Effect of Indoor Environment Quality on Human Comfort

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2024 | Viewed by 1301

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Building Science Group, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
Interests: indoor environment quality; cognitive performance; healthy buildings; biophilic design

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Guest Editor
School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: built environment; indoor environmental quality; green buildings; occupant health and cognition; human exposure assessment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

People spend more than 90% of their time indoors. Existing studies have shown the effects of indoor environment quality (IEQ) on human comfort, cognitive performance and health. Poor IEQ would make occupants more uncomfortable and less productive. Nowadays, indoor environment quality has been gaining substantial attention. For the increased requirement for high-quality living and working conditions, understanding the mechanism behind the IEQ and human comfort becomes increasingly important.

We are pleased to announce a call for papers for a forthcoming Special Issue in Buildings, dedicated to the comprehensive examination of the profound relationship between IEQ and human comfort. This interdisciplinary initiative seeks to attract academic contributions that reveal the complex dynamics, methodologies, and implications surrounding IEQ and its pivotal role in enhancing individuals' comfort, health and cognitive performance.

We invite researchers, academics, practitioners, and experts in the field of indoor environmental quality to contribute their original and innovative research findings to this significant endeavor.

Papers submitted to this Special Issue will delve into a wide spectrum of IEQ dimensions, including but not limited to indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, and ergonomics, shedding light on their intricate relationships with subjective comfort, health and cognitive performance. Furthermore, we encourage contributions that explore the integration of advanced technologies and sustainable design practices as effective tools for optimizing IEQ and enhancing human well-being.

Dr. Zhibin Wu
Prof. Dr. Xiaodong Cao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • indoor environmental quality
  • indoor air quality
  • thermal comfort
  • lighting
  • acoustics
  • cognitive performance
  • ergonomics
  • health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 6665 KiB  
Article
Experimental Evaluation of Noise Exposure Effects on Subjective Perceptions and Cognitive Performance
by Jie Zhang, Liping Pang, Chenyuan Yang, Yurong Fan, Bingxu Zhao and Xiaodong Cao
Buildings 2024, 14(4), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14041100 - 15 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Individuals exposed to elevated noise levels experience heightened emotional intensity, leading to increased cognitive disruption and a higher likelihood of accidents. This study seeks to investigate the impact of noise exposure on human cognitive performance, and the moderating role of emotion. Twelve healthy [...] Read more.
Individuals exposed to elevated noise levels experience heightened emotional intensity, leading to increased cognitive disruption and a higher likelihood of accidents. This study seeks to investigate the impact of noise exposure on human cognitive performance, and the moderating role of emotion. Twelve healthy male college-age students underwent exposure to three noise conditions, each characterized by different sound pressure levels and sharpness. Each condition included an initial acoustic/thermal adaption period lasting approximately 40 min, followed by intermittent questionnaire tests and a battery of computerized cognitive tests. Statistical analysis revealed that reducing noise levels proved advantageous, enhancing perceived sound quality, positive emotions, and auditory perception abilities, while concurrently reducing false alerts and accelerating execution speed. Many of these effects were found to be counteracted by elevated sharpness. Correlation analyses and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) results suggested that human emotions mediate the relationship between noise exposure and cognitive performance. The potential underlying mechanism suggests that negative feelings towards noise contribute to poor emotional states, subsequently influencing cognitive processes and impairing executive function. The outcomes of this study provide valuable insights into the mechanism of noise exposure and its effects on human cognition and subjective perceptions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Indoor Environment Quality on Human Comfort)
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22 pages, 3083 KiB  
Article
Differences between Daylighting and Electric Lighting in Affective Response
by Nuria Castilla, Vicente Blanca-Giménez, Carlos Pérez-Carramiñana and Carmen Llinares
Buildings 2024, 14(3), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14030770 - 12 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Humans are spending more time indoors than ever due to urbanisation and industrialisation, leading to higher electricity consumption in lighting systems. Recent research has demonstrated the significance of maintaining a balance between daylight and electric light to create an ideal learning environment that [...] Read more.
Humans are spending more time indoors than ever due to urbanisation and industrialisation, leading to higher electricity consumption in lighting systems. Recent research has demonstrated the significance of maintaining a balance between daylight and electric light to create an ideal learning environment that can significantly impact students’ academic performance. The objective of this study is to analyse the changes in students’ emotional response depending on the type of lighting in the classroom—whether it is daylight, electric light, or a combination of both. A field study was conducted with 521 university students to assess their affective response to the lighting environment inside their classroom. The results show that students prefer a Clear-efficient lighting environment for writing–reading tasks and a Soft-calm atmosphere for using electronic devices. For the paying attention tasks, a combination of daylighting and electric lighting is determined to be the best solution, while for the tasks of discussing–teamwork, students prefer daylighting. Daylighting is found to be the only lighting option that students like. Despite this, students still consider electric lighting and the combination of daylight and electric light adequate for a classroom. The findings of this study may help educators and designers create learning spaces that promote a positive and stimulating student environment by understanding the relationship between the lighting environment and students’ affective responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Indoor Environment Quality on Human Comfort)
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