Indoor Environmental Quality Research Articles

The role of policy and regulation in promoting green buildings

Green buildings play a crucial role in sustainable development by reducing energy consumption, minimizing environmental impact, and enhancing occupant health and well-being. This review explores the role of policy and regulation in promoting green buildings, highlighting the importance of government intervention in driving sustainable building practices. Government policies and regulations play a pivotal role in shaping the adoption of green building practices. Through a combination of mandates, incentives, and standards, governments can encourage the construction and renovation of buildings that prioritize energy efficiency, water conservation, and environmental sustainability. Mandatory building codes and standards are among the most effective tools governments use to promote green buildings. These codes set minimum requirements for energy performance, water efficiency, and indoor environmental quality, ensuring that new constructions and major renovations meet established sustainability criteria. In addition to mandatory standards, governments also use financial incentives to encourage green building practices. These incentives may include tax credits, grants, or subsidies for building owners and developers who incorporate sustainable design features or achieve green building certifications. Furthermore, governments can influence the market through procurement policies that prioritize green buildings for public projects. By leading by example, governments can create a ripple effect in the private sector, encouraging more developers and building owners to embrace sustainable building practices. Overall, the role of policy and regulation in promoting green buildings is essential for advancing sustainable development goals. By setting clear standards, providing incentives, and leading by example, governments can create an environment where green buildings are the norm rather than the exception, leading to a more sustainable built environment for future generations.

Indoor environmental quality in schools: NOTECH solution vs. standard solution.

In many Danish schools, the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is challenged and studies document a poor IEQ in a majority of existing schools. Municipalities cannot afford comprehensive renovations and expensive mechanical ventilation solutions, hence public schools often suffer from poor indoor environment conditions. This study tests a new façade based, demand-controlled ventilation solution called NOTECH in the renovation of school. The study tests NOTECH vs. existing mechanical ventilation solution, comparing performance of both solutions at Skovbrynet Skole in Denmark. The project investigates the effect of the NOTECH solution in a primary school classroom, comparing it to a similar classroom with conventional, mechanical ventilation. Methodically, indoor environmental quality and energy performance is monitored in the two identical classrooms during one school year 2018 - 2019. The results show that both systems keep the conditions within acceptable limits and CO2 levels below 1000 ppm, which is the requirement according to the Danish Building Regulations. In terms of costs, the NOTECH system has a lower overall cost than the mechanical ventilation system, with total estimated costs for installation, heating, electricity and maintenance amounting to approximately 35% of the mechanical system's costs. Finally, the results show that the NOTECH solution has a smaller embedded CO2 footprint for building materials, reducing the estimated carbon load by 95% compared to the mechanical ventilation solution. While the performance of the both systems complies to the Danish Building Regulations, the indoor environmental quality between systems differs significantly. Results showing a higher air-temperature and lower relative air-humidity in the classroom with mechanical ventilation during winter and lower CO 2 levels in the mechanically ventilated classroom during winter and summer. Costs for implementation, energy consumption for heating and CO 2 footprint for building materials are significantly lower for the NOTECH solution, compared to the mechanical solution.

Coupling and Quantifying Sustainability and Resilience in Intelligent Buildings

Over recent years, the sustainability and resilience concept has increased its significance in the construction industry. Sustainability is associated with implementing best practices in the construction industry, while resilience is the adaptability and tolerance of systems in harsh conditions. The concepts are learned in the construction process. Moreover, building automation is growing rapidly, and buildings are becoming increasingly dependent on complex systems and technology and susceptible to unanticipated failure. Though sustainability and resilience concepts are interlinked, limited research quantifies their combination, resulting in a limited comprehension of how both concepts interact during application by developers in a smart building. Therefore, this study has established a financial model that employs Net Present Value (NPV) in studying the inference and clampdown of investment in both concepts. NPV was estimated using indirect and direct costs and benefits derived from the continuous integration of sustainability and resilience in a smart building. To quantify sustainability, its three components had to be quantified. Reduced energy expenditure and government environmental incentives were used to calculate the environmental component. Workers’ cost savings, fire insurance cost savings, and additional system maintenance costs were used to calculate the economic component. The social component of sustainability measured hard-to-quantify attributes like productivity, indoor environment quality, reputation, extra profit, services, and safety. To quantify them, a survey and RII method were used. The two concepts were then coupled by estimating the benefits and costs of installing and keeping resilience tools in design that are sustainable in the smart building and the impact study on the NPV outcome. Application of the design model was also carried out on four smart buildings that were selected in Dubai. The result indicated that coupling sustainable approaches and resilience yields higher NPV by at least 22%. Nevertheless, for NPV to be maintained positively and reduce the cost of failure, faulty detection tools should be assimilated while designing sustainable and smart buildings. The findings of this study will contribute to the benefit of other researchers, developers, investors, managers, engineers, and anyone who is involved in the design or construction process of intelligent buildings.

Impact of Indoor Air Quality and Multi-domain Factors on Human Productivity and Physiological Responses: A Comprehensive Review

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) significantly impacts human health, well-being, and productivity. However, a comprehensive and in-depth review of the combined effects of IAQ and other multi-domain factors on human productivity is lacking. There has not been any prior review that encapsulates the impact of multi-domain factors on productivity and physiological responses of occupants. To address this gap, this review paper investigates and highlights the impact of IAQ and multi-domain factors (thermal, visual, and acoustic) on human productivity and occupant well-being in the built environment. The review explores various research methods, including evaluation of human productivity and creativity, data collection, and physiological signal analysis. We also examined the interactions between IAQ and multi-domain factors, as well as strategies for optimizing productivity through integrated building design and smart systems. The key findings from this review reveal that IAQ significantly impacts human productivity and occupant well-being, with interactions between IAQ and other IEQ factors further impacting these effects. Despite advances in the field, there are several limitations and gaps in the current research methods and study designs, including small sample sizes, limited and insufficient experimental design and control, reliance on laboratory or simulated environments, lack of follow-up and long-term data, and lack of robust performance metrics. The review proposes future research directions, including specific applications, and follow-up work to address these limitations and further advance the understanding of IAQ and multi-domain factors in the built environment. The implications of this review for policy and practice include the need for holistic and integrated approaches to IAQ and IEQ management, with a focus on creating healthy and productive indoor environments. This review emphasizes the importance of considering the complex interplay between IAQ and multi-domain factors, as well as the potentials of adopting smart control systems and sustainable design strategies to optimize productivity and occupant well-being in the built environment. By addressing these critical issues, we can enhance the overall quality of life for building occupants and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Assessing Indoor Environmental Quality of Academic Building Using Subjective Measurement

Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) is becoming increasingly popular as a means of assessing human comfort, especially in educational environments. Determining an appropriate degree of indoor environment quality (IEQ) involves considering many factors like thermal comfort, indoor air quality, acoustic comfort, and visual comfort. These days, there is an intense need for educational facilities to have high-quality interior environments by reason of the fear of a worldwide pandemic. This research looks into IEQ characteristics in several standard functional locations of a Navsari academic building. In order to assess the level of user satisfaction in the staff room, drawing hall, and classroom, a sequence of questionnaires measuring the subjective aspects of the IEQ parameters (TC, AC, IAQ, and LC) were utilized. According to the study’s findings, the summer months had the lowest proportion of TC parameter satisfaction overall and the highest percentage of AC parameter satisfaction. Additionally, the data demonstrates that the satisfaction rate is lower for the LC and IAQ parameters. The research has confirmed that the academic building has low IEQ and It is necessary to take the required steps to turn out a more pleasant, conducive, and productive education place.

Prenatal risk factors of indoor environment and incidence of childhood eczema in the Japan environment and children's study

The quality of indoor environment is a risk factor for early childhood eczema and atopic dermatitis; however, its influence during pregnancy on childhood eczema in Japan has not been investigated. In this study, we aimed to determine the indoor environmental factors that are associated with eczema in children up to 3 years of age, using national birth cohort data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).Information on indoor environments and eczema symptoms until 3 years of age was collected using self-administered questionnaires to the mothers. A total of 71,883 and 58,639 mother-child pairs at 1.5- and 3-years-old, respectively, were included in the former analyses. To account for prenatal indoor risk factors, 17,568 (1.5-years-old) and 7063 (3-years-old) children without indoor mold and/or ETS exposure were included in the final analysis. A higher mold index, gas heater use, parquet flooring use, and frequent insecticide use showed significantly increased risks for childhood eczema up to 3 years of age. These associations were consistent after stratification analysis among children whose parents did not have a history of allergies. The updated WHO guidelines on indoor air quality should be implemented based on recent findings regarding the effects of prenatal exposure to indoor dampness on health effects of children further in life, including asthma, respiratory effects, eczema, and other immunological effects.

Assessment of dynamic cognitive performance under different thermal conditions by multiple physiological signals

A method to evaluate cognitive performance under different thermal conditions by multiple physiological signals is proposed. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (RMSSD), skin conductance level (SCL), skin conductance response (SCR) magnitude and SCR total frequency were measured by a multichannel electrophysiological signal monitor, which were interpreted as thermal stress indicators that can characterize cognitive performance of subjects during cognitive stimulation tasks. In the experiment, the indoor air temperature is the independent variable, ranging from 18°C to 33°C, with a step length of three degrees. Other indoor environmental quality (IEQ) parameters are controlled variables. In each experiment, subjects subjectively voted on thermal sensation and cognitive load, and performed cognitive stimulation tasks to evaluate cognitive performance. The study found that different physiological indicators have different "thermosensitivity" zones, indicating variations in thermal attributes. Moreover, the influence mechanism of thermal conditions on the effectiveness levels of three different cognitive functions, namely identification, decision and action, were found to be diverse. Additionally, this paper utilized machine learning algorithms to construct fatigue loss function and residual interference function for cognitive performance, effectively correcting cognitive performance errors caused by fatigue and task superimposition. The feasibility of predicting cognitive performance and thermal comfort by multiple physiological indicators is validated in this study.

Occupants’ mood states in evaluating indoor environmental quality (IEQ) acceptance

Previous studies have developed many models for indoor environmental quality (IEQ) assessment. However, almost none of them included mood states that could impact occupants’ IEQ perceptions significantly. This study developed an IEQ acceptance model that considers occupants’ perception of thermal comfort, visual quality, and acoustic quality, as well as their mood as an additional IEQ parameter. The model constants are evaluated by a Bayesian approach with the prior estimates determined from seven existing IEQ models including 4 parameters (without mood). Two hundred fifty-nine students’ perceptions against the five parameters collected in a university library were used as the observed data to update the prior beliefs. The results indicated that involving mood in the IEQ acceptance model could improve the model's accuracy more significantly. Additionally, the updated IEQ acceptance model estimated that students with positive moods are more likely to accept the overall IEQ than those with negative or neutral moods.

Operational performance of PCM embedded radiant chilled ceiling using a rule-based control strategy

The increasing energy demand for space cooling, projected to triple by mid-century and surpassing a quarter of today's global electricity usage, underscores the urgent need for innovative, more energy-efficient air-conditioning technologies. The research introduces phase change material (PCM) embedded radiant cooling (PCM-RCC) as a promising solution, offering enhanced energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. Despite its potential, PCM-RCC remains in the developmental stage, requiring further research to fully unlock its benefits. This work aims to analyse the operational performance of PCM-RCC and develop an advanced rule-based control strategy to enhance its efficiency further. The analysis was conducted using a validated PCM-RCC transient system simulation model. To quantify the advantages of PCM-RCC over typical radiant cooling and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy, two reference cases are defined: (1) basic-controlled PCM-RCC, and (2) radiant cooling without PCM. Results reveal that PCM-RCC with advanced control demonstrates higher load flexibility (∼93% off-peak time operation), 12% less electricity usage, a 5% coefficient of performance improvement, and a 30% decrease in operational costs compared to radiant cooling. Furthermore, the proposed system shows 9% lower energy usage with a 20% improvement in thermal comfort compared to basic-controlled PCM-RCC.

Environmental Quality bOX (EQ-OX): A Portable Device Embedding Low-Cost Sensors Tailored for Comprehensive Indoor Environmental Quality Monitoring.

The continuous monitoring of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) plays a crucial role in improving our understanding of the prominent parameters affecting building users' health and perception of their environment. In field studies, indoor environment monitoring often does not go beyond the assessment of air temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration, lacking consideration of other important parameters due to budget constraints and the complexity of multi-dimensional signal analyses. In this paper, we introduce the Environmental Quality bOX (EQ-OX) system, which was designed for the simultaneous monitoring of quantities of some of the main IEQs with a low level of uncertainty and an affordable cost. Up to 15 parameters can be acquired at a time. The system embeds only low-cost sensors (LCSs) within a compact case, enabling vast-scale monitoring campaigns in residential and office buildings. The results of our laboratory and field tests show that most of the selected LCSs can match the accuracy required for indoor campaigns. A lightweight data processing algorithm has been used for the benchmark. Our intent is to estimate the correlation achievable between the detected quantities and reference measurements when a linear correction is applied. Such an approach allows for a preliminary assessment of which LCSs are the most suitable for a cost-effective IEQ monitoring system.

Labor camps in Dubai: implications of courtyard regulations on daylight performance

PurposeThe fundamental aim of the study is to investigate the implications of labor housing designs in Dubai, with a focus on courtyards and the governing building regulations, on daylight performance as an underlying factor impacting laborers’ indoor environmental quality. Several studies shed light on the subject of labor camps and labor migration in Dubai, but few have focused on the subject from the perspective of the environmental performance of these camps. A model that represents one of the labor camps was built using Rhinoceros 7.0 and Grasshopper software packages. Annual daylighting and glare simulations were carried out using the lighting modeling engine RADIANCE 5.0 in conjunction with the “ClimateStudio”.Design/methodology/approachThe construction sector has emerged as a significant economic development driver, attracting a diverse labor force from a variety of countries to Dubai. As a result, Dubai authorities have implemented several measures to ensure the provision of suitable housing facilities for its labor force. These measures contribute to the reduction of energy costs in labor housing by encouraging the use of renewable energy. While several studies shed light on the subject of labor camps and labor migration in Dubai, few have focused on the subject from the perspective of the environmental performance of these camps.FindingsThe study provided statistical evidence that the current regulations governing courtyards in labor housing resulted in significant changes in daylight levels across different floor levels of the labor housing units. It is suggested that both 2:3 and 3:4 Court Width-to-Height ratios would further contribute to a more consistent daylight Illuminance with marginal statistical differences between floor levels (p > 0.05). The 3:4 ratio, on the other hand, offers a consistent distribution across all floor levels in the North and South with negligible variances, although weakly significant differences can be yet expected between the first and fourth floors in the East and West orientations (p < 0.05). The results of Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) suggest excessive solar incidence and a high probability of glare, which remains a problem that must be addressed under the governing building regulations.Originality/valueThis study could serve as a framework for analyzing and contrasting the findings of other studies on labor accommodation, notably in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Such an approach has the potential to enhance living conditions in labor accommodations in Dubai and other areas. It is necessary to meet people' physical and psychological well-being while also addressing sustainability and regulatory compliance.

Model-based optimal control strategy for multizone VAV air-conditioning systems for neutralizing room pressure and minimizing fan energy consumption

Control strategies for variable air volume (VAV) air-conditioning systems play a pivotal role in ensuring indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency. However, conventional approaches, such as static pressure reset (SPR) control, focus on managing indoor air temperature without considering the room pressure, which can lead to unbalanced room pressure and undesirable air leakage. Moreover, with the application of prevalent building pressure control strategies, such as airflow tracking control, to multizone VAV systems, neutralization of the room pressure is difficult across multiple zones in VAV systems. Therefore, this study introduces a model-based optimal control strategy for multizone VAV air-conditioning systems. The proposed strategy uses a multiobjective optimization framework to regulate fan frequencies and damper openings on both the supply and return sides. This holistic approach facilitates the simultaneous control of the indoor air temperature and room pressure while minimizing fan energy consumption. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, four control strategies were tested using a Python-based simulation testbed. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy effectively maintains the indoor air temperature, neutralizes room pressure, and reduces fan energy consumption, thereby contributing to the overall efficiency of the VAV system. Moreover, the results highlight the limitations associated with combining airflow tracking control with SPR control for room pressure regulation in multizone VAV systems. This highlights the importance of adopting a model-based approach to address the complexities of concurrent room pressure and indoor air temperature control.

A Review of Metaheuristic Optimization Techniques for Effective Energy Conservation in Buildings

The built environment is a significant contributor to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Advancements in the adoption of environmentally friendly building technology have become crucial in promoting sustainable development. These advancements play a crucial role in conserving energy. The aim is to achieve an optimal design by balancing various interrelated factors. The emergence of innovative techniques to address energy conservation have been witnessed in the built environment. This review examines existing research articles that explore different metaheuristic optimization techniques (MOTs) for energy conservation in buildings. The focus is on evaluating the simplicity and stochastic nature of these optimization techniques. The findings of the review present theoretical and mathematical models for each algorithm and assess their effectiveness in problem solving. A systematic analysis of selected algorithms using MOT is conducted, considering factors that influence wellbeing, occupant health, and indoor environmental quality. The study examines the variations among swarm intelligence MOTs based on complexity, advantages, and disadvantages. The algorithms’ performances are based on the concept of uncertainty in consistently providing optimal solutions. The paper highlights the application of each technique in achieving energy conservation in buildings.

Driving forces behind the adoption of IEQ principles in building design: evidence from Nigerian quantity surveying firms

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to evaluate the driving forces behind the adoption of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) principles in building designs from the perspectives of Nigerian quantity surveying firms.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was used which involved administering a well-structured questionnaire to a sample of 114 quantity surveyors. The collected data were analyzed using various statistical methods, including frequencies, percentages, mean item scores, Kruskal–Wallis test and exploratory factor analysis.FindingsThe top five ranked drivers were climate change mitigation, conservation of natural resources, reduction of waste and pollution, use of sustainable building materials and development of new materials and building systems. Based on the factor analysis, the study identified five clusters of drivers: (1) health and well-being drivers (2) economic drivers (3) environmental drivers (4) innovation and technology drivers and (5) regulatory drivers.Practical implicationsThe findings from this study suggest that to effectively integrate IEQ principles, quantity surveying firms should consider developing comprehensive guidelines and checklists that align with the identified drivers and clustered categories. These resources can serve as practical tools for project teams, facilitating a structured and holistic approach to the incorporation of IEQ factors throughout the project lifecycle.Originality/valueThe study’s identification of the top drivers and the subsequent clustering of these drivers into five distinct categories contributes to the existing body of knowledge on IEQ. This approach provides a structured framework for comprehensively understanding the factors influencing IEQ adoption, offering a valuable tool for researchers, policymakers and industry practitioners.

The Impact of Indoor Environmental Quality on Occupant Satisfaction in Commercial Buildings: A Comparison of Building Expert Opinions and Residents’ Experiences

This paper investigates the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) factors influencing occupant satisfaction in commercial buildings in Iran, contrasting the views of building experts (architects and engineers) with those of building occupants. Employing the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), this study focuses on the four primary IEQ factors: thermal comfort, indoor air quality, visual comfort, and acoustic comfort. The study aims to bridge the gap between expert evaluations and occupant perceptions of IEQ factors in commercial buildings in Iran. By examining the disparities in prioritising IEQ factors between these two groups, the study sheds light on the complexities of IEQ assessment and highlights the importance of considering diverse perspectives in optimising indoor environments. Our methodology includes a survey conducted among 30 building experts (15 architects and 15 building engineers) and 102 occupants, employing FAHP to derive the relative importance weights of each IEQ factor. The results highlight significant disparities between architects, engineers, and occupants in prioritising these factors. Architects emphasise visual comfort (42%), while engineers and occupants view thermal comfort (53% and 41%) as the most crucial factor for occupant satisfaction. The study underscores the complexity of IEQ in commercial buildings and the diverse perspectives influencing its assessment. It contributes to the broader discourse on optimising IEQ, emphasising the need for a comprehensive approach that encompasses both technical expertise and occupant experience.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Commercial Interior Version 4 (LEED-CI v4) Gold-Certified Office Space Projects: A Pairwise Comparative Analysis between Three Mediterranean Countries

Over the past five years, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Commercial Interior version 4 (LEED-CI v4)-certified office projects have been intensively studied in the USA and China, but they have not yet been studied in the Mediterranean region. The purpose of this study was to explore office building certification strategies for LEED-CI v4-certified projects in the Mediterranean region. The study design included pairwise comparative analyses between Spain (number of projects (n) n1 = 14), Türkiye (n2 = 13), and Israel (n3 = 11). Cliff’s δ and exact Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney tests were used to process ordinal and discrete data, while the natural logarithm of the odds ratio and 2 × 2 Fisher’s exact tests were used to handle dichotomous data. It was found that Spain and Türkiye outperformed Israel in the Location and Transportation (LT) category due to their desire to reduce the use of private transport. Spain and Türkiye were ahead of Israel in the LTc5 “reduced parking footprint” credit (p = 0.008 and 0.0005, respectively). Israel outperformed Spain and Türkiye in the Energy and Atmosphere (EA) category due to the sum of all six EA credits (p = 0.086 and 0.010). Spain overtook Türkiye and Israel in the Materials and Resources (MRs) category due to Spain’s increased use of environmental product declarations. Spain and Türkiye were ahead of Israel in the following four MRs credits: MRc1 “long-term commitment” (p = 0.030), MRc2 “interiors life cycle impact reduction” (p = 0.037), MRc3 “building product disclosure and optimization—environmental product declarations” (p = 0.029), and MRc5 “building product disclosure and optimization—material ingredients” (p = 0.034). Spain, Türkiye, and Israel showed similarly low levels of achievement in the Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) category (p ≥ 0.405). However, Spain and Türkiye outperformed Israel in the following two credits: EQc1 “enhanced indoor air quality strategies” and EQc2 “low-emitting materials” (p = 0.001 and 0.060, respectively). In parallel, Israel outperformed Türkiye in the EQc3 “construction indoor air quality management plan” (p = 0.026), and Israel outperformed Spain in the EQc8 “quality views” credit (p = 0.066). As a result, a pairwise comparison of the three Mediterranean countries showed that each country has a unique LEED certification strategy. Knowledge of the above green building strategies will be helpful for LEED professionals.

Assessing the post-COVID interaction between indoor environmental quality and occupants within educational buildings: A structural equation modeling approach

It is well-acknowledged that indoor environmental quality (IEQ) affects different aspects of occupants' lives, such as satisfaction, performance, and well-being. This acknowledgement is a result of extensive studies investigating IEQ interaction with occupants within different spaces, such as offices, commercial buildings, and homes. What is still missing are two aspects that IEQ studies should consider: (a) the post-COVID-19 era and the resulting anti-measures (COVID measures) and (b) the interaction of IEQ with occupants in academic libraries. This study aims to analyze the effects of COVID measures on the relationship between IEQ and occupants' satisfaction (learning performance), as well as their visiting habits at one of the largest academic libraries in Asia. To this end, two scenarios are developed to compare the effects of IEQ on occupants with and without COVID measures. This paper aims to address how COVID measures will shape the relationship between the IEQ of an academic library and its users’ satisfaction and visiting habits. This relationship is investigated using structural equation modeling based on 509 face-to-face surveys completed over the course of 4 months. Results suggest that COVID measures will produce a significant relationship between IEQ and satisfaction; however, higher satisfaction is reported when COVID measures are not applied. Both models show no significant relationship between IEQ and visiting habits. The proposed model will help in defining construction guidelines for libraries and educational buildings that promote IEQ conditions in the post-COVID era.

Indoor Environmental Quality Effect Analysis in Green and Non-green Office Building to Staff’s Performance and Satisfaction in Surabaya

The energy efficiency in an office building can decrease the company’s operational cost. Even so, the operational cost for staff is still larger than the cost for energy. It is important to reassure that the impact given by the building’s indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is positive to staff. This research focusses on two office building in Surabaya, one of them is designed using the green principles and calculations, and the other is not. The building’s IEQ aspects being inspected includes indoor air quality, thermal, lighting, acoustics and layout. A questionnaire survey was held to obtain the reaction from the full time staff regarding the building’s IEQ performance, their satisfaction to it and their self-assessed performance. There are IEQ aspects that affects staff’s performance and satisfaction significantly. The IEQ mean score differs significantly in green and non-green building, but the mean difference in satisfaction and performance were found not significant.

Editorial: Indoor environmental air quality in urban areas

Editorial: Indoor environmental air quality in urban areas

Emotion-oriented recommender system for personalized control of indoor environmental quality

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) significantly influences health, cognitive abilities, and even moods. With the rise of smart homes and the Internet of Things (IoT), the need for personalized IEQ control has become paramount. Traditional systems, primarily focusing on explicit feedback (i.e., preference), often neglect the role of emotions in shaping this feedback. Therefore, this study presents the Emotion-oriented Recommender System for personalized control of IEQ (ERS-IEQ), based on the R-E-C-S ontology, focusing on (i) Recognizing user's continuous emotional states, (ii) Estimating emotional similarity between users, (iii) Collecting user's feedback on IEQ conditions, and (iv) Systemizing an emotion-oriented recommender system using a graph neural network. In order to confirm the predictive performance of the ERS-IEQ and verify its higher level of excellence compared to traditional recommender systems, a private dataset composed of IEQ conditions, users' explicit feedback, and users' emotional states was built via a human participant experiment using a climate chamber. As a result, the ERS-IEQ significantly enhances the recommender system's predictive performance, particularly in thermal preferences. The number of linguistic terms of emotional similarity has a profound effect on the system's predictions, with four terms proving most effective. In the near future, ERS-IEQ will play a role as a personal assistant in smart home automation, offering emotion-based recommendations. It addresses key challenges in traditional recommender systems, such as the cold start problem and rating sparsity, and ensures personalized adjustments to IEQ conditions in both private and public spaces.