Towards Occupant-Centered Automated Façade

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how interaction strategies shape occupant responses to automated façades in office buildings, contributing to reducing the gap between predicted and actual performance. Automated façades, such as roller shades, venetian blinds, and switchable glazing, offer potential to reduce energy demand and improve indoor environmental quality. However, their effectiveness is often undermined by misalignment between automated control logic and occupant comfort requirements, leading to dissatisfaction and frequent manual overrides.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines systematic literature reviews, controlled laboratory experiments, and large-scale surveys. The findings show that while automated façades can substantially reduce lighting energy use, their overall performance depends strongly on occupant interaction. Five key factors influence acceptance: personal preferences, environmental conditions, context, façade technology, and control logic. In particular, interaction design, such as how quickly and in what way façade systems adjust, control usability, and information availability, plays a critical role in shaping satisfaction and behavior.
Experimental results demonstrate that disruptive automation increases override actions, whereas systems that are understandable, predictable, and easy to control foster trust and acceptance. Survey data further show that occupants prefer differentiated levels of automation depending on context, building service, and time of day, with a general tendency toward “mixed-control” strategies.
The dissertation frames an “interaction gap,” arguing that energy efficiency and occupant comfort depend on occupant-centered design. It concludes that effective façade strategies must integrate clear communication, low-effort override options, and context-sensitive control.