Interior Environment Research Articles

The Effects of Wooden Furniture Color, Floor Material, and Age on Design Evaluation, Visual Attention, and Emotions in Office Environments

The selection of floors and furniture in offices can impact the interior environment and potentially influence employees’ emotions and health. This study aims to investigate the effects of floor material, furniture color, and age on design evaluation, fixation duration, and time to first fixation. Twenty-four younger adults (M = 21.9, SD = 1.75) and twenty-four older adults (M = 48.1, SD = 6.85) participated in the experiment, where they viewed four different designs: wood floor—brown furniture (WF-BF), wood floor—dark furniture (WF-DF), tile floor—brown furniture (TF-BF), and tile floor—dark furniture (TF-DF). Participants also evaluated the designs and their emotions. Results showed the main effects and interactions of floor material, furniture color, and age. WF-BF performed the best in design evaluation, fixation duration, and time to first fixation, and also scored highest in joy, admiration, fascination, and desire. Older adults favored the texture of wood, while younger adults showed better acceptance of TF-DF. This study provides insights for interior design in office environments.

Pulsed radio wave as a sustainable control technology to improve indoor air quality

The need for technologies that can clean the air indoors has grown in pace with the rise in outside pollution. Maintaining interior environment adaptability requires a permanent air purification system that may be utilized to control PM2.5/10. In addition to more traditional methods of air purification, developing advanced control systems that effectively reduce PM levels sustainably is necessary. Pulsed radio waves may expedite the dry deposition of particles having aerodynamic dimensions of less than 30 µm. The charging and coagulation processes are evaluated in an indoor restricted environment. Experimental results reveal a similar pattern to the Monte Carlo models. Distribution of charge due to the nature of the charging environment increases the coagulation rate. Contained experimental testing confirms the filtering system functions as expected, corroborated by the present research. Daily average levels of PM2.5 and PM10 were lowered by between 55 and 41% according to a study done in three indoor settings using the control technology. Research conducted throughout all seasons showed that the approach was consistently efficient in reducing PM2.5/10. It was shown that PM concentrations could be lowered by around 45 percent using pulse radio wave technology, leading to this conclusion. The use of electromagnetic waves (EM waves) to eliminate air pollution has been suggested as a radical new approach. Considering the limitations of already used strategies, this is of paramount significance while considering solutions to control air pollution.

URBAN + INTERIOR

The conjunction ‘urban + interior’ brings together two conditions which are often posed as dichotomies. Here rather than a relation of either/or – either interior or urban – the relation is one of addition, of putting together in a propositional manner. Making relations between interior and urban is not new, and especially not in the discourse of interior design and interior architecture. The writings of the philosopher Walter Benjamin are often cited in histories and theories of interiors – dynamics between interior and urban expressed in the relation between the private interior of the collector and the urban industrial city; the flâneur’s urban meanderings and outside-in gaze. Over a hundred years later, the question of how to inhabit the urban is still pertinent but the conditions are different. Delineations of private and public, spatial and temporal relations inflected by industrialisation, globalisation, migration and digital technologies have transformed interior and urban environments. The proposition of the conjunction urban + interior posed in the current issue of this journal invites consideration and experimentation in relation to questions of inhabitation in urban environments and how might the urban infiltrate interior environments. This involves not only thinking about the conjunction coming from interior design in relation to the urban but also the transformation of the interior by the urban. The photographs and writings of Mark Pimlott, addressing the issue of interior territories and the public interior, and the architectural historian Charles Rice and his work on interior urbanism are significant contemporary contributions to and examples of the criticality and potential of this conjunction.

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.

Experimental study and numerical simulation of a structural concrete column for building heating integration and energy storage

A steel pipe assemblage is integrated into a structurally reinforced precast concrete column to demonstrate thermal energy storage (TES) and space heating capabilities. This thermal energy column is heated via hot water at varying flow conditions. The system is used as a thermal storage medium, as a means of reducing the demands on the building heat pump, and for regulating the thermal comfort of the building interior environment. The thermal performance of the energy column is examined experimentally and numerically in both charging and discharging phases. Two examples are used to demonstrate the improvements in the operation of building thermal equipment and in the building thermal environment offered by either passive or active discharging of the energy column. Following the conclusion of thermal evaluation, the structural performance of the column under axial compression was evaluated by loading the system to failure. The experiment was paused for visual observation at both the service level and nominal capacity milestones. The longitudinally embedded steel pipes developed comparable strains to the column longitudinal steel reinforcing bars. The structural capacity of the energy column can be accurately predicted using standard concrete design approaches that account for the mechanical influence of the embedded steel pipe assemblage. It is demonstrated that the developed concrete energy column provides a viable option for improving the building thermal energy efficiency and maintaining structural performance.

Exploring Inpatients' Perspective: A Cross-Sectional Survey on Satisfaction and Experiences in Greek Hospitals.

The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate patient-relevant experiences that fulfill the expectations and demands of society in Greece and those that could be improved by offering a better quality of care. The satisfaction of health service recipients is one of the key elements of the success of a health system. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to obtain data on satisfaction with hospitalization from patients admitted to 10 public hospitals in Athens between June 2019 and December 2021. Statistical analysis was applied to 57 items and 7 dimensions of patient satisfaction, namely waiting-arrival-admission, nursing staff, medical staff, other staff, service and quality of food, interior environment, and procedures. A total of 3724 patients, aged ≥ 18 years, who had experienced hospitalization and agreed to participate in the study were included, the response rate of which was 93%. Patient satisfaction and experience with healthcare services provided by hospitals is moderate, with almost two-thirds of patients (67.38%) satisfied with the care they received. The encounter with the medical-nursing personnel (3.75/5) and other staff (4/5) were factors that positively affected patients' overall satisfaction with hospitalization. However, there were some causes of dissatisfaction, mainly associated with waiting hours, easy access to medical services or services received in emergencies, delays of planned procedures (3.50/5), or problems with old facilities and equipment (3.56/5). Based on the patients' judgment, the performance of hospitals was rated at a 'tolerable' level. Professionalism and the education of personnel led to a positive treatment outcome and improved the experience of patients to a good level. However, public hospitals continued to be underfunded and lacked strong support, which affected staff communication and responsiveness to patients' requirements, while smart technologies and the simplification of procedures were not adopted to help staff provide a better quality of healthcare. The results suggest that there is plenty of room for improvement.

APPLICATION STUDY IN CONSTITUTE THE TNTERIOR BNVIRONMENT IN LOCAL HOSPITAL

Architectural environment engineering and part of it is the interior design plays a great role in achieving trie recovery through the hospital building. The interior design in hospitals consirJered as a very specialization field .The aim of this research is to develop the interior treatment spaces in the medical buildings and make it looks more humanistic, through the deep study of the treatrnent efftcts of some interior design elements trying to appoint them in accordance to the people needs in our society in such buildings which represent the houses of mercy and recovery in their imagination which it's interior environment aims to achieving the human requirements for the users of its spaoes . The recenf research based on it's rvork the fleld study through choosing some of our local hospital also distribute the questionnaire to the users of these spaces in order to reach to the design decisions carne frorn the needs of the Iraqi people basing from our traditions which mustn't ignored when designing an interior environment in this building in order to overplus the psychological advocation of the patient and increase the performance ability of the medical staff

Construction Solutions, Cost and Thermal Behavior of Efficiently Designed Above-Ground Wine-Aging Facilities

The wine industry requires a considerable amount of energy, with an important fraction corresponding to the cooling and ventilation of above-ground aging warehouses. The large investments made in aging facilities can compromise the viability and competitiveness of wineries if their design is not optimized. The objective of this study was to provide guidance for the efficient design of new above-ground warehouses. To this end, multiple construction solutions (structure, envelopes, levels of integration, etc.) were characterized, and their costs and the resulting interior environments were analyzed. The results offer a comprehensive view of potential construction solutions and benchmark price ranges for viable and profitable designs. With a total cost of 300 EUR/m2, an average damping of 98% per day can be achieved. Increasing the costs does not imply better effectiveness. A double enclosure with internal insulation—with or without an air chamber—can achieve excellent results. Greater integration as a result of several enclosures being in contact with other rooms and/or the terrain allows for a high effectiveness to be achieved without air conditioning. Perimeter glazing and ventilation holes can reduce the effectiveness of the construction, resulting in greater instability and a lower damping capacity.

Exploring green office buildings at Sebelas Maret University: A study on students’ perception

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can positively influence occupant satisfaction levels in green-rated buildings. IEQ determines how occupants perceive the interior environment. This study investigated students’ perceptions of green office buildings at Sebelas Maret University. Sixty-eight respondents were involved, consisting of 15 male and 53 female students. Four green office building indicators, namely building features, financial support and commitment, health and well-being, and image and branding, were used as predictor variables, while corporate social responsibility was the dependent variable. Pearson correlation was used for the validation test, and Cronbach’s alpha was used for the reliability test (α = .05). The data were analyzed using multiple regression, taking into account prerequisite tests including normality, linearity, heteroscedasticity, multicollinearity, and autocorrelation. All items were valid and reliable, and all prerequisite tests were met. The results showed that the four independent variables simultaneously have a significant influence on corporate social responsibility (F = 25.78, p < .05). Partially, three predictor variables have significant correlations with the dependent variable: building features (t = 2.86, p < .05), health and well-being (t = 2.03, p < .05), and image and brand (t = 5.16, p < .05). The variables of financial support and commitment have no significant effect on the dependent variable (t = -.32, p > .05). The adjusted R squared value is 0.60, which means that the four independent variables affect the dependent variable by 60%, and 40% is influenced by other variables not included in this study.

Evaluating airflow dynamics in common vertical circulation spaces of a multi-floor apartment building for mitigating airborne infection risks: A CFD modeling study

As more people increasingly inhabit indoor spaces, the importance of interior environment design has grown significantly. The focus of this research is to assess the air flow and air change per hour (ACH) within common service vertical circulation spaces in apartment buildings, emphasizing the potential role of these spaces in mitigating airborne infections. The intricate relationships between the design parameters of these spaces and variables related to air circulation are examined. To achieve this goal, the investigation employed a simulation-based approach, utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to scrutinize the prevalent design of common vertical circulation spaces. The simulation outcomes unequivocally reveal that the design of these spaces has a direct impact on air circulation patterns, often influencing suboptimal conditions. Armed with these insights, this research advocates for a reevaluation of design considerations of common service vertical circulation in forthcoming housing projects. Furthermore, this research proposes innovative design solutions and strategies aimed at enhancing natural ventilation and overall air flow within common service vertical circulation spaces while evaluating their performance.

Analysis of seasonal variations and their impact on the microclimate of soilless glass greenhouses: Numerical and experimental investigations

This article presents a comprehensive examination of the interior environments in a soilless Greenhouse located in Tunis and their response to seasonal variations. The research employs a numerical model in conjunction with an experimental setup to achieve this objective. The model considers various elements, including glass, air, crops, and concrete in combination, to assess their impact on the indoor climate. Rigorous comparisons with experimental data collected from a greenhouse prototype, particularly regarding parameters like air velocity and temperature profiles, confirm the validity of the numerical findings. To closely replicate real conditions, the numerical model underwent optimization, incorporating turbulence and radiation models and undergoing a grid independence analysis. This article provides a thorough analysis of how seasonal fluctuations directly influence the microclimate within a soilless glass greenhouse, utilizing a combination of numerical and experimental data. Additionally, a series of numerical simulations were conducted to evaluate the potential impact of crop quantity on static indoor temperature. The comparative analysis revealed that the temperature difference at the roof level between scenarios with tomato and basil cultivation and those without cultivation was narrowed down to 3.5 K. Consequently, this study sheds light on the implications of seasonal fluctuations on soilless greenhouse climates and emphasizes the importance of accurate modeling and control to optimize agricultural practices in the northern regions of Tunisia.

Determination of the interior pH of lipid nanoparticles using a pH-sensitive fluorescent dye-based DNA probe

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) containing ionizable cationic lipids are proven delivery systems for therapeutic nucleic acids, such as small interfering RNA (siRNA). It is important to understand the relationship between the interior pH of LNPs and the pH of the external environment to understand LNP formulation and function. Here, we developed a simple and rapid approach for determining the pH of the LNP core using a pH-sensitive fluorescent dye-based DNA probe. LNP siRNA systems containing pH-responsive DNA probes (LNP-siRNA&DNA) were generated by rapid mixing of lipids in ethanol and pH 4 aqueous buffer containing siRNA and DNA probes. We demonstrated that DNA probes were readily encapsulated in LNP systems and were sequestered into an environment at a high concentration as evidenced by an inter-probe FRET signal. It was shown that the pH of LNP encapsulated probes closely follows the pH increase or decrease of the external environment. This indicates that the clinically approved LNP RNA systems with similar lipid compositions (e.g., Onpattro and Comirnaty) are highly permeable to protons and that the pH of the interior environment closely mirrors the external environment. The pH-dependent response of the probe in LNPs was also confirmed under buffer conditions at various pHs. Furthermore, we showed that the pH-sensitive DNA probe can be incorporated into LNP systems at levels that allow the pH response to be monitored at a single LNP level using convex lens-induced confinement (CLiC) confocal microscopy. Direct visualization of the internal pH of single particles with the fluorescent DNA probe was achieved by CLiC for LNP-siRNA&DNA systems formulated under both high and normal ionic strength conditions.

Stress relaxation of concrete beams caused by creep and shrinkage effects

Shrinkage and creep are two important physical properties of concrete material which cause increase of the deformation of the constantly loaded structure over long period of time, the feature known as rheology. Additional deformation of concrete structures at the end of the design working period (most commonly 50 years) caused by these phenomena is circa three times larger than the value of the immediate elastic deformation (or even larger in some cases). Hence, in accordance with the corresponding European standard, these effects should be taken in account while evaluating the serviceability limit state of concrete structures, and if significant, consideration of these phenomena is also needed for the verification of the ultimate limit state. In concrete material, creep occurs at all stress levels, and is dependent on many parameters, as cement class, concrete grade, relative humidity of the environment, surface of the structure in contact with the ambient air (drying surface), and the age of concrete (after casting) at the loading moment. Shrinkage of the concrete is independent on loading. It is caused by decrease of the pore water content in the hardened concrete, and is predominantly dependent on the ambient relative humidity. Relaxation describes stress reduction at a constant material strain, usually in prestressing steel tendons. In this study, the physical experiments of multiple concrete beams over time with respect to rheological processes are described. Each experimental system consists of two C35/45 beams horizontally bounded by a prestressed steel cylinder. Decrease of these pretension forces in cylinders over time have been monitored (stress relaxation). All together time histories of two forces are documented, based on measurements conducted in interior environment of an agricultural building. The experimental time histories of the pretension forces are then compared with the results of the finite element numerical analyses conducted in ANSYS software. Creep and shrinkage effects of the concrete material have been considered based on the corresponding European standard for design of the concrete structures. The time-histories of the forces in prestressed cylinders obtained from the numerical simulations are then compared with the experimental data, and discussed. It is concluded, that the estimation of the force decrease over analysed time with the creep and shrinkage effects considered according to the corresponding European standard appears to be slightly larger than the experimentally measured decrease of the force value, hence the assumption is more conservative.

Personalized and humanized design of building interior environment using IoT technology

Personalized and humanized design of building interior environment using IoT technology

Color Matching and Light and Shadow Processing in Intelligent Interior Environment Art Design Analysis and Application Based on Neural Network

Color Matching and Light and Shadow Processing in Intelligent Interior Environment Art Design Analysis and Application Based on Neural Network

The application of geometric form in architectural interior environment design

The application of geometric form in architectural interior environment design

The application of geometric form in architectural interior environment design

The application of geometric form in architectural interior environment design

Fabrication of natural fiber-mixed natural matrix composite-infused indoor air purifier with health impact simulation

The inhalation of airborne particles can endanger the health of any human being. Natural fiber and natural fiber reinforced with natural matrix material are employed in this work to create an indoor air purifier. Various natural fiber and natural composite combinations are used to purify the interior environment by eliminating particulate matter of various sizes and volatile organic chemicals. An air purifier is created using four distinct natural fibers, including hemp, jute, silk cocoon, and coir fibers, as well as neem and aloe vera gel as natural filler materials. An air quality-monitoring instrument is used to validate the performance of the designed natural fiber/natural plant-based filler material-equipped air purifier. Particulate matter of various sizes and volatile organic compounds in the indoor environment are detected at various time intervals. The efficacy of the air purifier is afterward determined in human lungs of various ages utilizing health impact simulation studies. The current product is utilized to effectively purify indoor air by eliminating particulates and volatile organic chemicals.

Effect of Space Type on Intention to Use Cosmetics for Women in Their 20s and 50s: A Focus on Fully Autonomous Vehicles

Purpose: This study aims to empirically analyze the effect of fully autonomous vehicle space the intention to use cosmetics for women in their 20s and 50s.Methods: A sample of women in their 20s and 50s responded to a survey conducted from March 31 to April 13, 2023, and a total of 306 questionnaires were used as analysis data.Results: First, regarding spatial preferences in fully autonomous vehicles, respondents favored “space for rest and sleep” the most, closely followed by “space for personal work” and “space for listening to music and videos”. Second, the intention to use cosmetics in the fully autonomous vehicle were notably elevated, with mean scores of 4.02, 3.93, 3.88, and 3.91 for each of the four distinct inquiries. Third, “beauty and medical spaces” and “space for listening to music and videos” showed a statistically significant, and positive impact on the intention to use cosmetics.Conclusion: Car manufacturers and cosmetic companies should prioritize providing women spaces that satisfy their experiences associated with “relaxation, personal work, music and video viewing”, in which women's preference for space is high. Also, the interior composition and environment should be conducive to the faster and easier use of cosmetics. Simply put, efforts should be made to provide efficient multitasking spaces that can reduce time and economic costs while moving to a destination.

Natural Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in Domestic School Building: CFD Simulation and Improvement Strategies

Natural ventilation is a process of replenishing used air from the interior environment with fresh outer air without the use of mechanical equipment. This project aims to investigate the feasibility and performance of implementing natural ventilation in dilapidated classroom designs of actual geometry. Computer models of an existing classroom were created using SOLIDWORKS based on real-scale building floor plans, while the same software was applied to compute flow simulation studies to visualise the airflow pattern, temperature distribution, relative humidity, and the thermal comfort level of occupants in the classrooms. Estimated climate parameters were input in the simulation process to illustrate better the effect of hot and humid climate conditions in Malaysia towards the thermal comfort level of occupants. In this project, a visualised wind tunnel was created to simulate the prevailing wind source that supplies wind to the designed classroom, and the airflow pattern across the designed building was analysed. From the initial simulation results, it was discovered that the airflow into the classroom is uneven, whereby some locations in the building are experiencing extremely low wind breeze, which eventually affects the comfort level of occupants in the room. On the other hand, an internal analysis focusing on the interior comfortability of the classrooms was applied to examine the thermal comfort condition while using the naturally ventilated classrooms. Recommendation optimisation approaches such as the louvre angle and introduction of a windcatcher was presented in this project to improve the natural ventilation performance of the designed classroom.