The building industry plays a significant role in global carbon emissions, contributing nearly half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions during both construction and operation. Within the framework of the “double-low” strategy, addressing energy conservation, emission reduction, and climate adaptation in buildings has become a crucial area of research and practice. In northern China, vernacular dwellings have historically developed passive strategies for climate adaptation; however, their quantified thermal performance has not been thoroughly studied. This research focuses on single-story courtyard vernacular dwellings built in the 1990s, which are inspired by historical Siheyuan forms in Shatun Village, located in Handan, Hebei Province. The study specifically examines their thermal performance during the summer and the relationship between this performance and climate design strategies. To understand how building layout, envelopes, materials, and courtyard landscape design influence the microclimate, six measurement points were established within each dwelling to continuously collect environmental data, including air temperature, humidity, and wind speed. The RayMan model was used to calculate the mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) and physiological equivalent temperature (PET), with subsequent statistical analysis conducted using Origin Pro. The results showed that sustainable design strategies—such as high building envelopes, shaded vegetation, and low-albedo materials—contributed to maintaining a stable microclimate, with over 70% of daytime PET values remaining within a comfortable range. Night-time cooling and the increased humidity from courtyard vegetation significantly enhance thermal resilience. It is important to distinguish this from ambient humidity, which can hinder human evaporative cooling and increase heat stress during extreme heat. This research demonstrates that vernacular dwellings can achieve thermal comfort without relying on mechanical cooling systems. These findings provide strong empirical support for incorporating passive, courtyard-based climate strategies in contemporary rural housing worldwide, contributing to low-carbon and climate-resilient development beyond regional contexts.

This study's purpose is to evaluate air-conditioning energy consumption by conducting interviews and recording data from 50 single-family houses. All study houses applying similar styles of tropical architecture and has similar methods of building construction, with the U-values for building materials having moderate levels of thermal resistance. The finding reveals that the majority of households spends more than 37% of their energy costs on cooling during the raining season and estimating to increase by the drought seasons. The greater use of air-conditioners has resulted in an increased purchasing power of the population.

Geoheritage refers to areas of geodiversity that have been specifically identified as having conservation significance. Nowadays, heritage and tourism have significant impacts on the ecotourism sector. Geoparks have a clear vision to develop and manage a geological heritage site using concepts such as protection, education and sustainable development. However, geoheritage tourism will impact the ways Geopark recognition affects the surrounding environment which, in the case study area, is the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park (KKGP). The study used an in-depth interview method, with the target respondents being experts and professionals in this field. All the interview structure and questions were strategically arranged into a smaller number of aspects and elements. The results were analysed using the Atlas.ti software version 8. The qualitative data analysis was transferred into a Conceptual Model Network (CMN). Based on the Conceptual Model Network, it was recognised that positive and negative impacts were affected by several factors. Geotourism activity resulted in the most disturbances in KKGP; proper management planning could solve these problems. This study hopes to organise and produce precise and accurate data concerning the impact of Geopark recognition on the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park (KKGP), Langkawi. The findings also will inspire further Geopark-related studies directed towards potential future Geoparks in Malaysia and other countries.

Traditional Malay house, a passive design architecture, is believed to have more effective thermal performance than modern residential houses through climatic design strategies. Unfortunately, the Malay house has experienced numerous changes and is confronted with constant dangers due to present-day science and innovation. Thus, this study aimed at evaluating the thermal performance of rumah Negeri Sembilan berserambi dua dan beranjung for sustainable practice in the tropical environment. The method used was fieldwork: observation and thermal measurement. Comparing the suggested comfort level by ASHRAE 55 and ICOP, 20% percent of the total data is falls within the thermal comfort range suggested. However, the house is considered in comfort environment between 25-27ºC, which is only in the early morning. As for the wind flow, each house division recorded different readings. However, it was still within the comfort level range, i.e., between 0.12-1.25m/s, while the RH level was 50-60%. Therefore, the primary findings elaborate that the Malay house construction has five factors that directly influence the house's thermal performance. These include floor areas, openings, floor and roof heights, materials, open compound areas, and building setting. This study aspires to provide useful insights regarding the effectiveness of practices in the climatic design strategies of a traditional Malay house. Thus, its contribute to the scientific discussions on sustainable practices in modern residential design which aligned with the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (RMK12) Theme 3.

The residential building sector is a significant source of global energy consumption and carbon emissions, especially in rapidly changing rural areas. In China, the shift from vernacular courtyard dwellings to modern rural housing has altered the relationship among architectural form, thermal comfort (TC), and energy use. Vernacular dwellings in northern China employ passive strategies, such as courtyard-centred layouts, high thermal-mass envelopes, and natural ventilation, to achieve summer comfort with minimal energy input. In contrast, modern dwellings (brick–concrete) depend more on mechanical cooling and consume more electricity. This study investigates how dwelling type, spatial configuration, building materials, courtyard configuration, thermal comfort, and housing satisfaction interact to shape residential environmental adaptability in rural Handan, Hebei Province. A questionnaire survey of 383 households was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). To supplement perceptual data, summer electricity consumption was monitored in 20 typical dwellings from June to August 2025, and on-site measurements of air temperature, relative humidity, and courtyard air velocity were conducted in six representative cases. The results indicate that dwelling type significantly affects spatial configuration and courtyard form, while spatial configuration and courtyard characteristics together influence material performance. Thermal comfort is identified as a key mediating variable with a strong direct impact on housing satisfaction. Field measurements confirm that vernacular dwellings have lower summer electricity consumption, more stable thermal conditions, improved humidity regulation, and higher courtyard air velocity, indicating superior passive cooling potential. These findings provide empirical evidence that incorporating vernacular passive design principles into contemporary rural housing can improve thermal comfort and reduce energy dependence, thereby supporting climate-responsive, low-carbon rural revitalization strategies.

The residential outdoor environment may not always appropriately meet the needs of the elderly. Compared to other age groups, the elderly spend more time in their surrounding residential and outdoor spaces. This is due to their lack of ability physically and energetically. The purpose of this study was to test the applicability of the Seniors’ Outdoor Survey (SOS) tool, which is an environmental assessment instrument, in terms of its ratings and reliability based on different ages and genders. Labour Square in Shandong Province of China served as the site study location. Raters of different ages were appointed to increase the experiment's reliability; 20-40, 40-60, and 60-80 years old. Two trained raters of different genders were selected for each age group. Then, the raters were assigned to evaluate on a scale of 1 to 7 for 60 instrument items of outdoor environmental factors for the elderly. The results showed that the mean ratings among raters were similar, while the mean raters’ reliability was excellent and applicable to the elderly for all three groups. The mean interrater reliability (ICC) was 0.826. Moreover, the T-test's significance (p-value) was 0.869. Despite rating differences across age groups, the high ICC suggested that this instrument might be helpful in a wide range of environmental settings. Furthermore, the research findings can be used as a guide for the Chinese government and design institutes to apply the SOS tool to solve the environmental factors of the residential outdoor environment for the elderly.