Abstract

This article describes interdisciplinary contributions carried out by team of researchers and undergraduate and graduate students to the development of project Smart Windows for Zero Carbon Energy Buildings awarded with NET LAC funds, and implemented by consortium of partners from Europe and LAC regions. It is focused on smart window innovative development, including ideation phase and user studies. Disciplines collaborating are Industrial Design, Multimedia Design, Architecture, Electronic Engineering and Chemical Engineering. This process is based on the design of a product capable of harmoniously integration to existing buildings or new architectural projects. Issues observed have been the design of a window under mechanical and usability point of view, including studies of users to know about what people understand as a smart window, observing appearance and operation according to various autonomy possibilities. Accordingly, collaboration of undergraduate and graduate students of Industrial and Multimedia Design has been essential to develop virtual prototyping, both in buildings and window proposals as relevant part of designed tools for interviews and focus group. Virtual reality software and digital technologies have been used, such as printing and 3D scanning for ideation processes, all operated by students specially trained for this experience. Architecture and Urbanism Doctoral students have been integrated to geographic definition and potential application processes of windows in higher radiation areas of buildings, to explore high performance integrating factors coming from spatial conditions, as well as those intrinsically related to window. Specialties of engineering have developed issues related to glass and electronic characterization, considered more technologically advanced matter, therefore, this development has been carried out by European technology centers. Disciplinary integration methodological processes are presented in different academic and investigative levels, schematically establishing involvement of proposed members in their skills, making synthesis that allows replicating experience, based on this integrated systemic model. Company/university collaboration occurs mainly in work with Kommerling brand window manufacturer specifying participation of three different actors: university, technology centers and business. Education experience based on industrial design process with previously defined stages and systematically structured roles is renewed at the end of the work based on experience gained. The incorporation of different disciplines and actors supposed enriching learning to different students becoming important challenge to those leading process, with managers in specific areas and continuing communication for coordinated development. Learning has been related to integrated methodological processes to be followed, as well as to those of communicational and empathy skills to be developed.