Dear Colleagues,

Currently, the majority of countries and cities with rapid population growth rates are located in hot regions such as Asia and Africa. In these developing countries, housing backlog is often the most urgent issue and, thus, affordable houses are in high demanded. On the other hand, when considering the Paris Agreement, all signatory parties—including developing countries—are now required to declare their “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) and to put their best efforts toward combating climate change for a sustainable low-carbon future. The developing countries are thus required to achieve both “affordability” and “low carbon” at the same time as part of their housing provisions. This Special Issue will focus on themes that deal with innovative methods for achieving comfortable conditions, ranging from indoor thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor environment quality under poverty. Mitigating the limitations of resource constraints in the upcoming houses of the Global South is a challenge that requires innovations in building science.

Dr. Tetsu Kubota
Dr. Ronita Bardhan
Guest Editors

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• low-carbon houses
• affordable housing
• energy efficiency
• sustainable houses
• developing countries
• passive design