We inhabit space. This means our deepest mental and emotional understanding of the world is tied intimately to our experiences as we perceive them in a physical context. Just like a book or film may induce a sense of presence, so too may our modern sensor drenched infrastructures and mobile information spaces. With the recent development of personal and ubiquitous computing devices that we always carry with us, and increased connectivity and robustness of wireless connections, there is an increasing tie between people and things around them. This also includes the space people inhabit. However, such enhanced experiences are usually limited to a personal environment with a personal smartphone being the central device. We would like to bring such technology enhanced experiences to large public spaces with many occupants where their movement patterns, and interactions can be shared, recorded, and studied in order to improve the occupants' efficiency and satisfaction. Specifically, we use sensor networks and ubiquitous computing to create smart built environments that are seamlessly aware of and responsive to the occupants. Human sensing system is one of the key enabling technologies for smart built environments. We present our research findings related to the design and deployment of an indoor human sensing system in large public built spaces. We use a case study to illustrate the challenges, opportunities, and lessons for the emerging field of human building interaction. We present several fundamental design trade-offs, applications, and performance measures for the case study. / Master of Science / The recent advances in mobile technologies, like smart phones and enhanced wireless communication, allow people to experience added comfort and convenience brought by these devices. For example, smart lighting and air conditioning control can be set remotely, before people arrive at their homes. However, these personal experiences are usually limited to personal spaces and tied to a specific personal smart phone. When it comes to public spaces, we seldom see such technological advancement being utilized. In reality, the concept of smart public spaces is still limited to technologies like opening / closing a door automatically. We discuss the reasons that cause such difference between personal and public spaces. We argue that Human Building Interactions should be shaped around non-intrusive indoor human sensing technologies. We present discussions, considerations and implementation of a system that uses a low cost camera network for indoor human sensing. We also describe several applications based on the developed system. We demonstrate how to bring technology enhanced experiences to public built spaces and provide smart built environments.

Smart built environments (SBE) include fundamentally different and enhanced capabilities compared to the traditional built environments. Traditional built environments consist of basic building elements and plain physical objects. These objects offer primitive interactions, basic use cases and direct affordances. As a result, the traditional architectural process is completely focused on two dimensions of design, i.e., the physical environment based on context and functional requirements based on the users. Whereas, SBEs have a third dimension, computational and communication capabilities embedded with physical objects enabling enhanced affordance and multi-modal interaction with the surrounding environment. As a result of the added capability, there is a significant change in activity pattern/spatial use pattern in an SBE. So, the traditional architectural design process needs to be modified to meet the unique requirements of SBE design. The aim of this thesis is to modify the traditional architectural design process by introducing SBE requirements. Secondly, this thesis explores a reference implementation of immersive technology based SBE design framework. The traditional architectural design tools are not always enough to represent, visualize or model the vast amount of data and digital components of SBE. SBE empowered with IoT needs a combination of the virtual and real world to assist in the design, evaluation and interaction process. A detailed discussion explored the required capabilities for facilitating an MR-based SBE design approach. An immersive technology is particularly helpful for SBE design because SBEs offer novel interaction scenarios and complex affordance which can be tested using immersive techniques. / Master of Science / Smart built environments (SBE) are fundamentally different from our everyday built environments. SBEs have enhanced capabilities compared to the traditional built environments because computational and communication capabilities are embedded with everyday objects in case of SBEs. An wall or a table is no longer just a simple object rather an interactive component that can process information and communicate with people or other devices. The introduction of these smart capabilities in physical environment leads to change in user's everyday activity pattern. So the spatial design approach also needs to be reflect these changes. As a result, the traditional architectural design process needs to be modified for designing SBEs. The aim of this thesis is to introduce a modified SBE design process based on the traditional architectural design process. Secondly, this thesis explores an immersive technology (e.g.- mixed reality, virtual reality etc.) based SBE design framework. The traditional architectural design tools mostly provide two dimensional representations like sketches or renderings. But two dimensional drawings are not always enough to represent, visualize or model the vast amount of data and digital components associated with SBE. The SBE design process needs enhanced capabilities to represent the interdependency of connected devices and interaction scenarios with people. Immersive technology can be introduced to address this problem, to test the proposed SBE in a virtual/mixed reality environment and to test the proposed 'smartness' of the objects. This thesis explores the potentials of this type of immersive technology based SBE design approach.

The construction industry is one of the least digitized industries in the world which results in projectdelays, poor quality, uninformed decision-making, and unnecessary spending. Initiatives from the governmentthat promotes digitalization will therefore play an important role. In Sweden, Smart Built Environment is suchan initiative, that through a bottom-up process where public and private actors from the built environment sectorcooperate in projects together to develop products and services in sustainable perspectives. However, there arechallenges when it comes to transferring and reaping benefits from knowledge developed in projects. The aimof the paper is to investigate how project outcomes from Smart Built Environment projects are handled andhow projects are linked to the program’s intended short-term effects. Through a case study and document analysison two projects, nine different semi-structured interviews with representatives of the organizations involvedin the projects were identified. As the Smart Built Environment's short-term effects were embeddedwith the project goals, it was concluded that the project results were linked to the program's intended shorttermeffects in theory, but that it becomes tangible when implemented in practice. Furthermore, the projectresults spread individually where it was implemented on future projects, internally within the organization inthe form of presentations, and finally through interest groups (BIM alliance) where it was presented to actorsin the entire built environment sector.