MUSE Design Awards: Envelope of The Day Living Lab

Climate change demands that buildings become more adaptable, necessitating dynamic systems. Designing operable envelopes with reusable or compostable building materials can enhance the adaptive capacity of buildings. The Envelope of The Day (EOTD) living lab aims to improve the adaptive capacity of buildings while reducing the carbon footprint and increasing human-centric control.

The living lab is situated within the original footprint of the building, with some organizational changes and additional programs. The first two floors are dedicated to the research lab, dining hall, seminar rooms, and offices, while the upper floors accommodate apartments. The apartment floors now also include lounges, study pods, and terraces, which were not originally present. These spaces, in addition to enhancing the student experience, also provide an opportunity to test different types of spaces beneficial for the living lab. The lounges, besides serving as leisure spaces, also function as the "material wardrobe" for the building.

This user interface is integrated into the Penn Mobile application. Every occupant in the EOTD living lab will have a control panel to assist them in making decisions about their envelopes based on their feelings. Suggestions include how to operate the specific envelope, recommended materials for change, where to place those materials, as well as their availability. Additionally, this control panel collects user experience feedback for researchers to analyze how the envelope performs and whether overall improvements are needed.