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This study investigated children’s perceptions and adaptive behaviors related to indoor thermal conditions of classrooms in primary schools with no air-conditioning systems during both summer and winter in Dehradun City, Uttarakhand, India. Responses were collected from 5297 school children aged 6–13 years. During the measurement periods, 100% and 94% of the samples were obtained under conditions outside an 80% thermally acceptable comfort range in winter and summer, respectively. The analysis using receiver operating characteristics suggested that the students had the least sensitivity to the temperature variation for all scales of the thermal sensation vote (TSV). Approximately 95.1% of students were “very satisfied”, “satisfied”, or “slightly satisfied” with the thermal conditions under the condition of “extreme caution” or “danger” of heat risk. In contrast, adaptive thermal behaviors, such as adjusting clothing insulation ensembles, opening or closing classroom windows and doors, and utilizing ceiling fans, were found to be the most affordable options for optimizing indoor thermal comfort. Children’s reports of thermal sensations and thermal satisfaction did not correspond to the actual physical environment. This draws attention to the adequacy of applying widely used methods of TSV-based identification of the thermal comfort range in classrooms for children, especially in hot environments. The findings of this study are expected to serve as an evidence-based reference for local governments and authorities to take appropriate measures to mitigate heat risks for schoolchildren in the future.

One branch of civil engineering is construction engineering, geared primarily towards humans. However, this branch also includes buildings designed for animals called animal housing (dwellings or shelters or corrals). Like physical spaces for humans, animal housing requires sufficient conditions for an occupation that guarantees the performance of indoor activities pleasantly and comfortably. One of the parameters for characterizing and classifying the penned livestock farm environment is the thermal comfort range that reflects the indoor temperature behavior for animal welfare, together with other climatic elements such as relative humidity. This research carried out fieldwork to evaluate the thermal environment of pigpens located in Palmira, Colombia, in the time range between 07:00 and 21:00 hours. Using thermometers and hygrometers, we recorded and analyzed the indoor temperature behavior within the thermal comfort range associated with relative humidity for the well-being of pigs. The records made it possible to calculate humidity and temperature index and humidity and black globe temperature index. According to the results, the pig rearing environment was classified as critical for breeding pigs and newborn piglets, suggesting the use of controlled environment systems in pig facilities. In conclusion, monitoring the climatic environment by criteria that combine air temperature and relative humidity is a useful tool for planning pig facilities.

The significant energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions by the construction sector need careful attention to explore innovative sustainable solutions for improving the energy efficiency and thermal comfort of building envelopes. The integration of phase-change materials (PCMs) into building commodities is a favorable technology for minimizing energy consumption and enhancing thermal performance. This review paper covers the impact of PCM incorporation into construction materials, such as walls, roofs, and glazing units. Additionally, it examines different embedding techniques like direct incorporation, immersion, macro and micro-encapsulation, and form and shape-stable PCM. Factors affecting the thermal performance of PCM-integrated buildings, including melting temperature, thickness, position, volumetric change, vapor pressure, density, optical properties, latent heat, thermal conductivity, chemical stability, and climate conditions, are elaborated. Furthermore, the latest experimental and numerical simulations, as well as modeling techniques, evident from case studies, are investigated. Ultimately, the advantages of PCM integration, including energy savings, peak load reduction, improvement in interior comfort, and reduced heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning dependence, are explained alongside the limitations. Finally, the recent progress and future potential of PCM-integrated construction materials are discussed, focusing on innovations in this field, addressing the status of policies in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and outlining research potential for the future.

The heating and cooling of buildings consume almost 40% of global energy consumption. Cooling building spaces require more input energy compared to heating in tropical buildings. The power tariff varies according to the base and peak demands. This research mainly minimizes peak electricity demand by operating cold thermal storage using deionized water as a phase change material (PCM). The experimental work investigates the partial charging of deionized water in an internally finned stainless steel spherical container immersed in a constant temperature bath. Encapsulated PCM is tested with constant bath temperatures of − 6 ℃, − 9 ℃, and − 12 ℃. Radial copper fins with a diameter of 3 mm are attached inside the container. The selected fin lengths are 7.5 mm, 13.5 mm, and 19.5 mm. The fin length of 13.5 mm is significantly reducing the freezing period. An effective reduction in the charging duration of 52% is observed at − 6 ℃ bath temperature. Partial charging is recommended by incorporating twice the amount of PCM in the design stage and utilizing 50% freezing during operation to achieve up to 52% energy savings. Therefore, the current findings help design effective cold storage for large-scale air-conditioning in buildings.

As climate challenges intensify, architectural design must reconcile energy efficiency with environmental adaptation. This study investigates how two skywell geometries in Kunming’s traditional One-Seal dwellings (Yikeyin) optimize seasonal thermal and ventilation performance. Combining field analysis and simulations, a comparative analysis of skywell depth-to-width ratios reveals that larger proportions enhance summer airflow but exacerbate winter heat loss, while smaller ratios stabilize winter conditions. Vertical thermal stratification highlights distinct microclimates across floors, with skywells exhibiting pronounced seasonal fluctuations. The findings affirm the climate-responsive intelligence embedded in vernacular architecture, demonstrating its relevance for contemporary sustainable design. By bridging traditional wisdom and modern green building practices, this work advances strategies for climate-resilient architecture and rural habitat enhancement, prioritizing both ecological balance and human comfort.

To meet the 2050 targets about climate change and decarbonization, accomplishing thermal comfort, Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems are key enabling technologies to move the Built Environment (BE) towards Smart Built Environment (SBE). The first contributions of this paper conceptualise SBE from its dynamic and adaptative perspectives, considering the human habitat, and enunciate SBE as a multidimensional approach through six ways of inhabiting: defensive, projective, scientific, thermodynamic, subjective, and complex. From these premises, to analyse the performance indicators that characterise these multidisciplinary ways of inhabiting, an IoT-driven methodology is proposed: to deploy a sensor infrastructure to acquire experimental measurements; analyse data to convert them into context-aware information; and make knowledge-based decisions. Thus, this work tackles the inefficiency and high energy consumption of public buildings with the challenge of balancing energy efficiency and user comfort in dynamic scenarios. As current systems lack real-time adaptability, this work integrates an IoT-driven approach to enhance energy management and reduce discrepancies between measured temperatures and normative thresholds. Following the energy efficiency directives, the obtained results contribute to the following: understanding the complexity of the SBE by analysing its thermal performance, quantifying the potential of energy saving, and estimating its economic impact. The derived conclusions show that IoT-driven solutions allow the generation of real-data-based models on which to enhance SBE knowledge, by increasing energy efficiency and guaranteeing user comfort while minimising environmental effects and economic impact.

This study aims to create environmentally comfortable building designs in hot and dry steppe climates using more effective approaches. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between mean radiant temperature (MRT) and indoor air temperature (Tia), taking into account the orientation of buildings, for better building thermal performance. For this purpose, residential buildings with different orientations were selected in the study region ‘Garmian—northern Iraq’, and their thermal performance was evaluated. The results show how MRT contributes to the buildings’ thermal comfort. The outcomes of this research provide innovative empirical quantification of the correlation of MRT-Tia, as the regression coefficient (β) represents the rate of change in Tia per unit increase in MRT and ranges by orientation in the study area. The findings demonstrate that north-facing buildings buffer radiant heat gain (β~0.52), resulting in a 0.5 °C increase in indoor air temperature for each 1 °C rise in MRT. Moreover, west orientation delivers promising winter passive heating (MRT up to 22 °C and indoor air temperature up to 22.8 °C with a β of ~0.82). However, south-facing buildings perform poorly in the winter, with low MRT and a weak β (~0.44), contrasting with passive solar design strategies that favor south-facing buildings in the northern hemisphere. Furthermore, in the summer, the MRT is always higher than Tia, while it is lower in winter, indicating poor envelope and fenestration thermal insulation properties, which lead to excessive energy usage to maintain thermal comfort. Finally, the study suggests the novel quantified MRT-Tia mathematical correlation responds to the orientations for such climates, offering both diagnostic and predictive tools for thermal comfort performance optimization. This study is the first to empirically quantify orientation-specific MRT–Tia relationships in BSh climates, offering a novel diagnostic tool for sustainable building design. This study involved field observations in 36 residential row houses across four orientations. Key environmental and personal variables measured included mean radiant temperature (MRT), indoor air temperature (Tia), air velocity, relative humidity, metabolic rate, and clothing insulation.

In Pakistan, reinforced concrete frame houses are the most widely used and common construction technology. In a country that experiences extreme hot and cold seasons throughout the year, buildings need to be adaptable to the climate to improve the thermal comfort of the inhabitants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to improve thermal comfort in reinforced concrete frame houses using passive design and energy efficiency measures in Quetta, Pakistan. Thermal comfort of a representative house was investigated using a building performance simulation. The building model created in EnergyPlus was validated by comparing it with on-site monitored data in both summer and winter seasons. The model was calibrated using statistical methods. Then, the calibrated model was used to perform a whole year simulation in which various orientations, ventilation, passive design, and energy efficiency strategies were applied to perform parametric analysis for the improvement of thermal comfort. The best fit-to-context thermal comfort model was selected, and the potential of bioclimatic design strategies was quantified. The results indicate that by adopting passive design strategies comfort hours can be increased from 43% to 59%. The results of the study revealed many findings which could be useful for architects and building engineers to set a future direction for improvement of indoor comfort in Quetta as well as in many other areas of Balochistan Province in Pakistan.

Buildings’ outdoor thermal comfort influences environment quality and human behavior in urban neighborhoods. The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) has been broadly applied to the study of buildings’ outdoor thermal comfort in urban areas. However, complex environmental conditions in climate-sensitive urban areas can make UTCI assessment complicated and ineffective. This paper introduces digital techniques into buildings’ outdoor thermal comfort analysis for the improvement of the urban habitant environment. A digital simulation system is generated to facilitate the analysis procedure for buildings’ outdoor thermal comfort assessment in urban neighborhoods. The analysis addresses the research question: “Can digital simulation techniques provide a modeling system to assess buildings’ outdoor thermal comfort continuously and effectively?” Methods include a case study of neighborhoods in Beijing, qualitative and quantitative analysis based on digital processes, and parametric modeling. The results indicate that digital simulation techniques and tools have the capability to support the analysis of buildings’ outdoor thermal comfort by providing three-dimensional models, algorithm-based analysis, and visual simulation. The findings include a critique of digital simulation as applied to architecture study and insights on potentially improving buildings’ outdoor thermal comfort through human–computer interactions.

With an increase in the aging population in many countries worldwide, much attention is being paid to the study of thermal comfort for the elderly. Because the elderly spend most of their time indoors, the demand for air conditioning is expected to increase, and it is important to study the thermal comfort of the elderly and appropriate operation plans for air conditioning. In this study, we conducted a field survey of thermal comfort and building energy simulation for an air-conditioned nursing home in Nagano, Japan. The field survey was conducted between June 2020 and June 2021. Over 80% of the subjects were satisfied with the indoor thermal environment. The thermal neutral temperature of the elderly was 25.9 °C in summer and 23.8 °C in winter. Future weather data was used to predict the future heating and cooling loads of the nursing home. The results showed that the total heat load may not change significantly, as the decrease in heating load compensates for the increase in cooling load. This study will serve as a useful reference for a wide range of stakeholders, including managers and designers of nursing homes.