Achieving comfort in hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) climate zones can be challenging, since the climate is characterized by high temperatures in the summer and relatively colder temperatures in the winter. Courtyards, along with other semi-open spaces such as verandas and overhangs, play an important role in mitigating outdoor climate fluctuations. In this research, the effects of courtyards on the thermal performance of vernacular houses in HSCW climate zones were studied via field measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. The selected courtyard house was a representative vernacular timber dwelling situated in the southeast of Chongqing, China. The indoor and outdoor air temperature measurements revealed that the courtyard did play an active role as a climatic buffer and significantly reduced the temperature’s peak value in the summer, while during the winter, the courtyard prevented the surrounding rooms from receiving direct solar radiation, and thus to some extent acted as a heat barrier. The contributions of thermal mass are quite limited in this area, due to insufficient solar radiation in winter and general building operations. The natural ventilation mechanism of courtyard houses in HSCW zones was further studied through CFD simulations. The selected opened courtyard was compared to an enclosed structure with similar building configurations. The airflow patterns driven by wind and buoyancy effects were first simulated separately, and then together, to illustrate the ventilation mechanisms. The simulation results show that the courtyard’s natural ventilation behavior benefited from the proper openings on ground level.

Rammed earth (RE) is a low-tech recyclable building material with good heat storage and moisture absorption performance that can better maintain the stability of the indoor thermal environment and improve indoor comfort. With innovations in and the development of new technology, the field of rammed earth construction technology is gradually expanding. However, deficiencies in the thermal insulation of traditional rammed earth structures make it impossible for them to meet China’s building energy codes in cold regions. This study constructs a comprehensive evaluation index of the thermal performance of rammed earth walls that is based on the heat transfer mechanism, optimizing the thickness of the boundary conditions of the building interior’s design temperature, as well as the energy demand and economic efficiency. This research also offers a new design for the thermal insulation of rammed earth construction by combining the building energy savings design code with WUFI Pro software. This study demonstrates that the optimum thickness of rammed earth construction in Beijing is about 360 mm, the thickness of extruded polystyrene board (XPS) is 50 mm (for public buildings) and 70 mm (for residential buildings), and the structural form of external insulation offers the highest performance benefit. In addition, this work also evaluates the risk of condensation inside composite rammed earth construction, finding that there is a risk of condensation on the exterior side of the wall and at the interface between the insulation panels and rammed earth wall, thus requiring an additional moisture-proof layer. In this study, thermal mass and insulation are fully considered and a design strategy for rammed earth construction given quantitatively, providing a theoretical basis for the application of rammed earth materials in cold regions.

The thermal performance of buildings in the south of China focuses on thermal mass design, while in the north it favors thermal insulation design, which makes it impossible to achieve a balance between the thermal mass and insulation. Here, a comprehensive evaluation index is developed to measure the thermal performance of a building’s external envelope, which aims to find out the optimal range of the wall thickness under the influence of the thermal mass and insulation, and to seek the correct balance between a building’s energy consumption and the thermal performance of walls. In this paper, four dimensions, namely the heat transfer coefficient, thermal inertia index, attenuation degree, and delay time, are discussed, and the weight coefficients of each subfactor are calculated and isotropically treated to create comprehensive evaluation indicators. Then the distribution laws of the composite index values of common building materials in different climatic zones are examined. The result shows that the correlation coefficient (R²) between M and building energy consumption is about 0.7736–0.8215, which is higher than 0.3494–0.384, the heat transfer coefficient, and is more accurate in predicting building energy demands. Furthermore, through the analysis of the thermal improvement rate and the building energy-saving rate, the suitable wall thickness of commonly used building materials in different climate zones is determined, and the application prospects of the research results are described. With the above research findings, the thickness ranges of walls can be determined at the initial period of building design by combining regional environmental factors and material characteristics to provide a reference for building energy-saving design.

Urban energy planning plays an essential role in guiding human settlements, from a neighborhood scale to a megacity scale, to a sustainable future. It is particularly challenging to integrate energy planning into the urban planning process, considering the urban system’s complexity, multi-objective decision making, and multi-stakeholder involvement. In this context, recent years have witnessed a significant development of urban building energy modeling (UBEM). With a trend toward performance-based urban planning, there is a rising need to introduce proper UBEM tools into the different planning phases. The main objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of the UBEM tools across different urban planning phases, as well as to discuss to what extent these tools could provide decision-making support to stakeholders. The chapter starts with a brief discussion on emerging energy-related issues in urban development and why the conventional planning approach needs the integration of modeling tools to provide a quantitative evaluation to better respond to these new challenges. The state of the art of UBEM also is reviewed, followed by a description of the applications and limitations in different planning phases. Finally, several challenges and opportunities regarding energy-modeling-assistance urban planning are discussed.

Background: Traditional stroke rehabilitation is facing challenges, and virtual reality (VR)–based rehabilitation is a promising solution. However, results from studies focusing on VR-based stroke rehabilitation remain inconsistent, largely due to the use of noncustomized interventions in previous trials. Objective: To enhance rehabilitation services and inform the development of patient-centered VR rehabilitation systems, this study aimed to (1) explore the experiences and unmet needs of survivors of stroke during current hospital rehabilitation, and (2) examine their perspectives on the use of VR technology in poststroke rehabilitation. Methods: We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis based on descriptive phenomenology between January and July 2025 at the China Rehabilitation Research Center. Adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of stroke within the past 18 months were eligible. A total of 21 survivors of stroke (mean age, 52.7, SD 17.3 y; men, n=17) were included. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, complemented by a short questionnaire on sociodemographic, clinical, and technology-use characteristics. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a thematic approach, with thematic saturation used to determine the sample size. Results: After a stroke, patients experience significant physical and psychological changes. On the one hand, the sudden loss of abilities alters their perceived roles within the family and society; on the other hand, the sharp contrast between their desire for recovery and their current recovery limitations creates substantial psychological pressure. Accepting their condition and rebuilding confidence is a long-term process. Traditional rehabilitation is commonly described as burdensome, monotonous, and lacking continuity after discharge. Although patients desire a better rehabilitation approach and improved outcomes, attitudes toward VR-based rehabilitation vary. Some view VR as a convenient tool, while others express no interest or perceived need for technology-based rehabilitation. Patients indicated that serious games should be diversified to meet different individual and training needs, and should incorporate clearer feedback mechanisms, appropriate scoring systems, adjustable difficulty levels, and progressive game chapters. Functional expectations for VR systems included family involvement, access to personal rehabilitation data, telerehabilitation support, safety monitoring, and technical support. Conclusions: Stroke rehabilitation services in China require improvement in the appeal of rehabilitation content, patient self-management, and continuity of care. Although patients desire better rehabilitation approaches and outcomes, the effective integration of VR technology must account for factors, such as personal characteristics and preferences, as well as socioeconomic status. Unlike previous studies that primarily examined user experiences with digital technologies or compared rehabilitation outcomes, our research contributes to the literature by linking the challenges and patient needs in conventional rehabilitation with concrete directions for the future design of VR rehabilitation. These insights deepen current understanding of how VR technologies can be meaningfully integrated into stroke care and provide a roadmap for developing patient-centered and culturally responsive VR solutions.