Building Climate Research Articles

Organizational justice, conflict management and employee relations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of organizational justice and conflict management on employee relations (ER) through the mediating role of climate of trust.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted with a sample of 331 employees working in a power transmission unit of Odisha. Data were collected by administering a structured questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling (AMOS 20).FindingsThe results reveal that climate of trust plays the role of a partial mediator between organizational justice and ER and conflict management and ER. Also, it was found that organizational justice, conflict management and climate of trust are the positive and significant predictors of ER.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was confined to a single state-owned power transmission unit of an Indian state, which restricts its generalizability. The research would benefit from exploration in alternative units.Practical implicationsThis scholarly work may encourage managers and decision makers to develop trust building climate by focusing on organizational justice and conflict management to flourish an environment of harmonious ER, furthermore to formulate effective strategies for cultivating facilitative work environment to enhance positive attitude among the employees to challenge future goals.Originality/valueThe research is exclusive in determining the influence of organizational justice and conflict management on ER through the mediator of climate of trust in the new perspective of the power sector that provides empirical evidence to the extant literature.

Heat Stress in Indoor Environments of Scandinavian Urban Areas: A Literature Review.

Climate change increases the risks of heat stress, especially in urban areas where urban heat islands can develop. This literature review aims to describe how severe heat can occur and be identified in urban indoor environments, and what actions can be taken on the local scale. There is a connection between the outdoor and the indoor climate in buildings without air conditioning, but the pathways leading to the development of severe heat levels indoors are complex. These depend, for example, on the type of building, window placement, the residential area’s thermal outdoor conditions, and the residents’ influence and behavior. This review shows that only few studies have focused on the thermal environment indoors during heat waves, despite the fact that people commonly spend most of their time indoors and are likely to experience increased heat stress indoors in the future. Among reviewed studies, it was found that the indoor temperature can reach levels 50% higher in °C than the outdoor temperature, which highlights the importance of assessment and remediation of heat indoors. Further, most Heat-Health Warning Systems (HHWS) are based on the outdoor climate only, which can lead to a misleading interpretation of the health effects and associated solutions. In order to identify severe heat, six factors need to be taken into account, including air temperature, heat radiation, humidity, and air movement as well as the physical activity and the clothes worn by the individual. Heat stress can be identified using a heat index that includes these six factors. This paper presents some examples of practical and easy to use heat indices that are relevant for indoor environments as well as models that can be applied in indoor environments at the city level. However, existing indexes are developed for healthy workers and do not account for vulnerable groups, different uses, and daily variations. As a result, this paper highlights the need for the development of a heat index or the adjustment of current thresholds to apply specifically to indoor environments, its different uses, and vulnerable groups. There are several actions that can be taken to reduce heat indoors and thus improve the health and well-being of the population in urban areas. Examples of effective measures to reduce heat stress indoors include the use of shading devices such as blinds and vegetation as well as personal cooling techniques such as the use of fans and cooling vests. Additionally, the integration of innovative Phase Change Materials (PCM) into facades, roofs, floors, and windows can be a promising alternative once no negative health and environmental effects of PCM can be ensured.

The future geomorphic landscape in Ireland

There are multifaceted challenges in conducting geomorphology research in third level institutions in Ireland in an academic era rife with pressures to publish and expectations to conduct relevant research with high societal impact. This special issue includes a series of innovative papers that address that challenge, focused specifically on the vulnerability of Irish landscape systems to climate change and human activity. A series of recommendations are presented that promote the visibility of geomorphology research and teaching and identify opportunities where geomorphologists can contribute to national plans on broad landscape planning and building climate resilience. These include: (i) using climate change as a vehicle to foster new cross disciplinary research programmes and to bridge the physical-human divide in the discipline of geography; (ii) monetising ecosystems goods and services as a means to obtain proportional capital investment to conserve and protect our neglected and underappreciated geomorphic features and landscapes; and (iii) advocating for appropriately resourced research funding to support essential field-based research in the wider geomorphological field across universities.

The future geomorphic landscape in Ireland

There are multifaceted challenges in conducting geomorphology research in third level institutions in Ireland in an academic era rife with pressures to publish and expectations to conduct relevant research with high societal impact. This special issue includes a series of innovative papers that address that challenge, focused specifically on the vulnerability of Irish landscape systems to climate change and human activity. A series of recommendations are presented that promote the visibility of geomorphology research and teaching and identify opportunities where geomorphologists can contribute to national plans on broad landscape planning and building climate resilience. These include: (i) using climate change as a vehicle to foster new cross disciplinary research programmes and to bridge the physical-human divide in the discipline of geography; (ii) monetising ecosystems goods and services as a means to obtain proportional capital investment to conserve and protect our neglected and underappreciated geomorphic features and landscapes; and (iii) advocating for appropriately resourced research funding to support essential field-based research in the wider geomorphological field across universities.

Impact of climate change on cultural heritage: a simulation study to assess the risks for conservation and thermal comfort

Artefacts are prone to various types of decay depending on the indoor conditions of the building in which they are kept. Moreover, due to climate changes, the indoor climate of these buildings may significantly change, which can endanger their preservation. Hence, this paper studies the effects of climate changes on the indoor climate of heritage buildings and on the conservation of artefacts and thermal comfort of visitors. For this purpose, a validated hygrothermal model of a naturally ventilated historic church - Saint Christopher's in Lisbon coupled with climate change weather files were used to obtain future indoor conditions. Additionally, four other climates were simulated using the building model: Seville (Mediterranean climate), Prague and Oslo (Continental climate), as well as London (Oceanic climate). The obtained indoor climates were assessed using a statistical analysis based in several known indices, a risk-based analysis and an adaptive thermal comfort model.

Double skin suitable for Mediterranean climate in school-gym buildings

The requalification of public buildings especially schools, represents an important task for the Italian Government not only for their educational function but also for the important social role they play. These schools were usually constructions built during the ‘60s or ‘70s with old technical characteristics and expensive maintenance costs which causes a serious waste of energy. Due to the large number of schools scattered nationwide and the limited space for new buildings, it is better to refurbish them using design choices that improve their architectural quality and structural and functional efficiency. This study focuses on the restoration and energy building improvement of a school-gym located in the seaside town of Pesaro, in the center of Italy. With careful design based on the analysis of the Mediterranean climate data of the site and the microclimate related to the precise position of the building, the design concept achieves high performance energy saving and lower production of CO2.

Study on environment conscious technologies in a super tall building: Evaluation of PV performance considering aerological climate

In recent years, buildings have tended to be taller, and their energy potential is expected be used effectively . Photovoltaics is considered one of technologies affected by air temperature, outside air velocity, and solar radiation from the aerological climate of supertall buildings with a height of 390 m. The energy potential of the “height” of photovoltaic power generation systems is affected by two factors: aerological climate and shadows cast by surrounding buildings. Taking these effects into account, the predicted annual power generation amount was calculated. At 390 m above ground, it was confirmed that the power generation amount was greater than that on the ground, when considering the effectiveness of photovoltaic systems. Then, we calculated the predicted annual power generation amount on each wall and roof surface of a tall building with a height of 390 m above the ground. By evaluating the energy-saving effect of adopting photovoltaic systems, we evaluated the photovoltaic system using the wall surface from the viewpoint of the primary energy reduction and primary energy consumption of the building.

Building climatic zoning under the conditions of climate change in China

The effects of climate change on building climate zones in China were investigated by using the recent 55-year (1961-2015) meteorological observation data. The results show that the building climate zones have largely changed under climate warming. The changed areas were 31.8 × 104 km2, 70.0 ×104 km2 and 78.5 ×104 km2 for the periods of 1971-2000, 1981-2010, and 1991-2015 relative to 1961-1990, accounting for 3.4%, 7.4%, and 8.3% of the land surface. Among the five climate zones, the severe cold zone has reduced, whereas the other four climate zones have expanded, with the largest expansion occurring in cold zone. The major transition was from severe cold to cold zones. The results in this study suggest that climate change has apparent effects on building climate zones in China. Hence, new climate zones should be reformulated, and accurate building design strategies are urgently needed.

Building climatic zoning under the conditions of climate change in China

The effects of climate change on building climate zones in China were investigated by using the recent 55-year (1961-2015) meteorological observation data. The results show that the building climate zones have largely changed under climate warming. The changed areas were 31.8 × 104 km2, 70.0 ×104 km2 and 78.5 ×104 km2 for the periods of 1971-2000, 1981-2010, and 1991-2015 relative to 1961-1990, accounting for 3.4%, 7.4%, and 8.3% of the land surface. Among the five climate zones, the severe cold zone has reduced, whereas the other four climate zones have expanded, with the largest expansion occurring in cold zone. The major transition was from severe cold to cold zones. The results in this study suggest that climate change has apparent effects on building climate zones in China. Hence, new climate zones should be reformulated, and accurate building design strategies are urgently needed.

How Development Choices Could Alter the Capacity of Health Systems

Background: Individual and collective choices will determine the pattern of demographic, socioeconomic, and technologic changes that will, in turn, affect the transitioning to a more resilient and sustainable world, including the burden of climate-sensitive health outcomes. Methods: Using a set of socioeconomic development trajectories, the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), along with the World Health Organization’s Operational Framework for Building Climate Resilient Health Systems, we extend existing narratives to illustrate how aspects of health systems are likely to change over this century, and the implications of these trends for population health. Five narratives describe worlds with varying degrees of challenges to adaptation and mitigation. Results: Very different health system capacities and burdens of climate-sensitive health outcomes will likely arise under different development pathways, with substantial implications for population health. Transitioning to a more resilient and sustainable world to prepare for and manage the effects of climate change is likely to result in strengthened capacity to manage impacts that do arise and to better health outcomes overall. Continued significant fossil fuel use will likely result in high burdens of preventable conditions, such as undernutrition, malaria, and diarrheal diseases, coupled with reduced capacity to manage these challenges. The magnitude and pattern of health burdens and capacity of health systems will vary under other development pathways. Further research should examine how health systems are coping with health and climate change challenges, and the information, tools, and resources need to increase the capacity to manage future climate change-related health risks.

Preparation of insulating material based on rice straw and inexpensive polymers for different roofs

Fossil fuel saving is part of the 21th century goal. One of the largest sectors that consumes energy is the building sector since it consumes 40% of the total energy in Europe through heating and cooling. Thus, the need of minimizing the energy consumption played an important role in the development of building insulation materials. Selection of a proper material for building insulation differs according to the building surrounding climate and the properties required in the material. Building climate determines the insulating material location whether its internal or external while properties can differ according to many parameters that affect the material quality such as thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, waterproofing, resistance to fire and mechanical properties. Another factor is newly considered which doesn’t affect the product quality but has an influence in the energy consumption is the environmental impact. The aim of the research is considering most of the above factors through making a composite of rice straw particles bounded by a polymer to produce roof insulations. The utilization of wastes such as rice straw to produce a high quality product with the least price is the research main objective. The polymers selected for research are the unsaturated polyester resin and the polyurethane foam polymers. The polyester is not recently applied for insulation on comparison with the polyurethane foam which is dominant through the global market. At the end of the research, satisfying results have been achieved to nominate the 80% polyurethane foam and 20% rice straw composite as the best sample among all of the prepared samples. The other samples include polyester and rice straw composite with different compositions. The foam and straw sample have the best insulation with value of 0.1627 W/m oC. The compression strength has also been improved on addition of rice straw to the polyurethane foam by three times the initial value. Also, the density measurement revealed a very light composite which is suitable for the construction field requirements. This results in reducing the cost by 28.35%. On contrast, polyester samples which have very high density and higher K factor are not so efficient, so it is suggested that they can be applied at rural regions due to their low cost.

A cross-disciplinary path to healthy and energy efficient buildings

This paper complements existing Smart City taxonomies with a case study of concrete cross-boundary collaboration between actors from diverse disciplines and institutions. The paper explores technical, social and organizational aspects of indoor climate in public buildings in Copenhagen, and outlines a digital platform (skoleklima.dk/climify.org) for the visualization and evaluation of locally produced data. The platform is to improve temporarily challenging situations ‘right-in-time’, help to solve continuous problematic conditions in the buildings and provide a scientific data infrastructure for better political decision-making. Furthermore, the paper suggests that research in active public organizations (‘living labs’) unfolds in erratic and dynamic trajectories, and in order to attain comprehensive understanding and reach innovative solutions, involved actors need to explore and intertwine diverse technical, social, political and organizational circumstances. With an empirically outset, the paper thus opens for new contextual driven understandings of cross-boundary collaboration in Smart City development.

Developing building comfort index from building climate factors in a tropical urban environment

This study investigates on the internal climate condition of buildings in an urban area situated at the Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL). The factors that contribute to the effect of building climate are being identified and the building climate information portrays by using the Geographical Information System (GIS). The main contributing factors of building climate are building design, building material, orientation of the building towards the sun and surrounding climate around the building. The main objectives of this study are to develop a building comfort index using geospatial technologies and to investigate the building climate factors based on the building climate data collected from building samples. The devices used are temperature and humidity meter and noise level meter. The building comfort data collected from each room are room temperature, humidity and noise. The study area is in Kajang, Selangor area, which is being identified as an urban area. Buildings chosen are composed of ten (10) buildings in IUKL. The results of the study revealed that the building climate index (BCI) for all buildings in IUKL comprise of six (6) buildings are having BCI of Comfortable and four (4) buildings with BCI of Less Comfortable. A mathematical equation was obtained from the data collected by using the statistical power formula and tolerances of the data were being obtained from predicted data which has 72% tolerance and onto tested data which has 93% tolerance. The results of the study implicate building manager, architect, building surveyor, town planner and building user. It is hoped that further studies focus on obtaining the BCI of the buildings once in every three months of the year.

Diagnosis of functioning incidences from judicial claims in building installations in Spain

Building facilities are an important part of construction, given that they interact with the rest of the building and may generate complaints from and dissatisfaction among the users, with subsequent litigation in courts. Expert reports used during judicial processes resulting from user complaints constitute an original source of knowledge on incidences in facilities. This article analyses the anomalies detected in 15 different types of installations from a total of 496 buildings under study, in which judicial claims were filed between 2008 and 2010, in Spain. In total, 854 incidences were found. The material damages and causes and consequences were analysed. These incidences were categorised qualitatively and quantitatively, and the most recurrent situations were studied. Through statistical analysis, the building typology, climate and location with the greatest likelihood of manifesting problems in each facility were determined, as well as the complaint risk factor per facility. It was also detected that most of the incidences (41.34%) were caused by lack of water-tightness in the facilities. With this information, technicians will be able to detect the most conflicting points and reduce failures in the execution of their projects, thus improving building construction quality.

Effectiveness of methods against rising damp in buildings: Results from the EMERISDA project

Rising damp is a recurrent hazard to ancient buildings in Europe and its relevance is expected to increase in the future, due to climate changes. The presence of rising damp in walls does not only create an unpleasant climate in buildings, but it also enhances damage processes such as frost action, salt crystallization and biological growth, with possible consequences on the health of the inhabitants. The relevance of this problem is reflected by the large variety of products on the market. The wide and differentiated offer and the scarce scientific information on the effectiveness of the methods make it difficult, (even) for professionals working in the field, to choose a suitable intervention on a sound basis. The JPICH-financed project EMERISDA (2014–2017) [1] aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of different intervention methods against rising damp. The project involved universities, research institutes, heritage agencies and companies (producers and contractors) in Belgium (BBRI, co-ordinator), Italy (CNR-ISAC, Universita’ Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Restauri Speciali s.r.l., Diasen s.r.l.) and The Netherlands (Delft University of Technology and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands). The research methodology included the use of an on-line questionnaire and experimental research in laboratory, on scale models and on-site. Both traditional methods, such as chemical injection, and more recent techniques, such as the so-called “electro-physical” methods have been investigated. [2] The following results of the EMERISDA project are presented in this paper: - Results from on-line questionnaire.- Definition of an experimental procedure for the assessment of the presence of rising damp and of the effectiveness of the intervention.- Prototype of decision support tool, which provides insight into the feasibility and risks of existing methods against rising damp and supports actors involved in conservation in the choice and application of the methods against rising damp.

On the relation between urban climate and energy performance of buildings. A three-years experience in Rome, Italy

Climatic conditions strongly affect the energy performance of buildings, and due to the synergy between global climate change and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, the climatic conditions inside and outside the city are highly different. However, weather data collected at airports are commonly used for building energy simulations and these data do not take into account real temperature distribution in cities. Many studies in the literature address the topic but mostly considering only a couple of urban and non-urban stations. In this paper, the urban climate in Rome, Italy, is analysed after monitoring of the air temperature and relative humidity in four selected neighbourhoods and one reference station from October 2014 until September 2017. Rome is characterised by a composite urban pattern and high variability of building types, of which the four selected areas are representative. The heating degree days decrease up to 18% and cooling degree days increase up to 157% in the urban area with respect to the rural reference and the area most affected by the UHI is the city centre. The UHI is more intense in summer than in winter (average increase between 0.7 °C and 1 °C); while the diurnal and nocturnal UHI depends on the season and the neighbourhood. Then, the energy performance of a representative apartment block and a typical office building was computed using the measured data. Regarding the predicted energy performance, comparing the four urban sites and the reference site, the UHI causes a reduction of heating consumption up to 21% in residential building and 18% in the office building. An increase of cooling consumption up to 74% is instead computed for the residential building and up to 53% for the office building.

Potential contributions of market-systems development initiatives for building climate resilience

Market systems interventions are an increasingly common approach to agricultural development. While the impacts of these interventions on poverty reduction and market participation by smallholders has been studied, little is known about their contributions to building climate resilience. This paper analyzes the compatibility of market systems and climate resilience approaches to agricultural development, using the United States government’s Feed the Future program as an empirical case study. Drawing on case studies in Ethiopia and Honduras, the paper examines the synergies and tensions between market systems and climate resilience approaches. The study finds that the market systems interventions have contributed to climate resilience, but also evidence of significant limitations due to fundamental tensions between market system and resilience approaches in terms of what their goals are, who they target, and how they approach their objectives. This study has important implications for the design and implementation of climate resilience programs and policies, as well as the expectations that agricultural development programs will be able to build climate resilience. Recognizing the inherent tensions that exist between market systems approaches and resilience approaches and explicitly discussing the trade-offs between the goals, target audiences, and primary mechanisms of each approach would represent an important step forward if market systems programs are going to contribute to climate resilience.

What drives the carbon mitigation in Chinese commercial building sector? Evidence from decomposing an extended Kaya identity

Energy efficiency in the building sector is expected to contribute >50% to the nationwide carbon mitigation efforts for achieving China's carbon emission peak in 2030, and carbon mitigation in Chinese commercial buildings (CMCCB) is an indicator of this effort. However, the CMCCB assessment has faced the challenge of ineffective and inadequate approaches; therefore, we have followed a different approach. Using the China Database of Building Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions as our data source, our study is the first to employ the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) to decompose five driving forces from the Kaya identity of Chinese commercial building carbon emissions (CCBCE) to assess the CMCCB values in 2001–2015. The results of our study indicated that: (1) Only two driving forces (i.e., the reciprocal of GDP per capita of Tertiary Industry in China and the CCBCE intensity) contributed negatively remi to CCBCE during 2001–2015, and the quantified negative contributions denoted the CMCCB values. Specifically, the CMCCB values in 2001–2005, 2006–2010, and 2011–2015 were 123.96, 252.83, and 249.07 MtCO2, respectively. (2) The data quality control involving the CMCCB values proved the reliability of our CMCCB assessment model, and the universal applicability of this model was also confirmed. (3) The substantial achievements of the energy efficiency project in the Chinese commercial building sector were the root cause of the rapidly growing CMCCB. Overall, we believe that our model successfully bridges the research gap of the nationwide CMCCB assessment and that the proposed model is also suitable either at the provincial level or in different building climate zones in China. Meanwhile, a global-level assessment of the carbon mitigation in the commercial building sector is feasible through applying our model. Furthermore, we consider our contribution as constituting significant guidance for developing the building energy efficiency strategy in China in the upcoming phase.

Effects of real-time simulation feedback on design for visual comfort

Building performance simulations and models of human visual comfort allow us to predict daylight-caused glare using digital building models and climate data. Unfortunately, the simulation tools currently available cannot produce results fast enough for interactive use during design ideation. We developed software with the ability to predict visual discomfort in real time. However, we know little about how users react to simulation feedback presented in real time. In our study, 40 subjects with backgrounds in building design and technology completed two shading design exercises to balance glare reduction and annual daylight availability in two open office arrangements using two simulation tools with differing system response times. Subjects with access to real-time simulation feedback tested more design options, reported higher confidence in design performance and increased satisfaction with the design task, and produced better-performing final designs with respect to spatial daylight autonomy and enhanced simplified daylight glare probability.

Cultivating climate resilience: a participatory assessment of organic and conventional rice systems in the Philippines

AbstractClimate change poses serious threats to agriculture. As a primary staple crop and major contributor to agriculturally derived greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, rice systems are of particular significance to building climate resilience. We report on a participatory assessment of climate resilience in organic and conventional rice systems located in four neighboring villages in Negros Occidental, Philippines. The Philippines is one of the foremost countries impacted by climate change, with an increasing incidence of climate-related disturbances and extensive coastlines, high population density and heavy dependence on agriculture. Using the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Self-evaluation and Holistic Assessment of climate Resilience of farmers and Pastoralists (SHARP) tool, we measured 13 agroecosystem indicators of climate resilience, and assessed the degree to which household, farm, and community mechanisms and outcomes impact adaptation capacity, mitigation potential and vulnerability. We used a participatory approach to situate these indicators in their socio-ecological context, and identify targeted interventions for enhancing climate resilience based on local farmer experiences and socio-ecological conditions. Comparison of climate resilience indicators across organic and conventional rice systems in this region indicated that organic rice systems are more climate resilient than their conventional counterparts. As such, increased policy support for the development of organic rice systems are critically important as an adaptive mechanism to augment food security, mitigate GHG emissions and improve climate resilience in the Philippines.