About The

Integrated Design + Construction Laboratory

The Washington State University Integrated Design + Construction Lab (ID+CL) conducts sponsored design and construction research activities under WSU’s School of Design + Construction and the Composite Materials and Engineering Center. The ID+CL advances innovation in practice as part of an allied regional network of university labs (UO, UW, WSU, UI, MSU) that provides technical assistance and market diffusion services to A/E/C/O building teams. The ID+CL seeks to transform design, construction and building operational practices to advance high-performance buildings that are more comfortable for people, require less carbon and energy to construct and maintain, and enhance the health and productivity of occupants. Research topics include but are not limited to occupant comfort (thermal and visual), adaptive behaviors, energy efficiency, high-performance buildings, human-building interfaces and controls, and management of human satisfaction and behaviors.
BACK GROUND Goals
  • Employ students in research
  • Work on projects that reflect the WSU grand challenges
  • Advance energy savings and occupant comfort in high-performance buildings
  • Educate building occupants and building operators
  • Engage with the community and industry

WHAT WE DO

The ID+CL welcomes projects related to high-performance buildings, occupant comfort, occupant training and education, building system interfaces, BIM technical assistance, as well as occupant surveys and behavioral studies. The School of Design + Construction has recognized the ID+CL as a key player in the school-wide research initiative for the following activities:

  • Engagement of building occupants, building operators, designers, and contractors through research opportunities, training, and education
  • Engagement of undergraduate & graduate students in research opportunities and scholarly activities through mentorship
  • Dissemination of cutting-edge research to the architecture, interior design, and construction communities
  • Education and resource development for safe and efficient energy management
  • Facilitation of occupant-centric research in emerging tech, building case studies, innovative training for energy codes, standards, and more

Julia Day

Director

Shelby Ruiz

Research Project Manager
Meet the Team
Our Students
Zach Colligan profile image

Zach Colligan

Graduate Research Assistant
Anh Ngo profile image

Anh Ngo

UX Designer

Sierra Rothlisberger

Research Assistant
Jacob Roibal profile image

Jacob Roibal

Research Assistant
Ethan Baum profile image

Ethan Baum

Research Assistant
Harleen Profile Picture

Harleen Kaur Kennedy

Research Assistant
Nick Profile Picture

Nick Mayer

Research Assistant
Final “Happy Hour” of the year with our Research Students

The ID+CL hires a team of diversely talented students in the disciplines of Construction Management, Architecture, Interior Design, and Civil Engineering, and aspires to seek additional expertise by hiring students in the Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and design fields in the coming year.

46.4% Architecture
14.3% Construction Management
3.6% Biological Engineering
3.6% Psychology
21.4% Interior Design
7.1% Construction Engineering
3.6% Human Development

ID+CL SERVICES

Our expertise lies in advancing building energy efficiency through the development and delivery of tenant engagement programs, as well as post-occupancy evaluation research. Specifically, we offer the following services and research opportunities through the lab:

  • Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) assessments
  • Identify barriers to building performance such as occupant discomfort, lack of training, and building community or cultural factors
  • Development, implementation, and analysis of occupant surveys and interviews to:
    • understand occupants’ perceptions of energy use and sustainability
    • gather useful data to better understand how occupants inhabit their spaces
    • identify barriers to successful occupant engagement
    • assess occupant comfort, satisfaction, and indicators of health
    • offer suggestions to improve future designs and projects
  • Increase energy-efficient behaviors and occupant knowledge of building interactions
  • Gamified interfaces to encourage participation in engagement strategies
  • Development of associated graphics and campaign materials
  • Education at move-in leads to proper use and maintenance of units
  • Evaluate the success of new building systems that improves efficiency
  • Occupant behavior engagement and training
  • Training and site/project-specific onboarding education
  • Building operator and professional education
  • Implications of building design innovations and technologies on occupants
  • Compare building performance goals to occupant actions and behaviors in the building

Areas of RESEARCH

  • Engagement of building occupants, building operators, designers, and contractors through research opportunities, training, and education;
  • Engagement of undergraduate & graduate students in research opportunities and scholarly activities through mentorship;
  • Dissemination of cutting-edge research to the architecture, interior design, & construction communities;
  • Education and resource development for safe and efficient energy management; and
  • Facilitation of occupant-centric research in emerging tech, building case studies, innovative training for energy codes, standards, and more!

Occupants’ behaviors, actions, and misuse of a building can significantly reduce (or nullify) potential building energy savings if they do not understand how to operate their building in an energy-efficient manner. It is necessary to educate occupants.

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