MOTIVATIONHighly efficient buildings often decrease in optimal energy performance after several years of occupancy. To prevent loss in energy efficiency, it is necessary to engage occupants in understanding the purpose of green features implemented in building operation.

SOLUTIONDesigning a kiosk for the lobby of Cooper Union’s LEED Platinum certified academic building, 41 Cooper Square, shares information about the building’s green features through an online dashboard.The dashboard is accessible on the internet:

@41COOPERSQUAREJanet Butler & Polina SmirnovaAdvised by Professor Baglione

DASHBOARD CONTENTScreensaver & Website RefreshIn order for the kiosk to greet users with the homepage regardless of where the last user left off, the website redirects to the homepage after 2.5 minutes of inactivity. A screensaver appears after 3 minutes of inactivity to welcome the next user.

Information ArchitectureThe dashboard layout presents information at three levels, each increasing in complexity.

Energy Dashboard for an Educational Building in NYC

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSMelody Baglione • Eric Leong • Gregori Tayco • Keith Ng • Christopher Lent • Bob Hopkins • Paul Ostner • Alan Wolf • Mindy Lang • Kit Nicholls • Caitlin Tramel • Jennifer Durst

EDUCATIONAL BENEFITSThis kiosk offers benefits for:

•Users & VisitorsPresents information about the innovative features of 41 Cooper Square.

•Kiosk CreatorsEncourages collaboration between students in different majors and with different departments, such as Buildings & Grounds, Computer Center, Design & Typography, etc.

•Cooper StudentsSparks interest in projects related to mechanical components of 41CS, green feature technologies, and building efficiency.

Level 1The homepage introduces eight green features. A picture and short descriptions highlight the green feature and its energy efficiency.

Level 2Upon clicking on a green feature, the user is directed to additional text and an accompanying technical diagram.

Level 3Information from engfac.cooper.edu provides the user with greater depth of technical information.

http://at41coopersquare.github.io

KIOSK HARDWARE DESIGNComputerAn all-in-one Dell Inspiron One 2330 displays the website to users on an interactive touchscreen monitor. The computer is equipped with Assigned Access so that a user cannot access any applications or websites that are unrelated to @41CooperSquare.

StandThe kiosk stand is a wooden rectangular prism. Design considerations included appropriate height, hiding the computer’s power cord, and consistency with the design of 41 Cooper Square.

Wifi RouterA wifi router is used to prevent timing out from the Cooper Union network.

Website DesignPages were constructed with CSS and HTML5. Content was gathered from previous research by Cooper Union students and faculty and ASHRAE conference presentations.

Real Time DataUsers can see how the building is using energy in real time. Created by Cooper Union student Eric Leong, this information comes from energydash.cooper.edu.