The research is organized into the following six broad application areas. The term “applied” means that the research is directed towards investigating solutions to actual problems in buildings, and optimizing performance, with focus on the integration of novel technologies.

1. Residential – Smart & Integrated Environmental Systems
2. Green Buildings – Innovative Systems & Technologies
3. Health Care Occupant-Centered Climate Systems
4. Classrooms – Towards Interactive, Healthy, and Comfortable Learning Environments
5. Climate Adaptive Buildings
6. Built Environment Data Analytics – Occupants’ Perspective
7. The Urban Environment (Energy, Water, Heat Island, and Urban Air Pollution) – Impact Mitigation by Design

 

The Applied Research Process

The applied research process can be divided in three levels, each level leading to the next one. For example, it will be useless to demonstrate that there is a research gap (Level 2) or develop a research plan (Level 3) to solve an artificial or irrelevant research problem (Level 1); it will also be useless to pose a good research question (Level 3) without knowing to what degree others have answered that same question (Level 2). The three-level approach to applied research attempts to make sure that the research hypothesis (or question) and the research plan (Level 3) are based on a sound foundation (Levels 1 and 2), and most importantly, that the research will have a real impact in practice.

The process starts with an observed problem in practice that is deemed to be relevant enough to justify the research efforts. The practical significance is therefore the main motivator for the research, and therefore a key research task will be to measure the practical implications. As a point of departure the research has to consider previous work addressing the problem to help learn from the knowledge/mistakes of others, identify practical and/or theoretical knowledge gaps, pose research questions, and develop hypothesis to address those gaps. A research plan is then produced to test the hypothesis and help close or narrow the knowledge gaps. The research results are then interpreted and analyzed to help assess their value, in light of the research question and the soundness and rigour of the whole research plan. Finally, the research contributions are evaluated as well as the practical significance of the project outcomes.