In an effort to expand the role of data collection and analysis in UVA curriculum, the Sustainable IT Working Group partnered with the Energy and Light Pollution Working Group and the Architecture School in 2018 to install data collection meters that measure the relationship between green design and sustainability in the Architecture School's Campbell Hall building.
This project is led by Eric Field, an architecture professor, the director of IT for the School of Architecture, and an active member of the Sustainable IT working group. Students in Field's classes will interpret the metering data to analyze the relationship between building design and sustainability. Although Campbell Hall's most recent renovation added many sustainable features to the building, before the meters there was no system to monitor the real-time effects of each of these individual design components. These meters will visually and numerically show students the direct impact of different sustainable building designs on energy and financial costs. Additionally, this project will provide students with the opportunity to make new discoveries about the impact of environmental choices on building efficiency.
Due to the specificity and amount of data that the proposed meters would record, Field’s students will be able to analyze and interpret the building data based on their own unique interests, opening the possibility for numerous discoveries that could be incorporated into future building designs. If students’ discoveries are implemented, they could contribute to a decrease in overall University energy consumption. Ideally, this lesson will empower the architecture students with the knowledge they need to create a more sustainable world throughout their future careers. This project demonstrates how IT can benefit the environment, by aiding another sustainable initiative with modern technology. These meters will help teach the importance of green building and design to the next generation of architects, resulting in immeasurable environmental benefits for generations to come.