The first part of this essay is about a single-family house that we have planned and projected. The second part is a deeper study in ways to further insulate windows when they are not in use. In the first part the building’s design and its most important construction elements are described. The planning of all major installations (heating, domestic water, ventilation, sanitation, electricity) are reported so that one can in principle start construction of the house. In addition there are calculations done on the building’s energy management. The result is a two stored house angled toward the south. The ground floor has a spacious kitchen and living room in an open floor plan, while the upper floor has more separated bedrooms. The house gets its heat from a geothermal heat pump and is very well insulated. This makes the house energy efficient and it easily meets Boverket’s requirements regarding energy consumption. The second part of the work is a deeper study dealing with window insulation. With window insulation is meant removable and insulating constructions that are in use for instance on nights, but can be removed when the windows are needed for daylight and view. The effect on the energy loss through windows with different systems of window insulation is examined. We conclude that there is money to be saved with such designs. Perhaps most interesting is that our energy calculations show that even with simple types of window insulation, such as blinds and curtains, a lot of energy can be saved. Such simple systems has, in our opinion, the greatest potential for the future since they are relatively inexpensive and do not impact the building’s façade much.

Automated solutions such as robotic vacuum cleaners and smart lighting are gaining popularity, both in the home as well as in public environments. The purpose of this project is to investigate the possibility of using a microcontroller to, in a user-friendly way, control a blind and to implement a sound sensor to activate the mechanism. A stepper motor was used to drive the blind and control its position. The prototype was programmed to recognize a sequence of two claps within a specific time interval. To make the prototype more user-friendly a UI was implemented with an LCD-display and mechanical buttons. A menu was designed where the user would be able to change settings such as the sound level threshold and motor speed as well as calibrate the position of the blind. The performance of the prototype was evaluated by testing the audio recognition by attempted activation in a quiet environment and by recording accidental activations in a loud environment. The conclusions drawn from these test were that the sound recognition was implemented and operated with a success rate of up to 73 %, but that it also triggered relatively easily by extraneous sound sources. Future improvements to this problem could include implementation of a band pass filter to further optimize the sound recognition to the desired audio cue. / Automatiserade lösningar som robotdammsugare och smart belysning blir allt mer populärt, både i hemmet och i offentliga miljöer. Syftet med detta projekt är att undersöka möjligheten att använda en mikrokontroller för att på ett användarvänligt sätt styra en rullgardin och implementera en ljudsensor för att aktivera mekanismen. En stegmotor användes för att driva rullgardinen och styra dess position. Mjukvaran formades för att känna igen en sekvens av två klappar inom ett visst tidsintervall. För att göra prototypen mer användarvänlig implementerades ett användargränssnitt med en LCD-skärm och mekaniska knappar. En meny utformades där inställningar som ljudnivåns tröskelvärde och motorvarvtal kunde ändras. Gardinens position kunde även kalibreras. Ljudigenkänningen utvärderades genom att testa aktivering i en tyst miljö och genom att registrera oavsiktliga aktiveringar i en högljudd miljö. Slutsatserna från dessa test var att ljudigenkänningen implementerades och fungerade konsistent vid upp till 73 % av aktiveringsförsöken, men att den också utlöstes relativt enkelt av yttre ljudkällor. Eventuella förbättringar av detta problem kan innefatta implementation av ett bandpassfilter för att ytterligare optimera ljudigenkänningen.

Abstract I want to talk about tactile experiences, words that extend beyond touch. A full-body experience of space that begins with the senses, creating a collective understanding when everything is combined. We step in unbeknownst, activating our senses through the shapes and textures that enthral us. With our eyes, we access the dynamic of the room.  The foundation of my work is texture, so I explore the surface through it and textile is my chosen material because it allows me to do just that. By distorting, adding and pulling apart I can always get a new experience of it. In this project I work with three-dimensional patterns on the surface of the textile, and with subtle changes in volume I try to capture the light that falls on it and emphasis the texture to make the experience of it even richer.

The present essay explores artworks of Karin Larsson through the feminist theoretical field of studies. The following three textile works were in the centre of the study, Kärlekens ros, Duk med tecken and Sashiko-gardin. The connection between japonisme, Japanese inspired art, and Karin Larssons art works were studied. Through feminist theories by art historians such as Linda Nochlin and Griselda Pollock the experience of being a woman in the 1800s affected the works of Karin Larsson were discussed. It was found that Karin Larssons upbringing and education as a woman differs from the usual male art student, which affected her art works. The subjects of her art works were also often the result of personal experiences. Furthermore, a correlation between the art works and Japanese woodblocks and Japanese embroidery techniques were identified.