ABSTRACT This research proposes the use of membrane-assisted radiant panels to improve the thermal comfort of naturally ventilated spaces in hot and humid climates. These radiant panels are capable of conditioning naturally ventilated spaces, which is impractical with conventional mechanical cooling systems. For conventional systems, a permeable envelope will result in energy wastage from conditioned

ABSTRACT As one of the representative parameters for human energy metabolism, the metabolic rate has been considered as the significant factor for occupants’ thermal comfort analyses. Despite the importance of metabolic rate as a predictor of thermal comfort modelling, prior works rely on uncertain metabolic rate estimation without considering actual activity variations while occupying a building.

ABSTRACT This article analyses the integration of green building with the largest low-income housing production programme in the US and the innovativeness of state housing agencies. Drawing on policy innovation literature, panel data and regression analysis are employed to quantify associations between state-level characteristics and the adoption of green building criteria into the Low-Income Housing

ABSTRACT This study proposes a novel 10-point numerical scale to evaluate long-term thermal comfort satisfaction. The available scale that verbally evaluates the short-term thermal comfort is thermal sensation vote (TSV) and this has substituted for the long-term thermal comfort assessment. However, the TSV has been questioned by many studies due to the ambiguous, widely different interpretation of

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to determine the socio-economic effects of investing in an energy-efficient renovation of public buildings in the Republic of Croatia. Valorization of economic effects is based on the gross value added and jobs that were induced by energy renovation. Analysis techniques of an open and closed input–output model were used for the quantification of multiplicative economic

ABSTRACT Airtightness refers to the amount of air leakage through a building’s envelope. This uncontrolled exchange of air between inside and outside, either infiltration or exfiltration, may lead to thermal discomfort. Nevertheless, little or no attention has been given to airtightness in some countries including Brazil. In Brazil, a range of different strategies are suitable to achieve thermal comfort

The fast development of urban advancement in the past decade requires reasonable and realistic solutions for transport, building infrastructure, natural conditions, and personal satisfaction in smart cities. This paper presents and explores predictive energy consumption models based on data-mining techniques for a smart small-scale steel industry in South Korea. Energy consumption data is collected

Hospitals are highly energy-demanding buildings, where simple actuations can involve large savings. However, energy efficiency actions must comply with the high safety standards. Operating rooms demand continuous ventilation despite the short activity periods. Setback during non-occupation of the operating rooms can reduce ventilation loads but must not hinder indoor overpressure to avoid infiltrations

The popularity of Neighborhood Sustainability Assessment Tools (NSATs) has grown over the past decade, which has led to the replications of these tools in different regions but also their limitations. One of the most notable limitations is the inadequate recognition of the complexities of the institutional dimensions (i.e. policies, laws, and regulation) that contribute to mainstreaming and operationalizing

Post-occupancy evaluation is a well-known research method documenting occupants’ satisfaction with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors. Despite potentially significant roles of gender differences in IEQ satisfaction, it has not always been acknowledged by researchers and findings are debated. Through a self-administered questionnaire over nine years, students (n = 3140) in 11 different higher

Efforts are being directed towards the implementation of data analysis in various areas of policymaking. In many studies, data analysis has been conducted by applying scientific methods on objective data. However, very few studies have dealt with this aspect pragmatically, starting from the data collection stage. This paper presents knowledge and reasoning systems for establishing city policies based

The integration of transformative pedagogies into curricula is recognized as a strategy to deal with the new demands of complexity in learning, which include equipping future professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to transition to a low carbon built environment. It requires a dedicated interdisciplinary learning environment. Creating this environment remains a challenge due to the lack

The development of policies promoting smart meter adoption is essential to guide the transition towards sustainable use of resources such as water, electricity and gas, as well as inform smart-city initiatives. This article explores household preferences in terms of different smart meters and identifies the amounts that households are willing to pay for different smart meter configurations to monitor

Smart buildings are complex systems, yet architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals often perform their work without considering the human factors of building occupants. Traditionally, the AEC industry has employed a linear design and delivery approach. As buildings become smarter, the AEC industry must adapt. To maximize human well-being and the operational performance of smart

This paper aims to understand and characterize occupant behaviour from a perspective of air conditioner (AC) usage. Therefore, it analyses data collected via a questionnaire applied throughout the Brazilian territory, which resulted in 3,259 valid answers explored by non-parametric statistical methods. The main results obtained were: (i) 89% of interviewed occupants prefer naturally ventilated environments

This study focused on ambient temperature and investigated how it affects architectural liking. In total, 180 volunteers participated in the study. Participants travelled in a virtual reality environment at three different temperatures (15°C, 22°C, 30°C). All other physical interior features (such as moisture, sound, and odour) were eliminated for the study; the main objective was to test the effect

Despite the increased awareness of benefits and opportunities resulting from energy retrofits, there is a lack of information regarding the factors influencing the success of energy retrofits – especially deep energy retrofits – aiming to achieve a net zero energy goal. The aim of this study is to identify factors and variables that could contribute to the successful implementation of energy retrofit

Post-occupancy evaluations (POE) have been often used to study user satisfaction with office environments. More recently, POEs have been recognized for documenting occupant well-being and responses to 26 indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors that incorporate sustainable design guidelines such as thermal, lighting, and acoustic conditions. The Sustainable Post-Occupancy Evaluation Surveys (SPOES)

ABSTRACT In addition to the scalability of new computation technologies considering their potentials and limitations, recent applications of embedded computation ensure its possible uses in the scope of urban computing and policymaking strategies. This study examines methods of crowdsourcing with the aim of incremental transformation of the built environment through the experimental exploration of

Compared to buildings constructed in situ, prefabricated buildings (PBs) offer many environmental benefits in terms of carbon emissions, energy consumption, material consumption, and waste generation. To mitigate adverse impacts by the building sector on the environment, PBs have been widely applied in many countries. Although PB policies (PBPs) have played a significant role in guiding, supporting

While there is broad evidence of the impact of tangible factors (i.e. room temperature, indoor air quality) on work well-being and productivity, the objective measurement of intangible factors (i.e. ergonomics and privacy) is still an under-researched subject. A holistic approach to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has been developed in this study by combining the research dimensions of IEQ factors

ABSTRACT At universities worldwide, creating a ‘smart campus’ is gaining significance. This is a response to the increasingly dynamic use of the campus and the pressure on resources: energy, financial and human resources. The university community has become more mobile, student numbers more unpredictable and funding more uncertain. Consequently, campus strategies focus on resource efficiency and sharing

In order to meet increasing social demand for atypical buildings and spaces, architects must be able to design an atypically shaped building. However, such design outcomes and processes often ignore the central element of architecture—namely, the human factor. In this context, virtual users (VUsers) are regarded as a suitable solution to this problem. In the previous field research, we investigated

It is very important to improve the operation and management efficiency of data and network for the construction of smart cities. The current trust infrastructure in smart cities shows obvious shortcomings, accordingly, this paper proposed the idea of applying blockchain to smart city systems and as their trust infrastructure. The research method is: firstly, the network architecture and data architecture

The integrated pipe gallery, also known as urban lifeline, is a significant content of the smart city. While the video surveillance system is a crucial part of the integrated pipe gallery, which provides a basis for the construction of smart city. Due to the large amount of video data, manual monitoring is a time-consuming and laborious task. To address the above problems, we propose a neural network-based

At present, workplace researchers lack a suitable methodology for combining objective indoor environmental quality (IEQ) data with repeated subjective assessments of comfort in real offices. To address this gap, we conducted a study at two office sites. Four IEQ parameters (carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity, and illuminance) were continuously monitored at each site, and brief environmental comfort

Research and practice agree that decisions taken early in a project have a higher impact and are less costly. Current building performance assessment methods are not suited to accommodate the responsiveness required for early design processes and are often used for validation in the later stages where the feedback has little design impact. Tools developed specifically for early-stage Design Decision

Evacuation navigation in emergencies such as fires is one of the most important operational considerations for a building. The large and complicated interior spaces, as well as the intensive population significantly increase the difficulty of fire evacuation in large-scale buildings. The environmental changes such as the spread of a fire and the flow of evacuees exacerbate the difficulties of fire

ABSTRACT Many buildings suitable as bat roosts contain synthetic roofing materials, hereafter referred to as Non-Bitumen Coated Roofing Membranes (NBCRMs) – this includes Breathable Roofing Membranes (BRMs) and non-Permeable Roofing Membranes (nPRMs), rather than 1F felts. Building regulations require all construction materials to be fit for purpose, but some BRMs (although appropriate for their intended

Natural ventilation can be incorporated into buildings to decrease energy use and the associated greenhouse gas emissions of buildings. However, mechanical cooling has largely replaced natural ventilation in commercial buildings in Canada and the US. This study evaluates the potential for natural ventilation under climate change. To this end, a typical office space in a mixed-mode building in 14 cities

The current proliferation of custom information exchange initiatives in projects disrupts information exchange routines of design and construction firms. This paper investigates how firms perceive, interpret, and act upon information exchange requirements that do not align with their existing routines. This case study examines a construction project for which the owner specified highly custom requirements

Architects and healthcare organizations involved in designing healthcare environments highly value insights gained through research to inform their practice. Obtaining research funding increasingly presupposes economic and/or societal value of research outcomes. Our study aims to gain a nuanced understanding of what knowledge transfer in an inter- and transdisciplinary context, like healthcare building

The study examines stress indices and occupants’ comfort in a cross-laminated timber school building in the Northeast US in different seasons. The case study has won different awards for its sustainability credentials and use of structural timber for the construction. The environmental parameters were measured in the cold and warm periods. Thermal comfort models were applied to evaluate the occupants’

ABSTRACT Stress is a major public health concern and work stress is a contributor to both acute and chronic stress. Moreover, most people spend the majority of their time indoors. It follows that the design of office spaces and other interior environments should consider the health impacts of individuals in terms of psychophysiological responses to stress. In this way, buildings can act as an environmental

Post-Occupancy Evaluations are used to study occupants’ well-being and subjective responses to indoor environmental quality (IEQ), including factors such as thermal, lighting, and acoustic conditions. In this research, a large-scale study analysed 2275 occupants’ responses from 30 workplace buildings across nine years to explore the diverse impacts of demographic factors on IEQ satisfaction. The Sustainable

This paper presents an exploration of the relationship between ward air temperature, radiative effects and hypothermic risk in elderly male orthopaedic patients admitted to a clinical ward in a university hospital. Five bed spaces have their air temperature measured alongside appropriately chosen periods of time-lapse thermography used to assess the probably mean radiative influences. Associated patient

The implementation of environmental satisfaction sources in the design of a health centre is a means to achieve stress reduction. The present work analyses the effect that these sources have on the stress reduction of patients’ companions in a paediatric service. A two-phase study was carried out. During the first phase, 120 participants assessed 20 waiting rooms in situ in order to select the environmental

The experience of cancer patients often includes numerous consultations and procedures taking place in a variety of (cancer) care facilities. Relatives and care professionals play a part and have unique perspectives. This article describes the roles cancer care facilities play in the well-being of patients, relatives, and care professionals, and identifies spatial aspects contributing to these roles

The aim of this study was to learn views from healthcare practitioners and the general public for housing communal amenities that could best support senior well-being for ageing in place. The literature review identified 30 popular communal amenities and was tested via a questionnaire survey conducted in Taiwan. Participants (N = 759) evaluated the importance level of the proposed amenities with five-point

ABSTRACT ISO/NP TS 19488 constitutes a basis for classifying residential buildings according to their acoustic performance. The new Turkish Regulation defines the minimum requirements for all building types and introduces a similar classification scheme. This paper aims to contribute to the applicability discussions by clarifying and testing the methodology that is to be pursued in order to verify

ABSTRACT Shelters for the displaced can suffer from socio-cultural incompatibility and significant levels of occupant dissatisfaction. Participatory design (PD) is known to help reduce such issues. This is the first study to investigate the effectiveness of different PD methods at engaging and capturing users’ needs for shelter design in refugee camps. It also aimed to identify which visualization

Evaporative air coolers are widely accepted for outdoor use in the tropical climates of Thailand. However, their contribution to achieving indoor thermal comfort is still undetermined. The purposes of this study are to determine the thermal comfort level achieved by evaporative air coolers and identify variables affecting thermal comfort when using an evaporative air cooler indoors in the tropical

Despite the undeniable need for enhancements in hospital building design, there remain issues in the transition of and translation from research to innovation. While the literature highlights the Research/Practice gap as the prime obstacle, the interplay between research and other variables impacting design innovation remains unclear. This paper aims to understand the innovation system in hospital

Terrestrial laser scanning is a simple and nondestructive method for the high-accuracy, three-dimensional mapping of buildings and structures. It yields a high-resolution point cloud, allowing for comprehensive and reliable diagnosis of the target building. However, there are difficulties in processing such large datasets. Commercial software typically reduces the datasets using random methods, resulting

ABSTRACT Biofilms developed on historical heritage buildings are made of various microbial communities settled and anchored in a substrate. They provide a good medium to the development of macroscopic vegetation which causes irreversible and physical damage to stone structure. Infrared thermography (IRT) measurements have been performed in laboratory scale to investigate the applicability of this non-destructive

Heritage buildings are valuable assets to the community. Thus, they require continuous monitoring to preserve their values. But, in many cases, these values are influenced negatively due to improper interventions. Cultural heritage significance is a core value that should be preserved. Therefore, this study focuses on examining the impact of physical alterations on this value to detect the failures

Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is the most effective method of rebuilding virtual 3D models of heritage buildings, and constitutes a new information management system in the field of cultural heritage interventions. In this study, photogrammetry based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV photogrammetry) was applied as an alternative to Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) for the development

The Jubilee Church in the south-eastern outskirts of Rome is one of the first buildings constructed with super white reinforced concrete with self-cleaning photocatalytic cement. However, 16 years after the opening of the building, the self-cleaning and colour-preserving properties arising from the titania particles (TiO2) within the concrete mix are not meeting the design requirements and the concrete

This study conducted a comparison between biocide treatments based on nanoparticles of silver, copper, ZnO, TiO2 and silver/ TiO2 nanocomposites to analyse their capability to inhibit microalgal fouling on stone buildings. Biofouling is one of the main alterations on stone façades, causes degradation of their constituent materials and interferes with their aesthetic values. The proposed treatments

In this research, a methodology for the service life prediction of external timber claddings is proposed and discussed. The proposed model is based on the visual assessment of 110 timber claddings, subjected to real exposure conditions. The claddings under analysis belong to 80 buildings, with and without heritage characteristics, located in Valdivia and Niebla, South Chile. Timber claddings are a

End users’ maintenance requests gathered from computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) configure a rich source of information to evaluate the occupants’ satisfaction and the building systems. Nevertheless, the non-standardized data gathered from CMMS makes it difficult to carry out analytics. This paper presents a text mining approach to extract information from end users’ maintenance requests

The purpose of this paper is to explore and measure the performance of Facilities Management (FM) services in Ghana’s public hospitals. Given that poor FM practices can significantly hinder the delivery of hospitals’ core services, measuring FM performance is a key step towards ensuring optimal service delivery, and an essential tool for effective implementation of FM strategy. The research employs

Air cleanliness is of particular importance in clean environments, as a small source of contamination can highly disturb the true function of space. One common-place approach is to establish a positive pressure relative to adjacent areas that would avoid unwanted airborne particles. However, door operation and the movement of traffic may result in air mixing across the cleanroom door. This paper presents

It is important for organizations to support employees with suitable workspaces during different activities. Increasingly the activity-based office is seen as the optimal solution, as it provides people with choice between different types of workspaces to perform specific activities. This study addresses the trade-offs knowledge workers make when choosing a workspace for performing three different

(2020). The Impact of Overbuilding on People and the Planet. Building Research & Information: Vol. 48, No. 6, pp. 700-701.

(2020). Correction. Building Research & Information. Ahead of Print.

A frequently stated hallmark of certified green homes is that they are ‘healthier’ and provide superior thermal comfort. This usually requires increasing insulation levels from code requirements on the understanding that this will provide a warmer, drier internal environment. However this solution to ‘cold and damp’ housing may have unintended consequences; while highly insulated dwellings may be warm

ABSTRACT Architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) research often engages linear approaches for embedding/implementing/diffusing new technology into existing business systems and processes. However, developments in information and communication technology (ICT) often fail to deliver their full potential for a number of reasons. This paper presents these challenges and highlights the need to

ABSTRACT Health is a trending topic in the office market, yet scientific research on healthy offices is scattered. This study undertakes a systematic literature review on the relationship between the interior space of offices and physical, psychological and social well-being. The review identifies the characteristics of interior office space that have been studied in relation to employee health, and

In this paper, we define the hygrothermal properties of a rammed earth wall through experimental analysis, relating thermal parameters to moisture content. These tests were conducted in Campo de Criptana (Ciudad Real, Spain), and the wall examined in this study is a 70-cm-thick north-facing rammed earth wall that is part of an occupied traditional dwelling Ambient and surface temperature and humidity