Publications
2022
Awada, Mohamad; Becerik-Gerber, Burçin; White, Elizabeth; Hoque, Simi; O’Neill, Zheng; Pedrielli, Giulia; Wen, Jin; Wu, Teresa
Occupant health in buildings: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the opinions of building professionals and implications on research Journal Article
In: Building and Environment, vol. 207, pp. 108440, 2022, ISSN: 0360-1323.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Buildings, COVID-19, Health, Occupants, Professionals, State-of-the-art
@article{AWADA2022108440,
title = {Occupant health in buildings: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the opinions of building professionals and implications on research},
author = {Mohamad Awada and Burçin Becerik-Gerber and Elizabeth White and Simi Hoque and Zheng O'Neill and Giulia Pedrielli and Jin Wen and Teresa Wu},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132321008362},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108440},
issn = {0360-1323},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
journal = {Building and Environment},
volume = {207},
pages = {108440},
abstract = {The objectives of this study are to investigate building professionals' experience, awareness, and interest in occupant health in buildings, and to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their opinions, as well as to compare the research on occupant health in buildings to professionals' opinions. To address these objectives, a mixed research methodology, including a thorough review of the literature (NL = 190) and an online survey (NS = 274), was utilized. In general, there is an increasing research interest in occupant health and a heightened interest in health-related projects, among professionals, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, among the nine different building attributes examined, indoor air quality was the most researched building attribute with a focus on occupant health and was also presumed to be the most important by the professionals. Professionals considered fatigue and musculoskeletal pain to be the most important physical well-being issues, and stress, anxiety, and depression to be the most important mental well-being issues that need to be the focus of design, construction, and operation of buildings to support and promote occupant health, while eye-related symptoms and loss of concentration were the most researched physical and mental well-being symptoms in the literature, respectively. Finally, professionals indicated that COVID-19 pandemic had significant effect on their perspectives regarding buildings’ impact on occupant health and they believed future building design, construction and operation will focus more on occupant health because of the pandemic experience.},
keywords = {Buildings, COVID-19, Health, Occupants, Professionals, State-of-the-art},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The objectives of this study are to investigate building professionals’ experience, awareness, and interest in occupant health in buildings, and to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their opinions, as well as to compare the research on occupant health in buildings to professionals’ opinions. To address these objectives, a mixed research methodology, including a thorough review of the literature (NL = 190) and an online survey (NS = 274), was utilized. In general, there is an increasing research interest in occupant health and a heightened interest in health-related projects, among professionals, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, among the nine different building attributes examined, indoor air quality was the most researched building attribute with a focus on occupant health and was also presumed to be the most important by the professionals. Professionals considered fatigue and musculoskeletal pain to be the most important physical well-being issues, and stress, anxiety, and depression to be the most important mental well-being issues that need to be the focus of design, construction, and operation of buildings to support and promote occupant health, while eye-related symptoms and loss of concentration were the most researched physical and mental well-being symptoms in the literature, respectively. Finally, professionals indicated that COVID-19 pandemic had significant effect on their perspectives regarding buildings’ impact on occupant health and they believed future building design, construction and operation will focus more on occupant health because of the pandemic experience.
Chen, Chien-fei; Dietz, Thomas; Fefferman, Nina H.; Greig, Jamie; Cetin, Kristen; Robinson, Caitlin; Arpan, Laura; Schweiker, Marcel; Dong, Bing; Wu, Wenbo; Li, Yue; Zhou, Hongyu; Wu, Jianzhong; Wen, Jin; Fu, Joshua S.; Hong, Tianzhen; Yan, Da; Nelson, Hannah; Zhu, Yimin; Li, Xueping; Xie, Le; Fu, Rachel
Extreme events, energy security and equality through micro- and macro-levels: Concepts, challenges and methods Journal Article
In: Energy Research & Social Science, vol. 85, pp. 102401, 2022, ISSN: 2214-6296.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: COVID-19, Disasters, Energy inequality, Energy insecurity, Energy justice, Resilience
@article{CHEN2022102401,
title = {Extreme events, energy security and equality through micro- and macro-levels: Concepts, challenges and methods},
author = {Chien-fei Chen and Thomas Dietz and Nina H. Fefferman and Jamie Greig and Kristen Cetin and Caitlin Robinson and Laura Arpan and Marcel Schweiker and Bing Dong and Wenbo Wu and Yue Li and Hongyu Zhou and Jianzhong Wu and Jin Wen and Joshua S. Fu and Tianzhen Hong and Da Yan and Hannah Nelson and Yimin Zhu and Xueping Li and Le Xie and Rachel Fu},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629621004886},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102401},
issn = {2214-6296},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
journal = {Energy Research & Social Science},
volume = {85},
pages = {102401},
abstract = {Low-income households face long-standing challenges of energy insecurity and inequality (EII). During extreme events (e.g., disasters and pandemics) these challenges are especially severe for vulnerable populations reliant on energy for health, education, and well-being. However, many EII studies rarely incorporate the micro- and macro-perspectives of resilience and reliability of energy and internet infrastructure and social-psychological factors. To remedy this gap, we first address the impacts of extreme events on EII among vulnerable populations. Second, we evaluate the driving factors of EII and how they change during disasters. Third, we situate these inequalities within broader energy systems and pinpoint the importance of equitable infrastructure systems by examining infrastructure reliability and resilience and the role of renewable technologies. Then, we consider the factors influencing energy consumption, such as energy practices, socio-psychological factors, and internet access. Finally, we propose interdisciplinary research methods to study these issues during extreme events and provide recommendations.},
keywords = {COVID-19, Disasters, Energy inequality, Energy insecurity, Energy justice, Resilience},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Low-income households face long-standing challenges of energy insecurity and inequality (EII). During extreme events (e.g., disasters and pandemics) these challenges are especially severe for vulnerable populations reliant on energy for health, education, and well-being. However, many EII studies rarely incorporate the micro- and macro-perspectives of resilience and reliability of energy and internet infrastructure and social-psychological factors. To remedy this gap, we first address the impacts of extreme events on EII among vulnerable populations. Second, we evaluate the driving factors of EII and how they change during disasters. Third, we situate these inequalities within broader energy systems and pinpoint the importance of equitable infrastructure systems by examining infrastructure reliability and resilience and the role of renewable technologies. Then, we consider the factors influencing energy consumption, such as energy practices, socio-psychological factors, and internet access. Finally, we propose interdisciplinary research methods to study these issues during extreme events and provide recommendations.