North House
Team North / US Department of Energy
Description
Team North, consisting of Simon Fraser University, University of Waterloo and Ryerson University, entered into the international Solar Decathlon competition run by the US Department of Energy. After making the top 20 proposals shorlist, they proceeded to the next steps of planning the details of the solar power house that was dubbed 'North House'. While North House would be a forefront in architecture and engineering, team wanted to add an additional layer by focusing on creating interactive systems that would encourage residents to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Desktop, TV, Mobile app, Embedded Tech
Results
Interface demos
Hardware Prototypes
Built Demo Home
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Before beginning conceptualization, we brainstormed how people reinforce and change their behaviors which led me to creating this information model. An ecosystem diagram was later created outlining how the various components of the system interact. -
Once the team had developed certain concept directions, we began to do some early prototypes and explore the use of different materials. The "Wallpaper Dashboard" was an embedded technology that would at a glance indicate statuses of different aspect of the house (ie. water usage, electricity usage). -
Other interfaces we worked on included a mobile, web app, and television app. We created a journey framework of a young professional's typical day and potential points where they may interact with our various interfaces. We then created a storyboard scenario depicting the various instances of interactions.