Enabling self-aware smart buildings by augmented reality

Conventional HVAC control systems are usually incognizant of the physical structures and materials of buildings. ese systems merely follow pre-set HVAC control logic based on abstract building thermal response models, which are rough approximations to true physical models, ignoring dynamic spatial variations in built environments. To enable more accurate and responsive HVAC control, this paper introduces the notion of self-aware smart buildings, such that buildings are able to explicitly construct physical models of themselves (e.g., incorporating building structures and materials, and thermal ow dynamics). e question is how to enable self-aware buildings that automatically acquire dynamic knowledge of themselves. is paper presents a novel approach using augmented reality. e extensive user-environment interactions in augmented reality not only can provide intuitive user interfaces for building systems, but also can capture the physical structures and possibly materials of buildings accurately to enable real-time building simulation and control. is paper presents a building system prototype incorporating augmented reality, and discusses its applications.