Early childhood education is crucial in the development of a learned society. However, existing early childhood education focuses on languages, numbers, cultural and social interactions without much emphasis on the importance of the natural environment. Therefore, this study investigates the integration of biophilic design (BD) elements in kindergarten environments and their impact on early childhood environmental education (ECEE). Focusing on four kindergartens, the research examines how biophilic features influence children’s engagement with natural elements and their development. Utilizing a robust methodological framework, the study employs both observations and quantitative analysis using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to assess the effectiveness of these interventions. The findings reveal that BD significantly enhances children’s interactions with natural terms, suggesting deeper cognitive connections with the natural world. Enhancements in children’s engagement with natural elements were most pronounced in kindergartens that implemented comprehensive and strategically placed biophilic elements. However, the effectiveness varied across settings, underscoring the importance of contextual and environmental factors in the design and implementation of biophilic principles. The study underscores the potential of BD to foster environmental awareness, cognitive and emotional development among children, advocating for its broader application in educational settings to promote sustainable environmental behaviors from an early age.

The performances of IAQ in Malaysian museum galleries have not been well investigated. As a hot and humid country, air conditioning (AC) systems are used in enclosed galleries. Improper AC systems may affect IAQ levels as they may not only affect people but also artefacts deterioration. Selected IAQ parameters were measured in selected museum galleries in Peninsular Malaysia by using active sampling with multiple sensors at several points continuously. Results on average values for indoor temperature and carbon dioxide complied with people and artefact threshold level. However, air velocities were far below the recommended level. Visitors’ influx influenced CO₂ levels but did not affect the resuspension and reposition of PM₁. It started to increase when the CO₂ decreased. This highlighted the contribution of this research as guideline for IAQ in museum is only up to the concentration of PM_2.5. Poor V_a and the existence of PM₁ were expected due to the inefficiencies of the AC systems as higher cooling capacity did not influence better IAQ performance. It was concluded that, IAQ performance in the selected galleries did not perform well due to poorly ventilated cool air supply and improper layout of air inlets due to the ceiling heights and hanging decorative ceiling.

This paper examines the performance of retrofitting climate control systems focusing on air conditioning systems in refurbished old buildings in tropical climates. Data was gathered by means of investigation in the sequential steps of condition survey, space audit, ventilation systems, indoor/outdoor temperature reading and relative humidity (RH) measurement. The study raises several important issues relating to indoor environmental quality. Beyond the obvious aesthetical issues that are addressed here, the installation of air conditioning systems tends to create thermal instabilities and indoor environment imbalances in refurbished buildings. Furthermore, there is also a gap between the necessities of conserving the precious features of old buildings and the demand for better thermal comfort by the occupants. This study outlines the risks as well as making recommendations for future strategies.Keywords: Climate control, indoor environment, heritage buildings, Malaysia

With the rapid aging of populations worldwide, the role of daycare centers in supporting older adults’ well-being has gained unprecedented attention. Despite the growing body of research in this area, systematic reviews focusing on high-quality literature remain scarce. This study aims to address this gap by providing an in-depth analysis of the existing literature on adult daycare centers. This study bridges this gap by conducting a 33-year bibliometric analysis of 853 publications from the Web of Science database (1990-2023), using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Biblioshiny. Through the analysis of countries and authors, it was found that research in this field is predominantly concentrated in regions such as North America, Asia, and Europe. Keyword analysis revealed 3 main research themes in the field of adult daycare centers: “physical and mental diseases,” “rehabilitative care,” and “social support.” There is a lack of comprehensive and systematic evaluation frameworks in the research on the architectural design and facilities of adult daycare centers. Meanwhile, the study highlights 3 key aspects for improving the design and facilities of adult daycare centers: (1) addressing the physical and psychological needs of the older adults, (2) enhancing rehabilitative care facilities, and (3) focusing on the needs of caregivers. This study not only maps research trends but also provides actionable directions for policymakers and practitioners to create more inclusive and effective older adult daycare support systems in response to the aging population.