LEL granted Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) award

The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center recently approved the lab’s request for supercomputing resources, which will be used for the lab’s research on Creative Workplace Alchemies: Using Computer Vision and Machine Learning to Study Occupancy of Individual Workspaces and Collaboration Hotspots.

Abstract. Much like creative knowledge work environments, studio-based design education environments are changing rapidly to include: multidisciplinary teams, information technology, geographically distributed teams, and flexible workspaces. Factors such as, architectural space design, furniture choices, technical infrastructure features, acoustics, socio-cultural norms, and privacy and visibility of wall-sized displays support or hinder workers in creative environments. The studio has four connected spaces: individual workspaces, collaborative spaces, a kitchen and social café area, and a distance-learning class-room. I analyze a design studio environment through time-lapse photography. This research uses vision algorithms and machine learning to identify locations where people and teams worked. In prior research we noted that teams worked more often in locations that were less visible from other locations, provided greater laptop screen and display privacy, had whiteboards, and electrical outlets. Students did individual work throughout the studio-suite regardless of the function assigned to the spaces.