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Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Built Environments
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Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Built Environments

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: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2747

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Heng Du

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Built Environment, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Interests: thermal comfort; smart buildings; human well-being; personal comfort systems; indoor environmental quality
Dr. Jingyun Shen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Art, Nantong University, Nantong, China
Interests: indoor environmental quality; sustainable architecture; wooden environment; human habitat design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The appropriate design of built environments plays a key role in improving human comfort, health, and productivity, while also reducing building energy consumption. However, applying a one-size-fits-all model is challenging due to diverse living contexts and individual differences. Emerging methodologies and concepts, such as personal comfort systems, big data, machine learning, and smart building technologies are revitalizing the field of built environment, offering new possibilities to enhance human well-being and promote energy efficiency. This Special Issue invites research contributions on topics including but not limited to the following:

  • Indoor environmental quality;
  • Human responses;
  • Thermal comfort models;
  • Personal comfort systems;
  • Smart building technologies;
  • Energy efficiency.

Dr. Heng Du
Dr. Jingyun Shen
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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 semimonthly 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

  • thermal comfort
  • indoor environmental quality
  • energy efficiency
  • environmental sustainability
  • smart buildings

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2331 KB  
Article
Research on Thermal Sensation Prediction in Shoulder Seasons Using Machine Learning Based on Infrared Thermal Imaging
by Qian Liu, Wei Li, Junhong Li, Kang Mu, Xiaoqin Sun, Weizhen Liu and Jili Zhang
Buildings 2026, 16(11), 2070; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16112070 - 22 May 2026
Abstract
Existing thermal sensation prediction models typically examine the relationship between skin temperature and thermal sensation during cooling or heating seasons. However, due to significant fluctuations in indoor thermal environments during shoulder seasons and considerable individual variation in clothing preferences, traditional thermal sensation prediction [...] Read more.
Existing thermal sensation prediction models typically examine the relationship between skin temperature and thermal sensation during cooling or heating seasons. However, due to significant fluctuations in indoor thermal environments during shoulder seasons and considerable individual variation in clothing preferences, traditional thermal sensation prediction models demonstrate poor predictive performance during shoulder seasons. This study aims to investigate the relationship between facial skin temperature and clothing insulation versus thermal sensation under shoulder seasonal conditions and to establish a predictive model for human thermal sensation influenced by clothing insulation. First, facial temperature data under different clothing conditions are collected online using infrared thermal imaging equipment. Subjective thermal sensations are obtained through questionnaires, enabling analysis of the influence of relationships among clothing insulation, facial temperature, and thermal sensation. Subsequently, correlation analysis is used to identify the facial temperature zones closely related to human thermal sensation. Finally, a random forest algorithm is employed to establish a thermal sensation prediction model. Research findings indicate that during shoulder seasons, the left and right cheeks and lips exhibit a higher correlation with thermal sensation. Due to variations in clothing insulation, thermal sensation models based solely on facial temperature characteristics demonstrate lower predictive accuracy and struggle to overcome interference caused by individual clothing differences. After incorporating clothing insulation as a key input feature parameter, the model’s Root Mean Square Error decreased from 0.869 to 0.533, representing a 38.7% improvement in prediction accuracy. This demonstrates that the clothing insulation parameter plays a crucial role in enhancing the precision of human thermal sensation prediction models during shoulder seasons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Built Environments)
14 pages, 767 KB  
Article
Orientation-Dependent Window Area: Linking Solar Gains and Transmission Losses to Annual Heating and Cooling Loads
by Fatma Azize Zülal Aydınol and Sonay Ayyıldız
Buildings 2026, 16(1), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16010177 - 30 Dec 2025
Viewed by 614
Abstract
Energy efficiency in hospitals—where continuous operation with high internal gains and strict comfort needs—demands facade strategies tailored to climate. This study quantifies how the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) distribution and city-specific envelope properties affect the annual heating and cooling loads of a four-story, 3000 [...] Read more.
Energy efficiency in hospitals—where continuous operation with high internal gains and strict comfort needs—demands facade strategies tailored to climate. This study quantifies how the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) distribution and city-specific envelope properties affect the annual heating and cooling loads of a four-story, 3000 m2 hospital in Turkey. Energy simulations were conducted using DesignBuilder (2021) with EnergyPlus under a controlled modeling framework, following ASHRAE healthcare guidelines for internal loads and TS 825:2024 for envelope compliance. Three locations were selected to span national variability: Bursa (Marmara—temperate/transition), Mersin (Mediterranean—hot–humid), and Kars (humid continental—cold). Scenario 1 (S1) assigned a graduated WWR on the south facade by floor—20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% from ground to top—while the north, east, and west facades were held at 20%, 30%, and 20%. Scenario 2 (S2) preserved the same geometry and WWR values but applied the graduated WWR to the north facade instead, keeping the south at 20%, east at 30%, and west at 20%. Within each city, opaque and glazing properties were kept constant across scenarios to isolate WWR–orientation effects. For every city–scenario combination, annual space-heating and space-cooling loads were computed, and window heat gains and losses were analyzed on the facade with variable WWR to support interpretation of performance mechanisms. The results indicate that S2 outperforms S1 in Mersin, S1 outperforms S2 in Kars, and S2 offers a moderate advantage in Bursa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Built Environments)
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30 pages, 5861 KB  
Article
Numerical Evaluation of Cooling Energy Saving and Indoor Thermal Comfort for Building Energy Retrofit with Reflective Materials
by Tiancheng Wang, Mosha Zhao, Yu Lan and Shaoding Hu
Buildings 2025, 15(18), 3387; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183387 - 18 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1468
Abstract
Reflective materials, characterized by high albedo and thermal emissivity, offer effective passive cooling strategies for reducing building energy demand. While prior studies have developed thermal transfer models validated under laboratory conditions or conducted short-term monitoring in non-air-conditioned spaces, their effectiveness in operational buildings [...] Read more.
Reflective materials, characterized by high albedo and thermal emissivity, offer effective passive cooling strategies for reducing building energy demand. While prior studies have developed thermal transfer models validated under laboratory conditions or conducted short-term monitoring in non-air-conditioned spaces, their effectiveness in operational buildings remains underexplored. This research evaluates the change in cooling energy demand and indoor thermal comfort in a retrofitted office building with reflective materials in China’s Hot Summer and Cold Winter (HSCW) zone. The calibrated WUFI®Plus simulations show that the application of reflective roof and window materials can result in an 11.3% reduction in cooling energy demand. Moreover, occupant surveys indicate improved thermal perception, with the mean Thermal Comfort Vote (TCV) rising from −0.75 to −0.30, thermal acceptability increasing from 0.10 to 0.35, and 80% of occupants reporting cooler conditions. These subjective results align with simulated Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) reductions (0.82 → 0.74), confirming the retrofit’s effectiveness. While the energy savings are more modest than those reported in Mediterranean climates, they are generally consistent with the energy saving ratios of buildings in the HSCW region as evaluated by previous studies. This study provides a framework for assessing retrofits in occupied buildings with reflective materials and indicates the practicality of such retrofits as an economic, low-disruption strategy for upgrading aging office building stocks in the HSCW zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Built Environments)
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