Determination of penetration losses of various building materials to help design a building with better wireless services

Abstract

Architecture is based on the past and built in the present to take care of the future. It also mirrors the various aspect of our lives − social, economic, spiritual, and so forth. Buildings are where people live, work, learn, meet, heal, entertain, shop and perform so many things. The architects design buildings that cannot be separated from history, culture, economy, community, environment, technology and technological impact. However, the world of buildings is merging with advanced technology faster than ever before. The rapid growth of internet usage, and related technology, is bringing new demands for building occupation – improved wireless connectivity. 5G wireless technology and Internet of Things (BIoT) based buildings are going to embrace the future, especially in developed countries. However, in the course of time, ensuring satisfactory wireless signal coverage in buildings is becoming more and more challenging because of various reasons. This thesis seeks, to examine the role of architects, in improving in-building wireless signal coverage, a hitherto unexplored domain, in architectural design. The domain has been dominated by RF engineers, ceaselessly striving towards improving wireless communication, through ensuring good RF signal strength at the receiver. Studies, however, show that the nature of the space, and its bounding surfaces, have a direct influence on signal propagation, and thereby, reception. The need for communication, between RF engineers and architects and designers of buildings, is highlighted, during the design phase of buildings. The thesis also discusses various technological aspects, which can be useful knowledge for architects in order to contribute to in-building wireless coverage. One of the key factors affecting in-building wireless signal coverage is the penetration loss of building materials. Therefore, this thesis performs determination of the penetration loss of some common building materials. The thesis also relates the measured data with other existing information. Based on the present measurement results discussed in this thesis, combined with the scope of architectural design, some guidelines are proposed for architectural interventions, to address the growing challenge of supporting wireless services in buildings. Moreover, the outcome of a proposed architectural solution to some issues related to wireless services in buildings, has been demonstrated, using a MATLAB based numerical analysis.