This paper describes an empirical experiment of Internet of Things (IoT)’s integration in the Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) process. The experiment aimed to trial a novel IoT approach to enabling building user responsiveness to prevalent IEQ for individualised comfort. The purpose is to provide a system that mitigates a common issue of centralised air conditioning that limits occupants’ control over their immediate environment. To achieve this, an IoT platform was developed with smart IEQ monitoring sensors and wearable devices and trialled with PhD researchers in a shared university workspace. The findings provided empirical evidence of IoT’s enhanced benefits to improving user control over their individual comfort and enabling positive energy behaviour in buildings. Specifically, the IoT system provided real-time insight into CO₂ concentration data while enabling responsive occupant interaction with their immediate environment and at-the-moment mitigation actions. Outputs of the experiment showed that the perceptions of participants about the stuffiness of the air, productivity, and healthy environment were significantly better after taking the mitigation action compared to before. Also, we found a significant relationship between measured CO₂ concentration readings and perceived air stuffiness (p = 0.004) and productivity (p = 0.006) and a non-significant relationship between CO₂ concentration readings and perceived healthy environment (p = 0.058). Interestingly, we observed that irrespective of the similarities in recorded CO₂ concentration readings being within acceptable ranges (632–712 ppm), the perception of air stuffiness significantly differed (p = 0.018) before and after the mitigation actions. The effectiveness of the developed IoT platform was evidenced as most of the participants found the process very easy to participate in with little interruptions to their work as little time was consumed. The results are useful in modifying approaches to building occupant comfort and energy behaviour in commercial and residential settings.

The transition towards zero-carbon building materials represents a critical pathway for mitigating carbon emissions in the construction sector. Utilising recycled materials in construction offers many benefits, most of which are resource conservation. This natural resource conservation helps mitigate environmental degradation and preserve delicate ecosystems. As such, this study aimed to identify the most suitable zero-carbon construction materials for use within New Zealand's building sector by systematically reviewing the literature focusing on wood, rammed earth and strawbale materials. To explore the effectiveness of each material, six primary factors have been identified such as sustainability, cost-efficiency, longevity, visual attractiveness, energy conservation, and ecological ramifications. Therefore, 1808 studies were found on Scopus, IEEE, and Google Scholar. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria in this study, the final 20 eligible studies published from 1999 to 2024 were reviewed. This study followed the PRISMA Statement to comprehensively explore the existing literature. Results highlighted that environmental factors such as moisture can directly influence the durability of these construction materials and structures. Although sustainability is often defined in terms of thermal behaviour and life cycle assessment, limited research addresses the aesthetic aspects and comprehensive economic implications of material choices. The findings demonstrate sufficient thermal properties of straw bales and the lower embodied energy of rammed earth compared to other traditional materials, emphasising their potential to enhance energy efficiency in construction. This study recommended future research, contributing valuable insights for stakeholders seeking eco-friendly building components in sustainable construction practices.

The construction sector is a major contributor to climate change, with embodied carbon emissions from building materials representing a critical share of its environmental footprint. Selecting zero-carbon materials is therefore essential for reducing life-cycle emissions while advancing global climate goals. This study investigates six decision-making factors, including cost-effectiveness, durability, buildability, embodied carbon, availability, and aesthetics, and evaluates four alternative materials (wood, hemp, rammed earth, and straw bale) in the New Zealand context. A survey of 203 industry professionals was analysed using descriptive statistics, one-sample t-tests, and structural equation modelling (SEM). Using a 5-point Likert scale, the survey assessed six factors affecting material choice: cost-effectiveness, durability, buildability, embodied carbon, aesthetics, and material availability. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SEM via Partial Least Squares analysis. The results revealed that embodied carbon and material availability were the most influential factors shaping zero-carbon material selection. Among the available alternatives, hemp emerged as the most preferred material, while cost-effectiveness and wood showed moderate impacts, and aesthetic considerations had the least influence. These findings highlight that environmental performance and practical accessibility are central drivers of decision-making when adopting zero-carbon materials. This study contributes to developing effective strategies for promoting the widespread adoption of zero-carbon materials, thereby supporting New Zealand’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper