Rethinking The Future (RTF) Awards: Envelope of The Day (EOTD) Living Lab

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 an existing dormitory building in Philadelphia, 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 the dorm rooms. These rooms are the test beds for the living lab.  The upper  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.

The dorm rooms, and terraces are separated with walls having operable openings that allow effective cross-ventilation. Compared to the existing condition, this improves ventilation, reduces the occupant dissatisfaction and also the building energy use. The envelope is designed in a way that every occupant can modify the wall assembly by replacing insulation materials according to their thermal comfort. This operable and adaptive envelope also adds occupiable buffer zones to the dorms that can be used in different ways, as per the occupants’ requirements.

The user interface is integrated into the dorm mobile application. Every occupant in the EOTD living lab will have a control panel to assist them in making decisions about their envelopes. 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.