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Built Environment Physics: The Impact of Acoustic, Thermal, and Spatial...
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Built Environment Physics: The Impact of Acoustic, Thermal, and Spatial Factors on Occupant Well-Being

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: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 1915

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dadi Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Building Environment and Energy Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Interests: indoor environmental quality; acoustic quality; psychoacoustics; thermal comfort; indoor air quality; visual quality; classroom environment; showring environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Amneh Hamida

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Healthy Living Spaces, RWTH Aachen University, 52072 Aachen, Germany
Interests: indoor soundscape; acoustic well-being; indoor environmental quality; acoustic quality; occupant well-being; study places

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The built environment significantly influences occupant well-being through the interplay of acoustic, thermal, and spatial factors. This Special Issue aims to explore how these elements shape the experience of individuals within various architectural spaces. Understanding the physics of the built environment is vital for creating spaces that not only meet functional requirements but also enhance comfort, health, and productivity.

We welcome original research (laboratory, field, and simulation studies), theoretical frameworks, and comprehensive reviews that address these critical areas. Relevant topics for submission include the following:

Acoustic Design Strategies: Innovations in soundproofing and noise reduction techniques to improve occupant comfort and well-being.

Thermal Comfort Solutions: Approaches to enhance indoor thermal comfort, including passive and active systems that promote occupants’ comfort, health, and performance.

Spatial Configuration: The impact of spatial design on social interaction, privacy, and overall user experience.

Integrated Performance Assessment: Evaluating the combined effects of acoustic, thermal, and spatial factors on occupant health and well-being.

Personalized Control Technologies: Enabling individual control to enhance comfort and well-being while promoting energy efficiency.

By fostering a multidisciplinary research, this Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of how built environment physics can optimize occupant well-being. Together, we can contribute to the creation of healthier, more sustainable, and more enjoyable living and working spaces.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Dadi Zhang
Dr. Amneh Hamida
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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 semimonthly 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
  • acoustic quality
  • thermal comfort
  • spatial factors
  • well-being
  • building physics user-centered design

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 4223 KB  
Article
Evaluation of Psychoacoustic Machine Learning Assessment Method for Predicting Occupant Well-Being
by Kuen Wai Ma, Cheuk Ming Mak, Fu-Lai Chung and Hai Ming Wong
Buildings 2026, 16(5), 1027; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16051027 - 5 Mar 2026
Viewed by 408
Abstract
In modern buildings, the air-conditioned indoor environment is vital for occupant productivity and well-being, yet fan noise and airflow turbulence can significantly compromise these benefits. Human–environmental interactions are complex processes that traditional energy-based acoustic metrics are often insufficient to model. Therefore, this study [...] Read more.
In modern buildings, the air-conditioned indoor environment is vital for occupant productivity and well-being, yet fan noise and airflow turbulence can significantly compromise these benefits. Human–environmental interactions are complex processes that traditional energy-based acoustic metrics are often insufficient to model. Therefore, this study aims to advance the multidimensional sound quality assessment framework for building acoustics. Three methods, the conventional regression approach (CRA), general prediction model (GPM), and psychoacoustic machine learning (PML) assessment methods, were evaluated for predicting three perceptual dimensions (Evaluation, Potency, Activity; EPA) and negative noise impacts on occupant well-being (O1: Discomfortable, O2: Annoying, O3: Stressful, and O4: Unacceptable). Based on 432 multidimensional sound quality assessments across four general types of air-conditioned built environments, the PML achieved the best goodness-of-fit for the EPA-score perdition (adjusted R2 = 0.61) compared to CRA (0.32) and GPM (0.15) and effectively predicted all negative noise impacts (adjusted R2 = 0.53–0.61). The PML assessment method offers a smart and reliable solution for sound quality and well-being prediction through psychoacoustic heatmaps encoding time-varying psychoacoustic features in 227 × 227 pixels from 30 s soundtracks of the built environment for sustainable building design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Built Environment Physics: The Impact of Acoustic, Thermal, and Spatial Factors on Occupant Well-Being)
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32 pages, 5918 KB  
Article
Materials Selection in Biophilic Building Design: Multisensory Perception and Psycho-Physical Mapping of Wood Materials
by Panpan Ma, Qi Shi, Tianjun Xie, Xuemin Xu, Nan Zeng, Qicheng Teng, Feibin Wang and Zeli Que
Buildings 2026, 16(4), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16040726 - 11 Feb 2026
Viewed by 588
Abstract
The selection of building materials increasingly prioritizes aesthetic and comfort-related experiences, yet the perceptual pathways linking physical properties to emotional judgments remain underexplored, particularly among Chinese users. This study aimed to clarify how different sensory modalities contribute to the perceptual pathways linking physical [...] Read more.
The selection of building materials increasingly prioritizes aesthetic and comfort-related experiences, yet the perceptual pathways linking physical properties to emotional judgments remain underexplored, particularly among Chinese users. This study aimed to clarify how different sensory modalities contribute to the perceptual pathways linking physical properties of wood to emotional judgments under multisensory conditions. Sixty young Chinese adults evaluated wood samples under visual, tactile, auditory, and multisensory conditions. Multivariate modeling approaches were applied to identify perceptual structures, mediating pathways to aesthetic judgments, and associations between subjective impressions and physical parameters. A three-factor perceptual structure was identified, comprising surface qualities, internal qualities, and emotional judgment. Path analyses showed that perceived cleanliness acted as the primary mediator from low-level perceptions to emotional responses, whereas naturalness played a limited role. Multisensory integration was vision-dominant (relative sensory weights from Bayesian weighted regression > 0.50), with touch providing secondary contributions (weights > 0.30) and audition exerting minimal influence. Lightness strongly predicted surface qualities, while density predicted internal qualities, with both achieving conditional and marginal R2 values above 0.50. In contrast, higher-order impressions showed strong between-group but weak individual-level explanatory power (marginal R2 < 0.30), indicating that physical parameters capture group-level tendencies but offer limited precision for individual emotional responses. These results inform culturally sensitive, multisensory design strategies for wood in biophilic and human-oriented environments and highlight the need to incorporate non-physical factors for precise personalization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Built Environment Physics: The Impact of Acoustic, Thermal, and Spatial Factors on Occupant Well-Being)
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15 pages, 1635 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Interactive Effects Between Thermal Comfort and Acoustic Quality on University Students’ Performance and Satisfaction in Hong Kong
by Dadi Zhang, Amneh Hamida, Kwok-Wai Mui and Ling-Tim Wong
Buildings 2026, 16(3), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16030670 - 5 Feb 2026
Viewed by 478
Abstract
This study investigated the individual and interactive effects of thermal and acoustic parameters on university students’ concentration and satisfaction in a library environment. Measurements of temperature, relative humidity (RH), and sound pressure level (SPL), alongside questionnaire surveys assessing students’ [...] Read more.
This study investigated the individual and interactive effects of thermal and acoustic parameters on university students’ concentration and satisfaction in a library environment. Measurements of temperature, relative humidity (RH), and sound pressure level (SPL), alongside questionnaire surveys assessing students’ concentration, environmental perceptions, and satisfaction, were conducted over ten continuous working days in four library rooms. The results revealed significant interactive effects between operative temperature (To), RH, and background noise level (LA90) on students’ concentration and overall satisfaction, highlighting the importance of an integrated approach to managing Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). Furthermore, multi-objective optimization using the NSGA-II algorithm suggested optimal ranges for To (22.6–24.8 °C), RH (41.0–48.4%), and LA90 (45.0–48.5 dB(A)). Existing library conditions surpassed these optimal levels, particularly on the first floor, indicating a pressing need for interventions to enhance student well-being and academic performance. Overall, this study provides insights into the interactions between thermal comfort and acoustic quality, offering recommendations for creating more conducive learning environments that boost student satisfaction and performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Built Environment Physics: The Impact of Acoustic, Thermal, and Spatial Factors on Occupant Well-Being)
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