Assistant professor of Interior Design Dr. Negar Matin recently published her study entitled “A data-driven optimized daylight pattern for responsive facades design” in the journal Intelligent Buildings International. Dr. Matin is lead author of the publication, with collaborator Ali Eydgahi.
Abstract:
This study presents a data-driven approach for investigating practical aspects of responsive facades illuminance optimization. In this approach, the hourly indoor illuminance data and spatial information are integrated to form an objective function. Then, the objective function is used to assess the visual performance of responsive facade systems by matching a wide range of angle movements with hourly daylight patterns. An office room with a responsive facade was simulated parametrically to test the proposed optimization function through design scenarios. Raw indoor illuminance data was generated for a year of both horizontal and vertical facade configurations in four different facade orientations and four facade locations/climate zones. Data analytic techniques were deployed for quality assurance, pre-processing, managing and analyzing the simulated data. A Brute-force search algorithm was utilized to determine the hourly optimum angle of the facade configuration. The result reveals hourly optimum adaptation angles can significantly improve indoor illuminance of all possible scenarios such as various facade configurations, facade orientations, and facade locations/climate zones in comparison with no-louvers and fixed louvers scenarios.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
