Dr. Negar Matin, an assistant professor of Interior Design, has been conducting research on the effects of photochromic coatings on the performance of buildings’ façades. She is conducting this project with research partners from the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) including Professor Ali Eydgahi, Dr. Mirabedini and Dr. Zareanshahraki. Zhina Rashidzadeh, a PhD student with Gibbs, is also working on the project.
The project involves applying photochromic coatings to glass as they would be used in the windows of the façades. Using computer modeling, the researchers then measured how eight different combinations of red, blue, and yellow resulted in changes in various visual comfort metrics, including useful daylight illuminance, daylight glare probability, and uniformity of interior space.
The results of these tests showed that using these photochromic coatings can improve the visual comfort inside – improving glare by 54% compared to regular glass and increasing useful daylight illuminance 36%.
Moving forward, Dr. Matin and her team will look to integrate this idea with more advance mechanical and electronic technologies to design a hybrid façade system that will improve visual comfort conditions inside buildings.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the promotion of Ph.D. student Rafael Hernandez to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Gibbs College of Architecture Assistant Professor Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, has co-authored a new book chapter with Josh Newton and Andrew Born, published in De Gruyter Handbook of the Geographies of Race.
Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) alumni Trey Ingram, AICP recently spoke with current PLAD student and graduate media assistant Molly Strobel to share his experiences with the Regional and City Planning program and current work with the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
