{"title":"Impact of momentum sources on pedestrian-level peak wind predictions of an urban-like array using large-eddy simulations and statistical models","authors":"T. Sanemitsu , W. Wang , N. Ikegaya","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112244","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112244","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The effect of urban geometries on the peak wind speed at the pedestrian level was investigated using simplified urban-like arrays in wind tunnel experiments. To scrutinize the turbulent flow's spatial and temporal characteristics, large-eddy simulations (LESs) were adopted to simulate suitable experimental conditions using an external force accelerating the flow with the periodic boundary condition. Although previous studies have revealed that conventional LESs use a constant pressure gradient as a momentum source, driving the flow differs from those in developing boundary layers in experiments, and the effect of the momentum source on peak wind speeds at the pedestrian level remains unknown. Therefore, this study used a series of LESs based on the three driving methods to investigate the impact of the momentum provision on the relevant statistics and peak values. The turbulent statistics showed good agreement among the cases driven by the momentum sources regardless of the shape of the profiles of the momentum source. Peak wind speeds, quantified by percentiles, were estimated using statistical models based on the Weibull distribution. Overall, the results showed a good agreement between the LESs and statistical model estimations when higher-order moments were adopted as the estimation parameters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112244"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142592787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fatemeh Amirbeiki Tafti , Jihae Han , Magdalena Katharina Wekenborg , Andrew Vande Moere , Jan-Henning Schierz , Ann Heylighen , Gesine Marquardt
{"title":"Beyond Greenery: Exploring influences of exposure to natural blue elements on patients using virtual reality","authors":"Fatemeh Amirbeiki Tafti , Jihae Han , Magdalena Katharina Wekenborg , Andrew Vande Moere , Jan-Henning Schierz , Ann Heylighen , Gesine Marquardt","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is substantial evidence regarding the positive influences of natural elements on patients’ health outcomes. However, research has predominantly focused on natural green elements rather than natural blue elements. While sky and water are significant components of what humans perceive as \"nature\" and both offer considerable restorative effects in various built environments, research about their role in healthcare facilities has been limited. Therefore, this study investigated influences of exposure to natural blue elements on patients in medical imaging environments, specifically in Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) rooms. Virtual reality (VR) was employed to develop several scenarios with design strategies based on natural blue elements. These scenarios were presented to twenty participants who were former patients of medical imaging settings. The study employed a mixed methods research approach, collecting both subjective (questions on visual perception, positive and negative affects, self-reported stress) and physiological responses (mean heart rate and vagally-mediated heart rate variability). The study supports the idea that virtual reality serves as an effective tool for prototyping PET/CT scan environments. Furthermore, the results show that certain design strategies incorporating all aspects of natural blue elements, such as flowing water and its sound, water motion, water reflection, light in the sky, clouds, and the presence of birds in flight, have the potential to evoke specific positive subjective and physiological responses in participants. The findings also highlight the significant benefits of incorporating motion with natural blue elements, which makes them more realistic and, consequently, brings more life to medical imaging environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112227"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142700634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jae Hoon Ma , Ece Erdogmus , Steven Kangisser , Eunhwa Yang
{"title":"A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality on end-user design review","authors":"Jae Hoon Ma , Ece Erdogmus , Steven Kangisser , Eunhwa Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112237","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Engaging end-users in the design review process is imperative for the success of user-centered design in architecture, engineering, and construction projects. Recent advancements in immersive virtual reality have presented significant potential for enhancing end-user design review by providing realistic spatial experiences within a simulated environment. This study examines the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality as a method for end-user design reviews in comparison to traditional two-dimensional visualizations and physical site visits, focusing on affective appraisals and preference assessments—key aspects of end-users’ design evaluations. For this purpose, two meeting rooms at a university were created as immersive virtual reality and two-dimensional visualizations. A total of 40 participants conducted design reviews using these modalities and completed questionnaires expressing their affective appraisals and preferences for space designs, as well as technological acceptance and the sense of presence during the immersive virtual reality design review. The findings indicate that immersive virtual reality enhances the accuracy of affective appraisals related to the spatial dimensions and preference assessments for specific design attributes compared to two-dimensional visualizations. Moreover, participants perceived immersive virtual reality as a useful tool for design review and reported low levels of discomfort, such as dizziness or eye strain, underscoring the potential utility of immersive virtual reality in enhancing the end-user design review process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112237"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142700697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comprehensive estimation model for the health economic impact of the residential environment","authors":"Tomomitsu Kamata , Junta Nakano , Ryota Fujii , Shuzo Murakami , Toshiharu Ikaga , Shun Kawakubo","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The residential environment impacts the health and economic status of residents, for example, via medical costs and income loss from absenteeism. However, previous studies often do not consider assessments of the thermal, acoustic, light, hygiene, safety, and security environments in the residence simultaneously, and the age and sex of the residents. Therefore, this study proposed improvements to a previous method and validated the improved method for estimating health economic impact that considers the residential environment conditions and residents comprehensively. The individual scale validation demonstrated that the relationship between the comprehensive assessment of the residential environment and the risk of 10 types of diseases (diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular diseases, disorders of conjunctiva, hypertensive diseases, heart diseases, upper respiratory tract disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, dermatitis and eczema, and inflammatory arthropathies) differs by age and sex. When these disease-related economic losses were aggregated, older males were estimated to suffer the greatest losses from their residential environment in Japan. The economic impact of residential environment by resident attributes was aggregated according to the population distribution as an advanced application of the estimation model. The total economic loss from substandard residential environments across Japan was estimated to be about JPY 725 billion per year. These results should incentivize residents and policymakers to improve the residential environment. The estimation-model development process is universally applicable and may lead to the creation of optimized benchmarks in every region of the world, thereby contributing to improvements in the residential environment aimed at reducing health risks and economic losses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112233"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142573524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Energy retrofitting using advanced building envelope materials for sustainable housing: A review","authors":"Khalid Ghazwani , Thomas Beach , Yacine Rezgui","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112243","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112243","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global energy consumption by buildings represents 34% of final energy use and 37% of energy-related CO₂ emissions, emphasising the critical need for sustainable, energy-efficient housing solutions. Despite significant advancements, there is a substantial gap in effectively applying advanced materials within building envelopes to achieve optimal energy efficiency, particularly in hot climates. This study focuses on the residential sector's excessive energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, primarily caused by inadequate insulation and outdated construction practices. The objective is to systematically evaluate the effectiveness, performance, economic and environmental impacts, retrofitting techniques and challenges of using advanced building envelope materials, phase change materials, aerogels, vacuum insulation panels, and heat-reflective coatings for energy retrofitting in residential buildings. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines using the Scopus database. Rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria produced 76 high-quality studies. The analysis synthesises findings on material performance under various climatic conditions and application strategies and their impacts on energy efficiency, thermal comfort, durability, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. Results show that advanced materials have immense potential. They can significantly improve thermal regulation, reduce energy usage for heating and cooling, and lower CO₂ emissions with benefits varying across climates and application strategies. Challenges include high initial costs, long-term performance uncertainties, implementation issues, and broader applicability. This research uniquely contributes by comprehensively synthesising recent advancements, analysing economic feasibility and environmental impacts, offering valuable insights for stakeholders. It also emphasises the need for future research to address limitations and promote sustainable, energy-efficient building solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112243"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142661513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Controlled airflow fluctuations for improved performance of mist cooling systems: Enhanced evaporation and thermal comfort","authors":"Jaafar Younes , Arsen Krikor Melikov , Nesreen Ghaddar","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112234","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112234","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rising global temperatures and resulting heat stress on people necessitate sustainable outdoor cooling solutions. Mist cooling offers promise, and this work proposes a novel approach: incorporating fluctuating airflows into misting systems. We hypothesize that mist-cooled fluctuating airflows could provide more efficient outdoor cooling for people, for two reasons: 1) Increased turbulence and mixing promoting higher water evaporation rates; 2) dynamic airflow leveraging transient thermal perception for improved comfort.</div><div>Wind tunnel experiments and numerical simulations support this hypothesis, revealing that fluctuating flow, compared to constant flow with the same average velocity, enhances evaporation. Lower frequencies, higher amplitudes, and profiles with steeper gradients led to higher evaporation rates. These findings assume an idealized domain, excluding natural wind patterns. Furthermore, predictions confirmed that fluctuating flows consistently provide superior thermal comfort compared to constant flows. Fluctuating airflow with misting achieved equivalent comfort at 38% lower energy consumption compared to fluctuating flow without misting and 81% lower compared to constant flow with misting. The proposed technology has the potential to improve outdoor comfort and decrease resource consumption. It is scalable, not complex, and can be implemented into existing systems, though it may face challenges such as increased wear on fan components.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112234"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142573526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Feifan He , Jialin Wu , Yayun Li , Ming Fu , Sheng He , Wenguo Weng
{"title":"The impact of leak gap size and position on surgical mask performance of source control: A numerical study","authors":"Feifan He , Jialin Wu , Yayun Li , Ming Fu , Sheng He , Wenguo Weng","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112241","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112241","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Surgical masks are widely used for infectious source control by preventing infected individuals from transmitting pathogens. However, poor fit can create gaps between the mask and face, reducing their effectiveness. In this study, a numerical model was developed based on realistic surgical mask geometry with peripheral gaps of varying sizes and positions, fitted onto a breathing manikin. Exhalation leakage airflow dynamics and aerosol pathogen dispersion were investigated using a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with porous media. Results indicate that despite the presence of leaks, surgical masks are effective in controlling the spread of pathogens, with maximum airflow leakage at 9.11% and pathogen leakage at 16.83%. The average velocity of leaked airflow ranged from 0.12 m/s to 1.43 m/s, depending on the gap size and position. The position of the gap had little impact on the airflow and pathogen leakage fractions. Correlations between the average velocity of net leakage flow, leakage fractions of airflow and pathogens, and gap size were developed. Pathogens spread most widely from bottom leaks, followed by side and top leaks, with bottom leaks releasing up to 9.7 times more contaminated air than top leaks and 6.5 times more than side leaks. The findings also suggest that smaller gaps are associated with higher initial velocities of leakage, which in turn lead to wider dispersion of pathogens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112241"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142578174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joonsoo S. Lyeo , Michael D. Wong , Natalie Clyke , Becky Big Canoe , Penny Kinnear , Helen Stopps , Nicholas D. Spence , Sarah R. Haines
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Ten questions concerning First Nations on-reserve housing in Canada”","authors":"Joonsoo S. Lyeo , Michael D. Wong , Natalie Clyke , Becky Big Canoe , Penny Kinnear , Helen Stopps , Nicholas D. Spence , Sarah R. Haines","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112219","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112219"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142532161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing thermal comfort in hot and humid (tropical) climates: Urban outdoor and semi-outdoor conditions in waiting areas of railway stations","authors":"Wannapol Sadakorn , Suppapon Tetiranont , Lapyote Prasittisopin , Sakdirat Kaewunruen","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global phenomenon of global warming has intensified thermal discomfort in tropical metropolitan areas, where rising temperatures and the urban heat island significantly impact outdoor and semi-outdoor environments. These effects are particularly pronounced in tropical metropolitan areas, where the hot and humid climate exacerbates thermal stress. Despite the critical need to understand thermal comfort in such settings, existing research remains limited. This study addresses the research gap by examining how global warming affects thermal comfort in outdoor and semi-outdoor urban spaces, providing insights into the unique challenges these environments present. The study sought to assess both objective physical data and subjective Thermal Sensation Votes (TSV) and preferences. The results suggest that the temperature neutrality needed for thermal comfort is 29.02 °C (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.95), and a temperature comfortable range of 23.84–30.79 °C (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.84) is within the acceptable comfort level. This range surpasses the current averages, emphasizing the importance of environmental enhancements for better thermal comfort. The regression analysis indicates that operational temperature (T<sub>o</sub>), mean radiant temperature (T<sub>mrt</sub>), and body mass index (BMI) are significant variables that may accurately predict thermal sensation. Furthermore, results indicate that individuals with a higher BMI often have a reduced ability to withstand elevated temperatures. This study emphasizes the need of considering both environmental and human factors in order to improve the human comfort level and quality of life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112240"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Thermal comfort in open public spaces – A critical review in Indian context","authors":"Jagrati Sehgal, Gireendra Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112239","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112239","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) studies have gained global attention in the last two decades, with noteworthy results of increasing heat stress. Heat Issues in urban areas disturb the thermal balance and create a dilapidated urban living environment. The thermal environment is quite influencing in promoting open public spaces. India, a tropical country, deals with intense heat issues periodically throughout the year. There has been an increasing trend of OTC studies in India in the last decade. It is necessary to chronicle the state of knowledge and the current circumstances in the country.</div><div>The study aims to investigate, analyze, and summarize the ongoing scenario of OTC studies in the Indian context. This systematic literature review (SLR) is a comprehensive analysis of 38 studies obtained and reviewed through five stages. It investigates the available database to understand the thermal environment, thermal parameters, perception, preference, and overall thermal comfort in open spaces between different built forms. The outcome expansively summarises the various parameters, approaches, and scenarios to assess OTC. The findings of the study encourage the annual assessment of OTC conditions with consideration of several aspects of different climatic zones. Standardization in the process of OTC assessment and the development of OTC models in the Indian Scenario is found to be of utmost importance. Thermal neutrality values were found to vary between 19 °C - 32 °C over several locations. The in-depth discussion has addressed the precise gaps and future scope, specifically in the Indian context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9273,"journal":{"name":"Building and Environment","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112239"},"PeriodicalIF":7.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142573523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}