Search Results (218)

As part of the EduClimAir project, this study aimed to improve indoor comfort conditions by experimentally evaluating acoustic, thermal, and visual comfort, as well as indoor air quality, in two classrooms with different ventilation types (natural and mechanical) at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra. Both classrooms are part of a living-lab setup where indoor environmental quality (IEQ) parameters (air temperature Ta, relative humidity RH, carbon dioxide CO₂ and particulate matter PM concentrations, A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level LAeq) are continuously monitored. Representative data across one semester (September through December) is presented in two phases and one day, highlighting the teaching period timeframe, LAeq_Work_P. One phase is a chronological sequence of one week of non-occupancy and one week of occupancy. Results during occupancy showed LAeq_Work_P reached up to 60 dBA (room 3.3) and 65 dBA (room 6.3) in the first phase, and up to 55 dBA (room 3.3) and 57 dBA (room 6.3) in the second phase. Noise was suboptimal, though considered moderate and tolerable in a university setting. During non-occupancy, LAeq_Work_P remained broadly within WHO/ANSI S12.60 limits in the first phase but often exceeded 40 dBA in the second phase due to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems operating during unoccupied days, a gap in energy management. An evaluation of noise, Ta, CO₂, and PM interactions in one day suggests IEQ gaps. The study revealed HVAC management and IEQ gaps otherwise be missed outside a continuous monitoring and multidomain assessment approach. Full article

Learning space design has become an increasingly important consideration in educational buildings; however, existing studies have predominantly focused on the perceptions and comfort of students, teachers, and administrators, while limited attention has been given to the roles and professional perspectives of interior designers and architects, who are directly responsible for translating government design standards into built classroom environments. Hence, this study investigates the students’ dissatisfaction with current learning space and interior design strategies for primary school classrooms in China from the perspective of professional interior designers. Card sorting techniques and group interviews were conducted with 72 students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seventeen experienced designers involved in school design and renovation projects, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo 14 plus software. The findings identify that four key design dimensions influence the designers’ decision-making. These include improved indoor environmental quality (IIEQ), flexible spatial design (FSD), appropriate decoration (AD), and institutional support (IS), which all influence the environmental performance and functional adaptability of classroom. This study developed the affordance theory and the SIN model to improve the current learning space. These dimensions highlight the role of interior design strategies in addressing issues related to thermal comfort, daylight control, ventilation, spatial flexibility, visual comfort, and implementation conditions within school buildings. The study proposes a set of design recommendations and practical interior strategies for primary school classrooms. Full article

Decarbonization of existing buildings is obstructed by the performance gap between intended and operational energy consumption. Smart energy management and monitoring of existing buildings through digital twins pose significant attributes towards decarbonization efforts. However, there is limited research that transforms digital twins’ monitored performance into actionable retrofitting strategies. Hence, this research develops a framework that bridges the digital twin concept with standards-based IEQ analytics, guiding retrofit decision-making in existing buildings. The framework offers a low-code workflow that uses Autodesk Tandem to develop a digital twin integrating indoor environmental quality (IEQ) data, including thermal comfort and air quality. IEQ is monitored since inefficient management of its parameters often results in excessive HVAC demand, contributing to the performance gap. The framework structures IEQ parameter evaluations against benchmarks guided by ASHRAE to identify deviations indicative of operational inefficiencies in energy consumption. The digital twin model positions live IEQ tracking and analysis as diagnostic measures, leading to targeted fabric-oriented retrofit prioritization. The framework was tested on a case study in a hot arid climate, where its results indicate that the integration of digital twin-based IEQ analysis with building characteristics effectively identified the need for targeted envelope improvements, including high-performance glazing, external shading elements, and sound isolation, as key factors for eliminating overheating and high noise levels. Validating the proposed retrofits’ effectiveness, energy simulations examines the whole building to find an 11.52% annual reduction in energy use intensity from 145.61 kWh/m²·year to 128.84 kWh/m²·year through shading elements and low-E films for glazing. Full article

Conventional evaluations of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in office spaces are typically disproportionately influenced by expert experience, often overlooking the cognitive gap between decision makers (experts) and users (employees). To quantify and explain this discrepancy, this study develops a comprehensive evaluation framework including 20 IEQ indicators, grounded in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Using the Shenzhen Science Park as a case study, evaluation data were collected from 13 experts and 432 employees. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Kano model were applied to calculate expert weights and employees’ nonlinear sensitivities, respectively, followed by the construction of an optimization matrix via Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA). The results reveal a notable cognitive gap: experts prioritize foundational physical elements regarding spatial technology, whereas employees place greater emphasis on factors such as privacy protection and flexible layouts. Both groups concur that “noise interference” and “lack of privacy” are the primary shortcomings of open-plan offices. Prospective assessments indicate that embodied AI-enabled robots currently remain in a “early adoption phase,” with employees showing no functional dependency on them. This study confirms that merely improving building physical performance does not proportionally translate to increased employee satisfaction. Spatial optimization should adopt a human-centric approach, emphasizing acoustic control and the reconfiguration of privacy boundaries to enhance the scientific allocation of resources. Full article

This study presents an Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)-aware framework for residential valuation by integrating low-cost IoT sensing, transparent scoring, and hedonic price modeling. The analysis uses a dataset of 244 apartments across 12 districts in Tehran. It combines indicators of thermal comfort, particulate exposure, lighting, acoustics, stability, exceedance, and uncertainty with conventional housing covariates (area, age, bedrooms, floor level, renovation status, amenities, and accessibility proxies). Results show that pooled IEQ–price relationships are weak and confounded, whereas controlled specifications produce modest but consistent improvements in explanatory fit after IEQ features are introduced. Conventional location and structural attributes remain the dominant determinants of price per square meter. Still, IEQ contributes a non-redundant information layer that improves within-segment differentiation and interpretability for inspection and listing workflows. Methodologically, the framework extends beyond average comfort metrics by incorporating volatility, threshold exceedance duration, and sensor uncertainty, enabling uncertainty-aware reporting rather than single-point scoring. In practice, the workflow supports portable sensing, reproducible analytics, and privacy-preserving edge aggregation, suitable for PropTech deployment. The findings support a cautious but actionable conclusion: IEQ should be treated as an incremental valuation signal rather than a standalone pricing determinant. In this context, IEQ is conceptualized as a supplementary attribute block that may add explanatory value beyond conventional housing covariates rather than as a standalone pricing determinant. Full article

Healthy, inclusive, and environmentally supportive educational settings are increasingly recognised as relevant to children’s development, well-being, and equity. However, evidence on the physical environment in early childhood education remains fragmented across outdoor spaces, indoor spatial organisation, indoor environmental quality, materials, and contaminant-related conditions. This systematic review aimed to synthesise current evidence on the relationship between the physical environment of early childhood educational settings and multidimensional indicators of child well-being. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO, and the review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches were conducted in Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, ERIC, and APA PsycInfo. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using ROBINS-I and JBI critical appraisal tools. Eighteen studies were included. Of these, 10 focused on outdoor spaces and schoolyards, five on indoor spaces and spatial organisation, and three on indoor environmental quality, materials, or contaminants. The findings suggest four main interpretive patterns: (i) expanding opportunities for participation through functionally diverse areas and materials; (ii) shaping coexistence and interaction through access to and distribution of resources; (iii) supporting sensory regulation; and (iv) sustaining environmental health and habitability. Overall, more favourable settings were associated with better indicators of activity and play, interaction and coexistence, and involvement and regulation. For indoor environmental quality studies, however, the evidence was mainly indirect, referring to environmental-health, comfort, exposure, or habitability indicators rather than direct child-level well-being outcomes. The certainty of the evidence was moderate to low due to methodological limitations, particularly confounding and selection bias in non-randomised intervention studies and imprecision in the measurement of environmental exposure in several cross-sectional studies. The findings may inform cautious reflection on spatial design, educational practice, and policy, but stronger recommendations require more robust study designs, reproducible exposure metrics, clearer distinction between direct and indirect well-being-related indicators, and comparable outcome measures. Full article

Background: Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in housing plays a critical role in supporting health, comfort, and daily well-being, yet research and practice often address thermal, visual, acoustic, and air quality conditions in isolation. Objective: This systematic review synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed studies to examine how residential IEQ is experienced and shaped through interactions among physical building factors, environmental conditions, occupant behaviors, and socio-economic contexts. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, including 110 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025. Data were extracted and coded from 10,838 quotations and corresponding measured environmental parameters, enabling cross-domain thematic synthesis across eight IEQ domains and four analytical themes. Results: The results show persistent perception-to-measurement gaps, particularly in ventilation usability, low-frequency noise, nighttime thermal conditions, and moisture control. Demographic factors, including age, life stage, health sensitivity, and housing tenure, influence how IEQ conditions are perceived. Integrated IEQ assessments indicate that sleep-critical spaces, moisture robustness, and simple, quiet control systems exert disproportionate influence on overall environmental satisfaction. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need to prioritize preventive design strategies addressing moisture, thermal comfort, acoustics, and lighting, while improving usability of environmental controls. Future research should expand longitudinal and cross-context studies, particularly in low-income communities, and strengthen links between IEQ performance and health outcomes. Healthy residential environments require understanding IEQ not only as a technical performance metric but as a spatial and social condition. Full article

Cairo’s Islamic architectural heritage represents one of the world’s most significant concentrations of pre-industrial environmental ingenuity. For over a millennium, an integrated suite of passive climate-control systems—the Mašrabiya latticework screen, the open courtyard (Ṣaḥn), the wind-scoop (Malqaf), and stalactite vaulting (Muqarnas)—has moderated temperature, humidity, and airflow with remarkable effectiveness. Today, these inherited solutions are under unprecedented stress from urban densification, chronic particulate pollution, climate-driven temperature rise, and growing visitor footfall. This study investigates indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in six Fatimid- and Mamlūk-era buildings in Historic Cairo through the integrated IQAD-IAH framework, combining IoT field monitoring (January–December 2023) of temperature, relative humidity, CO₂, and PM2.5 with CNN-based deterioration image analysis and Random Forest predictive modeling. Results document critical summer thermal buffering failures reaching 28% of occupied hours above the ASHRAE 55 adaptive comfort limit; hygrothermal stress cycles exceeding the EN 15757 ±10% RH safe threshold for up to 38% of annual hours; and PM2.5 courtyard concentrations of 40–61 µg/m³ under normal conditions, surging to 180–320 µg/m³ during Ḫamāsῑn-seasonal wind events. Machine-learning projections indicate all three principal passive elements will cross the critical deterioration threshold of 70/100 under RCP 8.5 before 2050. A precautionary intervention window is identified between 2025 and 2032. Evidence-based management recommendations compatible with UNESCO World Heritage obligations are presented. Full article

Hybrid workplace environments are increasingly adopted in public-sector organizations; however, empirical evidence on how these spaces function in practice remains limited. This study evaluates space utilization and workplace experience in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) WorkHub, a hybrid-ready and technology-enabled workplace, using a convergent mixed-methods post-occupancy evaluation grounded in affordance theory. Phase I consisted of a participatory Think Tank session with 24 employees to identify perceived strengths, barriers, and improvement priorities related to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and spatial design. Phase II employed a Space-Centered Behavioral and Environmental Mapping (SC-BEM) protocol over four weeks, generating 272 valid zone-level observations capturing occupancy, activity type, seat utilization, functional alignment, and perceived environmental conditions. The results indicate that workplace use was concentrated in reservable, enclosed, and technology-supported spaces, whereas many open seating areas remained underutilized. Observed behaviors were primarily associated with collaborative and communal activities, with comparatively fewer focused individual activities, suggesting that the WorkHub functioned predominantly as a hub for interaction. Although acoustics and thermal comfort emerged as consistent experiential constraints, observer-rated IEQ did not significantly predict occupancy. Interpreted through an affordance-based lens, these findings suggest that space use was shaped more strongly by the clarity and usability of spatial affordances than by environmental quality alone. Full article

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) strongly influences health, comfort, and learning performance in academic buildings, yet assessment practices remain fragmented and rarely aligned with sustainability goals. This study conducted a PRISMA 2020-guided systematic literature review to identify, screen, and map IEQ indicators for educational facilities and to develop a sustainability-aligned framework for classroom evaluation. Searches of Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science (2010–2025) yielded 365 records; after de-duplication and eligibility screening, 142 peer-reviewed studies were included. From these, 118 unique IEQ indicators were extracted and classified into six domains: thermal comfort, indoor air quality, acoustic quality, visual comfort, environmental quality, and spatial quality. Using sustainability-oriented screening criteria (measurability, relevance, reliability, data accessibility, understandability, and long-term applicability), 50 indicators (42%) were retained as methodologically robust, while 68 (58%) were excluded due to weak standardization or limited practical applicability. The retained indicators were systematically mapped to the environmental, social, and economic pillars and aligned with key SDGs (3, 4, 7, 11, and 13). The resulting Sustainability-Aligned IEQ Indicator Framework integrates quality-screened indicators with pillar/SDG alignment and a mixed-method pathway that combines objective monitoring and occupant perception, supporting context-sensitive evaluation, particularly for naturally ventilated and tropical learning environments. Full article

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in shaping employee well-being, satisfaction, and work performance, particularly in hybrid workplace settings. This mixed-methods study examined how integrated IEQ conditions influence employee experience in a public-sector hybrid workplace through a case study of the WorkHub, a technology-enabled flexible workspace embedded within a large municipal utility. Quantitative data were collected from 93 valid survey responses using the Workplace Environment Satisfaction and Performance Questionnaire (WESP-Q™), and qualitative insights were obtained from a 90-min participatory think tank session with 24 employees. Results showed that WorkHub users reported significantly higher satisfaction across 15 of 18 environmental and spatial dimensions, including layout, thermal comfort, air quality, lighting, furnishings, cleanliness, and overall building experience. They also reported significantly stronger outcomes in collaboration access, work transition, focus support, work efficiency, workspace productivity, pride in work, and job satisfaction. Qualitative findings reinforced these results, highlighting technology integration, daylight, and spatial flexibility as key strengths, while identifying acoustics, thermal discomfort, and limited privacy as persistent challenges. These findings support a systems-oriented, human-centered approach to workplace design, demonstrating that integrated IEQ can enhance employee experience, collaboration, and organizational performance in hybrid public-sector environments. Full article

This paper proposes a human-centric digital twin (DT) framework balancing energy efficiency with occupant well-being in existing buildings, addressing the lack of actionable insights in data-driven facility management and comfort issues common in fully automated systems. A “Human-in-the-loop” approach using dual-KPIs integrates real-time IoT data and visualization to evaluate sustainable energy use via Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). A novel occupancy-inference method tracks efficiency in legacy buildings without granular metering, implemented through a case study of 26 office rooms. Results indicate that the framework successfully identifies significant energy wastage and comfort anomalies without compromising well-being. Integrating real-time analytics with human oversight enables more resilient management than fully automated alternatives, particularly for detecting non-operational heating waste. The occupancy inference method was validated against ground truth, achieving 81% accuracy, with limitations regarding decay lag discussed. This research offers a cost-effective diagnostic tool for legacy buildings lacking sub-metering, lowering DT adoption barriers, and shifting maintenance from reactive to data-driven strategies. The framework leverages human expertise and infers occupancy-normalized energy metrics from standard IEQ sensors, proposing a human-centric DT framework to bridge the gap between raw sensor data and actionable facility management insights. Full article

This study examines the gap concerning occupants’ perceived thermal comfort and objectively measured indoor conditions in a green university building in Riyadh. The purpose is to assess occupant satisfaction with thermal conditions, compare subjective responses with physical measurements, and derive design and operational implications for educational buildings in hot-arid climates. The primary aim was to assess occupant satisfaction with indoor thermal conditions and to measure key environmental parameters to provide a thorough assessment of thermal comfort. A cross-sectional approach was used, combining subjective data from the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) Occupant Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) survey with objective measurements of air temperature, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, and air velocity, which were documented over five consecutive working days during the mid-winter period in Riyadh. These parameters were explored using the CBE Thermal Comfort Tool to calculate Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD) indices. Statistical analyses examined the relationship between occupant-reported comfort and measured environmental conditions. Results showed that only 36% of occupants reported satisfaction with thermal comfort, while 48% expressed dissatisfaction. In contrast, objective measurements indicated stable indoor conditions within recommended comfort ranges (average temperature 23 °C, humidity 30–34%, MRT 24 °C, air velocity 0.5–1.0 m/s), with PMV values near neutral (−0.2 to 0.0) and PPD below 6%. The observed discrepancy highlights the influence of regional climate, individual adaptability, and perceived control. These findings emphasize the need to integrate both subjective feedback and objective measurements to develop occupant-centered strategies that enhance comfort and well-being in sustainable educational buildings in hot-arid climates. Full article

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) significantly impacts people’s comfort, health, and productivity in buildings, and modern green rating systems are primarily focused on energy efficiency rather than the direct user experience. This paper analyses the relationship between IEQ and the perceived quality of life (QoL) of certified and conventional office buildings in Malaysia using a mixed-methods design. The questionnaires were completed by 162 employees working in four open-plan offices: two were certified under the Green Building Index (GBI) established in Malaysia, and two were traditional. This was supplemented by 14 semi-structured interviews and 2 focus groups. The factors of IEQ were divided into ambient, designed, and behavioral environments. It was statistically determined that behavioral factors, such as visual privacy, personalization, ergonomics, and control, exhibited the strongest correlations with overall QoL, compared to ambient factors such as air quality or thermal comfort. Green buildings performed better in terms of daylighting and esthetics than conventional buildings, though they did not always deliver higher occupant satisfaction. The results indicate that current green certification frameworks pay insufficient attention to occupant-centered aspects. The proposed research adds a validated IEQ-QoL framework that predicts the incorporation of subjective user experience into building performance indicators, which can be important for certification reform, post-occupancy evaluation (POE), and human-centered sustainable design approaches. Full article

Thermal comfort is among the primary determinants of habitability in the built environment. In tropical developing countries, however, its treatment in public housing policy has often been limited, fragmented, and, in many cases, subordinated to energy-saving criteria that do not adequately reflect occupant needs or local climatic diversity. This study analyses the integration of thermal comfort within housing policy using a mixed-methods approach combining regulatory analysis with post-occupancy environmental monitoring. Empirical monitoring shows average indoor temperatures between 16.3 °C and 18.5 °C, with more than 80% of recorded hours falling below adaptive comfort thresholds and a predicted dissatisfaction rate (PPD) of approximately 47%. These findings demonstrate that compliance with efficiency-centred sustainability regulation does not necessarily ensure thermally adequate indoor conditions in occupied social housing, highlighting a structural gap in current regulatory frameworks between efficiency-based compliance and thermally adequate indoor conditions in occupied social housing. The analytical framework integrates three dimensions: policy analysis, environmental performance verification, and interpretation of occupant adaptive behaviour. Rather than claiming that Bogotá is statistically representative of all tropical conditions, the paper treats it as an analytically revealing case in which tensions among efficiency-centred regulation, imported comfort standards, and constrained occupant adaptation become visible. The paper also demonstrates that the current Colombian sustainability regulation (Resolution 0194 of 2025) operationalises sustainability primarily through energy and water saving targets and climatic zoning, while lacking explicit, verifiable indicators for thermal comfort, occupant well-being, or health outcomes. Finally, the paper discusses the relevance of locally calibrated standards, standardised field methodologies, and passive design strategies within a broader agenda of energy governance, environmental equity, and housing adequacy. Full article