UX/UI | Product Design
Bert Platform Solution® Deployed in International airports for Thermal & air quality Comfort. The areas are catered by VAVs (Variable Air Valves) and AHUs (Air Handling Units).
(Due to NDA restrictions, details are limited)
How might we ensure optimal thermal and air quality comfort in the airport?
Modern airport operations are increasingly complex, with thermal comfort and air quality being critical for passenger satisfaction and staff productivity. Despite advanced HVAC systems, many airports still lack intelligent control solutions that optimize comfort while minimizing energy consumption.
Airports are high-traffic environments where passenger comfort is crucial. Maintaining optimal thermal conditions and air quality is a constant challenge, especially with varying occupancy, flight schedules, and diverse passenger needs. Can airport operators ensure consistent comfort for all passengers and staff while optimizing energy use across complex HVAC systems?
We set out to understand the challenges in maintaining consistent thermal comfort and air quality for passengers and airport staff, despite fluctuating occupancy, diverse environmental conditions, and the complexity of HVAC operations.
Implemented an AI + IoT-enabled comfort optimisation solution across multiple airport zones.
Integrated Variable Air Valves (VAVs) and Air Handling Units (AHUs) into a unified, intelligent control ecosystem.
Enhanced thermal comfort consistency and indoor air quality through real-time adaptive control.
Enabled data-driven insights by linking occupancy patterns, flight schedules, and environmental conditions.
Achieved measurable energy savings while maintaining optimal comfort for passengers and staff.
Established a scalable model that became the foundation for subsequent international airport deployments.
understand the challenges
To understand the challenges of maintaining thermal comfort and air quality in a new large-scale international airport, Our team conducted discussions with key stakeholders:
The airport's existing thermal control system relied heavily on manual monitoring and adjustments. We reviewed the current BMS operations and gathered insights on how HVAC set points were managed across different zones. The system required operators to constantly observe temperature and PMV readings and make changes based on human approximation. Through our review, we understood:
To address the challenges of manual thermal control and inconsistent comfort levels, we proposed a smart, automated solution leveraging Bert Labs expertise in predictive thermal comfort and energy optimisation. The solution includes:
By integrating Bert Labs PMV-based models with the airport's BMS, the system enables automated, data-driven thermal control, reduces manual interventions, maintains consistent comfort across zones, and provides actionable insights to optimise energy usage.
Seon is 42 years old and serves as the Head of Airport Operations at the international airport in Singapore. He oversees terminal operations, ensuring a balance between passenger comfort, system performance, and energy efficiency.
Seon wants to monitor real-time and historical comfort data across terminals. He needs comparisons between actual and recommended PMV values to assess performance. He wants access to smart reports and energy-saving summaries to review with his management team. He aims to ensure thermal comfort and sustainability targets are consistently met.
Seon regularly reviews reports and dashboards to evaluate operational efficiency. He discusses system performance insights with digital and BMS teams. He values data visualisation and trend analysis over raw data tables.
Desmond is 35 years old and works as a Building Management System (BMS) Operator at the international airport. He monitors the HVAC systems across multiple zones to maintain passenger comfort and ensure smooth day-to-day operations.
Desmond wants to easily observe real-time PMV values across airport zones. He needs clear indicators showing whether each area is within or outside the comfort range. He looks for automated suggestions or alerts when the PMV starts to drift, so he can act quickly. He wants the system to reduce manual set point adjustments and save time.
Desmond job frequently switches between BMS screens to check values and make manual changes. He relies on experience and approximation when deciding which set points to modify. He prefers simple, visual interfaces that clearly highlight comfort deviations. He cross checks comfort data with HVAC performance metrics to ensure system stability.
In order to understand what pages or functionality will be needed for Praneeth and Seun to accomplish his goal, I mapped out the User flows.
We had already designed a sitemap structure for the Bert Platform Solution projects, which had its own framework, so I needed to find a balance with the airport's existing dashboard design.
While our initial recommendation included fixed temperature set points for each zone to maintain consistent comfort and system efficiency, the client requested a range-based configuration with lower and upper set points to suit their operational requirements.
In order to ensure a clear structure of the app, I've created a sitemap, based on the user flows.
I turned the sketches to a clickable prototype. This allowed me to quickly test my solution and iterate on it.
The Airport Dashboard prototype was tested with 3 users, including 2 members from the BMS operations and 1 airport facility management teams.
The findings from the usability Test sessions were documented and rated by severity.
The most severe problems were:
These issues were addressed in the next high-fidelity iteration of the Airport Dashboard.
I refined the visual hierarchy, gave stronger emphasis to comfort metrics (PMV, temperature, humidity), improved role-based access flows, and standardised icons and alert colours for consistency across the platform.
“Track overall Thermal & Air Quality comfort at a glance”
“Monitor total energy savings”
“Review comfort history, analysis performance”
“Ensure optimal comfort for each Zone”
“Edit roles, assign new permissions, and maintain consistent access control”
Working on the Airport Dashboard project gave me the opportunity to design for a highly technical and operational environment where precision, data clarity, and usability directly impact real-world performance. Collaborating with the BMS team, airport operations, and digital officers helped me bridge the gap between engineering logic and user-centered design.
Despite the complexity of the system, I was able to translate dense HVAC data into intuitive, visual interfaces that support quick decision-making. This project taught me the importance of designing for clarity, not just aesthetics.
I've gathered key learnings across the process:
Moving into the high-fidelity stage, I realised how much impact small details can have on usability and operator confidence. Building this prototype also strengthened my understanding of how AI-driven systems and human decision-making can coexist through thoughtful interface design.
During my time at Bert Labs, I also had the opportunity to work on multiple projects across diverse industries such aspharmaceuticals, chemical plants, pulp and paper manufacturing, office complexes, and retail malls. Each project presented unique challenges in automation, energy optimisation, and comfort control allowing me to deepen my understanding of how contextual factors like industry workflows, building types, and user roles influence system design and interaction patterns.
