Generative
Interfaces and
Scenarios
for Intelligent Architecture
A Framework for Computer Integrated
Buildings
Kai Strehlke,
Mathias Ochsendorf, Ulrike Bahr
Chair for Computer
Aided Architectural Design CAAD, Institute of Building Technology, Department
of Architecture, Swiss Federal School of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland.
e-mail:
strehlke@hbt.arch.ethz.ch, ochsendorf@hbt.arch.ethz.ch
Abstract
New media and modern building automation have a strong impact on
contemporary architecture. So far one could regard built architecture as
static. These new technologies allow a dynamic impulse to architecture. The objective
of our research work is to demonstrate the impact of innovative systems on
architecture in daily usage while providing building automation, multimedia
integration and facility management services in intelligent networked
buildings. Its focus is the integration of Internet based technologies and its
open and scalable standards into buildings.
Figure 1 Lab setup of the Red Hell. On the left image
is the Red Hell with a projection of a scenographical spatial design exercise showing
the connection of the real space with its representation. On the right side is
the control panel for the Red Hell and the control space
1. Introduction and
Context
This paper introduces a lab
that is used both in teaching and research. The lab is running on the level of
a state of the art functional prototype and comprises a complex infrastructure.
This lab called Red Hell was constructed as a portal for the teleimmersion
research project ‘blue-c’ at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [1-2]. A
red-colored wooden frame defines the architectural space of the Red Hell and
embeds the complete technical infrastructure. This infrastructure is composed
of multimedia and building automation elements.
The operation of buildings is
one of the main research focuses of the chair of Computer Aided Architectural
Design (CAAD) guided by Prof. Dr. Ludger Hovestadt [3]. Next to its primary
task in the blue-c research project, the Red Hell works as a demonstration
prototype providing services like automation, security, media control, access
control and data completely through Internet based technologies. This paper
describes the systematical approach we have followed to build up a software
framework which controls all these services and the implementation of this
framework within the architectural curriculum of a second year course in the
field of CAAD.
1.1 The Computer Integrated Building
In building technology we
differentiate until today the whole area of building automation from the area
of communication. In both fields dedicated devices have been used to provide
the respective functions. Building automation comprises light control, heating,
ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), etc. The telephone, the radio and the
television, etc, represent the communication components in a building context.
Until the mid-eighties dedicated devices have been used to provide these
specific functions. In the nineties bus systems like EIB in Europe and LON in
the USA appeared and allowed the development of multifunctional systems
regrouping different functions of building automation in one system.
The used bus systems could
not handle the required data traffic needed in the communication area. The
appearance of Ethernet and the rise of the Internet created the base for
integrated communication systems. Based on this new technology, services like
Voice over IP, video on demand or web radios could be established and spread
worldwide at low cost.
Frank Duffy predicted already
in 1991, that both fields of building automation and building communication
would merge together to a computer-integrated-building (CIB) beyond 1995 [4].
This vision has not yet been achieved and there is no standard available. There
are numerous approaches coming both from the field of building automation and
the field of information technology. We implemented the concept of Frank Duffy
in a working prototype. This prototype is used in teaching and research and is
constantly extended. We used Internet technologies to integrate automation and
communication into the building. The focus of our work is to show the
possibilities and the impact to architecture resulting from such a system from
the architectural point of view.
Figure 2 Diagram derived from Frank Duffy’s vision of
a computer-integrated-building (CIB) of 1991 [4]
2. System Architecture
The framework implemented in the lab is a system architecture based on
three layers. The bottom layer consists of generic hardware. The middle layer
encapsulates the hardware into software services which can be accessed by the
top layer. The function of the top layer is to allow the interaction of the
user with the Red Hell.
2.1 Hardware - Multimedia and Building Automation
The bottom layer contains
generic hardware, a group of sensors and actuators. Typical sensors are
buttons, motion detectors or input devices. Typical actuators are lights, video
devices, audio devices or projectors.
We prefer devices which can be
controlled directly via Internet protocols like TCP/IP. If a device does not support
direct control via IP we are using embedded systems to map the functions of the
device and to provide them via IP to the system. For instance, the projector of the Red Hell can only be
controlled via Infrared or RS-232. In this case we are using a computer and its
RS-232 interface to integrate the projector into the system. All devices of
building automation are managed with a RaumComputer building automation unit
[5]. The RaumComputer handles ten
dimmable spotlights, five dimmable neon lamps and a window which can be
electrically switched from opaque to transparent. The RaumComputer unit itself
is providing an TCP/IP interface of all managed devices to the system.
Figure
3 System architecture
2.2 Service Management Platform
The middle layer, often
called middleware, is a software layer. Software components are controlling and
managing the hardware elements of the bottom layer. As far as possible the
communication of the software with the underlying hardware layer is based on
Internet protocols, Internet technologies and bus systems. A bus system is the
standard communication medium used in the area of building automation. The
approach used in the lab decouples the hardware elements of each other. A
switch is no longer connected to a series of lights. It is a sensor in the
hardware layer that sends only impulses to the middleware. The middleware
receives the impulses of all sensors and is the only instance which is
controlling the actuators.
This decoupling allows a free
configuration and programming of the hardware and therefore allows an
individual reaction to impulses from the hardware layer. The middleware is
written in Java and is embedded in the OSGi framework which is a framework for
deploying and executing service-oriented applications. The Open Services
Gateway Initiative (OSGi) defines and promotes open specifications for the
delivery of managed services into networked environments [6-7].
The middleware is providing
again an interface to the top layer. This service application interface uses
the exchange of XML messages for the communication between users and the
middleware. The framework allows multiple users to be connected to the system
at the same time. The messages are composed of request and notification
messages. Users send requests to the system. The middleware reacts and sends
the appropriate control commands to the hardware and a notification message to
all listening clients.
2.3 User Interaction
The top layer builds the
interface between the users of the architectural space of the Red Hell and the
system implemented in the space. Arbitrary applications and therefore an
arbitrary number of users can be connected with the system at the same time.
For example, each time a lamp for example is switched, the impulse is
transmitted to the middle layer. This event triggers the middleware to notify
all connected/online user interfaces. As a consequence, all applications are
up-to-date at any time. In an open and ubiquitous environment like this, an
application can react on incoming notifications and interact with the lab
individually.
This approach allows
developing generic interfaces for the architectural space. The complete
functionality of all devices in the Red Hell can be combined in and accessed
through a single user interface. The total control of the interface allows
defining the complexity of the interface. The projector itself has more than a
hundred different functions. The interface designer can decide which of these
functions will be accessible to the user. Another advantage is to combine
easily different functions into scenarios within the interface. For example an
interface button could be created which switches the projector on and dims all
the lights down.
Although a single interface
encapsulating all these functions can be realized, it is also possible to
create a multimodal interface. The middleware has the possibility to get
simultaneously inputs from multiple interfaces as well as from different input
types like video tracking, gesture recognition, motion detection and ordinary
light switches.
The choice of XML messages as
intelligible exchange medium to the middleware permits the detachment of the
front-end completely from the system. This allows an approach to develop a wide
range of possible front-ends for the interaction. These can be web applications
or stand alone solutions. A connection to the Internet and the ability to
process XML data are the only two requirements a front-end application has to
fulfill.
Figure 4 Touch screen
interfaces of the Red Hell
For the Red Hell we have used Macromedia Flash because it allows
creating XML socket connections and it is a simple development environment to
build appealing graphical front-ends [8]. Another advantage of Flash is that it
creates interactive vector graphics which can be played on various numbers of
devices and operating systems. We have implemented an interface for a touch
screen which is installed as a control panel inside the Red Hell.
3. Course Description
Besides research, the lab was
used to teach 200 architectural students in building automation. The aim of the
course was to teach the concept of the computer-integrated-building (CIB) to
architects. We wanted them to understand the underlying technical principles
and to let them discover the architectural potential of the realized prototype.
The students had to fulfill
two tasks. They had to create an interface for the Red Hell in a first step.
The second exercise consisted in a spatial scenographical design. Macromedia
Flash was used as development tool to carry out both exercises.
3.1 Interface Design
The students were asked to design a graphical user interface for the
lab. They were given a template which contained the XML communication with the Red
Hell system. An example showed them how to control the devices in the Red Hell.
The focus of the exercise was to think about interface issues. This comprised a
design of an interface logic and to take an aesthetical position. The range of
results varied from strictly graphical interactive images to ergonomic
approaches and to playful solutions.
Figure 5 Examples of
student works showing different interfaces for the Red Hell [9]
3.2 Spatial Scenographical Design
A spatial scenographical
design had to be done as second exercise. This was achieved in a self running
Flash animation which used the lab as a stage and which was projected on the
screen inside the Red Hell. In this exercise we wanted students to grasp the
potential of the idea of the computer-integrated-building. They had to play
with all the devices of the space and create a dynamic, temporal and spatial
scenario. Two technical approached could be taken to realize this task.
The first approach was to
create an ongoing animation and send on defined key frames commands into the
system. In this way it was possible to design an animation and, at the same
time, control the different devices inside the Red Hell. Most students took
this approach generating a wide range of spatial scenarios. Some students
represented the lab in their animations and merged therefore the real space
with its virtual representation. Other students created a small story and
included the space into this narration.
Figure 6 Examples of student works
showing different spatial scenarios for the Red Hell [10]
The second approach was to work with the notifications sent by the
middleware which were broadcasted constantly to all listening clients. In this
case the notifications were controlling the flow of the Flash animation. Any
change in the Red Hell would alter the projection displayed in the space. These
scenarios could than easily be controlled from the outside, for instance, with
the touch screen interface which is permanently installed in the Red Hell. An
example of this approach is the work of a group of students who mapped the
status of each light with the image of a dancer (figure 7). The intensity was
translated in the alpha value of the correspondent image. In this way each
light condition would generate a different image on the projection screen.
Figure 7 Request and
notification of the connected interfaces and spatial scenarios
4. Conclusion and Outlook
The systematic approach to merge media and building technology is one of
the main research topics of the Chair for CAAD. It is linked to several ongoing
research projects. We believe that this concept of a
computer-integrated-building will considerably extend the potential of
architectural design. The architect will be able to include spatio-temporal
considerations into a design project. Architects will have the facility not
only to design physical spaces but also to design the interfaces for them.
5. Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all the architectural students of the
second year course in CAAD 2003/04 for their participation and their work. A
special thank goes to Christian Spagno from the center of product design who
helped with the construction of the Red Hell and to Prof. Dr. Ludger Hovestadt
head of the CAAD chair at ETH Zurich.
6. References
[1] http://blue-c.ethz.ch
[2] Gross M., Wuermlin W., Naef M.,
Lamboray E., Spagno C., Kunz A., Koller-Meier E., Svoboda T., Van Gool L., Lang
S., Strehlke K., Vande Moere A., and Staadt O. 2003. Blue-c: A spatially
immersive display and 3D video portal for telepresence. In Proceeedings of the
ACM SIGGRPAH 2003 Annual Conference. ACM Press, New York.
[3] http://www.caad.arch.ethz.ch
[4]
http://www.degw.com/about/frank_duffy.html
[5] http://www.raumcomputer.com
[6] http://www.osgi.org
[7] Hall Richard, Cervantes Humberto.
2004. An OSGi Implementation and Experience Report. In Proceedings of CCNC
2004. Las Vegas, Nevada USA
[8] http://www.macromedia.com
[9] The Interfaces shown as examples have
been designed by Basil Georg Spiess, Marc Zürcher, Tobias Klauser, Tim Sergej
Kop, Simon Martin Edelmann, Boris Gusic Daniel Abraha, Michael Martin Bühler,
Willy Urs Stähelin, Martin Andreas Jacob Staubli, Mathias Uhr
[10] The spatial scenarios shown as examples have been created by Tobias Klauser, Tim Sergej Kop, Philippe Markus Lacher, Lukas Peter Raeber, Reto Giovanoli, Franziska Pfyffer, Damaris Baumann, Sabine Laura Herzog, Julia Annika Sulzer, Fabian José Valverde