**Abstract**

This paper addresses the issue of connectivity and its relationship to the architecture of spaces. The internet of things and wifi technology is coming into the forefront of lifestyles in present times. We tend to spend much of our life activities using devices that need internet connectivity, wifi coverage, both indoors and outdoors. The technology behind it is also in the process of shifting gears, from 3G to 4G to 5G soon. However questions arise: How suitable are existing buildings for the sorts of internet technology that are predicted for the future? And how can the coverage and connectivity issue be addressed to give greater efficiency to new buildings? Will we require greater open layouts that give more visual connectivity within interior spaces to permit efficient connectivity between routers, boosters and appliances? The expertise of both Architects who design spaces, as well as RF Engineers who are responsible for setting up the internet systems within the spaces are involved in efficiently handling these queries. The paper incorporates recent studies have revealed that certain building materials may be more suited to Wifi penetration, while others act in a more opaque way. Architects are the main decision-makers regarding the final choice of such questions, but they have very little grounding in the technicalities involved related to connectivity issues. It is important to have them focus on these questions and seek answers through multidisciplinary forums, thus also to deepen collaboration between the related professionals, in order to create more Wifi connectivity in building interiors. From the user perspective, this is a vital need, as the user of today spends enormous amounts of time at these electronic, computing devices that require uninterrupted and quality connectivity. It thus also becomes a question of sustainability.

**Keywords:** wifi connectivity, architecture, propagation losses, sustainability, multi-disciplinary approaches

#### **1. Introduction**

This book discusses issues about emerging technologies and the computing industry, and the focus of this chapter is on internet connectivity within building interiors. The chapter begins with a background on the needs for such connectivity, why Architects need to be concerned with such technical matters, and the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to the issue. It then elaborates on some of the key concepts of connectivity that affect the architecture of spaces, extracting from a study done by the authors, to determine building interior components that affect

connectivity, impacting propagation of radio waves. The results of the study point to certain interior features and their design, to increase efficiency of the system, and minimize propagation losses.

In the discussion, conflicts, between best design scenarios focused on the connectivity issue, and satisfaction of other demands on internal spaces, are revealed. The field is still very new, as development in internet connection and propagation is progressing exponentially, with improvements taking place almost continuously. And if there is a gap in the transfer of knowledge, regarding what is required for good propagation, and what is being designed to house these systems, there is likely to be a clash of intentions, resulting in inefficient systems, and reduced user satisfaction. It is the intention of the authors, through this chapter to bring awareness to these inter-related issues, and to the need for collaboration, between the different professionals designing and implementing the spaces, on the one hand, and the systems, on the other.

In a nutshell, the chapter addresses the issue of the Internet of Things (IoT), wireless connectivity and related issues, as affected by the architecture of built spaces. Based on a recent study completed at BUET on the subject, and on related research, the issues are looked at broadly, from an architectural point of view, and steps that need to be addressed immediately to resolve these, are touched on, with suggested guidelines.

### **2. Lifestyle changes and need for connectivity**

There has been a major shift in lifestyles caused by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This revolution can be defined as a new chapter in human development, built on the previous three industrial revolutions that had shaped life since the mid-eighteenth century onwards: the first developing from water/steam power, the second from electric power, just before the beginning of the twentieth century, and the third building on developments in electronics and information technology, in the second half of the twentieth century [1].

This fourth revolution, begun at the turn of this century, has been enabled by extraordinary technological advances, superseding the three preceding development phases, and here we see a fusion of technology, which blurs the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres. This affects the way that the world is developing in three ways – the speed/pace (exponential) at which changes take place, the scope of the changes (due to unprecedented processing power, access to knowledge, artificial intelligence, blurring of boundaries, digital, nanotechnology, material science, etc), and the impact of the systems (on production, management and governance). And from the point of view of life, this fourth industrial revolution has completely changed the lifestyle of humans. Those who can take advantage of this revolution are the ones that will see progress, others will lag behind. And the scale of the gap will increase incrementally, given the tremendous force and interconnectivity of the phenomenon.

The 4IR has ensured the passage of the internet of things and wireless technology into the forefront of life activities nowadays. The profusion of internet and information technology has led people to spend more and more time at their computers, smart devices and cell phones, spending their work time using these, and their leisure time enjoying them. Smart devices are used for functions ranging from communication, both officially and socially, to shopping, internationally and locally, to virtual meetings and social media, and has likewise extended to virtual education and training. This changed behavior has led the media to refer to today's youth as the 'indoor' generation, and research finds that around

*Internet Connectivity in Building Interiors: Architecture and Sustainability Considerations DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.95968*

90 percent of people spend close to 22 hours indoors each day in the developed world [2], at the present time.

Throughout history, people have tried to adapt Indoor conditions to suit their needs, and based them on their available resources and know-how. But the needs, as well as available knowledge base, have now changed very rapidly, and it is becoming important to examine how suited today's built spaces are, to accommodate these new needs, given the technology available to us. There are two major avenues of investigation here: whether the buildings allow proper conditions needed for such exchanges and activities, and whether the buildings can protect humans from any adverse effects of these exchanges.

Moreover, the technology behind the internet of things, is also in the process of shifting gears, from 3G to the present 4G, which is being upgraded to 5G soon. Up until now, this domain has been dominated only by RF (Radio Frequency) engineers, those who focus their expertise on the propagation of radio waves, and on their efficient and seamless transmission. RF Engineers work on improvement of the performance of wireless communication, by ensuring good RF signal strength at the receiver [3]. The need for Architects to be involved in these considerations is paramount at the moment, as it is they who are primarily responsible for designing and shaping the built environment, where all this propagation is to take place. They are the ones who will be ascertaining the arrival and receipt of any propagation, and thereby the success of such connectivity issues.

#### **3. The building Internet of things (BIoT)**

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expanding exponentially, with improvements in connectivity and the related technology. It is now an important instrument, in the process used to communicate with society, and is thus increasing the participatory approach to a myriad of things. This phenomenon is driving much of human activity, and is one of the most compelling factors that are making humans into sedentary beings, focussed solely on indoor living. When considered within buildings themselves, this phenomenon is termed BIoT, or Building Internet of Things (BIoT).

Another important innovation of recent times, is related to connectivity of equipment within 'smart' buildings, i.e. buildings having automated solutions for security, safety, energy management, comfort, entertainment, health, and so forth, all dependent on machine to machine (M2M) communication. This too is now becoming an integral part of BIoT and daily living, and occupants now depend on smart solutions within buildings, to ensure much that was previously under the domain of behavioral response, like adjusting window openings for thermal comfort, or controlling lighting level manually or using curtains and so on. In a smart building, service robots, and other devices for desired control, can be programmed to perform many of these activities, using 4G or 5G platforms, as indicated in **Figure 1** [4].

Recent studies have revealed that certain building materials and their properties may be more suited to wireless signal penetration, while others are relatively opaque. Since Architects are the main decision-makers, regarding the final choice of such questions as above, while they have very little grounding in the technicalities involved, it is important to have them reflect on such questions, and seek answers through multi-disciplinary forums, thus also to deepen collaboration between the related professionals, in order to create more wireless connectivity in building interiors. From the user perspective, this is a vital need, as the user of today spends enormous amounts of time at these electronic, computing devices that require

**Figure 1.** *Automated devices using 4G or 5G platform in smart buildings [4].*

uninterrupted and quality connectivity. It is seen, therefore, that the performance of wireless communication is finding more direct bearing on the satisfaction level of users of the building, contributing thus to both their performance, as well as user comfort, above and over issues of comfort in terms of other environmental variables. It is becoming increasingly important now, to initiate studies on this aspect of comfort, as an added dimension of evaluating building performance, in a way that was in the past studied with reference to thermal and visual comfort issues.
