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Ms. Christiane Berger
Department of Building Physics and Building Ecology, TU Wien, Austria

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Building Physics
0 Thermal Comfort
0 Occupant Behavior
0 Building Performance Simulation
0 Building ecology

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Short Biography

Christiane Berger is as a doctoral researcher and lecturer at the Department of Building Physics and Building Ecology, TU Wien. She holds master's degrees in Architecture and in Building Science and Technology. Her research interests are in the areas of building physics, building performance simulation, building ecology, indoor environmental quality, and occupant modelling.

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Journal article
Published: 06 August 2021 in Energies
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This paper presents an occupant-centric theory of buildings’ indoor-environmental control systems and their user interfaces. Buildings typically can have multiple devices and systems to maintain indoor-environmental conditions within certain ranges in order to meet occupants’ health and comfort requirements. Therefore, it is important to understand what those ranges are exactly, who defines them, and for whom. Health and comfort sciences offer some broad directions concerning desirable indoor conditions. These are typically formulated in various codes, standards, and guidelines in terms of target values or the set points of control variables. However, preferable conditions may differ at different times and for different individuals. Another question concerns the agency responsible for maintaining the preferred conditions. In some settings, conditions may be centrally controlled via the buildings’ automation systems, whereas in other settings, occupants might have the possibility to control their immediate surroundings. Given these qualifications, the objective of the present inquiry can be stated more precisely. We outline a human-ecologically inspired theory pertaining to the occupants’ perception of and interaction with a building’s indoor-environmental control systems and their user interfaces. Specifically, we explore the operationalization potential of the proposed theory as a compact assessment protocol for the evaluation of buildings’ responsiveness to occupants’ preferences. Initial experiences with the derivative protocol are promising. Nonetheless, in order to be fully applicable in practice, certain challenges must be addressed. These specifically include the need for more robust procedures toward the translation of occupants’ subjective judgments into quantitative evaluation scales.

ACS Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi; Helene Teufl; Christiane Berger. An Occupant-Centric Theory of Building Control Systems and Their User Interfaces. Energies 2021, 14, 4788 .

AMA Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi, Helene Teufl, Christiane Berger. An Occupant-Centric Theory of Building Control Systems and Their User Interfaces. Energies. 2021; 14 (16):4788.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi; Helene Teufl; Christiane Berger. 2021. "An Occupant-Centric Theory of Building Control Systems and Their User Interfaces." Energies 14, no. 16: 4788.

Original research article
Published: 21 April 2021 in Frontiers in Built Environment
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The comfort requirements of occupants influence indoor-environmental factors and energy performance of buildings. Occupants are typically exposed to a multitude of indoor-environmental factors, including a variety of different thermal, auditory, visual, and air quality conditions. However, the bulk of past research and derivative indoor-environmental codes and standards concerning the comfort of occupants address the multiple indoor-environmental stimuli in isolation. Starting from a brief review of past research on multi-perceptual indoor-environmental assessments of occupants, the present study pursues an experimental approach to explore the potential cross-modal effects on the evaluation of indoor-environmental thermal, visual, and acoustic aspects. In this context, a laboratory space including two adjacent identical mock-up office rooms was used to conduct multi-aspect parametric studies with human participants. Different thermal, visual, and auditory conditions were maintained in these two units. In the course of the present study, 296 participants were exposed, on a short-term basis, to different combinations of thermal, visual, and auditory conditions. The experiments were intended to explore if the evaluation of one aspect of the indoor environment could be influenced by differences in the values pertaining to the other aspects. The experimental results are presented and discussed, including their limitations.

ACS Style

Christiane Berger; Ardeshir Mahdavi. Exploring Cross-Modal Influences on the Evaluation of Indoor-Environmental Conditions. Frontiers in Built Environment 2021, 7, 1 .

AMA Style

Christiane Berger, Ardeshir Mahdavi. Exploring Cross-Modal Influences on the Evaluation of Indoor-Environmental Conditions. Frontiers in Built Environment. 2021; 7 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christiane Berger; Ardeshir Mahdavi. 2021. "Exploring Cross-Modal Influences on the Evaluation of Indoor-Environmental Conditions." Frontiers in Built Environment 7, no. : 1.

Review
Published: 12 March 2021 in Sustainability
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Buildings’ expected (projected, simulated) energy use frequently does not match actual observations. This is commonly referred to as the energy performance gap. As such, many factors can contribute to the disagreement between expectations and observations. These include, for instance, uncertainty about buildings’ geometry, construction, systems, and weather conditions. However, the role of occupants in the energy performance gap has recently attracted much attention. It has even been suggested that occupants are the main cause of the energy performance gap. This, in turn, has led to suggestions that better models of occupant behavior can reduce the energy performance gap. The present effort aims at the review and evaluation of the evidence for such claims. To this end, a systematic literature search was conducted and relevant publications were identified and reviewed in detail. The review entailed the categorization of the studies according to the scope and strength of the evidence for occupants’ role in the energy performance gap. Moreover, deployed calculation and monitoring methods, normalization procedures, and reported causes and magnitudes of the energy performance gap were documented and evaluated. The results suggest that the role of occupants as significant or exclusive contributors to the energy performance gap is not sufficiently substantiated by evidence.

ACS Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi; Christiane Berger; Hadeer Amin; Eleni Ampatzi; Rune Andersen; Elie Azar; Verena Barthelmes; Matteo Favero; Jakob Hahn; Dolaana Khovalyg; Henrik Knudsen; Alessandra Luna-Navarro; Astrid Roetzel; Fisayo Sangogboye; Marcel Schweiker; Mahnameh Taheri; Despoina Teli; Marianne Touchie; Silke Verbruggen. The Role of Occupants in Buildings’ Energy Performance Gap: Myth or Reality? Sustainability 2021, 13, 3146 .

AMA Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi, Christiane Berger, Hadeer Amin, Eleni Ampatzi, Rune Andersen, Elie Azar, Verena Barthelmes, Matteo Favero, Jakob Hahn, Dolaana Khovalyg, Henrik Knudsen, Alessandra Luna-Navarro, Astrid Roetzel, Fisayo Sangogboye, Marcel Schweiker, Mahnameh Taheri, Despoina Teli, Marianne Touchie, Silke Verbruggen. The Role of Occupants in Buildings’ Energy Performance Gap: Myth or Reality? Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3146.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi; Christiane Berger; Hadeer Amin; Eleni Ampatzi; Rune Andersen; Elie Azar; Verena Barthelmes; Matteo Favero; Jakob Hahn; Dolaana Khovalyg; Henrik Knudsen; Alessandra Luna-Navarro; Astrid Roetzel; Fisayo Sangogboye; Marcel Schweiker; Mahnameh Taheri; Despoina Teli; Marianne Touchie; Silke Verbruggen. 2021. "The Role of Occupants in Buildings’ Energy Performance Gap: Myth or Reality?" Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3146.

Journal article
Published: 13 October 2020 in Sustainability
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A discussion of sustainability in architecture cannot be meaningfully carried out without the inclusion of most buildings’ central purpose, namely the provision of indoor environments that are accommodating of occupants’ needs and requirements. To this end, building designers and operators are expected to demonstrate compliance with codes and standards pertaining to indoor environmental quality (IEQ). However, the majority of conventional IEQ standards, codes, and guidelines have a single-domain character, in that they address IEQ in terms of a number of isolated domains (i.e., thermal, visual, acoustic, air quality). In this context, the present contribution explores the current state of multi-domain IEQ evaluation approaches and the necessary conditions for their further development and application. Toward this end, a number of common building rating schemes were selected and analyzed in detail. The results of this assessment imply the necessity of both short-term improvements of the existing schemes in terms of the transparency and plausibility of the applied point allocation and weighting strategies and the fundamental need for a deeper empirically grounded understanding of the nature of occupants’ perception of and behavior in the built environments.

ACS Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi; Christiane Berger; Veselina Bochukova; Leonidas Bourikas; Runa Hellwig; Quan Jin; Anna Pisello; Marcel Schweiker. Necessary Conditions for Multi-Domain Indoor Environmental Quality Standards. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8439 .

AMA Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi, Christiane Berger, Veselina Bochukova, Leonidas Bourikas, Runa Hellwig, Quan Jin, Anna Pisello, Marcel Schweiker. Necessary Conditions for Multi-Domain Indoor Environmental Quality Standards. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8439.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ardeshir Mahdavi; Christiane Berger; Veselina Bochukova; Leonidas Bourikas; Runa Hellwig; Quan Jin; Anna Pisello; Marcel Schweiker. 2020. "Necessary Conditions for Multi-Domain Indoor Environmental Quality Standards." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8439.

Review
Published: 13 May 2020 in Building and Environment
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In light of recent research, it is evident that occupants are playing an increasingly important role in building energy performance. Despite the important role of building energy codes and standards in design, the occupant-related aspects are typically simple and have not kept up with the leading research. This paper reviews 23 regions’ building energy codes and standards by first comparing their quantitative aspects and then analyzing their mandated rules and approaches. While the present paper focuses on offices, general recommendations are applicable to other building types as well. The review revealed a wide range of occupant-related values, approaches, and attitudes. For example, code-specified occupant density varies by nearly a factor of three between different codes. This underlines the need for development of advancement in occupant behavior modeling approaches for future occupant-centric building performance codes and standards. Moreover, occupants are often referred to only implicitly; underlying expectations about energy-saving occupant behavior from building occupants varies greatly; and, only a few codes address occupant feedback and system usability. Based on the findings of the review, a set of initial recommendations for future building energy codes is proposed.

ACS Style

William O'Brien; Farhang Tahmasebi; Rune Korsholm Andersen; Elie Azar; Verena Barthelmes; Zsofia Deme Belafi; Christiane Berger; Dong Chen; Marilena De Simone; Simona D'Oca; Tianzhen Hong; Quan Jin; Dolaana Khovalyg; Roberto Lamberts; Vojislav Novakovic; June Young Park; Manfred Plagmann; Vinu Subashini Rajus; Marika Vellei; Silke Verbruggen; Andreas Wagner; Eric Willems; Da Yan; Jin Zhou. An international review of occupant-related aspects of building energy codes and standards. Building and Environment 2020, 179, 106906 .

AMA Style

William O'Brien, Farhang Tahmasebi, Rune Korsholm Andersen, Elie Azar, Verena Barthelmes, Zsofia Deme Belafi, Christiane Berger, Dong Chen, Marilena De Simone, Simona D'Oca, Tianzhen Hong, Quan Jin, Dolaana Khovalyg, Roberto Lamberts, Vojislav Novakovic, June Young Park, Manfred Plagmann, Vinu Subashini Rajus, Marika Vellei, Silke Verbruggen, Andreas Wagner, Eric Willems, Da Yan, Jin Zhou. An international review of occupant-related aspects of building energy codes and standards. Building and Environment. 2020; 179 ():106906.

Chicago/Turabian Style

William O'Brien; Farhang Tahmasebi; Rune Korsholm Andersen; Elie Azar; Verena Barthelmes; Zsofia Deme Belafi; Christiane Berger; Dong Chen; Marilena De Simone; Simona D'Oca; Tianzhen Hong; Quan Jin; Dolaana Khovalyg; Roberto Lamberts; Vojislav Novakovic; June Young Park; Manfred Plagmann; Vinu Subashini Rajus; Marika Vellei; Silke Verbruggen; Andreas Wagner; Eric Willems; Da Yan; Jin Zhou. 2020. "An international review of occupant-related aspects of building energy codes and standards." Building and Environment 179, no. : 106906.

Journal article
Published: 07 May 2020 in Building and Environment
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Despite the fact that buildings are designed for occupants in principle, evidence suggests buildings are often uncomfortable compared to the requirements of standards; difficult to control by occupants; and, operated inefficiently with regards to occupants’ preferences and presence. Meanwhile, practitioners –architects, engineers, technology companies, building managers and operators, and policymakers – lack the knowledge, tools, and precedent to design and operate buildings optimally considering the complex and diverse nature of occupants. Building on the success of IEA EBC Annex 66 (“Definition and simulation of occupant behavior in buildings”; 2013–2017), a follow-up IEA EBC Annex 79 (“Occupant-centric building design and operation”; 2018–2023) has been developed to address gaps in knowledge, practice, and technology. Annex 79 involves international researchers from diverse disciplines like engineering, architecture, computer science, psychology, and sociology. Annex 79 and this review paper have four main areas of focus: (1) multi-domain environmental exposure, building interfaces, and human behavior; (2) data-driven occupant modeling strategies and digital tools; (3) occupant-centric building design; and (4) occupant-centric building operation. The objective of this paper is to succinctly report on the leading research of the above topics and articulate the most pressing research needs – planned to be addressed by Annex 79 and beyond.

ACS Style

William O'Brien; Andreas Wagner; Marcel Schweiker; Ardeshir Mahdavi; Julia Day; Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard; Salvatore Carlucci; Bing Dong; Farhang Tahmasebi; Da Yan; Tianzhen Hong; H. Burak Gunay; Zoltan Nagy; Clayton Miller; Christiane Berger. Introducing IEA EBC annex 79: Key challenges and opportunities in the field of occupant-centric building design and operation. Building and Environment 2020, 178, 106738 .

AMA Style

William O'Brien, Andreas Wagner, Marcel Schweiker, Ardeshir Mahdavi, Julia Day, Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard, Salvatore Carlucci, Bing Dong, Farhang Tahmasebi, Da Yan, Tianzhen Hong, H. Burak Gunay, Zoltan Nagy, Clayton Miller, Christiane Berger. Introducing IEA EBC annex 79: Key challenges and opportunities in the field of occupant-centric building design and operation. Building and Environment. 2020; 178 ():106738.

Chicago/Turabian Style

William O'Brien; Andreas Wagner; Marcel Schweiker; Ardeshir Mahdavi; Julia Day; Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard; Salvatore Carlucci; Bing Dong; Farhang Tahmasebi; Da Yan; Tianzhen Hong; H. Burak Gunay; Zoltan Nagy; Clayton Miller; Christiane Berger. 2020. "Introducing IEA EBC annex 79: Key challenges and opportunities in the field of occupant-centric building design and operation." Building and Environment 178, no. : 106738.

Review
Published: 06 February 2020 in Building and Environment
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This paper is concerned with the representation of building users in simulation applications that explore buildings' energy and indoor environmental performance. In recent years, efforts have been made to develop more detailed occupancy-related input data for building performance simulation. For instance, instead of using standard occupancy schedules or simple rule-based behavioral models, stochastic formalisms have been proposed to more realistically capture occupants' patterns of presence and behavior in buildings. Specifically, agent-based modelling has been suggested to provide an adequate tool to capture the complexity and dynamics of building occupants, both as individuals and as groups. In this context, the present paper entails a brief discussion of agent-based modeling followed by a concise review of a number of recent publications reporting on the application of agent-based modeling in the built environment domain (especially regarding buildings' energy and indoor-environmental performance). The paper concludes with remarks on the future prospects of agent-based modelling in building-related applications.

ACS Style

Christiane Berger; Ardeshir Mahdavi. Review of current trends in agent-based modeling of building occupants for energy and indoor-environmental performance analysis. Building and Environment 2020, 173, 106726 .

AMA Style

Christiane Berger, Ardeshir Mahdavi. Review of current trends in agent-based modeling of building occupants for energy and indoor-environmental performance analysis. Building and Environment. 2020; 173 ():106726.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christiane Berger; Ardeshir Mahdavi. 2020. "Review of current trends in agent-based modeling of building occupants for energy and indoor-environmental performance analysis." Building and Environment 173, no. : 106726.