TU/e utilizes its campus as a laboratory in which researchers and students in collaboration with the business community put tomorrow’s solutions into practice even today. This way the campus is used for giving tangible substance to innovations in practice, and for their testing and further development.
This means that research and test environments in real-life situations are set up. TU/e is doing this in close cooperation with students, companies and knowledge institutions.
Thus, on the low-rise roof of Vertigo, the premises of the Department of Architecture, Building and Planning, test buildings have been erected whereby solar cells have been incorporated into the roof panels and the tiles. It is a research facility in the area of Building-Integrated Photovoltaic systems (BIPV). The project, which is called SolarBEAT, is a joint venture between Solar Energy Application Centre (SEAC) and the Department of Architecture, Building and Planning.
Read more about SolarBEAT in Cursor.
Living Lab Light
The world of light and light designs is developing at lightning speed. TU/e uses its outdoors lighting systems as a Living Lab. Not only is the exterior lighting fitted with the latest generation of LEDs - which means energy-efficient LEDs - but it can also be controlled per fitting. This enables researchers to conduct different types of research with the lighting installation. How do people experience light? How can you use light in the most efficient manner, without detracting from the feeling of safety? How can light be used to make it clear that a building is open, or closed?
Living Lighting Lab in the Forum of the MetaForum
The Forum is equipped with 500 LED lamps that can be controlled individually and emit warm or cold light. At this moment the system has four options and is operated via the Honeywell system at the reception of the MetaForum. The Intelligent Lighting Institute has developed special software that makes it possible to control the lighting via the Wi-Fi network. In the near future the infrastructure will be adapted further and fitted with sensors, which will make even more interaction possible. Researchers who are interested in conducting experiments with the system can contact Rombout Frieling, rfrieling@tue.nl.
The LanTUern
Around the whole campus the street lamps will be replaced by so-called LanTUerns, street lighting which has been made especially for the TU/e campus and which, like the LED lamps in the Forum, can be controlled via the Wi-Fi network. This will make it possible for instance to adjust the lighting per area and thus to enhance the feeling of safety.
Atlas
In the renovated Atlas building a gigantic Living Lab has been created in cooperation with ILI, which enables every employee to operate the lighting in accordance with their own desires and needs. The bonus in terms of sustainability is that maximum use will be made of the energy advantage gained by the dimming of LED lighting
Living Lab Smart Mobility
Smart Mobility does not only concentrate on making vehicles cleaner, safer and more efficient, but also on the smarter organization of mobility and transport. TU/e uses its own campus to experiment with this.
Campus mobility
TU/e stimulates both students and employees to choose more sustainable modes of transportation to and on campus. The heart of the campus, the so-called Green Strip is a car-free zone that gives center stage to pedestrians and cyclists. TU/e is looking into ways to encourage motorists to use more sustainable modes of transportation, such as an e-bike or a bicycle. How can we make our electric company cars, that are not in use most of the time, suitable for car-sharing? TU/e students of USE learning package ‘The Future of Mobility’ actively take part in analysis of campus mobility.