We study the distributed control of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in buildings. We present and compare two control design techniques. In the first part, a one-step distributed model predictive controller (DMPC) is introduced. We compute the explicit state-feedback solution and show how to implement it on existing networked buildings control platforms. In the second part, we...

Disastrous accidents (fire, chemical releases, earthquake, terrorist attacks, etc) in large public and residential buildings (discotheques, cafes, trade and industrial buildings) usually result in tragic consequences for people and environments. Such accidents have clearly showed that need for reliable systems supporting rescue operations is urgently appealing. Amongst all, giving appropriate i...

The project presented in this paper aims at developing a set of theoretically wellfounded conceptual schemas for buildings, spaces and user organisations. The schemas shall be used as part of a computer based prototype information system for co-ordinated design of buildings and user organisations. The schemas are presented in the formal graphical language EXPRESS-G. The first sections of the pa...

Whilst the number of 3D geo-spatial digital models of buildings with cultural heritage interest is burgeoning most lack semantic annotation that could be used to inform users of mobile and desktop applications about the architectural features and origins of the buildings. As part of an ongoing project this research describes methods (including template matching and SIFT) for enriching 3D models...

Crowd-sourced seismic networks in buildings collect important scientific data, in addition to allowing a diverse audience to visualize the vibrations of buildings. Visualization of a building’s deformation requires spatiotemporal interpolation of motions from seismometers that are located wherever the crowd places them. In many cases, a crowd-sourced building network may actually be just a sing...

School buildings forming a large part of public buildings are among the most important consumers of energy in Iran. Given the existing construction conditions, these buildings seem to have considerable potential for energy efficiency if the construction and design methods are reformed. Therefore, numerous researchers have analyzed geometrical factors influencing energy consumption in buildings,...

It is accepted that the visual comfort in schools depends on the quality of the whole visual environment. This leads to the concern upon the quality and quantity of lighting. Currently in Iran, in order to calculate energy transfer for public buildings a coefficient is usually used. This coefficient considers the rate of sunlight energy absorption in these kinds of buildings. To increase the ...

School buildings as a major part of public buildings are considered as one of the basic consumers of energy in Iran. Based on building typology and occupancy patterns, school buildings have a great potentiality for energy optimization while providing thermal comfort. This study investigates the architectural design parameters such as orientation, optimum window to wall ratio, space organization...