SMARTeR ©

Research Team:

Principal Investigator: Dr Yahya Lavaf pour

Research Assistant: Azin Eslami and Angharad Davies

This project will address the growing problem of overheating and glare in buildings by harnessing SMARTeR and personalised shading intervention using machine vision. SMARTeR ©; An intelligent technology capable of balancing the utilisation and expulsion of light and heat from the sun, and thereby able to adjust to shifting climate conditions through software updates instead of hardware modifications, is crucial. Anticipated weather patterns in the UK indicate that overheating could emerge as a significant issue if not addressed adequately in ongoing refurbishments especially for high-rise office buildings. Here an exciting opportunity lies in the fusion of high-tech and digital narrative. SMART cladding as an emotive device can serve as an expressive medium, a catalyst for design concepts. For instance, the emotive panel could be transformed into a dynamic display of images or text on the façade of a refurbished building to express the building’s memory with a sign, image or a text. This adaptable technology holds promise for various building typologies, from new constructions to refurbishment

Details of the project will be published in 2027-28. If you would like to discuss any aspects of the project or explore collaboration opportunities, please contact me at Yahya.lavafpour@uwe.ac.uk

Progress Update: We are developing a prototype capable of controlling the shading panel and transform it into a emotive screen for refurbishment projects. The hardware (screen) is controlled via a multicriteria control algorithm. the example of the prototype and first draft of the code has been provisionally tested and we are very close to the proof of concept.

The next phase of the project is to revise and improve both the hardware and algorithm and incorporate machine vision. Our case study will be UWE’s block-A on Frenchay Campus. We will test the real size panel via a-posteriori evaluation methodology as part of the project.

Explanation of the code:

1. We define a 6×5 grid using a 2D array where true represents a blocked cell and false represents an unblocked cell.
2. The specified cells are blocked in the setup function.
3. The outermost cells (periphery cells) are also blocked.
4. The loop function prints the grid to the Serial Monitor once and then stops.