Azadeh O. Sawyer

Azadeh O. Sawyer was appointed Assistant Professor in Building Technology at Carnegie Mellon Architecture in 2019. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate the building envelope, its effect on lighting, and occupants’ comfort and visual impressions. One goal is to address how “green” design can result in comfortable and aesthetically pleasant design. Azadeh focuses on evaluating and minimizing the discrepancies between the design of an envelope compared to the actual experience of it. This can be achieved by bridging the gap between building technology, design quality, and by humanizing data though the use of immersive visualizations such as virtual reality (VR).

In her doctoral research, Azadeh introduced new methods to measure users’ perceptions of the spatial distribution of light, as well as a system that allows measured data to be traced back to the façade for further design optimization and adjustment. To evaluate the qualitative aspects of façade design, she conducted an experimental study in VR using Oculus. Additionally, she measured the effects of color, the use of furniture, and rendering mode on the subjective evaluation of participants in the immersive Oculus headset. The overarching aim of this research was to determine the relationship between the data measured through simulation software and the subjective visual impressions of users in virtual reality. Results show that participants’ perception and overall preference for a space is associated less to actual measured values and more to the design of the façade, its complexity, and its dynamics. This is important in the realm of design, especially in designing “green” buildings, as post-occupancy surveys on occupants’ satisfaction with lighting may be less related to the actual levels and more to the overall light quality and ambiance of the building.

This research contributes a new way to create and evaluate building envelopes and allows designers to understand the effect of façade design on natural light propagation, so such designs can be adjusted for improved performance. The research pushes boundaries and engages in dynamic new debates regarding qualitative assessment of architectural environment in immersive VR by creating three-dimensional, physically based scenes rendered in Radiance and used in VR for user preference studies. Based on this work, Azadeh was awarded the Dow Doctoral Fellowship, the Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship and the Jonathan Speirs Scholarship and medal, as well as research awards from the Building Technology department at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.

Going forward, Azadeh plans to extend her current research to close the disconnect between measured environmental values and users’ sensory and perceptual experience. Additionally, she would like to investigate the effect of kinetic systems and smart materials on occupants’ health, comfort and circadian rhythm.

At Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Azadeh focused on integrating ornamental and complex design with lighting and energy performance criteria and fabrication to highlight the possibilities and challenges of making complex design perform better than standard recommended benchmarks. Her research was published and presented at the International Building Performance Simulation Association conference in Sydney, Australia and awarded the Daniel L. Schodek Award for Technology and Sustainability at Harvard University. Her studies for the Master of Science degree in Architecture focused on the integration of architecture, building technology, survey methodology and psychology to stress the importance of integrating various fields in the creation of a design to maximize its performance relating to aesthetics, function, and physical and psychological comfort.

Azadeh earned a Ph.D. as a Rackham Predoctoral Fellow in the Building Technology department at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan in 2019. She has a Master of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Design Studies from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She is the 2011 recipient of the Harvard Daniel L. Schodek Award for Technology and Sustainability. Her research focuses on building skin design, performance and evaluation. She received a Bachelor of Architecture with distinction from California College of the Arts in San Francisco in 2008, where she received the Technology Book award. Sawyer has been a LEED accredited professional since 2008.