Typical Building Research Articles

A Review Study on Belt Wall in Non-Regular Buildings in Various India Earthquake Zones

To reinforce a building's central walls and external columns and boost its stability against overturning, outriggers are robust horizontal frameworks like beams and frames. While cantilevers have been an attribute of buildings for more than fifty years, their performance has been enhanced by innovative design concepts. The structural system known as the foundation system is made up of horizontal cantilever portions that are fastened to the structure's external columns and interior core. The system's lateral stiffness and central moment arm are both enhanced by this link. By joining the core and the building supports, the stabilizer lowers the back moments inside the core and transfers moments from the core to the exterior supports. Steel, concrete, and composite materials are just a few of the elements that can be used to make stabilization systems. Usually the core is positioned on one side of the building and the stabilizers expand on the opposite side, or the stabilizers expand on one side of the central core. To stop lateral movement, the perimeter of the building is attached together and expanded by column-connecting walls. Wall-mounted stabilizers are more efficient than wall-free ones. The center wall cannot freely rotate on the external columns due to the stabilizing arm. The location of outriggers and tie rods, the quantity of outriggers, the form of the structure, the type of core (steel or concrete), and the height from floor to ceiling are just a few of the elements that might impact how well outriggers and straps function in the structure. Several studies were selected for this review study with the purpose of analyzing the impact of belt walls on irregular structures. Obtain a thorough analysis of the types of irregular buildings and how earthquakes affect these constructions. Earthquake zones are used in India to categorize the degree of seismic loading. Keywords: Belt Wall, earthquake zone, Irregularities of Building, Storey displacement, bending moment etc.

The effect of islamic ornament as secondary skin on daylight quality

Abstract Islamic ornaments are used extensively in different types of buildings, serving both aesthetic and functional purposes. They are used in mosques, offices and other buildings, serving as both interior and exterior elements. One application is their use as secondary skins to cover window openings. This research investigates the effect of Islamic ornaments as secondary skins on interior lighting. The main question addressed is how Islamic ornaments affect the quality of natural lighting. Using computer simulations, scenarios with clear glass and varying ornament distance from the window were assessed under clear sky conditions at different times of the day. The results show that the presence of Islamic ornaments significantly reduces the average daylighting level on interior surfaces compared to scenarios without ornaments. Visual representations using ray diagrams and computer-generated images illustrate the effects of varying ornamental conditions. This research highlights the potential of Islamic ornaments to improve the quality of daylighting in architecture. The findings emphasise their role in optimising daylight indoors, and encourage careful consideration of the impact of spacing on window openings. In particular, the distribution of daylight varies between rooms orientated to the north and west.

Effects of Soft Story Locations on the Nonlinear Time History Analysis of Multistory Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Abstract The current paper included studying the effects of soft storey locations on dynamic response of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings under the impacts of earthquakes. Soft storey is essential to provide the building with a functional space such as vehicle garages or open meeting rooms. Further analytical investigation was necessary to understand the impact of these flexible floors on the building's response during earthquakes, as conducting experimental research to address this issue is highly difficult. The research encompassed the effects of soft storey location in two types of buildings, one with equal spans and the other with unequal spans, on the nonlinear time history response. Each building consists of a 10-stories (G+9) RC residential structure subjected to earthquake effects. The analysis was carried out using program sap2000 v23. An analogous diagonal strut was used to illustrate the infill panels. The study included the effect of soft storeys on the natural period, the change in base shear with time, and the change of displacement and acceleration along time for each building. The obtained results showed that including a soft storey in the analysis for buildings having either equal or unequal spans increased the time period, displacement, and storey drift, causing a decrease in the acceleration and base shear forces. Building with the soft storey on the fifth floor (at the mid-height of the building) showed a better dynamic response compared with that using the soft storey on the ground and last floors.

High-precision air conditioning load forecasting model based on improved sparrow search algorithm

Air conditioning load prediction is a crucial prerequisite for ensuring the efficient operation of air conditioning systems and enhancing demand-side response in electricity. Due to the uncertainty in model parameter settings and limitations of the Sparrow Search Algorithm (SSA2) itself, leading to significant human and material resources consumption during the prediction process, this study improves SSA (ISSA) to enhance air conditioning prediction efficiency and accuracy. The enhanced SSA is then combined with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). Firstly, Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA1) is employed for feature extraction on the load to obtain more regular sub-signals, facilitating subsequent prediction tasks. Simultaneously, the Maximum Information Coefficient (MIC) is used to measure the correlation between data, assisting in selecting input variables for the model. Subsequently, each sub-signal is input into the ISSA-LSTM model for prediction, and the prediction results of each sub-signal are reconstructed to obtain the final prediction. Finally, data from air conditioning loads in two different types of buildings are collected to validate the model. Upon validation, it was found that the SSA1-ISSA- LSTM model exhibits superior performance compared to other advanced combination models. When predicting air conditioning loads in office building, the R2 value reaches 0.9955, with MAPE, MAE, and RMSE being 0.73 %, 4.658RT, and 6.1151RT respectively. When predicting air conditioning loads in medical building, the R2 is as high as 0.9920, with MAPE, MAE, and RMSE being 0.55 %, 5.8543RT, and 7.9599RT respectively.

Study on Building Types and Fire and Evacuation Safety Reference Guidelines for Quarantine Hotels in Taiwan

<p>國內目前對於防疫旅館之防火避難安全尚未有明確可供依循的規範或指引，本研究以「申請即排序與規劃」的源頭控管概念出發，將防疫旅館進行建築類型化與排序，再配合疫情狀況彈性收斂為「優先組」、「次優組」與「候補組」，並依各群組特性擬訂其所需之申請審查要項。建議防疫旅館以獨棟型為優先、低層型次之，如為單梯應注意要規劃兩方向逃生動線；為複合中高層型時，其他樓層用途單純者為佳，且須確實執行共同防火管理；複合中高層（閒置）則為最不建議之類型。除建築類型評估外，尚應考量設備與消防救助之條件是否符合基本條件，並依據建築類型分組之特性訂定防疫旅館的申請評估要項。最後以「申請即排序與規劃」、 「使用要維護管理與自主評核」、「查核有專業檢查與稽查」三個核心概念出發，研擬「防疫旅館防火避難安全參考指引」。</p> <p> </p><p>This study starts with the concept of "application, namely ranking and planning". After separating by building type, group the types into “Priority Group”, “Sub-Prime Group”, and “Alternative Group” according to the current COVID-19 situation, and plan the required application review items based on the features of each group. It is recommended that quarantine hotels prioritize independent buildings and then lower-floor hotels. For multi-purpose medium-high floor, other floors are better for simple purposes, and common fire escape management must be implemented. Multi-purpose medium-high floor (vacant) are the least recommended type. In addition, due to the complex fire protection and evacuation features of quarantine hotels, it is important to consider whether the conditions for equipment and fire rescue are met. Finally, start with the three core concepts of "application, namely ranking and planning", "maintenance, management, and self-assessment are needed during use", and "inspection, with professional checking and auditing", to research and plan the "Reference Guideline for Fire Evacuation Safety of Quarantine Hotels".</p> <p> </p>

Panels of Cold-Formed Steel Profiles: Possibility of Their Use to Repair War-Damaged Large-Panel Buildings

Abstract In the paper, we present the results of an analysis of data samples of 282 damaged buildings; the samples include the age of the building, the type of vertical bearing structures, the type of construction of the external walls, the method of the insulation of the walls, the number of floors, the buildings’ functions, and the extent of the damage. The primary objective of the analysis was to evaluate the possibility of using panels of cold-formed thin-walled steel profiles to repair the damaged structures. The results of a study of typical projects of large panel buildings that were constructed in Ukraine and an analysis of the practical experience of repairing these types of buildings after blast actions can also be found. The research tasks are defined for implementing this technology in the process of repairing large panel buildings.

Shear behavior of the fully prefabricated liftable connection for modular steel construction

Modular steel construction (MSC) is a novel structural system comprising of stacked modular units. It represents a type of green building with broad market prospects, which is aligned with industrialization and intellectualization trends. The shear behavior of the inter-module connection significantly impacts the lateral force resistance behavior of the MSC, which directly determines the load bearing capacity of the MSC. However, there are few studies on the shear behavior of the inter-module connection. A fully prefabricated liftable connection (FPLC) for MSC was proposed. The damage mechanism and design method of the FPLC under shear force were systematically investigated. Monotonic shear tests were conducted on six full-scale FPLC specimens. The failure mode, strain distribution, and load-bearing capacity of the FPLC under shear force were discussed. Subsequently, a refined finite element model (FEM) of the FPLC was established using the universal finite element analysis (FEA) software ABAQUS. The accuracy of the developed FEM was validated by comparing the experimental and numerical results. In addition, the development of the internal forces of the long stay bolts of the specimens was discussed to reveal the load-transfer mechanism of the FPLC. Finally, a series of prediction equations for the ultimate load-bearing capacity of the FPLC under a shear force were derived. The reliability of the proposed formulas was validated by comparing the theoretical and experimental results. The present research work will provide a comprehensive understanding of the shear behavior of the FPLC and corresponding design method, which is beneficial for the promotion of the MSC; limitations and future work are also briefly presented.

Indoor-outdoor microbial exchange: Quantifying the contribution of outdoor sources to indoor microbiota across seasons

BackgroundBacteria and fungi are ubiquitous, suspended in the air, and have the potential to influence human health. However, the relationship between microbes in outdoor air, soil, and indoor air remains unknown. MethodsThis study comprehensively analyzed the microbes of indoor air, outdoor air and soil during summer and winter in Nanjing, a hot summer and cold winter city in China. A total of 102 rooms, 544 culturable samples, and 406 sequencing samples were investigated. The Sloan neutral model (SNM) and the fast expectation-maximization microbial source tracking (FEAST) were used to analyze the relationship between indoor and outdoor microbial communities. ResultsThe impact of season on bacterial diversity differed from that on fungal diversity. Microbial diversities and community structures in indoor air, outdoor air, and soil were similar within the same season but differed between seasons. The fitting results of the SNM indicated that the stochastic assembly processes of both indoor and outdoor airborne bacteria were greater in summer than in winter, whereas for airborne fungi, the situation was reversed. The FEAST calculating results suggested that outdoor air serves as a more significant source than soil for indoor air microbiota both in summer and winter. ConclusionThis study provided a new insight into understanding the quantitative contributions of outdoor sources to indoor airborne microbiota. Future studies should include a wider range of building types and extend across multiple seasons to provide deeper insights into the quantitative relationship between indoor and outdoor microbiota.

미국에서의 콘도미니엄 관리

Like apartment buildings in Korea, condominiums in the United States are not a physical style or type of building, but rather a mode of ownership. In addition to the physical elements of private and common areas, condominiums in the U.S. also have an owner's association as a human element. However, unlike Korea, the human factor is much stronger than the physical factor. This is because the U.S. condominium law focuses on collective management of property. On the other hand, the Korean Collective Buildings Act has emphasized the right of separate ownership of the exclusive use part from the time of its enactment, as it originated from the modification of the sharing theory of the civil law to adjust the sharing relationship between the exercise of ownership of each exclusive use part and the common part or land, and to promote the survival of each unit owner with respect to the sharing relationship. However, collective buildings in Korea are becoming larger and larger, and large apartment complexes with many facilities are becoming more popular, and the proportion of common areas to the total area is increasing. Therefore, even in the Collective Building Act, it is necessary to strengthen the human factor through the community of residents to manage the common areas and control the interests of users of the common areas, such as noise between floors.

Geophysical Investigation and 3D Modeling of Bedrock Morphology in an Urban Sediment-Filled Basin: The Case of Bolzano (Northern Italy)

Bedrock mapping is essential for understanding seismic amplification, particularly in sediment-filled valleys or basins. However, this can be hard in urban environments. We conducted a geophysical investigation of the sediment-filled Bolzano basin in Northern Italy, where three valleys converge. This study uses low-impact, single-station geophysical methods suitable for urban areas to address the challenges of mapping in such environments. A dataset of 574 microtremor and gravity measurements, along with three seismic reflection lines, allows for the inference of the basin’s deep bedrock morphology, even without direct stratigraphic data. The dataset facilitates a detailed analysis of the spatial patterns of resonance frequencies and amplitudes, revealing 1D and 2D characteristics of the resonances. Notably, 2D resonances predominate along the Adige valley, i.e., the deepest part of the basin with depths up to 900 m. These 2D resonances, which cannot be interpreted through simple 1D frequency-depth relationships, are better understood by integrating gravity data to develop a depth model. The study identifies resonance frequencies ranging from 0.27 to over 3 Hz in Bolzano, affecting different building types during earthquakes. Maximum resonance amplitudes occur at lower frequencies, specifically at 2D resonance sites, therefore primarily impacting high structures. The 2D resonances are directional, with the most significant amplification occurring longitudinally along the valley axes. The resulting 3D bedrock model aids in seismic site response modeling, hydrogeological studies, and geothermal exploration and provides insights into the geological history of the basin, highlighting the role of the Adige Valley as a major drainage pathway.

국립대학 생활관 건물의 신축과 BTL방식에서 발생되는 법적 문제

The title of this paper is “Legal Lssues arising in the new Construction of the National University Dormitory Building and BTL(Build-Transfer-Lease) type”. Private investment projects are projects where the private sector invests in the construction and operation of social infrastructure and in principle, aims to provide public services while bearing business risks. I looked into private investment methods for building new student dormitories at national universities and the current status of Jeju National University's student dormitory. And recently, there are many cases of new national university dormitory buildings being built as part of the BTL project. I reviewed the legal issues arising from the BTL project, focusing on the case of Jeju National University.

Assessment of the Potential for Increasing the Energy Efficiency in the Cooling Sector

Cooling supply to ensure the indoor microclimate is becoming more important as global average air temperatures rise. With growing societal demands for higher thermal comfort and increasing individual cooling solutions in the building sector, global energy consumption for cooling is increasing accordingly. Scientific literature and studies estimate that the demand for cooling energy will have a significant impact on global energy demand in the future. In compliance with the European Union goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, it is essential to find solutions for reducing energy consumption in the building sector, which is already among the largest energy consumers and greenhouse gas emission producers. Replacing individual cooling solutions with district cooling in urban areas where higher energy density can be reached is one of the solutions for decarbonizing the building sector. To spatially assess the feasibility of district cooling in certain areas, energy demand mapping can be performed. Within this research mapping is carried out using a geographical information system (GIS) tool. The purpose of the mapping is to identify the places in the city of Riga with the highest district cooling potential. Spatial assessment using a GIS tool can be done in different ways – mostly it depends on the available data. The spatial data (buildings) of the cadastral information system and additional detailed information about buildings were obtained from the Latvian open data portal. Information on the type of use of the building, indoor area and the age of building was attached to each building on the map. Then building energy certificate data containing information on specific energy consumption for cooling (kWh/m2 per year) was obtained from the same portal. By processing the data of energy certificates of buildings, excluding outliers, a specific index was obtained for different types of buildings. For the residential sector, the age of the building is also used. Using cadastral data on the indoor area of buildings and the type of building use, the theoretical cooling demand in Riga is calculated and results are quantified and displayed visually. By visualizing the results with the GIS tool, hot spots with the highest cooling energy demand were detected. Results can be further used to calculate the technical and economic justification for the district cooling solutions in specific areas as well as assess the energy efficiency that would be provided by implementation of district cooling solutions.

Are BSR Municipalities on Track for Energy Transition?

Climate neutrality targets and the growing decentralization of energy systems have substantially increased the role of municipalities in global energy transition. However, global shifts and national government demands have often left local public authorities unprepared to face numerous challenges related to local space planning, cost-effective integration, and decarbonization of electricity, heating, industry, and mobility. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the current state of municipal energy transition and analyze how municipalities face climate neutrality target achievement. This study conducts an integrated energy sustainability assessment to investigate the progress of the energy transition in six municipalities in the Baltic Sea region. A benchmarking approach is applied to compare the different levels of energy efficiency and decarbonization in the municipalities. The study reveals different energy consumption patterns of municipal buildings, which are influenced by various factors such as the type of building (educational, office, social facilities, etc.), the heat source (district heating or individual local heat source) and the energy efficiency management practices applied. In addition, a different trend in the installation of renewable energy capacity can be observed in municipalities in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The study analyses the overall gap between the production and consumption of renewable energy to determine the storage potential and the role in the local energy transitions. The findings of this study highlight the key cornerstones in the current state of municipal energy transition, setting a foundation for better and more effective energy policy planning at national and local scales.

Research on heritage characteristics based on railway architectural heritage database in Jinzhou section of the Peking–Mukden Railway

This research interprets the background of Jinzhou section of the Peking–Mukden Railway, and puts forward 65 heritages as cases based on the scope definition and investigation. After the data collection, processing, and visualization, the database composed of 9 sub-databases, with B/S architecture mode, is constructed based on SQL server platform. The ArcGIS tool is used to analyze the distribution of the heritages, including spatial distribution characteristics, spatial agglomeration, and spatial equilibrium. “Image and model information database” and “text attribute information database” is used to analyze the architectural ontology features. The conclusions are drawn as follows: 1) The integral distribution has the characteristics of “cohesion”, while the 5 medium types of heritages show obvious and different directions. 2) The overall pattern of spatial agglomeration is characterized by high cohesion with a single high agglomeration point as the core. The low agglomeration area shows a point-line-point pattern. 3) The integral heritages and three main types of buildings differ in distribution, and the equilibrium is low. The architectural ontology analysis shows that the image information can be used as the basis for ontology characteristics analysis, architectural form and style judgment, and architectural functional space analysis.

Differences and Integration of Chinese and Western Urban Garden Architectural Aesthetics

From the perspective of Chinese and Western urban aesthetics, the article studied 15 existing scientific literature sources in terms of building types, building scale, gardening art, the relationship between gardens and architecture, the aesthetic style of castles and buildings, artistic origins, and aesthetic tastes. Using the classification and comparative analysis method, the artistic characteristics of Chinese and Western classical gardens were compared, the reasons for the differences in the artistic characteristics of Chinese and Western classical gardens were analyzed, and it was pointed out that the integration of Eastern and Western garden arts has reference significance for Chinese urban greening.

Field test of machine-learning based mean radiant temperature estimation methods for thermal comfort-integrated air-conditioning control improvement and energy savings

Advanced control strategies for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems aim to enhance both buildings' energy efficiency and occupant thermal comfort. Despite their potential, real-world demonstration studies on such advanced technologies are still lacking. This study presents a field demonstration of a real-time predicted mean vote (PMV)-based HVAC control strategy in a typical residential building under hot and dry climate conditions. This study introduces an advanced thermal comfort-based controller (TCC) for the PMV-based HVAC control. TCC continually assesses indoor and outdoor thermal conditions and adjusts the HVAC setpoint temperature to optimize real-time energy use while ensuring satisfactory indoor thermal comfort. Machine learning models for the PMV-based HVAC control system are employed to estimate a mean radiant temperature (MRT) point, which is one of the variables used to calculate real-time PMV values. Three machine learning models (i.e., linear regression, regression trees, and artificial neural network) are adopted in this study with non-stationary real-time input values, including times, pre-determined setpoints, and indoor and outdoor temperatures. The developed TCC is installed in a full-scale experimental house in Kuwait, which is under hot and dry climate conditions, to assess the house's indoor thermal comfort and AC energy efficiency performance. Results indicate that the TCC provides better thermal comfort performance compared to the non-TCC case, including up to a 60% improvement in PMV. The proposed TCC controlled by the machine learning methods demonstrates HVAC energy savings potential of over 20% while meeting the desired thermal comfort levels in the experimental building. These findings are expected to be valuable, as they can contribute to reducing cooling energy in residential buildings in hot and dry climate conditions.

Exploring insulation levels to enable low-temperature heating in selected buildings in two European climate zones

This study assesses the readiness of selected building types for low-temperature heating. This is accomplished by comprehensively analyzing buildings from two perspectives: first, by determining the level of insulation required for buildings to connect to 4th Generation District Heating, and second, by identifying techno-economically viable solutions to achieve these insulation levels.The authors used OpenStudio to thoroughly examine buildings’ thermal response when the heating supply temperature is reduced from 80 to 45 °C without changing radiators. Under these conditions, the aim was to determine whether the living areas inside the buildings could be maintained at 20 °C throughout the year. Starting from a baseline with no additional insulation and old windows, the study increases the intensity of the renovation packages to assess the minimum requirements needed to maintain the desired 20 °C in the heated areas. An economic feasibility study of the solutions proposed was also conducted. A sensitivity analysis was also performed, adding insight into the impact of energy prices on renovation measures.Eight buildings, encompassing a mix of actual structures and representative archetypes derived from the TABULA project, were examined across two different European climate zones. This study found that unrenovated buildings are particularly unready for low-temperature heating and will struggle to maintain 20 °C, especially during winter. Hence, this study delivers recommendations regarding insulation and heat demand reduction measures necessary to maintain appropriate comfort.The conclusions emphasize the necessity of renovating the building stock based on geographical location to guarantee appropriate indoor comfort when reducing the supply temperature for high-temperature radiators.

Experimental analysis of building envelope integrating phase change material and cool paint under a real environment in autumn

The application of phase change material (PCM) and cool paint (CP) to building envelope is one of the effective solutions to improve thermal comfort of passive buildings. Therefore, the thermal performance of buildings in Hefei, China in autumn is compared and analyzed by integrating PCM and CP into the building envelope. According to the comprehensive analysis of indoor thermal environment and the ability to maintain indoor thermal comfort, it is concluded that the combined application of PCM and CP is better than the application of PCM or CP alone. And the combination of PCM and CP laid on the south wall and roof respectively is the best. It is more suitable for commercial buildings, which can prolong indoor air temperature (Ti) in the thermal comfort zone for more than 10 h during the day. The combination of PCM and CP laid on the roof can prolong Ti in the thermal comfort zone for more than 8.05 h, which is more suitable for residential buildings. The purpose is to explore the best combination mode of residential and commercial buildings according to the characteristics of temperature change and building types (according to people's main use time) in the real environment.

Fault detection and diagnosis in light commercial buildings’ HVAC systems: A comprehensive framework, application, and performance evaluation

The data-driven approach currently dominates the field of Automatic Fault Detection and Diagnosis (AFDD) in HVAC systems. However, a significant concern lies in the prevalent use of labeled experimental and simulation data, which often does not represent real-world operational conditions. This study unveils a comprehensive framework for AFDD in light commercial buildings, effectively leveraging unlabeled raw data extracted directly from their Building BAS. Its main goal is to provide a versatile methodology tailored for real-world applicability. Buildings classified as “light commercial” typically have less than 2,500 square meters of floor area and no more than six stories, such as small offices, medical facilities, banks, small manufacturing facilities, etc. A common feature of these buildings is the fact that the HVAC systems tend to be relatively simple and have similar configurations, thus making it easy to develop scalable and reproducible fault detection methods. This paper focuses on a practical case study in a light commercial building HVAC system situated in Montreal, Canada, encompassing a single Air Handling Unit (AHU) and four Variable Air Volume (VAV) reheating boxes to evaluate the framework. This comprehensive framework encompasses a sequence of sub-objectives: creating a sizable, synchronized raw dataset from diverse BAS sensor tags, comprehensive data cleansing to address inconsistencies, developing an anomaly detection method, investigating these anomalies to extract underlying rules, and finally, dataset labeling. An AFDD classification model is then applied to evaluate its ability to distinguish normal from faulty conditions across various fault types. The study highlights the potential of dimensional reduction techniques and unsupervised clustering for effective anomaly detection in light commercial buildings, as well as the power of the Decision Tree classifier for uncovering hidden patterns, especially in anomaly conditions. It also highlights the significance of addressing imbalanced datasets in AFDD and the complexities of detecting sizing-related faults. Despite these challenges, the framework exhibits robust performance in detecting and diagnosing a range of HVAC faults. It offers a systematic and adaptable approach for handling real-world operational data in light commercial building HVAC systems, extendible to other building types, bridging the gap between data-driven methods and practical applications.

Gamification Approaches and Assessment Methodologies for Occupants’ Energy Behavior Change in Buildings: A Systematic Review

With the trend of achieving both energy efficiency in buildings and occupants’ comfort, gamification strategies have started to be developed and applied as incentive mechanisms to increase social interaction and facilitate human energy behavior transformation. In this article, 306 published papers are reviewed, and 21 studies are identified to determine the challenges and potential for the development of gamification strategies to improve building energy efficiency. Specifically, this work reviews the implementation techniques of gamification and methods to assess the impact of gamification mechanisms on human energy behavior changes. This analysis demonstrates that, firstly, the choice of an optimal gamification implementation method should be inherently attuned to the distinct characteristics of the building type and its occupants. Secondly, it is imperative to strike a judicious balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, in which customization of gamification design elements are based on users’ unique personality traits and preferences, to properly tailor gamification mechanisms. Thirdly, integrating a fusion of quantification of energy savings and qualitative interpretation of user behaviors to improve the energy efficiency in buildings is essential for a more holistic understanding of the impact of gamification on users’ energy-related behavior change. The findings indicate that gamification techniques can enable the effective reduction of energy consumption in buildings.