Ten questions concerning living laboratories (LL) for multi-domain comfort investigations

Abstract

Living labs (LLs) have proven to be powerful tools for evaluating and optimizing human-building interactions to improve comfort, health, and energy savings, particularly resonating with recent multi-domain investigations in buildings. A Living lab for human-centric comfort investigations is a conventional physical space equipped with measurement tools (i.e., sensors, automation and control systems, Building Management systems (BMS) etc.), where occupants carry out day-to-activities, simulating real-world environments for extended periods to study interactive effects of environmental conditions across multiple, or all, aspects of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). By bridging the gap between controlled chamber studies and real-world field studies, Living Labs offer unique opportunities for research. This 10 questions paper is aimed at offering a new and comprehensive perspective on the status of living labs for multi-domain environmental comfort by systematically addressing 10 key questions, providing a clear identification of what qualifies as a Living Lab and distinguishing it from other exploratory approaches. It offers insights into largely unexplored areas, such as distinctions between academic and non-academic LLs, the economic and practical advantages of LLs for non-academic institutions, and the role of emerging technologies. By identifying their key limitations and challenges, the paper highlights the need for actionable recommendations and emphasizes the transformative potential of Living Labs in advancing multi-domain comfort research. Finally, it outlines pathways for the transferability of scalable and sustainable outcomes from Living Lab research into broader real-world applications.