HMN 2025: How AI-powered occupancy monitoring system optimizes open-plan workplace design

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a novel framework for measuring occupancy in open-plan places of work with unprecedented precision. This modern system makes use of laptop imaginative and prescient and AI to research occupancy at a micro-scale stage, specializing in particular practical zones throughout the workplace.

This addresses a big hole in present occupancy monitoring strategies, which usually solely present macro-level information and battle to seize detailed utilization patterns inside shared areas.

The analysis addresses a essential want for extra detailed and correct occupancy information in open-plan places of work. Traditional strategies typically fail to seize the complexities of how these areas are used, resulting in inefficiencies in useful resource allocation and design.

This new framework gives a sensible and cost-effective resolution for gathering granular occupancy information, which may inform evidence-based selections about workplace design and administration. This can result in extra sustainable, environment friendly, and user-friendly workspaces. The work is published within the Journal of Building Engineering.

The researchers used current CCTV cameras and 3D pose estimation to create a laptop imaginative and prescient system that precisely measures micro-scale occupancy inside particular practical zones of open-plan places of work. The system analyzes video footage to trace people and classify their location inside predefined zones, aggregating this information to disclose occupancy patterns.

Real-world testing validated the system’s accuracy, offering worthwhile insights into how staff use completely different workplace areas. The findings can inform selections concerning workplace format, useful resource allocation (lighting, heating, cleansing), and vitality administration, finally contributing to extra environment friendly and sustainable workspaces.

Sihua Chen, a doctoral candidate concerned within the analysis, highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of the mission, bridging environmental engineering and laptop science to unravel real-world challenges. She emphasised the potential of this know-how to fill a niche in current occupancy measurement methods and supply data-driven help for sustainable design and operation of indoor open-plan workplace areas.

This analysis has vital implications for the way forward for office design. By offering correct and detailed occupancy information, the framework permits data-driven optimization of workplace layouts, useful resource allocation, and vitality {control}, resulting in extra sustainable and productive work environments.