Keeping it simple: Field testing and techno-economic assessment of a low-cost secondary quad glazing for enhanced energy efficiency in buildings
June 2026
•Secondary quad glazing cuts energy use by 11.7 % over traditional double glazing.•Quad glazing maintains higher internal temperatures and lower heat flux.•Quad glazing significantly reduces condensation,...
The physiological and psychological impact of artificial windows on office workers during working phases: Cognitive performance and productivity
June 2026
•Artificial windows are evaluated by referring real windows and no windows.•Artificial windows achieved the highest lighting comfort and acceptability.•Artificial windows matched or surpassed real windows...
Exploring an occupant-involved closed-loop wearable sensing system and online tuning for individualized thermal preference
June 2026
•Enhancing thermal comfort data collection via feedback loop integration.•Multimodal sensing interfaced with diverse platforms for diverse groups of people.•A closed-loop framework for predictive and...
Underground plant factory in a mine tunnel – Part 1: Conceptual design and thermal simulation
June 2026
•No research addresses underground plant factory design and thermal simulation.•This study developed a technology for energy-efficient underground plant factories.•Underground mine tunnels provide suitable...
Towards carbon-neutral built environment: A critical review of mycelium-based composites
June 2026
•MBCs store carbon, slash resource demands, powering net-zero building solutions.•Energy-intensive phases drive MBC impacts; renewables slash GWP by up to 68%.•Hybrid MBCs and coatings bolster durability...
Numerical simulation of heat transfer through rock envelope of a plant factory in an underground mine tunnel
June 2026
•Conventional plant factories are energy intensive and affected by surface climate.•Underground mine tunnels provide suitable environmental conditions for plant growth.•Rock envelope reduces HVAC loads...
Impact of packing configurations and thickness on the performance of filtration humidifier
June 2026
•Celdek 7090 packing outperformed both Celdek 5090 and corrugated packings.•The COP and efficiency were found as 2.15 and 85.57 %, respectively.•Packing using grey water releases more contaminants than...
Exploring digital twin interfaces for occupant-building interaction to enhance personal comfort and energy efficiency
June 2026
•Introduce occupant-centric digital twin interfaces for comfort and energy efficiency•Explore multidimensional interfaces for occupants' dynamic contextual needs•Advocate a human-in-the-loop approach...
Accessing the stack effect in high-rise buildings by the probability method based on climate demarcation: A case study in China
June 2026
•A new probabilistic method to access the stack effect is proposed.•The climate demarcation for the stack effect evaluation in China is investigated.•Five probability functions on the temperature and...
The impact of cooling strategies on urban microclimates and building energy consumption: A study of a street canyon in Melbourne
June 2026
•Environmental and energy impacts of single and combined cooling measures were compared.•We weighted temperature, comfort, and energy consumption for the optimal solution.•The permeable surface and...
Integration opportunities, energy and financial profitability of photovoltaic systems in dry and hot climates
June 2026
•Passive and active concepts have been applied to reduce energy needs.•The cost-effectiveness of stand-alone PV systems was investigated.•Passive architectural concepts have priority over active ones.•Subsidies...
Experimental investigation of building mock-ups and air source heat pumps in cold climates
June 2026
•Whole-house and disaggregate methods had a 7% gap but models overestimated by 23%.•Below -10 °C, Canadian insulation standards are insufficient for air heat pumps.•The air-source heat pump performance...
Comprehensive examination of thermal energy storage through advanced phase change material integration for optimized building energy management and thermal comfort
June 2026
•Integration of PCMs in buildings enhances energy efficiency and thermal comfort.•Macro- and microencapsulation techniques are explored for PCM integration.•Focus on bio-based PCMs as eco-friendly alternatives...
Evolution of urban heat island circulation for the flat city
June 2026
•UHIC on the flat terrain is investigated using the city-scale CFD model.•Evolution of UHIC is divided into the transient stage and quasi-steady stage.•The flow patterns of the two stages are analyzed.•Sensitivity...
Biological aerosol transmission characteristics and exposure risk assessment in a typical biosafety laboratory
June 2026
•CFD - simulated bioaerosol in BSL - 2 lab, verified experimentally.•Airflow key to bioaerosol removal, varies by area.•Bioaerosol deposition rates around 70 % at different sources.•BSC front window...
Field test of the performance of an energy tunnel employing capillary heat exchangers
June 2026
•Evaluated the performance of tunnel lining CHEs under diverse conditions.•Remains consistently high performance under various operating conditions.•Offers valuable design and operational reference...
Detecting the changing impact of urbanisation on urban heat islands in a tropical megacity using local climate zones
June 2026
•Natural areas are 2.4°C and 1.3°C cooler than compact and open areas, respectively.•Open low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise built areas are most suitable for Dhaka.•No statistical LST differences between...
Review on the Applicability of Bifacial Solar Photovoltaic Panels in Marine Environments
Available online 22 May 2026
•Reviews 125 peer-reviewed studies on bifacial and marine floating PV•Establishes a stressor–impact–mitigation framework for marine deployment•Proposes a motion-aware model coupling metocean dynamics...
Carbon dioxide emission rates during sleep under different bedroom ventilation conditions
Available online 20 May 2026
•The nocturnal CO₂ emission rate for young Chinese adults was 10.1 ± 2.4 L/h.•Ventilation conditions significantly affected nocturnal CER.•Male participants exhibited higher CER than females during...
Transport Characteristics and Regional Environmental Impacts of Urban Industrial Multiphase Fugitive Emissions
Available online 19 May 2026
•Critical transition from density- to turbulence-dominated gas dispersion identified.•Maximum gas dispersion deviation drops from 10.42% to <1% beyond critical Re.•Particle deposition shifts from near-source...
Seasonal Lighting-Thermal Interactions and Occupant Comfort in Open-Plan Offices: A Year-Long Field Study in China’s HSCW Climate Zone
Available online 18 May 2026
•A one-year longitudinal field study in Wuhan’s open-plan office (n=3910).•Seasonal neutral temperatures: 22.7–25.9°C; illuminances: 345–397 lx.•Seasonal lighting-thermal interactions affect comfort.•Lighting-thermal...
Modeling of Urban-Scale Photovoltaic Panel Performance under Dusty and Rainy Conditions Considering Variable Tilt Angle and Solar Irradiance in Tehran, Iran
Available online 9 May 2026
•Developed a predictive model for PV performance, considering dust and rainfall.•Dust accumulation reduces PV output by up to 80%, with rainfall cleaning by 50%.•Model validated with Tehran data at...
A study on the applicability of PV/T-EAHE in different regions based on machine learning prediction algorithms
Available online 7 May 2026
•Establish an XGBoost model to evaluate PVT/EAHE thermoelectric performance.•In the selected regions, annual overheating discomfort hours reduce by 61.5%-100%.•In the selected regions, total annual...
Quantifying the Comfort Cost of Clothing Adjustment in Building Operation: A Causal Inference Study
Available online 7 May 2026
•Quantifies the comfort cost of clothing adjustment using causal machine learning.•A 1-clo increase reduces comfort probability by about 4 percentage points.•The comfort cost is larger in naturally...
Embodied and operational carbon assessment of magnesium-modified earthen bricks for rural residential buildings in cold regions of China
Available online 2 May 2026
•Optimized M-ME (YC2) reaches 12.5 MPa and 0.371 W/(m·K), exceeding standards.•M-ME embodied carbon is 120.07 kg CO₂-Eq/t, 63.19 % of FCB and 70.63 % of CCB.•M-ME saves 1085 kWh/a than FCB prototype...