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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 29699

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. David Fonseca Escudero

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Guest Editor

Department of Architecture La Salle, Ramon Llull University, Carrer de Sant Joan de la Salle, 42, 08022 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: educational innovation; usability; technology-enhanced learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Mónica Vanesa Sánchez-Sepúlveda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Architecture La Salle, Ramon Llull University, Carrer de Sant Joan de la Salle, 42, 08022 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: technology enhanced learning; architecture; urbanism; urban design visualization; learning analytics; teaching innovation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

People spend a long time every single day using visual technologies in their homes, at work, for entertainment, or for their education. Visual technologies are omnipresent in the development, execution, and assessment of all kinds of digital projects and solutions, and they are changing the rules of customer experience and revolutionizing humanity and business.

The recent eclosion of a great variety of affordable and accessible media equipment and digital applications, as well as methodologies and approaches, has enabled new types of knowledge, especially in science. The intersection of these technologies, the new environments, and their uses offers an opportunity to explore how they are interacting and taking into account all types of sustainability assumptions.

This Special Issue will cover how visual technologies can add, improve, or assess the sustainability of digital products, experiences, and environments, considering a wide range of variables and indicators. The “Visual Technologies for Sustainable Digital Environments” Special Issue will address a broad range of topics that should help readers, researchers, teachers, and professionals to understand both generic and specific approaches related with the representation of digital data and spaces with a large range of visual technologies, such as virtual or augmented reality, serious games, mobile devices, artificial intelligence, haptic devices, etc.

Prof. Dr. David Fonseca Escudero
Prof. Dr. Mónica Vanesa Sánchez-Sepúlveda
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

Sustainable technolog enhanced learning
interactive and customized 3D systems
digital environments assessment
technological space visualization
user interaction experience
systems analysis methods
digital applications of sustainability
representation methods assessment
usability, accessibility and sustainability
sustainability design and project management
sustainability approaches for smart-cities design
applications, methods and digital technologies for sustainable civil, architecture, and urban planning projects
BIM for a sustainable projects and construction processes

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 6995 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Drawing and Perception of Architectural Spaces through Immersive Virtual Reality

by Hugo C. Gómez-Tone, John Bustamante Escapa, Paola Bustamante Escapa and Jorge Martin-Gutierrez

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6223; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116223 - 1 Jun 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5254

Abstract

The technologies that have sought to intervene in the architectural drawing process have focused on the sense of sight, leaving aside the use of the hands and the entire body that together achieve more sensory designs. Nowadays, to the benefit of the draftsman, that ideal scenery in which sight, hands and body work holistically is returning thanks to Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR). The purpose of this research is to analyze the perception of two-dimensionally drawn spaces, the drawing of such spaces through three-dimensional sketches in IVR, and both the perception of 3D sketched spaces and those which are also modeled realistically in IVR. First and fifth year architecture students went through the four phases of the experiment: (a) the perception of a space based on 2D sketches, (b) real-scale 3D space drawing in IVR, (c) the perception of a space drawn in 3D in IVR, and (d) the perception of the same space realistically modeled in 3D in IVR. Through three questionnaires and a grading sheet, the data was obtained. The perception of two-dimensionally drawn spaces was high (70.8%), while the precision of a space drawn in an IVR was even higher (83.9%). The real or natural scale in which the spaces can be experienced in an IVR is the characteristic that was most recognized by the students; however, this and the other qualities did not allow for a reliable conclusion for a homogeneous perception of sensations within the virtual spaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visual Technologies for Sustainable Digital Environments)

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17 pages, 488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development and Validation of User Experience-Based E-Learning Acceptance Model for Sustainable Higher Education

by Baqar Ali Zardari, Zahid Hussain, Aijaz Ahmed Arain, Wajid H. Rizvi and Muhammad Saleem Vighio

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6201; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116201 - 31 May 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4313

Abstract

E-learning is a convenient way of learning through a portal. E-learning is being increasingly adopted in the world; however, the factors that influence the intention of users for accepting the e-learning technology have not been sufficiently explored, particularly in developing countries. Although many e-learning acceptance models do exist, the research on a user experience (UX)-based e-learning acceptance model is still lacking. As UX is one of the crucial factors for the acceptance of an e-learning portal, this research study aims to develop and validate a UX-based e-learning acceptance framework for sustainable higher education. In this connection, a web-based responsive e-learning portal for university students has been developed. The portal can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, and on any device, making the learning sustainable. The UX-based e-learning acceptance framework is developed by integrating the selected constructs of a widely accepted UX model, technology acceptance model (TAM), and four well-known constructs from various technology acceptance models. The constructs are appeal, pleasure, satisfaction, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, information quality, self-efficacy, social influence, benefits, and behavioral intention, which can predict the intentions of the students for acceptance of the e-learning portal. The data were collected from 650 university students using online and manual questionnaires. After data screening, 513 valid responses were further analyzed using structural equation modeling. According to the results, the framework fits the data well. The constructs satisfaction, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, information quality, self-efficacy, social influence, and benefits have a statistically significant effect on the behavioral intention of the students regarding the acceptance of the e-learning portal. The construct perceived ease of use has a statistical significant impact on perceived usefulness and pleasure. The construct appeal has a statistical significant impact on pleasure and satisfaction. Similarly, the construct pleasure has also a positive statistical significant impact on satisfaction. This research study contributes to the e-learning acceptance models by developing and validating the UX-based e-learning acceptance framework for sustainable higher education. The framework provides important insights for the acceptance of university based e-learning portals in the context of developing countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visual Technologies for Sustainable Digital Environments)

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21 pages, 2613 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Immersive Robotic Telepresence for Remote Educational Scenarios

by Jean Botev and Francisco J. Rodríguez Lera

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4717; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094717 - 23 Apr 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3880

Abstract

Social robots have an enormous potential for educational applications and allow for cognitive outcomes that are similar to those with human involvement. Remotely controlling a social robot to interact with students and peers in an immersive fashion opens up new possibilities for instructors and learners alike. Using immersive approaches can promote engagement and have beneficial effects on remote lesson delivery and participation. However, the performance and power consumption associated with the involved devices are often not sufficiently contemplated, despite being particularly important in light of sustainability considerations. The contributions of this research are thus twofold. On the one hand, we present telepresence solutions for a social robot’s location-independent operation using (a) a virtual reality headset with controllers and (b) a mobile augmented reality application. On the other hand, we perform a thorough analysis of their power consumption and system performance, discussing the impact of employing the various technologies. Using the QTrobot as a platform, direct and immersive control via different interaction modes, including motion, emotion, and voice output, is possible. By not focusing on individual subsystems or motor chains, but the cumulative energy consumption of an unaltered robot performing remote tasks, this research provides orientation regarding the actual cost of deploying immersive robotic telepresence solutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visual Technologies for Sustainable Digital Environments)

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20 pages, 51603 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Visualizing Digital Traces for Sustainable Urban Management: Mapping Tourism Activity on the Virtual Public Space

by Francesc Valls and Josep Roca

Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3159; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063159 - 13 Mar 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3329

Abstract

One of the challenges of heritage cities is sustainably balancing mass tourism and the daily life of its residents. Urban policies can modulate the impact of tourism through regulations focusing on areas with outstanding visitor pressure, which must consequently be delimited accurately and objectively. Within a traditionally data-scarce discipline, urban practitioners can currently employ a wide range of tracking technologies, but because of their limitations can also greatly benefit from new sources of data from social media. Using Barcelona as a testbed, a methodology is presented to identify and visualize hot spots of visitor activity using more than a million public geotagged images collected from the Flickr photo-sharing community. Multiple complementary visualization approaches are discussed that are suitable for different scales of analysis, from global to sub-block resolution. The presented methodology is firmly grounded in a well-established spatial statistics framework, adapted to a “big data” environment, to extract knowledge from social media. It is designed to generalize to other urban settings, providing substantial advantages over other surveying methods in terms of cost-efficiency, scalability, and accuracy, while capturing the behavior of a larger number of participants and covering more extensive areas or temporal spans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visual Technologies for Sustainable Digital Environments)

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17 pages, 1422 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evidence-Based Assessment of Student Performance in Virtual Worlds

by Manuel Palomo-Duarte, Anke Berns, Antonio Balderas, Juan Manuel Dodero and David Camacho

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 244; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010244 - 29 Dec 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3137

Abstract

Virtual Worlds (VWs) are popular tools for teaching/learning in the twenty-first century classroom. The challenge remains however, to provide the means by which teachers could sustainably analyse and assess the performance of large groups of students in such environments. Unfortunately, external game features such as game scores and play duration have turned out to be unfair in some assessments. In this context, a case study was carried out in a foreign language course, illustrating how teachers could easily retrieve a number of performance indicators from VW-interaction logs and harness them to conduct a fine-grained analysis of students’ performance, while facilitating at the same time valuable tools for their assessment. Objective performance indicators in a server database were made accessible using an end-user development programming language. This way, a range of data visualisation methods could be employed to contrast different assumptions regarding learner performance when playing a VW-based game, which was designed to help CEFR A1 level students to learn German. This way, factors such as randomisation of game tasks, which could negatively affect learner performance, were alleviated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visual Technologies for Sustainable Digital Environments)

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16 pages, 5956 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability and Interoperability: An Economic Study on BIM Implementation by a Small Civil Engineering Firm

by José Ángel Aranda, Norena Martin-Dorta, Ferran Naya, Julián Conesa-Pastor and Manuel Contero

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9581; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229581 - 17 Nov 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3039

Abstract

Sustainability and interoperability are two closely related concepts. By analyzing the three fundamental facets of sustainability—economic, ecological and ethical/social—it is easier to address their connection with the concept of interoperability. This paper focuses on the economic aspect, in the field of civil engineering. In this area, due to the local nature of many of the software tools used, interoperability problems are frequent, with few studies addressing the economic impact of this, especially in small engineering firms. The main contribution of this paper is a design methodology for linear works based on the federation of building information modelling (BIM) models created with different software tools, conceived to break the interoperability issues between these applications. As an example, this methodology is applied to a mountain road widening project. A detailed economic analysis of the application of this methodology by an engineering Spanish firm reveals the important cost reductions that the integration of the software tools provides versus the prior practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visual Technologies for Sustainable Digital Environments)

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17 pages, 19543 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Building Orientation in Green Facade Performance and Its Positive Effects on Urban Landscape Case Study: An Urban Block in Barcelona

by Faezeh Bagheri Moghaddam, Josep Maria Fort Mir, Alia Besné Yanguas, Isidro Navarro Delgado and Ernest Redondo Dominguez

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9273; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219273 - 8 Nov 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5332

Abstract

This paper addresses the effect of building orientation efficiency of the green facade in energy consumption, for which the case study is an urban block in Passeig de Gracia, L’Eixample, Barcelona. Nowadays, many countries are faced with the trouble of the deficiency of energy resources and the incapability of saving them. Most of this energy is consumed in the cooling, heating, and artificial ventilation of buildings. For this reason, the development of an integrated strategy like a green facade is essential to transform buildings into structures that consume less energy and to improve the occupants’ comfort conditions. From the perspective of the urban landscape, the green facade can influence the quality of life in cities due to its positive effects such as the purification of air, the absorption of carbon dioxide, and the mitigation of dust, as well as the aesthetic and psychological aspects. Such criteria are based on the adoption of suitable orientation for the green facade, which is the second layer of the facade in an office building with a curtain wall as the main facade. Since the most important factor in the implementation of a green facade is the building’s orientation, the optimum orientation could be the key factor in regards to the reduction of energy consumption and cost and the improvement of overall energy efficiency. We used software that helped simulate the total energy consumption, the cost, and the energy use intensity annually and monthly. Consequently, after testing was carried out, it was proven that a green facade as a second layer with a southeast and/or a southwest orientation results in the maximum energy saving in a coastal city with a Mediterranean climate like Barcelona. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visual Technologies for Sustainable Digital Environments)

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