OFFICE: Occupant-tailored Facility Fostering Innovation in Controlling Energy-efficiency

OFFICE is an Occupant-tailored Facility Fostering Innovation in Controlling Energy-efficiency, which is planned to be realized within a multi-disciplinary research framework – launched by Politecnico di Torino – having the aim of fostering local development in the energy field by means of collaboration between university, industry, and policy makers: Energy Center Initiative (ECI). It is by now ascertained at international level that smartness is the future of cities, and thus of buildings. The implementation of smart solutions will enhance the sustainability of the built environment operation in terms of energy efficiency and benefits to the citizens. OFFICE will be a tool for studies on smart energy management in office environments, with particular focus on the present situation at local level, and on the role of the occupants. The facility will be set up as an office environment where occupants work under test scenarios varying in the way services – such as heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, etc. – are provided, and in the Human-Building Interaction modes offered. The tests goal is supporting local energy planning in the definition of cost-effective strategies by means of scientific research and technological application. The aim of this dissertation is identifying the design requirements of the facility and proposing solutions in terms of space layout and envelope, so as to provide insights before the actual design takes place. The project background – set up for this kickoff study, but suitable for the sake of future developments – consists in: the analysis of the international energy policy context; the review of worldwide existing facilities for energy- and occupant-related studies; the individuation of the test objectives according to the research framework of Energy Center Initiative.