Smart Buildings

A new breed of architects said that the smartest buildings of the future will be designed with humans at the centre of the process.

20:44 29 April 2016

A new breed of architects said that building designs of the future will speak directly to the function of the structure. For example, a hospital will be designed to help make people better or a school to redefine education. It could also mean the use of technology allowing people to get involved in the design process or provide feedback on how they feel about working or living in a particular building.

 

Nille Juul-Sorensen, the director of Arup, an engineering consultancy firm, said: "It is not enough to measure the mechanics of the buildings, we also need to collect information about how people react to them.”

 

"Too often architects hand over the keys to clients and lose track of how people actually feel about the building.

 

"They might, for instance, tell us that the canteen is wonderful but that it is dark and not nice to sit in one particular corner."

 

The architects added that the new ear of smart buildings is all about data; measuring practical factors including temperature, light, and the number of people in a building at a given time. It will also be about measuring the feelings or emotions of people who’ll be using the structure making sure that their needs are met.