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window

vr.tr.window · thing-q35473

Let an agent treat a window as the part of a building envelope that is simultaneously an opening, a barrier and a route, and decide what may be done at it.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.MAT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Opening and operation How it opens, how far, and what that permits.

Opening type and range

The mechanism and how far it travels.

Opening geometry

How it opens and what clear opening that leaves.

  1. How does this window open, and what clear opening does it leave when fully open? measurement
  2. What restricts that opening, and who may remove the restriction? action

Operational state

Whether it currently opens, closes and locks.

Current operability

The difference between designed and actual operation.

  1. Does this window currently open, close and lock as designed? measurement
  2. What must an agent do about a window that cannot be closed or cannot be opened? action
Envelope performance What it does to heat, sound and water.

Thermal performance

Transmittance, solar gain and where the losses are.

Thermal behaviour

How much heat it loses and gains, and through what.

  1. What is the thermal transmittance of this window, measured or inferred how? measurement
  2. Does the loss come through the glazing, the frame or the fit, and how would that be told apart? boundary

Weather and sound

Water tightness, draughts and noise.

Sealing performance

Whether it keeps weather and noise out, and where it fails.

  1. How well does this window resist wind-driven rain and air leakage? measurement
  2. What does a failure here mean for the room behind it? action
Safety and security Injury, escape and forced entry.

Glazing safety

Where safety glass is required and what it does.

Glass type and its duty

Which glass is fitted and what the code required.

  1. What glass is fitted, and does its class meet what the position requires? definition
  2. What must be replaced rather than repaired when it fails? action

Escape and entry

Escape provision and resistance to forced entry.

Escape and security duties

What this window must provide and resist.

  1. Is this window required to serve as an escape opening, and does it meet that requirement? boundary
  2. What resistance to forced entry does it offer, and what would improve it without blocking escape? action
Maintenance and replacement Keeping it working and changing it.

Condition

Frame, seals, glazing and ironmongery.

Condition and its trajectory

What is failing and how fast.

  1. What condition are the frame, seals and ironmongery in? measurement
  2. Which defect makes the window unusable rather than merely worse? boundary

Replacement constraints

What a replacement must meet, and what permission it needs.

Replacement rules

The standard a new window must reach and who must approve it.

  1. What must a replacement window meet in this building and jurisdiction? definition
  2. Whose consent is required where the building is listed or in a controlled area? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.MAT
Other names and narrower kinds
display window, bay window, katōmado, Homeja, rhombus window, picture window, Standy window, round window, broken window, segmental arch window, French window, Carved wooden window

What it is Filled

An opening in a wall or roof that admits light or air and may provide a view, with or without glazing, and that may be fixed or openable.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent treat a window as the part of a building envelope that is simultaneously an opening, a barrier and a route, and decide what may be done at it.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • A window is an opening in a wall or roof that admits light or air, whether fixed or openable.
  • A window may be glazed or unglazed, so glazing alone does not distinguish it from a vent or hatch.
  • A window is part of a building rather than a piece of furniture, so it belongs to the building in law.
  • Where a frame and glazing are present, their separate replacement and rating depend on the window design.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Open a window where a child or a vulnerable person could fall.
  • Leave windows open that leave a building unsecured when the occupants are away.
  • Use a window to observe or record the people inside without consent.

Only with a human decision

  • Breaking a window to reach someone in an emergency.

May

  • Open and close windows for ventilation and temperature when the occupant allows it.
  • Report broken glass, failed seals and unsecured windows.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Windows are where privacy meets the street: looking in is intrusion.
  • Falls from windows injure children; safety restrictors exist for a reason.

Who is affected

  • Occupants
  • Passers-by below the window

Owners Filled

Steward

The owner of the building; occupants control everyday use.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q1124247 - registry parent class
  • Q135899982 - registry parent class
  • Q206615 - registry parent class
  • Q391414 - registry parent class

related

  • building envelope - its performance is only meaningful as part of the envelope
  • glazing - the glass is a component; the window is the assembly and the opening
  • unauthorised entry - security models treat it as the weak point of a wall
  • building code - escape, ventilation, safety glass and thermal performance are all mandated

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.window
  • Wikidata: Q35473 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q35473)
  • position reference: building-specific windows are identified by where they are, not by a number they carry
  • glazing unit marking: etched in a corner identifies the unit and its safety class

Direct properties required Filled

  • thermal transmittance: 0.8-5.8 W/m2K - the range from modern triple glazing to single glazing in a metal frame
  • area: 0.3-6 m2
  • sound reduction: 25-45 dB - depends on the seal as much as the glass

Recognition required Filled

  • Frame material and profile, which indicate age and thermal performance better than the glass does
  • Number of panes, visible as multiple reflections at an angle, which separates single from double and triple glazing
  • Opening style - fixed, casement, sash, tilt-turn - which decides what can be done at it
  • Safety marks etched in a corner, which say whether the glass is toughened or laminated
  • A framed transparent panel set into a wall or roof, from a hand-sized pane to a full storey, with the frame material and the number of panes visible from outside.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • look through it, which is its first purpose and its first privacy problem
  • open and close it, where it opens at all
  • break it, which is the usual way into a building
  • clean, glaze and reglaze it
  • block it - shutters, blinds, film - which changes every property it has

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Seal failure in double glazing, seen as misting between panes and unfixable without replacing the unit
  • Rot and corrosion in the frame, which is where most windows actually fail
  • Falls from open windows, which is why opening restrictors exist above ground level
  • Injury from non-safety glass at low level
  • Condensation and the mould that follows it, a ventilation failure that shows up at the window

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Building codes, which mandate escape openings, safety glazing near floors and doors, and ventilation
  • Thermal performance requirements, which decide what may be installed in a replacement
  • Fire regulations, which govern glazing in escape routes and near boundaries

Context of use required Filled

  • Letting light and air in and keeping weather, noise and intruders out, while letting people see through.
  • by opening: fixed, casement, sash, tilt-turn, pivot, roof light
  • by glazing: single, double, triple, laminated, toughened, obscured
  • by frame: timber, uPVC, aluminium, steel, composite

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q35473: window - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Window - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should the window, the opening and the glazing unit be one model or three, given that they are replaced on different cycles?
  • How should escape-window requirements be represented when they depend on the room rather than the window?
  • What evidence should an agent require before treating a window as suitable for escape or for a child-occupied room?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q35473/spec.json