043 m2
as a process and corresponding technology to improve the effi- Total window area 602.600 m2
ciency and effectiveness of delivering a project from inception to Height/stories ground floor ( 2.80 m)/1 story
Total surface Area 797.79 m2
operation/maintenance [24].
In order to improve existing building retrofit strategies, a sys-
tematic approach to identification of appropriate retrofitting op- Table 2
tions is needed. It is also important to consider integrated steps Thermal properties of materials used in case study (PUC).
that include reviewing requirements, identifying options and
Construction Layers Material Thickness U value
conducting techniques. In this context, a series of key factors such
(mm) (W/m2k)
as building expectations, building information, user behavior, and
retrofit technologies should be studied in deep. For example, one External wall Outermost Reinforced concrete 150 0.14
of the methods used was the whole building solar analysis and Layer1 Polystyrene foam 200
Innermost Reinforced concrete 150
user behavior. Furthermore, a single zone model (room) has been
Internal partition Outermost Plywood sheathing 20 0.24
defined to model thermal profile and lighting. Layer 1 Cavity 30
Layer 2 Gypsum plastering 15
Layer 3 Glass wool 40
3.1. Baseline information
Layer 4 Cavity 50
Layer 5 Glass wool 40
In order to understand the benefits of applying building in- Layer 6 Gypsum plastering 15
formation modeling (BIM) to improve building performance, en- Layer 7 Cavity 30
Innermost Plywood sheathing 20
ergy use and indoor comfort metrics of a case study was evaluated.
Floor Outermost Polyurethane board 30 0.56
The Sant Cugat campus of Polytechnic University of Catalonia Layer 1 Screed 70
(PUC) in Barcelona-Spain was chosen to evaluate the performance Layer 2 Screed 30
of indoor comfort (Fig. 4). The building consists of lab. & offices Innermost Reinforced concrete 300
rooms and is located on campus. The building project is intended Roof Outermost Galvanized profile 0.8 0.54
Layer 1 Gravel 10
for public and professional use. It is located in 41°18′ north latitude Layer 2 Polystyrene 40
in Barcelona in the Mediterranean climate zone and 8 m above sea Layer 3 Membrane 10
level. The building is equipped with a manual radiator system for Layer 4 Laminate P.V.C 1.2
space heating with no mechanical air systems. It utilizes natural Layer 5 Membrane 10
Layer 6 Screed 10
ventilation for the desired indoor air quality and heating is the Layer 7 Reinforced concrete 300
leading energy consumer in this building. Natural ventilation type Innermost Plywood sheeting 20
in the building under study is window/door opening type. Glazing Internal glazing 2.64
Before simulating, specific information input requirements for External glazing 1.56

case study was identified (Tables 1 and 2). The values are given as
the mean measurements.

Fig. 4. Overview of case study (PUC) and its floor plan.

 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13 5

3.2. Analysis process the maximum solar during a year.

As mentioned before, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is one 3.3. Sensitivity analysis
of the major issues that should be evaluated in the context of
building performance prediction. Building indoor environmental In the realm of existing office buildings, several parameters of
quality measurements are often performed in the areas of thermal, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) elements such as thermal
lighting, air quality and acoustic. Due to the complexity of ana- comfort, acoustic comfort, and lighting are considered as the most
lyzing all aspects of environmental factors and the lack of ex- important factors affecting occupant comfort and productivity.
perimental metric, it can be useful to simulate narrow range of Furthermore, these factors have the significant impact on the en-
indoor environmental conditions. The first step was to define ergy consumption of buildings. In the current work, evaluation of
zones that will be integrated into the dynamic simulation. The room model was performed in two steps as follows: 1) analysis of
reference building was modeled in Revit and then imported into thermal comfort and natural ventilation; 2) assessment of daylight
Integrated Environmental Solutions-Virtual Environment (IES-VE) performance. Within the scope of this work, it is claimed that the
simulation software. outdoor environmental factors can have a significant impact on
For a whole building simulation, it is necessary to define the indoor environment. Furthermore, deployment and operation
thermal zones. In the current work, each room was defined as a of ICT-based technology platforms can help users control and ad-
thermal zone. For each room, the set point conditions, as well as just their environments.
internal conditions such as the amount of users and their activ-
ities, lighting and electric equipment were defined. Furthermore, 3.3.1. Thermal comfort
schedule ventilation for openings (windows-doors), heating set Thermal comfort is one of the most important factors for im-
points were considered for each thermal zone. Every room was proving the quality of the indoor environment. In case of built
bound by heat transfer surfaces. Openings such as doors or win- environment, users always try to achieve a thermally comfortable
dows were simulated inside the wall surfaces. Fig. 5 illustrates the environment [26]. In this context, standards such as ASHRAE
characteristics of the baseline room model. According to project Standard 55 and ISO Standard 7730 are used to obtain appropriate
data, the baseline room has 43.11 m2 area and 120.72 m3 volume thermal conditions in the buildings. However, parameter values
and its main façades facing north and south. It is focused on de- can vary for people in different climatic zones.
tailed simulation and analysis, using the ASHRAE 90.1–2007[25] The first thermal comfort models were developed by Fanger
design reference for climate zone 4 (mixed-humid). [27] and include the combination of physical variables in both
Position of the sun relative is a major factor in providing day- chart and graph form. Two models commonly used in thermal
light and passive design strategies in the buildings. In order to comfort are known as Fanger's predicted mean vote (PMV) and
study building orientation in relation to solar radiation and passive predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD). They are recognized as
solar gains through façades, a detailed solar analysis was per- thermal comfort index. They are also calculated in order to show
formed by Ecotect 2011 for case study (Fig. 6). Furthermore, the satisfaction criteria and measure comfort levels at certain thermal
analysis was performed to understand which faces or walls receive environment. Fanger defined PMV as "the difference between the

Fig. 5. Illustration of baseline room modeled by IES-VE.

Fig. 6. Solar analysis of case study (PUC) and its site plan performed by Ecotect 2011.
6 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13

Fig. 7. PMV-PPD values (linked with solar radiation) for baseline room.

study A. Furthermore, it can be seen that peak values of PMV (5

Table 3
Maximum and minimum PMV values for Baseline Room. August and 10 January) are outside the ASHRAE thermal comfort
boundary.
Model PMV values
3.3.1.1. Natural ventilation. Natural ventilation is one of the key
Maximum Month Minimum Month
environmental factors that plays the significant role in putting
Baseline Room 2.05  2.57 August  1.02   1.29 January forward sustainability principles for buildings. The key purpose of
natural ventilation is to provide fresh air and moving heat from
indoor environment. Natural ventilation is one of significant
internal heat production and the heat loss to the actual environ- methods to achieve the adaptive thermal comfort by users and can
ment for a man kept at the comfort values for skin temperature improve indoor environmental quality. A study [29] has stated that
and sweat production at the actual activity level". The PMV index mechanical ventilation has been preferred to natural ventilation,
is derived for steady state conditions but can be applied with good as it can provide stable air conditions and resolve airflow problems
approximation for minor fluctuations of one or more of the vari- triggered by inadequacies in design. Nevertheless, heating, venti-
ables [28]. It provides a score that corresponds to the ASHRAE lation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) are complex and need
thermal sensation. a large number of components to operate. Furthermore, this kind
In order to calculate PMV-PPD values of case study, a full dy- of technology consumes a great amount of energy, whilst not al-
namic simulation was carried out by IES-VE simulation software in ways managing to deliver the desired indoor climate [30]. It
the selected room (Fig. 7). The simulation period was set from should be noted that outdoor air can be contaminated too with
January to December. As mentioned before, there is no automatic pollen, soot and other carbon emission etc. mechanical ventilation
cooling system in the building's ventilation system. Heating set can filter this contaminant.
point temperature was set to 20 °C. Occupied hours were defined Natural ventilation is considered as a sustainable design strat-
as Monday–Friday from 08.00 a.m. to 17.00 p.m. Barcelona weather egy to reduce cooling energy demand of buildings. Moreover,
data was used in the simulation process. It is worth nothing that in natural ventilation as a passive cooling strategy in buildings seems
the IES-VE software, the default comfort settings are 0.69 clo for to offer significant advantages over other artificial cooling tech-
clothing and 0.9 met for activity (1 met ¼58 W/m2; 1 clo niques [31]. It plays an important role in sustaining air flow in the
¼0.155 m2K/W). In this respect, users are expected to be wearing buildings and provides economic and environmental benefits. The
the same type of clothes across all months and working at the main purpose of any ventilation strategy is to provide adequate air
same activity level throughout the year. A summary of simulation exchange needed to remove pollutants and introduce fresh (out-
results is presented in Table 3. A comparison between simulated door) air. It is important to provide a balance between supply of
data and comfort requirements can be used to evaluate indoor fresh air and unexpected outdoor air temperature. For example,
thermal comfort conditions. The recommended criterion in ASH- outside air should remove contaminated indoor air and provide
RAE-55 standard, is to limit the PMV to between –0.5 and 0.5 and a good indoor air quality (IAQ) for users at the same time.
dissatisfaction rate of less than 10%. The simulation results showed It is clear that users, when the inside temperature is higher
that the values of PMV in the room are not always within an ac- than the outside temperature, are willing to open windows. Nat-
ceptable range defined by ASHRAE-55 in the occupied periods ural ventilation can be considered as an efficient method to reduce
(07.00 a.m. to 18.00 p.m.). mechanical ventilation consumption. For example, the HVAC sys-
It is important to note that thermal comfort can be analyzed for tem can be shut down in a space when a window is open. In this
various time periods such as summer (April to September), winter respect, users have a greater role in opening windows and con-
(October to March), and whole year. In this respect, simulations trolling air conditioners. To evaluate the performance of selected
were carried out for a whole year to find critical values of PMVs rooms with reference to natural ventilation, a detailed analysis of
(minimum and maximum) in the case study. As shown in Table 3, indoor airflow distributions was performed. In this context, the
the warmest and coldest months corresponding to maximum and simulations were conducted with the aim of evaluating the ben-
minimum PMV were found during August and January respec- efits of natural ventilation. IES-MarcoFlo (for natural ventilation
tively. This could be due to lack of cooling and air ventilation analysis) was used to determine impacts of natural ventilation on
systems, the case study B is mostly hotter compared to the case the baseline rooms. In the case study buildings, ventilation occurs
 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13 7

Fig. 8. Open able area of case study building.

through open able windows and doors. Open able areas of case were found between May and November. It can also be seen from
study building were defined (Fig. 8). the figures that natural ventilation can result in the lower PMV
The main aim of analysis was to determine the number of values. For example, the maximum PMV values of baseline room
months that natural ventilation can improve indoor environ- have been reduced from 2.57 to 2.38.
mental conditions within comfort limits (  0.5 oPMV o þ 0.5). In Furthermore, according to the simulation results, natural ven-
this regard, the simulations were carried out under two conditions tilation was effective at reducing the maximum humidity and
(with and without natural ventilation), and the results obtained temperature levels in the baseline room. For example, the max-
are shown in the following figure. The waved blue and red lines imum humidity has been reduced from 78.22% to 75.10% on 27
represent with and without natural ventilation conditions re- May at 08.00 and the maximum indoor temperature has been
spectively (Fig. 9). reduced from 33.48 °C to 32.73 °C on 19 August at 14:30 (Figs. 10
It is a fact that there is more natural ventilation in the warmer and 11).
months and this could be the case in terms of window opening, It is an objective of this work to show that users should effi-
but for example stack effect is more effective during colder ciently manage environmental parameters. Furthermore, users
months. According to the above figures, the desired PMV values should interact with building energy management systems to
achieve comfort and energy efficiency. For example, in regards to
natural ventilation, users can play a significant role in driving and
controlling the outdoor air flow. Therefore, ventilation and air-
conditioning systems in the indoor environments should be pro-
vided so that the users can control without any prior technical
knowledge. Meanwhile, ICT-based technologies should focus more
on user comfort and convenience and user-friendly tools to im-
prove passive cooling systems.

3.3.2. Daylight performance

The use of natural daylight is considered as one of the most
important strategies for establishing a comfortable and efficient
environment. It can contribute to reduce energy use from artificial
lighting in the buildings. It is, therefore, important to gain max-
imum benefits from natural lighting. Several methods are used to
evaluate daylight availability in buildings. Daylight factor (DF) is
one of the most commonly applied methods used in evaluating
daylight performance. It is defined as the ratio of the internal il-
luminance at a point in a building to the unshaded, external hor-
izontal illuminance under a CIE overcast sky, [32] where an aver-
age DF of 2% across a given space is commonly considered to
Fig. 9. PMV values in naturally ventilated in baseline room (IES-VE).
constitute sufficient daylight [33]. There are several studies that

Fig. 10. Indoor humidity comparison with natural ventilation (27 May).
8 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13

Fig. 11. Indoor temperature comparison in the warmest room temperature (19 August).

have been conducted on this topic to present performance based demographic and socio-economic factors as well as psycho-social
on the work plane illuminance metric such as daylight autonomy factors are all important to consider in the interpretation of the
(DA) by Reinhart in 2001[34], useful daylight illuminance (UDI) results.
conceived by Mardaljevic and Nabil in 2005 [35], and continuous A questionnaire was carried out regarding the reference
daylight autonomy (CDA) conceived by Rogers in 2006 [36]. Day- building. It was developed with the aim of identifying the end
light autonomy (DA), uses work plane illuminance as an indicator users' requirements and exceptions regarding indoor comfort. The
of whether there is sufficient daylight in a space to allow an oc- questions included in the questionnaire were designed in ac-
cupant to work by daylight alone. For example, DA levels of cordance with research objectives. For example, the users were
80  100% represent some of the excellent daylight designs, while asked to answer whether smart sensor systems were needed for
good and adequate daylighting designs fall in the 60  80% and controlling their own indoor climate. Furthermore, the contents of
40  60% DA range respectively. Useful daylight illuminance (UDI) the questionnaire were focused on the collection of improvement
is an attempt to integrate the evaluation of daylight level and glare ideas regarding indoor climate. The following figures show ex-
in one scheme. It evaluates illuminance levels according to three ample of questions asked and the results obtained from the
illuminance ranges such as 0–100 lx, 100–2000 lx and above questionnaire.
2000 lx. In this context, horizontal illuminance levels between 100 The overall results showed that the main indoor environmental
and 2000 lx are considered sufficient and useful range. In order to parameters (thermal, visual, acoustic and air quality) affect users'
evaluate the daylighting inside case study, the simulations were comfort and satisfaction. It can be seen that indoor environmental
performed with IES-VE, Radiance and Daysim at working planes parameters have an important role in the process of evaluating
height of 0.8 m from January 1st to December 31st under overcast buildings.
sky conditions. The minimum illuminance required for a room is Users were more satisfied with daylighting in case study. They
500 lx. Furthermore, simulations were carried out for the solar were slightly satisfied with indoor environmental quality (IEQ). It
analysis characteristics days, i.e. the spring equinox (March 21st), was found that users were more familiar with indoor air quality
the summer and winter solstices (June 21st, December 21st). The monitoring applications. Smart sensor systems for indoor climate
reference rooms were considered without dynamic shading de- monitoring were requested by majority of users.
vice. The results obtained in the simulations are shown in the
following figures (Figs. 12–15).
4. Research strategy
3.3.3. Questionnaires and interviews
A user satisfaction questionnaire can provide useful informa- In order to achieve comfort and energy objectives, a prototype
tion for evaluating indoor environmental quality. It is important to smart system was developed with the focus of attention on ICT
design appropriate questionnaire for gathering relevant data. systems and sensors. It includes solutions for energy efficiency in
Questionnaires and interviews can be used to fill gaps between the workplace level and methods to examine how user interact
post occupancy evaluations and actual performance of buildings. with high-performance buildings. The key points in developing
Furthermore, they can determine the factors that influence the content of prototype system involve a number of processes to
building performance and user satisfaction. Questionnaires are read data from sensors (light sensor, sound pressure/mic sensor,
useful methods to identify and solve problems in the indoor en- temperature and humidity sensor) connected to Arduino board.
vironments. They should be designed to be easily understood. The The targeted strategy is to allow users to directly interact with
responses to the questionnaires can reflect user actual feelings. It their buildings and improve their comfort at times of crises of
can be difficult to obtain accurate statistical data about influential discomfort.
factors, but questionnaires may make them easier to evaluate. In order to measure indoor environmental conditions, a pro-
Questionnaire are often used to assess existing conditions. They totype sensor system was developed based on Arduino micro-
can identify factors influencing user attitudes and behaviors. controller which can obtain and monitor environmental data in
However, questionnaire are required to be correlated with existing real-time. Arduino is an open hardware and software platform
conditions. The study [37] provided a questionnaire survey on based on a microcontroller board. In the current work, it is used to
factors influencing comfort with indoor environmental quality in produce an indoor quality apparatus to collect stand-alone en-
existing buildings. It indicated that increasing user awareness vironmental parameters such as humidity, temperature, lighting
about the consequences of poor indoor environmental quality on and ambient noise (Fig. 16).
health and the knowledge about how to ensure a good indoor The goal of the developed apparatus is its use in collecting and
climate would be needed. Questionnaires and interviews can be then processing data of indoor environmental quality parameters
useful, but it should also be noticed that they are subjective and which can lead to understanding environment conditions. The
prone to many bias. Number of respondents, response rate, socio- developed apparatus is equipped with different sensors and led
 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13 9

Fig. 12. Daysim simulation (up) and Daylight factors (down) results of baseline room.

lights to carry out monitoring practices in the indoor environ- by both electricity and universal serial bus (USB).
ments. It also can be used to sense and gather the data from cer- The most important function of the developed apparatus is to
tain places in the built environment. The data are collected in real monitor, visualize and define optimum comfort conditions. The
time from sensors and are visualized within both liquid-crystal developed apparatus has a light-based alarm that uses lights to
display (LCD) and interfaces. alarm user when the temperature, humidity, lighting and sound
The developed apparatus is programmed to interface with fall outside the comfort zone. Since Arduino systems are open
Rhino/Grasshopper and a MATLAB's graphical user interface to source software programmable, it is possible to generate the actual
visualize real-time environmental data (Fig. 17). It can be powered program that is required to attain project objectives. Arduino
10 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13

Fig. 13. Radiance simulation results of baseline room.

code and uploaded on the developed apparatus through the Ar-

duino IDE (integrated development environment).
According to the prescriptive requirements of ASHRAE Stan-
dard 55, SLL (Society of Light and Lighting) and ASHRAE Handbook
( HVAC applications) requirements for office buildings, four com-
fort zones are defined in the application source code as follows: 1)
temperature 21–26 °C; 2) humidity: 40–60%; 3) light intensity:
500 lx; and 4) sound: 50 dB. In this context, when environmental
conditions are outside comfort zone, LEDs will flash while in
alarm. A green, blue, yellow, and red LEDs indicate humidity,
temperature, lighting and sound levels respectively. In fact, they
function as signals that indicates workplace environment is out-
side or inside the comfort zone.
It is important to note that the main objective of research is
related to introduce current prototype smart system to monitor
and control the indoor environmental data in all types of build-
ings. In fact, prototype smart system is a research proposal to in-
teract users with buildings' environmental control systems.
It is desirable to optimize data collected from the temperature/
humidity, light, and sound sensors to achieve optimal indoor en-
vironmental quality. In order to perform a multi-criteria optimi-
zation between the input data of sensors, a genetic algorithm (GA)
can be considered. The optimization of the data is made with a
genetic algorithm (GA) within Grasshopper (graphical algorithm
editor) that is connected with the developed apparatus (Fig. 18).
Fig. 14. Example of questions asked. This process is performed when visualizing and collecting the data
in real-time.
libraries are written in standard C/C þ þ code. In order to obtain an The proposed genetic algorithm is based on the scoring algo-
actual sound pressure level (SPL), it is necessary to pay attention to rithm. For example, scores for each of the data collected from the
both the software and the hardware part of apparatus. Further- developed apparatus (temperature/humidity, light, and sound
more, it is important to convert analog-to-digital (ADC) raw value sensors) are scaled to values between 0 and 100 according to re-
to dB value. In this respect, a program written in standard C/C þ þ commended comfort ranges.
 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13 11

Fig. 15. The results obtained from users' satisfaction (up) and smart system integration request (down) in the building under study.

Fig. 16. Indoor quality apparatus developed.

In order to find the most efficient data from sensors, it is useful After data processing and optimization, Galapagos component
to initially optimize four parameters under certain indoor en- is used to generate the final solutions (Fig. 19). In this context,
vironment and send them to a log data which can be used for overall index of the four optimized parameters transfer to fitness
improving a building control system in order to provide the op- input in Galapagos component and the inputs for the Genome are
timal environmental conditions for users. Since all parameters use used to control systems such as curtain, window, exterior shading
a separate algorithm to optimize their objectives, there are no device, cooling and building management systems (BMS). All
conflicts in determining the optimal data. portions of building control systems may not apply to Genome
12 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13

Fig. 17. Real-time interface monitoring tool based on temperature, humidity, lighting and sound level.

Fig. 18. The genetic algorithm used for the developed apparatus.

Fig. 19. The final optimization algorithm with Galapagos component.

inputs, but using them at the same time can be helpful to find the environment.
optimal indoor conditions. The simulation results showed that users can take advantage of
Galapagos component can provide a generic platform for the natural environment and passive design strategies. In order to
application of optimization algorithms. It is a genetic algorithm fulfill these objectives, users need to monitor and control both
component that uses and runs based on numeric fitness values. It outdoor and indoor environmental parameters in real-time. To
can maximize the fitness value to achieve multiple objectives. provide an efficient real-time energy use feedback, it is important
to develop opportunities for users to interact with control systems.
The current work developed a prototype smart system that can
5. Conclusion assist users in giving both eco-feedback and predictive control.
User behaviors can play an important positive role in reducing
There is an increasing interest in real-time monitoring of en- energy consumption, monitoring and managing systems. It is,
vironmental data to reduce energy consumption and to ensure therefore, important to understand and determine user behaviors
comfortable conditions. ICT-related applications can provide a in the control systems. A sustainable smart behavior method for
simplified communication between users within indoor sustainable development and smart growth has been developed. It
 S. Habibi / Journal of Building Engineering 8 (2016) 1–13 13

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