WaterAware workshop programme
When & where: Monday 14th of May, 2018 in HSB Living Lab (Deltaparken 4) (register here)
Duration: 3½ hours
Nic-nacs: post-it notes, markers, scissors, glue, tape, large paper sheets, color printer, 3D printer…
Refreshments: Light dinner/food, snacks, coffee, tea, water
Who: students, tenants in HSB Living Lab, other interested parties
What is it?
The WaterAware workshop focus on exploring data driven approaches to enabling and facilitating water saving behavior and habits in the residential setting. In HSB Living Lab research and innovation arena there is a unique opportunity for co-creation and user-centered approach. By inviting tenants and students to this workshop we expect exciting results. What does domestic water supply mean to us? How do we use it? When do we use it? Which experience is connected to water use? What meaningful ways are there to facilitate a frugal water usage habit?
By participating in the WaterAware workshop you will learn more about the above, get to listen to invited speaker professor Greg Morrison and also learn more about research and opportunities at Chalmers.
Workshop Schedule
| 16:00 – 16:05 | Welcome and introduction |
| 16:05 – 16:25 | Introduction by professor Greg Morrison, Curtin Universtity, Australia: water challenges in the future and need for innovations |
| 18:00 – | Light dinner meal is served |
| 16:25 – 18:30 | Co-creation workshop session |
| 18:30 – 19:00 | Presentations and Q&A (5-10 minutes) |
| 19:00 – 19:30 | Presentation of research opportunities and closing of the workshop |
Registration here!
Expected output
The output of the workshop should consist a solution (product or service) that aim to raise awareness of the own (and/or community) water consumption and it can be either of the following form:
- A design proposal
- A simple prototype
- A conceptual outline
We the organizers gratefully accepts your notes, sketches, conceptual maps and digital documents at the closing of the workshop to use for creating an exciting story about the workshop, and also to document the outcome.
Introduction and background
Fresh water is a renewable but limited resource. Its extraction, treatment and distribution for drinking water require considerable resources in terms of energy and infrastructure. In the other end of the pipe, collection and treatment of waste water adds to the overall burden. In 2015 households in Sweden consumed 565 million cubic meters of water . Drinking water production generates approximately 40 g CO2/m3 which corresponds to a modest 22600 ton of CO2 per year. However, the largest contributing factor to CO2 emissions are the energy used to produce hot tap water. Considering the Swedish energy mix this equal roughly 2.6 kg eCO2 / m3, or 730 000 ton of eCO2 per year, assuming 50% of water consumption is heated to produce hot tap water.
Figure 1
There are of course other aspects of water preservation as well, such as local renewable fresh water scarcity and infrastructure capacity.
Several reports estimate household water consumption in Sweden to 180-200 liter per person and day, of which roughly 50% is heated and consumed as hot tap water. Thus, there seem to be considerable savings potential.
Workshop structure
After the presentation it is time to start working. Participants can select to work in one or more of the following themes. The themes are not intended as restrictions, but rather intended to spark the creative engine. The direction of the outcome proposal or prototype is not limited to the theme outlines.
Theme 1 –intervention by feedback
What kind of feedback could motivate users to curb their water usage? Can we employ detailed consumption data to generate meaningful and engaging feedback?
Theme 2 – intervention by design
How could we design interfaces and systems to facilitate water savings? Could be appliances, installations or other aspects.
Theme 3 – intervention by restriction
How do we react when access is restricted? Can you come up with acceptable restrictions that could limit usage without compromising too much on comfort and wellbeing?
Handin
We kindly ask participants to document the workshop creative process. You can use anything available. Take photos, make sketches, create models, presentation slides or anything you can think of. All we ask is that you hand it in when the workshop is over so that we can document and tell a story about the workshop to the rest of the world!
Appendix
Data is available through and API endpoint. Data is returned in JSON format. After decoding data example is shown in table below.
| ID | Volume (m3) | Agg volume (m3) | Date and time | Room type | Cluster | Type | Usage point |
| 1 | 0.008 | 9.51 | 2018-04-16 12:32 | Tvättstudio / Utställning | cold water consumption | Vatten Tvättmaskin | |
| 2 | 0.01 | 15.373 | 2018-04-16 12:34 | Tvättstudio / Utställning | cold water consumption | Vatten Tvättmaskin | |
| 3 | 0.01 | 15.373 | 2018-04-16 12:34 | Tvättstudio / Utställning | cold water consumption | Vatten Tvättmaskin | |
| 4 | 0.003 | 12.329 | 2018-04-16 12:43 | Boenderum | C1 | cold water consumption | Vatten WC stol |
| 5 | 0.001 | 6.035 | 2018-04-16 12:41 | Boenderum | C2 | hot water consumption | Tvättställ |
| 6 | 0.001 | 6.035 | 2018-04-16 12:41 | Boenderum | C2 | hot water consumption | Tvättställ |
| 7 | 0.005 | 12.747 | 2018-04-16 12:37 | Boenderum | C2 | cold water consumption | Vatten WC stol |
| 8 | 0.003 | 28.78 | 2018-04-16 12:37 | Gemensamt | C2 | cold water consumption | Tappvatten Kök |
| 9 | 0.001 | 28.946 | 2018-04-16 12:41 | Gemensamt | C8 | cold water consumption | Tappvatten Kök |
| 10 | 0.002 | 28.946 | 2018-04-16 12:41 | Gemensamt | C8 | cold water consumption | Tappvatten Kök |
| 11 | 0.001 | 28.946 | 2018-04-16 12:41 | Gemensamt | C8 | cold water consumption | Tappvatten Kök |
| 12 | 0.001 | 0.929 | 2018-04-16 12:43 | RWC | cold water consumption | Tvättställ | |
| 13 | 0.002 | 1.975 | 2018-04-16 12:26 | Tvättstudio / Utställning | hot water consumption | Vatten Tvättmaskin | |
| 14 | 0.002 | 1.975 | 2018-04-16 12:26 | Tvättstudio / Utställning | hot water consumption | Vatten Tvättmaskin | |