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Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort
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Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 49970

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yue Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: soundscape; building environment and health; environmental psychology; indoor environment and health; restorative environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zheming Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Jangho Architecture College, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110102, China
Interests: indoor environmental quality; thermal comfort; urban microclimate; building energy efficiency; built environment simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhe Kong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
Interests: daylighting design and simulation; POE study of daylighting quality; HDR-image technique
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The experience of a good indoor environment can result in positive perceptual outcomes, which is related to the occupant’s comfort and well-being. Conversely, noise, uncomfortable temperatures and humidity, dim lighting, poor air quality, and pungent smells can compromise the quality of life and negatively affect their experience of places and even lead to the individual health changes. Therefore, The goal of this research topic is to highlight the importance of indoor environment quality. The purpose is to discuss the relationship between indoor environment and occupant comfort, well-being, and health. The focus could either be on theoretical or methodological aspects.

We especially encourage papers that report on the following topics:

  • Indoor environment quality improvement of public and residential buildings;
  • Impact of indoor environment quality on physiological indicators;
  • Impact of indoor environment quality on psychology and emotion;
  • Interactions between physical environments;
  • Subjective and objective surveys for assessing indoor environment quality;
  • Reports on new or improved equipment, materials, processes, or systems used directly or indirectly in interior environment design;
  • Impact of the acoustic/thermal/light environment on occupant comfort/well-being/health;
  • Indoor thermal environment quality and building energy consumption;
  • Technical aspects related to electric lighting, daylighting, lighting controls, standards, and innovations in design.

Dr. Yue Wu
Dr. Zheming Liu
Dr. Zhe Kong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • indoor environment quality
  • acoustic environment
  • thermal environment
  • luminous environment
  • occupant comfort
  • subjective and objective assessment
  • building energy consumption

Published Papers (22 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 180 KiB  
Editorial
Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort
by Yue Wu, Zheming Liu and Zhe Kong
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1400; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061400 - 29 May 2023
Viewed by 1160
Abstract
Positive indoor environments can improve occupant comfort and well-being by inducing positive perceptual outcomes [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

23 pages, 7103 KiB  
Article
Effect of Interior Space and Window Geometry on Daylighting Performance for Terrace Classrooms of Universities in Severe Cold Regions: A Case Study of Shenyang, China
by Yingjie Jia, Zheming Liu, Yaoxuan Fang, Huiying Zhang, Caiyi Zhao and Xuqiang Cai
Buildings 2023, 13(3), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030603 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1894
Abstract
Good daylighting performance positively affects students’ physical and mental health, learning efficiency, and the building’s energy-saving capability. Due to the terrace classroom having ample space, large capacity, the ability to avoid obstructing sight, and the ability to meet various use needs, it is [...] Read more.
Good daylighting performance positively affects students’ physical and mental health, learning efficiency, and the building’s energy-saving capability. Due to the terrace classroom having ample space, large capacity, the ability to avoid obstructing sight, and the ability to meet various use needs, it is the most important place in university buildings. However, research on the daylighting performance of university terrace classrooms is limited, leading to a lack of quantitative guidance in early design stages. This study aims to explore the effects of interior space and window geometry of terrace classrooms in universities in severe cold regions on daylighting performance. This research took Shenyang as an example; spatial daylight autonomy (sDA300,50%) and useful daylight illuminance (UDI100–2000) were selected as daylighting performance evaluation indices. Based on the Grasshopper parametric platform, the simulation was carried out using Ladybug and Honeybee plugins. Correlation and regression analyses revealed the relationship between interior space and window geometry parameters and the evaluation indices. The results showed the following: window-to-floor ratio (WFR), classroom height (Htc), window height (Hw), window-to-wall ratio (WWR), classroom width (Wtc), and window width (Ww) have positive effects on improving the daylight sufficiency of the terrace classrooms facing each orientation, and the degree of the effect decreases in order. To ensure the overall daylighting performance, the Wtc can be maximized. The width of walls between windows for south-facing and west-facing classrooms should be 0.9 m. The WWR and WFR for south-facing classrooms should be 0.3–0.5 and 0.11–0.14, respectively. The WWR and WFR for north-facing classrooms should be 0.6–0.7 and 0.14–0.20, respectively. Prediction models are established for the sDA300,50% and UDI100–2000 of the terrace classrooms facing each orientation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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23 pages, 1203 KiB  
Article
Profiling Students Based on the Overlap between IEQ and Psychosocial Preferences of Study Places
by Amneh Hamida, AnneMarie Eijkelenboom and Philomena M. Bluyssen
Buildings 2023, 13(1), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010231 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1760
Abstract
Research has shown that students differ in their preferences of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and psychosocial aspects of their study places. Since previous studies have mainly focused on identifying these preferences rather than investigating the different profiles of students, this study aimed at [...] Read more.
Research has shown that students differ in their preferences of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and psychosocial aspects of their study places. Since previous studies have mainly focused on identifying these preferences rather than investigating the different profiles of students, this study aimed at profiling students based on their IEQ and psychosocial preferences of their study places. A questionnaire was completed by 451 bachelor students of the faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. A TwoStep cluster analysis was performed twice separately. First, to cluster the students based on their IEQ preferences, and second based on their psychosocial preferences. This resulted in three clusters under each cluster model. Then, the overlap between these two models was determined and produced nine unique profiles of students, which are: (1) the concerned perfectionist, (2) the concerned extrovert, (3) the concerned non-perfectionist, (4) the visual concerned perfectionist, (5) the visual concerned extrovert, (6) visual concerned non-perfectionist, (7) the unconcerned introvert, (8) the unconcerned extrovert, and (9) the unconcerned non-perfectionist. A number of variables was found to be significantly different among these profiles. This study’s outcome indicates that studying the overlap between IEQ and psychosocial preferences is required to understand the different possible profiles of students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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17 pages, 6380 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Annual Daylighting Performance for Atrium-Based Classrooms of Primary and Secondary Schools in Nanjing, China
by Jin Ma and Qingxin Yang
Buildings 2023, 13(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010011 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1783
Abstract
Influenced by educational policies and newly emerging educational philosophies, the proportion of public space is expanding in primary and secondary schools in China. Consequently, the atrium in school design is increasingly drawing attention due to the consideration of space efficiency and its accommodability [...] Read more.
Influenced by educational policies and newly emerging educational philosophies, the proportion of public space is expanding in primary and secondary schools in China. Consequently, the atrium in school design is increasingly drawing attention due to the consideration of space efficiency and its accommodability for diverse activities. Although many studies have already explored the daylighting performance of atriums, the particularities of primary and secondary schools are rarely noticed, which leads to the lack of a reliable basis for a quick judgment in the early design stage. This study used the annual daylight metrics of Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA300,50%) and Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE1000,250 h) as the indicators, built a parametric model in Grasshopper, conducted the simulation using the Ladybug–Honeybee plug-in, and separately performed the linear regression analysis on the three groups of data from the different types of atriums. The results show that in Nanjing’s climate, the north and east sides of atriums are the most suitable orientations for classrooms, and a corridor width of 3 m ensures high-quality daylight for the bottom floors. The optimal design equations for atrium width and length are provided for the three types of atriums, respectively, hopefully, to ensure that classrooms surrounding the atrium can reach the requirement of sDA300,50% ≥ 0.75, and the design recommendations are offered based on the results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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14 pages, 4776 KiB  
Article
Lightweight Composite Partitions with High Sound Insulation in Hotel Interior Spaces: Design and Application
by Ting Qu, Bo Wang and Hequn Min
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2184; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122184 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1728
Abstract
Sound insulation performance of partitions is one of the key factors contributing to the comfort of the hotel interior spaces. Based on the theory of constrained layer damping, this study proposed the light-weight composite partition structure with high sound insulation, which was composed [...] Read more.
Sound insulation performance of partitions is one of the key factors contributing to the comfort of the hotel interior spaces. Based on the theory of constrained layer damping, this study proposed the light-weight composite partition structure with high sound insulation, which was composed of gypsum boards of different thicknesses and an isobutylene isoprene rubber board. The normal incidence sound transmission loss of the structure was evaluated through finite element simulations as well as experiments, which were conducted in a standing wave tube. The results show that the simulation and experimental results of two kinds of lightweight high sound insulation multi-layer composite partition walls are closely aligned; the surface density of the optimized partition wall was less than 42 kg/m2, although the normal incidence STL exceeded 51.8 dB at 200 Hz and at 1/3 octave of 1000 Hz with the maximum value of 58.5 dB. The lightweight composite partition wall with high sound insulation has a huge application potential in enhancing the sound environment quality of hotels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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18 pages, 3543 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Passive Cooling and Thermal Comfort in Historical Residential Buildings in Zanzibar
by Chang Liu, Hui Xie, Hartha Mohammed Ali and Jing Liu
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2149; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122149 - 6 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2358
Abstract
Indoor thermal comfort is essential for occupants’ well-being, productivity, and efficiency. Global climate change is leading to extremely high temperatures and more intense solar radiation, especially in hot, humid areas. Passive cooling is considered to be one of the environmental design strategies by [...] Read more.
Indoor thermal comfort is essential for occupants’ well-being, productivity, and efficiency. Global climate change is leading to extremely high temperatures and more intense solar radiation, especially in hot, humid areas. Passive cooling is considered to be one of the environmental design strategies by which to create indoor thermal comfort conditions and minimize buildings’ energy consumption. However, little evidence has been found regarding the effect of passive cooling on the thermal comfort of historical buildings in hot–dry or hot–humid areas. Therefore, we explored the passive cooling features (north-south orientation, natural ventilation, window shading, and light color painted walls) applied in historic residential buildings in Zanzibar and evaluated the residents’ thermal responses and comfort perception based on questionnaires and field surveys. The results showed that the average predicted mean votes (PMVs) were 1.23 and 0.85 for the two historical case study buildings; the average predicted percentages of dissatisfaction (PPD) were 37.35% and 20.56%, respectively. These results indicate that the thermal conditions were not within the acceptable range of ASHRAE Standard 55. Further techniques, such as the use of lime plaster, wash lime, and appropriate organization, are suggested for the improvement of indoor thermal comfort in historical buildings in Zanzibar. This study provides guidelines to assist architects in designing energy-efficient residential buildings, taking into account cultural heritage and thermal comfort in buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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24 pages, 10096 KiB  
Article
Evaluation and Optimization of Daylighting in Heritage Buildings: A Case-Study at High Latitudes
by Farimah Piraei, Barbara Matusiak and Valerio R. M. Lo Verso
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2045; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122045 - 22 Nov 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2480
Abstract
Transforming historical listed buildings into workplaces is a serious challenge, particularly for buildings with relatively small windows in the façades, which determine scarce daylighting indoors. This paper studied how daylighting can be significantly increased in a case-study historical building through rooflighting systems, as [...] Read more.
Transforming historical listed buildings into workplaces is a serious challenge, particularly for buildings with relatively small windows in the façades, which determine scarce daylighting indoors. This paper studied how daylighting can be significantly increased in a case-study historical building through rooflighting systems, as the façade cannot be modified. The case-study was a historic and iconic warehouse built-in 1681 in Trondheim, Norway. The optimized configuration was analyzed in terms of daylight amount and view analysis, according to EN 17037 and to LEED v4.1 protocol. A critical evaluation of the actual applicability of the optimized Scenario in the real building was carried out along with the constructors. A 3D model was built in Rhinoceros, and daylighting simulations of the base-case (the building in the existing configuration) and for 6 alternative Scenarios were run through Climate Studio. The following metrics were calculated: Daylight Factor (DF), Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA), Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE), and views. An optimized configuration was eventually identified through the Galapagos component in Grasshopper, with an average DF value of 2.7% (against 0.9% in the base-case configuration), higher than the target DFm of 2.4% for Norway), and a sDA value of 50.2% (14.2% in base-case configuration). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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20 pages, 3548 KiB  
Article
Influence of Classroom Colour Environment on College Students’ Emotions during Campus Lockdown in the COVID-19 Post-Pandemic Era—A Case Study in Harbin, China
by Weiyi Tao, Yue Wu, Weifeng Li and Fangfang Liu
Buildings 2022, 12(11), 1873; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12111873 - 3 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2561
Abstract
Campus lockdown during COVID-19 and the post-pandemic era has had a huge negative effect on college students. As a vital part of interior teaching spaces, colour deeply influences college students’ mental health and can be used for healing. Nevertheless, research on this topic [...] Read more.
Campus lockdown during COVID-19 and the post-pandemic era has had a huge negative effect on college students. As a vital part of interior teaching spaces, colour deeply influences college students’ mental health and can be used for healing. Nevertheless, research on this topic has been limited. Based on colour psychology and colour therapy, this paper discusses the relationship between interior teaching space colours (hue and brightness) and emotions among college students. The HAD scale and questionnaire survey method were used. It was concluded that: (1) Anxiety and depression were prominent among the college student population during the quarantine of the university due to the epidemic. (2) Warm colours have an advantage over both cold and neutral colours in creating pleasure, relaxation, and mental attention, with the second in line being the cold and the last being the neutral. Warm colours make it pleasant for individuals while cold colours boost attention. (3) When subjects have higher values of anxiety and depression, they are less satisfied with the colour of the teaching space. (4) In most cases, there is no significant difference in the colour preference of teaching spaces across the gender, grade, and major groups, with females having a higher preference for warm high-brightness classrooms than males. These findings provide crucial ideas for future interior teaching space design and enrich the theories in colour psychology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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18 pages, 5199 KiB  
Article
Sound Perception of Blind Older Adults in Nursing Homes
by Yue Wu, Sijia Huo, Jingyi Mu and Jian Kang
Buildings 2022, 12(11), 1838; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12111838 - 1 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1635
Abstract
The number of blind older adults is gradually increasing with the aging of world’s population, and their needs and perception of sound are specific. This study investigated the behavioral activities of blind older adults and the dominant sound sources through on-site observation of [...] Read more.
The number of blind older adults is gradually increasing with the aging of world’s population, and their needs and perception of sound are specific. This study investigated the behavioral activities of blind older adults and the dominant sound sources through on-site observation of an all-blind nursing home in China, and it used semi-structured interviews to obtain the sound perceptions of blind older adults. The findings showed that the daily behavioral activities can be categorized into basic living activity, leisure activity, social activity; and physical activity. The dominant sound sources included human, equipment, informational, and environmental sounds. This study developed a sound perception model of blind older adults in nursing homes, which takes three levels: sound requirements, acoustic environment, and sound cognition. Firstly, the blind older adults have a basic understanding of sound from the perspective of their living needs, then they feel the sound environment from the perspective of the living environment, and finally, they perceive the acoustic environment from the dimension of sound cognition in conjunction with contextual memory. This study sheds a light on the aural diversity of older adults, which is expected to support the inclusive design of nursing homes for older adults with visual impairments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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26 pages, 3643 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study on the Influence of Different Decoration Styles on Subjective Evaluation of Hotel Indoor Environment
by Jian Xu, Muchun Li, Dandan Huang, Yuxin Wei and Sijia Zhong
Buildings 2022, 12(11), 1777; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12111777 - 24 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2306
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the occupants’ subjective evaluation of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of hotels with the same physical environment and different decoration styles, and to reveal the influence of different decoration styles on the subjective evaluation of [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study is to explore the occupants’ subjective evaluation of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of hotels with the same physical environment and different decoration styles, and to reveal the influence of different decoration styles on the subjective evaluation of the indoor environmental quality. The study found a hotel with three mainstream styles of modern simple style, British pastoral style, and modern Japanese style, and adopted standard rooms with the same area, pattern, lighting, orientation, and decoration cost. The only variable controlled was the decoration style, and the subjective feelings of customers on the physical environment were investigated. Based on the literature and 604 online comments, the researchers designed a questionnaire and collected 710 effective questionnaires for empirical analysis. The analysis results of KH coder and SPSS software (Chicago, IL, USA) show that ➀ the light environment in the indoor environment (including indoor natural lighting, lighting and other influencing factors) and non-light visual factors (including indoor color matching, plant layout, closeness to nature, decoration texture, space materials, decoration atmosphere and other factors) has the greatest impact on the subjective evaluation of decoration style, especially on the subjective evaluation of modern simple indoor environment. ➁ Light environment, air quality and non-light visual factors play a key role in the subjective evaluation of the indoor environment of the British pastoral-style hotels. ➂ The light environment, thermal environment and non-light visual factors are the most sensitive to the subjective evaluation of the indoor environment of modern Japanese-style hotels. ➃ Thermal environment, light environment, acoustic environment, air quality environment and non-light visual factors have the greatest impact on the subjective evaluation of the hotel indoor environment. Based on the findings, this study puts forward some suggestions to improve the interior environment of the hotel with different decoration styles to improve the quality and attractiveness of the hotel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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16 pages, 5485 KiB  
Article
Subjective and Physiological Responses towards Interior Natural Lightscape: Influences of Aperture Design, Window Size and Sky Condition
by Zhe Kong, Keming Hou, Zhongyu Wang, Feifei Chen, Yunhao Li, Xinyue Liu and Chengyu Liu
Buildings 2022, 12(10), 1612; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12101612 - 5 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1698
Abstract
Indoor daylighting quality has impacts on occupants’ physical and psychological aspects. Although daylighting design metrics have strictly restricted the amount of sunlight penetration, studies have shown occupants’ preference towards an appropriate amount of sunlight and distributions. Currently, insufficient studies have focused on the [...] Read more.
Indoor daylighting quality has impacts on occupants’ physical and psychological aspects. Although daylighting design metrics have strictly restricted the amount of sunlight penetration, studies have shown occupants’ preference towards an appropriate amount of sunlight and distributions. Currently, insufficient studies have focused on the composition of interior daylighting distributions. Therefore, this paper presents a laboratory experiment exploring the psychological influences of sunlight patterns under immersive virtual reality scenes. The sunlight patterns are created by a combination of nine aperture designs, two window sizes and two sky types. The experiment collects 41 valid architecture students’ assessments and their physiological responses. Degrees of eight adjectives, including pleasantness, calmness, interest, excitement, complexity, spaciousness, satisfaction with exterior view amount and brightness, are rated by the participants. Physiological data of heart rates and electroencephalogram are collected. According to the analysis, both the aperture designs and sky types have influences upon subjective responses. The large window enhances beta oscillations and beta power on the right prefrontal lobe area, and the clear sky attenuates the theta rhythm on the pre frontal lobe areas. These findings indicate the important influence of natural lightscape compositions created by aperture designs and sky types upon occupants’ psychological processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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25 pages, 9606 KiB  
Article
Is the Shortest Path Always the Best? Analysis of General Demands of Indoor Navigation System for Shopping Malls
by Hui Deng, Yiwen Xu and Yichuan Deng
Buildings 2022, 12(10), 1574; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12101574 - 30 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1677
Abstract
Indoor navigation systems are basic services for shopping malls. However, the design and implementation of such systems are seldom studied, with most current indoor navigation systems showing the static route for the shortest distance, which causes confusion or even danger for users. Therefore, [...] Read more.
Indoor navigation systems are basic services for shopping malls. However, the design and implementation of such systems are seldom studied, with most current indoor navigation systems showing the static route for the shortest distance, which causes confusion or even danger for users. Therefore, this paper analyzes the general demand for indoor navigation systems for shopping malls based on 498 questionnaires and the Kano model. The results of the study unveil three important functions, as outlined by “Congestion/emergency section avoidance”, “Vertical elevator first”, and “Passing by a particular type of store”. The relationship between users’ characteristics and shopping behavior is also discovered. Comparing this with the existing literature in terms of user demands research for indoor navigation, the general demand analysis method based on the Kano model of this paper is able to reveal the user accreditation degree towards different functions of indoor navigation systems in shopping malls. The findings of this paper provide insight into users’ behaviors and preferences, which will benefit further studies on indoor navigation systems for shopping malls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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20 pages, 6418 KiB  
Article
“In-Between Area” Design Method: An Optimization Design Method for Indoor Public Spaces for Elderly Facilities Evaluated by STAI, HRV and EEG
by Haining Wang, Keming Hou, Zhe Kong, Xi Guan, Songtao Hu, Mingli Lu, Xun Piao and Yuchong Qian
Buildings 2022, 12(8), 1274; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12081274 - 19 Aug 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2189
Abstract
The indoor public spaces of most elderly facilities in China have a monotonous space form, which, thus, causes low comprehensive performance and is less likely to satisfy participants’ various requirements. This study proposes an optimization design method of “In-Between Area” for a space [...] Read more.
The indoor public spaces of most elderly facilities in China have a monotonous space form, which, thus, causes low comprehensive performance and is less likely to satisfy participants’ various requirements. This study proposes an optimization design method of “In-Between Area” for a space form operation to improve the performance of indoor public spaces. First, two models were established: Model A to reflect current indoor public spaces and Model B to represent the indoor public spaces designed by using the “In-Between Area” method. Second, a walk-through video was created from each model, with a duration of 196 s. Subjective assessment (STAI) data and objective physiological data (HRV and EEG), were collected from 40 participants while they were watching walk-through videos. The comparison analysis showed statistically significant differences between Model A and Model B. The results of STAI, HRV and EEG proved that the “In-Between Area” method, as an optimization design method, created a more pleasant and comfortable environment for the elderly and improved the overall efficiency of the indoor space. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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27 pages, 6491 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Indoor Climate for Infants in Nursery School Classrooms in Mild Climatic Areas in Japan
by Kahori Genjo
Buildings 2022, 12(7), 1054; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12071054 - 20 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1357
Abstract
In Japan, the standard of indoor climate in nursery school classrooms has not been established, and the control and maintenance of indoor climate in the classrooms are entrusted to individual childminders. Therefore, indoor climate in nursery school classrooms was measured to prepare fundamental [...] Read more.
In Japan, the standard of indoor climate in nursery school classrooms has not been established, and the control and maintenance of indoor climate in the classrooms are entrusted to individual childminders. Therefore, indoor climate in nursery school classrooms was measured to prepare fundamental information for proper environmental design and environmental control, considering infants’ comfort and health. The climate of 0-year-old and 1-year-old children’s rooms in 15 nursery schools located in mild climatic areas in Japan were measured in the summer and winter over four years. Consequently, a lower average temperature was found during winter at lower heights at which infants spend time and indoor air quality was found to be poor in both summer and winter due to a lower ventilation rate in some classrooms with a smaller area per infant compared to the minimum standards for child welfare institutions. One classroom with an average CO2 concentration of over 1500 ppm was found in both summer and winter due to less ventilation. Illumination less than 300 lx in one-third of the studied classrooms and high equivalent noise level in most classrooms were measured. The need for indoor environmental standards was indicated in terms of infants’ comfort and health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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26 pages, 18314 KiB  
Article
Study on a New Type of Ventilation System for Rural Houses in Winter in the Severe Cold Regions of China
by Baogang Zhang, Xianglu Cai and Ming Liu
Buildings 2022, 12(7), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12071010 - 14 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1558
Abstract
The weather in the high latitudes of China is cold in winter. The pollution caused by the burning of biomass fuels used in rural individual heating is a great threat to human health. This study finds that the amounts of CO2, [...] Read more.
The weather in the high latitudes of China is cold in winter. The pollution caused by the burning of biomass fuels used in rural individual heating is a great threat to human health. This study finds that the amounts of CO2, CO, PM2.5, and PM10 in the bedroom exceed the standard and the temperature does not meet the standard based on indoor air measurements in rural residential buildings in Liaoning Province in winter. In this study, a mechanical ventilation method which uses flue gas to preheat fresh air is proposed, for the purpose of simultaneously improving the indoor air quality and the thermal environment of rural houses. The flue gas–fresh air heat exchange (FGFAHE) experiment shows that biomass combustion flue gas can increase the outdoor air temperature by 23.7 °C on average. The ventilation experiment shows that the method of mechanical ventilation combined with external window penetration can increase the dilution rate of indoor CO by more than 1 times. The simulation results of six different ventilation schemes show that the ventilation mode of the diagonal opposite side upper air supply and lower exhaust air (DOUSLE) has the best effect on indoor CO prevention and control, and the mode of median air supply is the most beneficial to the indoor thermal environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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25 pages, 4483 KiB  
Article
A VR Experimental Study on the Influence of Chinese Hotel Interior Color Design on Customers’ Emotional Experience
by Jian Xu, Muchun Li, Kaizhong Cao, Fangqi Zhou, Boyi Lv, Ziqi Lu, Zihan Cui and Kailiang Zhang
Buildings 2022, 12(7), 984; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12070984 - 11 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3399
Abstract
As an important part of a hotel’s internal environment, color design affects not only customers’ hotel stay experiences, but also their check-in experiences. However, how hotel guests’ emotional experiences are affected by interior color design is understudied in China. Drawing on the theory [...] Read more.
As an important part of a hotel’s internal environment, color design affects not only customers’ hotel stay experiences, but also their check-in experiences. However, how hotel guests’ emotional experiences are affected by interior color design is understudied in China. Drawing on the theory of color psychology, we designed a Virtual Reality (VR) experiment and a questionnaire to explore how hotel guests’ emotional experience can be influenced by the color scheme of hotel interior color design. The results show that hotel rooms decorated in yellow have a pleasurable effect, those decorated in gray a calming effect, and those decorated in blue a relatively neutral effect. Young participants have more negative emotional responses to rooms decorated in dark yellow. The emotional impact of both gray and yellow with higher grayscale values shifts from positive to negative with the improvement of customers’ educational background. Low grayscale color schemes are preferred over high grayscale ones, and indoor environments with synergistic colors are preferred over contrasting colors. It is also found that male subjects tend to have more positive emotional reactions to all color schemes than females. For most subjects, age and education have no effect on their emotional reactions to different color schemes. These findings have important implications for hotel interior environment color design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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20 pages, 7244 KiB  
Article
Thermal Environment and Thermal Comfort in University Classrooms during the Heating Season
by Jiuhong Zhang, Peiyue Li and Mingxiao Ma
Buildings 2022, 12(7), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12070912 - 28 Jun 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2934
Abstract
In recent years, there has been increasing concern about the effects of indoor thermal environments on human physical and mental health. This paper aimed to study the current status of the thermal environment and thermal comfort in the classrooms of Northeastern University during [...] Read more.
In recent years, there has been increasing concern about the effects of indoor thermal environments on human physical and mental health. This paper aimed to study the current status of the thermal environment and thermal comfort in the classrooms of Northeastern University during the heating season. The indoor thermal environment was analyzed with the use of field measurements, a subjective questionnaire, regression statistics, and the entropy weight method. The results show that personnel population density is an important factor affecting the temperature and relative humidity variations in classrooms. The results also show that the temperature and relative humidity in a lecture state are respectively 4.2 °C and 11.4% higher than those in an idle state. In addition, in university classrooms in Shenyang, the actual thermal neutral temperature is 2.5 °C lower than the predicted value of the Predicted Mean Vote. It was found that increasing indoor relative humidity can effectively improve the overall thermal comfort of subjects. Furthermore, the temperature preference of women was higher than that of men. Therefore, when setting the initial heating temperature, the personnel population density and sufficient indoor relative humidity have been identified as the key factors for improving the thermal environment of the classroom. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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22 pages, 8175 KiB  
Article
Prototyping a Lighting Control System Using LabVIEW with Real-Time High Dynamic Range Images (HDRis) as the Luminance Sensor
by Aris Budhiyanto and Yun-Shang Chiou
Buildings 2022, 12(5), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12050650 - 13 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2526
Abstract
Lighting control systems (LCSs) play important roles in maintaining visual comfort and energy savings in buildings. This paper presents a prototype LCS using LabVIEW with real-time high dynamic range images and a digital multiplex controller to brighten lamps sequentially to provide visual comfort. [...] Read more.
Lighting control systems (LCSs) play important roles in maintaining visual comfort and energy savings in buildings. This paper presents a prototype LCS using LabVIEW with real-time high dynamic range images and a digital multiplex controller to brighten lamps sequentially to provide visual comfort. The prototype is applied to a scaled classroom model with three schemes involving different activities and needs: writing and reading, requiring a uniform luminance of approximately 100 cd/m2, teaching using a whiteboard, requiring an illuminance of approximately 120 cd/m2 for the whiteboard and 60 cd/m2 for the desks, and drawing and art activities focused on the center of the room, requiring an illuminance of approximately 100 cd/m2 for the center area and 50 cd/m2 for the background area. For each scheme, two conditions are presented: one in which the room is treated as a closed room without windows, and the one in which the room has a large window on one wall that enables daylight to penetrate the room. The prototype works well with both schemes and provides different combinations of lamp brightness levels, starting from 10% to 60%, based on the activities and required luminance, and can save around 73–82% of electricity. The presence of daylight does not always result in more energy savings, as the brightness contrast for visual comfort needs to be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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28 pages, 8190 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on Operating Characteristic of a Combined Radiant Floor and Fan Coil Cooling System in a High Humidity Environment
by Xuwei Zhu, Jiying Liu, Xiangyuan Zhu, Xiaole Wang, Yanqiu Du and Jikui Miao
Buildings 2022, 12(4), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12040499 - 17 Apr 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2565
Abstract
The combined radiant floor and fan coil cooling (RFCAFC) system is widely used due to its high comfort and large energy saving potential. In this study, as an example, the combined RFCAFC system was studied in a high humidity environment in Jinan, Shandong [...] Read more.
The combined radiant floor and fan coil cooling (RFCAFC) system is widely used due to its high comfort and large energy saving potential. In this study, as an example, the combined RFCAFC system was studied in a high humidity environment in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. The novelty of the combined RFCAFC system lies in its ability to automatically adjust the water supply temperature of the radiant floor and fan coil in real time according to outdoor meteorological conditions, achieving thermal comfort while eliminating the likelihood of condensation on the radiant floor surface. Days with similar outdoor meteorological conditions were grouped, and the comfort level and hourly cooling performance coefficient (EERh) of different operating strategies for different outdoor meteorological conditions were monitored along with other evaluation indicators. The RFCAFC had good energy efficiency and comfort in a high humidity room environment. This study showed that the indoor vertical air temperature difference ranged from 1.6 to 1.8 °C, which met the ASHRAE55-2017 standard. The radiant floor surface temperature uniformity coefficient (S) fluctuated between 0.7 and 1.0, and the time it took the radiant floor surface temperature to reach 63.2% of the total variability range (τ63) for different operation strategies based on different outdoor meteorological conditions ranged between 4.4 and 4.7 h, which was within the normal range. The proportion of the total cooling capacity contributed by fan coil cooling under low temperature and high humidity (LH), high temperature and low humidity (HL), and medium temperature and medium humidity (MM) were 68.0%, 73.8%, and 71.7%, respectively. Based on this study, the following recommendations for the combined cooling system can be made: (1) When the outdoor humidity is high, the radiant floor system should be turned on early to provide cooling capacity. When the outdoor temperature is high, the fan coil system should be turned on early to reduce the indoor temperature. (2) To reduce energy consumption and achieve efficient operation of the system, the radiant floor system should be continuously operated to maximize its contribution to the cooling capacity, while the fan coil can be operated intermittently. Natural cooling can be integrated to provide additional cooling capacity to the room in the hours preceding occupation (i.e., 7:00–9:00). (3) The operation strategy of the combined cooling system must be able to respond in real time to changes in outdoor meteorological conditions to prevent discomfort in times of extreme heat or humidity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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15 pages, 2331 KiB  
Article
A Simplified Thermal Comfort Calculation Method of Radiant Floor Cooling Technology for Office Buildings in Northern China
by Xiaolong Wang, Tian Mu, Lili Zhang, Wenke Zhang and Linhua Zhang
Buildings 2022, 12(4), 483; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12040483 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1899
Abstract
The increasing application of floor heating technology promotes the development of floor radiant cooling technology (abbreviated as FRC technology). Many office buildings in northern China try to use FRC technology to cool in summer, but thermal comfort is the key problem restricting the [...] Read more.
The increasing application of floor heating technology promotes the development of floor radiant cooling technology (abbreviated as FRC technology). Many office buildings in northern China try to use FRC technology to cool in summer, but thermal comfort is the key problem restricting the promotion of this technology. The thermal comfort problems of an office room with floor radiant cooling were studied in this paper by the methods of numerical simulation, control variable, and data fitting, and the experimental results were verified in multiple ways. It was found that, for an office room using floor radiant cooling, the effect of the floor surface temperature on thermal comfort was about 16%, while the effect of indoor air temperature was about 84%, and relative humidity had little effect on thermal comfort. A simplified thermal comfort calculation model was proposed, which could be used as an indicator to adjust the floor surface and indoor air temperature, or could be used to calculate the PMV-PPD value. The findings have guiding significance for the design and control of FRC technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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10 pages, 6519 KiB  
Article
Visualization of Acoustic Comfort in an Open-Plan, High-Performance Glass Building
by Aldo A. Glean, Stanley D. Gatland II and Ihab Elzeyadi
Buildings 2022, 12(3), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12030338 - 11 Mar 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3088
Abstract
The aesthetic and functional appeal of high-performance, open-plan office buildings presents special challenges. Extensive use of glass at the building’s perimeter to improve visual comfort and office communication can negatively impact acoustic comfort without proper design considerations. This study investigates the utility of [...] Read more.
The aesthetic and functional appeal of high-performance, open-plan office buildings presents special challenges. Extensive use of glass at the building’s perimeter to improve visual comfort and office communication can negatively impact acoustic comfort without proper design considerations. This study investigates the utility of a novel visualization approach to documenting the interactional impact of acoustical comfort on the health and well-being of occupants in an open-office environment. Room acoustic measurements of background noise and speech transmission index were conducted and distraction distances were calculated and visualized using a mapping technique. In addition, a comprehensive pre- and post-occupancy evaluation protocol was employed. The paper illustrates the reliability of the visualization approach to aid in the interpretation and comparison of various open-office acoustic solutions from a human-centric acoustic environment perspective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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16 pages, 4793 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Daylight Illumination in Nursing Buildings on Reading Comfort of Elderly Persons
by Yao Fu, Yue Wu, Weijun Gao and Rong Hui
Buildings 2022, 12(2), 214; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12020214 - 15 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2340
Abstract
Reading is one of the popular activities among elderly persons. A reasonable level of daylight illumination can ensure the visual comfort of reading for elderly persons. State arousal level and subjective comfort report are important parameters reflecting the effect of daylight illumination on [...] Read more.
Reading is one of the popular activities among elderly persons. A reasonable level of daylight illumination can ensure the visual comfort of reading for elderly persons. State arousal level and subjective comfort report are important parameters reflecting the effect of daylight illumination on visual comfort of reading in elderly persons. In this study, daylight illumination measurements were conducted in a nursing institution of Shenyang, China. Moreover, the methods of electrodermal activity (EDA) physiological index measurement and questionnaire scoring were used to compare and analyze the state arousal level and visual comfort of elderly persons under different illumination conditions. The results show that when elderly persons were involved in their daily reading activity, the acceptable daylight illumination range was between 300 and 1000 lx. When the daylight illumination was between 600 and 800 lx, the state arousal level and visual comfort was high; when it was 700 lx, the state arousal level and visual comfort was the highest. Although 500 and 900 lx both indicated neutral illumination, the evaluations were more consistent at 500 lx than at 900 lx. At 300, 400, and 1000 lx, visual comfort was poor and the state arousal level was low. At 300 lx, visual comfort was the worst and the state arousal level was the lowest. This study provides a reliable reference for architects to design the daylight conditions of the living spaces of the elderly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort)
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