The paper analyses thermal comfort in intelligent and traditional buildings in Poland. It provides a comprehensive study on the subjective assessment of indoor environment conditions as well as on parameters that influence human thermal sensations and preferences. Direct measurements of physical parameters (e.g., air and globe temperature, relative humidity) as well as simultaneously conducted anonymous questionnaire studies were used to provide the necessary data. The study covered all seasons and a large number of participants representing various age groups and body build types, who completed a total of 1778 questionnaires. The results indicate that typically smart buildings offer higher levels of thermal comfort than the traditional ones and that people tend to prefer warmer environments. Moreover, it has been observed that the BMI index, air movement and the number of people per surface area can have an impact on the perceived thermal sensations.

The paper analyses the indoor environment in two modern intelligent buildings located in Poland. Measurements of air and globe temperatures, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in 117 rooms carried out in the space of 1.5 years were presented. Thermal comfort of the occupants has been investigated using a questionnaire survey. Based on 1369 questionnaires, thermal sensation, acceptability and preference votes were analysed in view of their interdependency as well as their dependency on operative temperature, which proved to be very strong. It has been found that the respondents did not completely rate thermal comfort and indoor environment quality as very high, although the overwhelming sensations were positive. Apart from the operation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, this might have also been the cause of individual human factors, such as body mass index, as tested in the study, or the finding that people were generally in favour of a warmer environment. Moreover, thermal environment proved to be the most important element for ensuring the well-being of the occupants.

E3S Web of Conferences, open access proceedings in environment, energy and earth sciences

Though a few empirical studies on acceptance of Web 2.0 as a social networking tool in teaching and learning exist, apparently none consider students' and faculties' views from different cultures, which is the focus of this study. This article reports on a pilot study that begins to fill this gap by investigating the perceptions, attitude and acceptance of Web 2.0 in teaching and learning from two countries (developed and developing). A conceptual model of nine variables and associated hypotheses was designed based on a literature review and initial primary study. A questionnaire was developed from the model operationalisation and used to collect data from 317 students from five universities in Nigeria and 273 students and lecturers from one university in Scotland. The findings that came from data analysis indicate that all the variables are validated from the data collected in Scotland but motivation via learning management systems (LMS) which are not presently used in these universities in Nigeria affect intention to use Web 2.0 in e-learning in Nigeria. Some of the validated variables are perceived usefulness and prior knowledge. The major conclusions and recommendations include the utilisation of Web 2.0 facilities to stimulate participation in learning. This work will contribute to the body of knowledge on acceptance of Web 2.0 social networking tools in teaching and learning. It will aid the key players of e-learning which include content developers, technology vendors and service providers. It may also support management decisions toward investing better in technology so as to improve the educational sector.

The indoor environment of buildings significantly affects the well-being and health of room users. Experiencing thermal discomfort reduces concentration and productivity during study or work, causing drowsiness, fatigue or deterioration in general well-being. The study focuses on presenting the results of the questionnaire study on the symptoms of sick building syndromes (SBS), namely: dizziness, nausea, eye pain and nasal mucosa, experienced by 69 students during a lecture in a large and modern auditorium of Kielce University of Technology. The results show that many students experienced SBS symptoms, which seem to have affected their concentration during the class. The article also discusses the thermal sensations of the students with a focus on comparing the obtained results with the Fanger model of thermal comfort. The discrepancy between the model calculation results and the experimental data has been observed and discussed.

Analysis of thermal comfort in the ENERGIS Building, an intelligent building in the campus of the Kielce University of Technology, Poland is the focus of this paper. For this purpose, air temperature, air relative humidity, air flow rate and carbon dioxide concentration were measured and the mean radiant temperature was determined. Thermal sensations of the students occupying the rooms of the building were evaluated with the use of a questionnaire. The students used a seven-point scale of thermal comfort. The microclimate measurement results were used to determine the Predicted Mean Vote and the Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied indices.