A new study shows that artificial intelligence (AI) could play a central role in designing buildings that are safer, more environment-friendly, and resilient to health risks, tells Tech Xplore.
The research, conducted by teams from Charles Darwin University, the University of Tehran, and Australian Catholic University, reviews how smart building systems currently operate and how they can improve using explainable and interpretable AI. Buildings account for a large share of global energy use and carbon emissions. Traditional heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are often static, failing to adjust to real-time conditions. That can result in discomfort for occupants, higher energy bills, and increased risk of airborne disease spread.
The study outlines a framework in which AI predicts thermal conditions, ventilation demands, and infection-transmission risks. This framework allows facility managers and designers to simulate different scenarios, test interventions, and choose options that best balance comfort, safety, energy use and health outcomes. The model is modular, scalable, and applicable to many rooms and building types, from schools to hospitals.
One important insight: by making systems adaptive, i.e., adjusting in real time to occupancy, external weather, and internal heat gains, it’s possible to significantly reduce energy consumption while also improving air quality and reducing disease spread. The research calls for integration of sensor data and real-time AI decision loops, and suggests using these methods to inform building codes and regulatory standards.
The study shows how AI isn’t just a tool for automation, but a means to optimize trade-offs, i.e., health, comfort, energy, and cost, in ways that prior systems couldn’t. Buildings of the near future could be safer, more efficient, and better tuned to people’s needs, thanks to intelligent control.