Eco-feedback design is a strategy for encouraging sustainable behavior by making users aware of the resources they consume. Reminding users of their resource usage can help them understand the environmental impacts of their actions and evoke feelings such as sympathy or responsibility for the environment. This study investigated two aspects of presenting resource usage information in eco-feedback designs: the quantitative clarity of the information, and the strength of emotion evoked by the designs. This paper examines how these two aspects of eco-feedback influence users’ perception and preference for the designs. Four design prompts with different levels of quantitative clarity and emotion were used to generate 16 designs. An online survey with these designs was distributed among students at four universities in two countries. Results from 216 valid responses showed evidence that both the quantitative and emotional aspects are important to the eco-feedback designs. The survey also gathered data about respondents’ knowledge about resource consumption. Results suggested that students in technical majors were generally better at estimating resource consumption, and tended to prefer designs with more quantitative data. In contrast, students in non-technical majors generally made less accurate estimates and tended to prefer designs that evoke stronger emotions. These findings could inform designers on how to make more effective eco-feedback designs to promote sustainable behaviors.

This research paper explores biophilic design principles in office buildings, focusing on promoting well-being andcreating salutogenic environments. It investigates key aspects of biophilic design, such as natural light, views of nature,indoor plants, and natural materials, and their impact on occupant well-being and productivity. The study uses a mixedmethods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with office employees. The resultsreveal that biophilic design elements significantly contribute to improved well-being, including increased jobsatisfaction, reduced stress levels, and enhanced productivity. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporatingbiophilic design strategies in office buildings to create salutogenic environments that enhance employee well-being. Ithighlights the significance of natural elements in mitigating the negative effects of a sedentary work environment. Theresearch contributes to the field by providing empirical evidence supporting the implementation of biophilic design inoffices, emphasizing the benefits of a connection with nature for well-being and productivity.

The observed landscape influences people in numerous ways, including aesthetic appreciation, health, and well-being. The evidence of health benefits associated with viewing those landscapes has proven exceptional value. A comprehensive review of papers on landscapes and sound effects on health was conducted. According to a growing body of evidence, exposure to visible landscapes positively affects one's health and fitness. The most pressing social and economic challenge now is increasing worker productivity, attracting, and retaining exceptionally talented employees, and improving overall employee performance. This will not happen unless companies provide a safe, comfortable, and stimulating work environment; this will not happen. The paper investigated employees' perceptions of workspace features and the effect of biophilic design concepts on staff productivity. The respondents from different cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia showed high productivity and satisfaction rates where biophilic design concepts were used. The Pearson correlation test detected a strong relationship between the interior space's perceived quality through biophilic design elements and employees' productivity in offices and working spaces, where the P-value is less than 0.05. Activating biophilic design concepts within workspaces is as crucial as having the space itself. TRANSLATE with x English Arabic Hebrew Polish Bulgarian Hindi Portuguese Catalan Hmong Daw Romanian Chinese Simplified Hungarian Russian Chinese Traditional Indonesian Slovak Czech Italian Slovenian Danish Japanese Spanish Dutch Klingon Swedish English Korean Thai Estonian Latvian Turkish Finnish Lithuanian Ukrainian French Malay Urdu German Maltese Vietnamese Greek Norwegian Welsh Haitian Creole Persian TRANSLATE with COPY THE URL BELOW Back EMBED THE SNIPPET BELOW IN YOUR SITE Enable collaborative features and customize widget: Bing Webmaster Portal BackThis page is in English Translate to Arabic Afrikaans Albanian Amharic Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Bengali Bulgarian Catalan Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Finnish French German Greek Gujarati Haitian Creole Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Italian Japanese Kannada Kazakh Khmer Korean Kurdish (Kurmanji) Lao Latvian Lithuanian Malagasy Malay Malayalam Maltese Maori Marathi Myanmar (Burmese) Nepali Norwegian Pashto Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Samoan Simplified Chinese Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Tamil Telugu Thai Traditional Chinese Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese Welsh Always translate English to ArabicPRO Never translate English Never translate mej.researchcommons.org

This study explores energy consumption patterns in residential buildings, focusing specifically on the air conditioning systems and their intricate relationship with technology, occupant behavior, and environmental impact. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, quantitative data is gathered on energy usage from utility companies and homeowner surveys, complemented by qualitative insights from interviews and focus groups. The results indicate that households equipped with air conditioning units face significantly higher electricity bills, especially during peak summer months, largely due to the inefficiencies of older systems and the common issue of oversized units. Technological advancements, including high-efficiency air conditioning systems and smart thermostats, are crucial in reducing energy consumption. Furthermore, occupant behaviors-such as adjusting thermostats and maintaining systems-have a notable effect on energy usage. This study underscores the necessity for greater awareness of energy-efficient technologies and highlights the importance of informed decision-making among homeowners. By synthesizing perspectives from engineering, sociology, and environmental science, the research enhances the understanding of energy consumption dynamics in residential contexts and presents actionable recommendations for fostering sustainable practices.

Landscaping and greenery are some of the major factors that play a vital role in human being’s phycology and how one feels. It also affects people’s wellbeing and could improve their health. This made landscaping a primary consideration in places that focus on recovery and healing, such as hospitals. By showing this relationship between health and landscaping, the research goal is to improve and control the hospital buildings, which will be built or renovated in the future, especially in Saudi Arabia. The focus will be on buildings’ landscaping design and greenery to achieve high functionality spaces. This paper will detail the relationship between landscape as well as greenspaces in healthcare buildings. A survey was published for patients in different hospitals in Saudi Arabia to analyze related thoughts and investigate the effectiveness of landscape existence on the patient’s recovery. Additionally, particular case studies were examined and analyzed. The results revealed that users believe that healing centers’ landscape unequivocally influence patient’s wellbeing and seeing scenes around the site. Furthermore, landscape in healthcare buildings is neglected; some recommendations were given for particular green areas with percentages to help improving the current healthcare buildings alongside the upcoming ones.

The courtyard is one of the architectural features used in ancient times for many purposes, such as climate modifiers, as a place for family gatherings, and as a playground for children. Over time, the courtyard gradually disappeared, and it no longer has a special presence in residential buildings. The study deals with exploring courtyards in the old and modern buildings in the central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was characterized by its strong presence in ancient times. Therefore, the paper holds seven case studies to compare the most important features in commons, middle, and contemporary houses. The research reaches the truth of the extinction of the courtyard and its replacement by other elements that negatively affected the social, ecological, and economic aspects of Saudi residents, and assures the dependence on mechanical treatments that harmfully distressed the building energy likewise affected the social aspects at the level of family and society alike. Courtyards with environmental design basics provided high energy efficiency to building through daylight and ventilation which helps in decreasing electricity and HVAC loads. This paper invites researchers and builders to reuse the courtyard or the Patio concept again as a design tool in contemporary buildings to save future resources and maintain sustainability principles.