Review
Environmental Sciences
Tony W. Carr, Siyabusa Mkuhlani, Alcade C. Segnon, Zakari Ali, Robert Zougmore, Alan D. Dangour, Rosemary Green, Pauline Scheelbeek
Summary: This study systematically reviewed the impact of climate change on major staple crop yields in West Africa and analyzed the potential of common agricultural adaptation strategies. The results showed that crop yields declined by a median of 6% due to climate change in all scenarios analyzed. However, by adopting adaptation strategies such as optimized planting dates and resilient crop varieties, crop yields affected by climate change could be increased by 13%. Increased fertilizer use did not mitigate the impact of climate change on crops but could substantially increase yields. The study suggests that a combination of increased fertilizer use and adopting cropping practices that take advantage of favorable climate conditions has great potential to protect and enhance future crop production in West Africa.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Hongpeng Guo, Yujie Xia, Jingshu Jin, Chulin Pan
Summary: Climate change has had a significant impact on global agricultural production. Understanding the impact of climate change on agricultural efficiency is crucial in improving adaptability and ensuring food safety worldwide.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
T-S Neset, C. Navarra, M. Graca, T. Opach, J. Wilk, P. Wallin, L. Andersson, S. Santos Cruz, A. Monteiro, J. K. Rod
Summary: This study presents a prototype of a pedestrian routing tool to help citizens navigate urban heat. Through tests and interviews, the potential of the tool in supporting urban climate risk management, enhancing everyday adaptation, and increasing citizen engagement is evaluated. The results indicate that climate services that can be carried in one's pocket increase access to climate information and provide guidance for everyday adaptation practices. However, applications need to be contextualized and tailored to the user's needs and decision-making contexts.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Paolo Maria Congedo, Cristina Baglivo, Aslihan Kurnuc Seyhan, Raffaele Marchetti
Summary: This study provides a global perspective on how comfort conditions inside a building can change with external climate variations. Different climate zones exhibit different levels of comfort conditions.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Frans Berkhout, Kirstin Dow
Summary: The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report Working Group II report has shed light on the issue of limits to the capacity to adapt to climate change, highlighting fragmented research and lack of consideration in policy. This paper argues for an interdisciplinary approach to studying adaptation limits and presents four promising directions for future research.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Mojtaba Parsaee, Claude Mh Demers, Marc Hebert, Jean-Francois Lalonde, Andre Potvin
Summary: This paper explores the importance of developing adaptive building facades to meet the biophilic and photobiological requirements in Northern Canada, emphasizing the need for further development to improve residents' health and well-being in extreme climates.
INDOOR AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
J. Barrelas, Q. Ren, C. Pereira
Summary: Changes in climate parameters and severe weather events, influenced by anthropogenic climate change, may impact soil stability and building enclosures, leading to accelerated degradation. Maintenance planning should be enhanced to mitigate climate-induced risks and improve the sustainability and resilience of constructions. Despite the limited research on this topic, there are several relevant tools that can contribute to efficient climate change adapted maintenance planning. Future work lies in developing tools connecting climate agents to building degradation, integrating them into maintenance planning, and optimizing inspection systems.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Mohammad Hosseini, Kavan Javanroodi, Vahid M. Nik
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of climate change and microclimate on the future energy performance of buildings using high spatiotemporal resolution building energy models. The results show that microclimate can significantly affect cooling and heating demands, especially during extreme weather conditions. The findings also highlight the increasing cooling demand and overheating hours in the future, emphasizing the need for better adaptation to climate change in urban areas.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Ergin Kukrer, Nurdil Eskin
Summary: The study evaluates and improves thermal comfort and productivity of occupants in a multipurpose school building, considering the impact on energy consumption. By analyzing interactions between environmental conditions, control strategies, and annual heating/cooling loads, the study recommends considering building shell and design specifications of each zone in developing HVAC operational and design strategies for better thermal comfort and productivity.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Md. Arif Chowdhury, Hasnat Sabrina, Rashed Uz Zzaman, Syed Labib Ul Islam
Summary: The study highlights the key indicators of green building in Bangladesh, such as design and construction efficiency, reduction of energy use, environment-friendly design, and long-term resource efficiency. While organizations are working on green buildings in Bangladesh, challenges remain including the lack of evaluating tools, public perception towards change, and a shortage of regulatory authorities. Enforcing fair rules and regulations may help overcome these obstacles.
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kutlwano Makwatse, Leatile Modie, Morati Mpalo, Caitlin Blaser Mapitsa
Summary: Botswana's new national climate-adaptation plan framework acknowledges the challenges climate change poses to household resilience. However, there is limited empirical data on the current gender dynamics in relation to climate-adaptive priorities and practices. This study explores the gendered variations in understanding resilience to climate change and how it is reflected in policies and responses.
Article
Environmental Sciences
R. Andrew Tirpak, Jon M. Hathaway, Anahita Khojandi, Matthew Weathers, Thomas H. Epps
Summary: Climate stationarity is challenged by global climate change, introducing uncertainty in the design of urban drainage networks and green infrastructure practices. Multiple climate models should be considered to address contradictions in future climate change projections. Increasing bioretention surface area relative to the contributing catchment provides the greatest overall return on historic performance under future climate conditions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Gizem Akkose, Cagla Meral Akgul, Ipek Gursel Dino
Summary: This study investigates the impact of CC&UHI on educational building performance and demonstrates the effectiveness of passive retrofit scenarios targeting CC&UHI mitigation and adaptation.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fatemeh Karandish, Hamideh Nouri, Joep F. Schyns
Summary: This study simulates the crop yield and water footprint of major food crops in Iran under different climate conditions. It assesses the impact of agricultural adaptation strategies on water savings and evaluates their effectiveness in reducing unsustainable water use. The results show that cereal production increases, while the unit water footprint tends to decrease. However, the total water consumption also increases. Off-season cultivation is identified as the most effective strategy in saving blue water resources.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emma E. Ramsay, Genie M. Fleming, Peter A. Faber, S. Fiona Barker, Rohan Sweeney, Ruzka R. Taruc, Steven L. Chown, Grant A. Duffy
Summary: Informal settlement residents experience chronic heat stress conditions, with wet bulb temperatures and wet bulb globe temperatures approaching the uppermost limits of human survivability, which are underestimated by weather stations.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
C. Liu, T. Kershaw, M. E. Eames, D. A. Coley
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2016)
Article
Environmental Sciences
K. R. Gunawardena, M. J. Wells, T. Kershaw
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2017)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Reyyan S. Okutan, Tristan Kershaw, Manuel Herrera Fernandez, David Coley
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2018)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Kanchane Gunawardena, Tristan Kershaw, Koen Steemers
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2019)
Review
Environmental Sciences
P. Ampatzidis, T. Kershaw
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yasser Ibrahim, Tristan Kershaw, Paul Shepherd, David Coley
Summary: This study used Ladybug tools simulation plugins to investigate the impact of different design parameters on urban environmental conditions, outdoor thermal comfort, and energy use. Results showed that urban density had the strongest impact on thermal comfort and energy consumption, with compact and medium-density urban forms performing the best overall. Compact high-density scattered forms were favored for thermal comfort, while courtyards outperformed other typologies in terms of energy efficiency and overall performance.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Yasser Ibrahim, Tristan Kershaw, Paul Shepherd, Ibrahim Elwy
Summary: Urban geometry plays a crucial role in determining microclimatic conditions, with adjustments in building heights, street widths, and orientations significantly impacting outdoor thermal comfort in hot-arid climates such as Cairo, Egypt. Strong negative correlations were found between height-to-width ratios and UTCI outputs, with noticeable reductions in UTCI achievable through changes in H/W ratios and orientations. Recommendations for urban planners highlight the importance of using optimized parameters to exceed regulatory thresholds and improve thermal comfort levels in urban environments.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Abdulla Alnuaimi, Sukumar Natarajan, Tristan Kershaw
Summary: Around 18% of global carbon emissions are caused by building heating or cooling. However, the adoption of international thermal comfort standards in warm climates results in indoor cold discomfort. Overcooling, the purposeful over-expenditure of energy that creates conditions of cold thermal discomfort, is not systematically studied or defined. This study analyzes data from 27 countries with over 90,000 occupant responses and finds that approximately 17% of building occupants are overcooled. Adjusting set-point temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius in warm climates could save around 15% of cooling energy demand.
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Petros Ampatzidis, Carlo Cintolesi, Andrea Petronio, Silvana Di Sabatino, Tristan Kershaw
Summary: In this study, the influence of waterbodies on in-canyon flow structure, temperature and water vapor distribution in urban neighborhoods was investigated using 3D steady RANS simulations. The results show that the temperature of the waterbody has different effects on the flow structure, temperature and water vapor distribution depending on the convective conditions and air-water temperature differences.
JOURNAL OF WIND ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL AERODYNAMICS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yasser Ibrahim, Tristan Kershaw, Paul Shepherd, Hesham Elkady
Summary: This paper investigates the design of courtyard blocks in the hot-arid climate of Cairo, Egypt through simulation and optimization. The study finds that the optimal solutions can significantly reduce cooling loads and thermal climate index, and have the potential to reduce heating loads in winter.
Article
Management
Hugh James Geoghegan, Frederik Winther Jensen, Tristan Kershaw, Ricardo Codinhoto
Summary: This paper presents the results of a literature review on the successful digitalization and sustainability cases in small architectural practices (SAPs) in the Netherlands. The findings highlight the importance of projects information requirements for SMEs, as well as the multifaceted challenges faced by SAPs and building design SMEs in digitalization.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS-MANAGEMENT PROCUREMENT AND LAW
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Petros Ampatzidis, Carlo Cintolesi, Tristan Kershaw
Summary: A growing body of literature recognises the importance of nature-based solutions in providing resilience to the effects of climate change by mitigating urban heat islands. However, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the contribution of blue spaces to the urban environment. Recent evidence suggests that blue spaces within urban canyons can promote pollutant removal under certain conditions, but this is inconclusive. This study investigates the influence of blue space size and shape on in-canyon flow structure, temperature, and water vapor distribution using a numerical solver that considers evaporation effects. The results show that adequately sized water bodies are crucial for promoting vertical transport and pollutant removal, while smaller water bodies are better suited for localized evaporative cooling, and irregular water bodies may have a greater cooling effect across a larger area.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Woong June Chung, Sanober Hassan Khattak, Francesca Cecinati, Su-Gwang Jeong, Tristan Kershaw, Steve Allen, Cheol-Soo Park, David Coley, Sukumar Natarajan
Summary: Buildings in the Global South are expected to drive a tripling of global cooling energy demand by 2050. This study uses computer simulations to investigate cooling-driven peak-shaving technologies in 19 different climates. Results show that thermally activated building systems and phase change materials deliver the largest reductions in peak and total demand. The findings justify investment in these technologies to achieve significant reductions in energy demand and peak load.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Manuel Herrera, Sukumar Natarajan, David A. Coley, Tristan Kershaw, Alfonso P. Ramallo-Gonzalez, Matthew Eames, Daniel Fosas, Michael Wood
BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEERING RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
C. Liu, T. Kershaw, D. Fosas, A. P. Ramallo Gonzalez, S. Natarajan, D. A. Coley
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2017)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Parth Bansal, Steven Jige Quan
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between urban form and canopy layer urban heat island (CUHI) using a relatively large sample of microclimate sensors in Seoul, Korea. The study compares different statistical models and finds that the spatially explicit gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) model has the highest accuracy. The study also shows that the effect of urban form on CUHI varies at different time instances during the day. These findings provide valuable insights for planners to understand the complexity of urban climate and reduce CUHI magnitude.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Miaomiao Liu, Salah Almazmumi, Pinlu Cao, Carlos Jimenez-bescos, John Kaiser Calautit
Summary: Windcatchers provide effective low-energy ventilation and summer passive cooling in temperate climates. However, their use in winter is limited due to significant ventilation heat loss and potential discomfort. This study evaluates the applicability of windcatchers in low-temperature conditions, highlighting the need for control strategies to reduce over-ventilation and the integration of heat recovery or thermal storage to enhance winter thermal conditions.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Behrouz Nourozi, Aneta Wierzbicka, Runming Yao, Sasan Sadrizadeh
Summary: This article presents a systematic review of ventilation solutions in hospital wards, aiming to enhance pathogen removal performance while maintaining patient and healthcare staff comfort using air-cleaning techniques. The study reveals the importance of proper ventilation systems in reducing infection risk and adverse effects of cross-contamination.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Zhen Yang, Weirong Zhang, Hongkai Liu, Weijia Zhang, Mingyuan Qin
Summary: The study examines the influence of personalized local heating on the thermal comfort of occupants in old residential buildings. The findings reveal that personalized local heating can increase the overall thermal sensation of occupants, but only a few methods are effective in enhancing thermal comfort. The chosen heating methods and background temperature affect the participants' selection of heating parts.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Hong Cheng, Dan Norback, Huilin Zhang, Liu Yang, Baizhan Li, Yinping Zhang, Zhuohui Zhao, Qihong Deng, Chen Huang, Xu Yang, Chan Lu, Hua Qian, Tingting Wang, Ling Zhang, Wei Yu, Juan Wang, Xin Zhang
Summary: The home environment and sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms in five southern Chinese cities have been studied over time. The study found a decrease in asthma prevalence and an increase in allergic rhinitis. Cockroaches, rats, mice, mosquitoes or flies were identified as consistent biological risk factors for SBS symptoms, while redecoration, buying new furniture, and traffic air pollution were identified as other risk factors.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Chaojie Xing, Zhengtao Ai, Zhiwei Liu, Cheuk Ming Mak, Hai Ming Wong
Summary: This study experimentally investigated the emission characteristics of droplets around the mouth during dental treatments. The results showed that the peak mass fraction of droplets occurs within the size range of 20 μm to 100 μm, and droplets with a diameter less than 200 μm account for over 80% of the mass fraction. The dominant emission direction of droplets is towards the dummy's head and chest, forming an approximately cone shape.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Zhijian Liu, Zhe Han, Lina Hu, Chenxing Hu, Rui Rong
Summary: This study compared the effects of different respiratory behaviors on the distribution of aerosols in a ward and the risk of infection for healthcare workers using numerical simulation. It was found that talking in the ward significantly increased aerosol concentrations, particularly short periods of talking. Wards designed with side-supply ventilation had lower overall infection risk. Talking alternately between healthcare workers and patients slightly extended the impact time of aerosols.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Yan Yan, Mengyuan Kang, Haodong Zhang, Zhiwei Lian, Xiaojun Fan, Chandra Sekhar, Pawel Wargocki, Li Lan
Summary: In a high-density city, opening windows for sleep may lead to increased indoor temperature, higher PM2.5 concentration, and noise disturbance, which can negatively impact sleep quality.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Yan Bai, Liang Liu, Kai Liu, Shuai Yu, Yifan Shen, Di Sun
Summary: This study developed a non-intrusive personal thermal comfort model using machine learning techniques combined with infrared facial recognition. The results showed that the ensemble learning models perform better than traditional models, and the broad learning model has a higher prediction precision with lower computational complexity and faster training speed compared to deep neural networks. The findings provide a reference for optimizing building thermal environments.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Yue Lei, Zeynep Duygu Tekler, Sicheng Zhan, Clayton Miller, Adrian Chong
Summary: Mixed-mode ventilation is a promising solution for achieving energy-efficient and comfortable indoor environments. This study found that occupants can thermally adapt when switching between natural ventilation (NV) and air-conditioning (AC) modes within the same day, with the adaptation process stabilizing between 35 to 45 minutes after the mode switch. These findings are important for optimizing thermal comfort in mixed-mode controls, considering the dynamic nature of thermal adaptation.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Nan Mo, Jie Han, Yingde Yin, Yelin Zhang
Summary: This study develops a method based on the LCZ framework for a comprehensive evaluation of urban-scale heat island effects, considering the impact of geographic factors on LST. The results show that Guilin's geomorphological conditions lead to abnormal heat island effects during winter, and the cooling effects of mountains and water bodies vary seasonally in different built areas, with LCZ 2 exhibiting the strongest cooling effect.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Tunga Salthammer
Summary: Monitoring the potential formaldehyde emission of wood-based materials through test chamber investigations has significantly contributed to reducing indoor formaldehyde concentrations. However, the different methodologies used in these procedures prevent direct result comparison. Empirical models for converting formaldehyde steady-state concentrations based on temperature, humidity, air change rate, and loading were developed in the 1970s and have been modified to accommodate the development of lower-emitting materials. Formaldehyde emissions from wood-based materials are complex and require nonlinear regression tools for mathematical analysis.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Katarina Stebelova, Katarina Kovacova, Zuzana Dzirbikova, Peter Hanuliak, Tomas Bacigal, Peter Hartman, Andrea Vargova, Jozef Hraska
Summary: This study investigated the impact of reduced short-wavelength light on the hormone melatonin metabolite 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (u-sMEL) and examined the association between previous day's light exposure and u-sMEL. It was found that reducing short-wavelength light during the day did not change the concentration of u-sMEL. Personal photopic illuminance was positively correlated with u-sMEL in the reference week. The illuminance had a significant impact on u-sMEL, as shown by the evaluation of the mean of all three urine samples. However, this correlation was not found in the experimental week.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Ruoxin Xiong, Ying Shi, Haoming Jing, Wei Liang, Yorie Nakahira, Pingbo Tang
Summary: This study proposes a data-model integration method to identify and calibrate uncertainties in machine learning models, leading to improved thermal perception predictions. The method utilizes the Multidimensional Association Rule Mining algorithm to identify biased human responses and enhances prediction accuracy and reliability. The study also evaluates different calibration techniques and discovers their potential in enhancing prediction reliability.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Beichao Hu, Zeda Yin, Abderrachid Hamrani, Arturo Leon, Dwayne McDaniel
Summary: This paper introduces an innovative super-resolution approach to model the air flow and temperature field in the cold aisle of a data center. The proposed method reconstructs a high-fidelity flow field by using a low-fidelity flow field, significantly reducing the computational time and enabling real-time prediction.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2024)