After technical textiles and functional textiles, also smart textiles came into force a few years ago. The term ‘smart textiles’ covers a broad range. The application possibilities are only limited by our imagination and creativity. This paper gives an overview of the functions that can be achieved by smart textiles in general. In vehicles as well, smart textiles can introduce new features. Two...

Attractive public open spaces can serve as key design elements for enhancing life quality in urban areas and to diminish the negative effects of urbanisation. In order to fulfil this task, open spaces must meet the expectation of potential users and offer the right mix of environmental, economic and social conditions. It is well known that the local microclimate belongs to the main factors driv...

The Universal Thermal Climate Index UTCI assesses the interaction of ambient temperature, wind, humidity and radiant fluxes on human physiology in outdoor environments on an equivalent temperature scale. It is based on the UTCI-Fiala model of human thermoregulation and thus also allows for thermal comfort prediction. Comparing UTCI predictions to thermal sensation votes recorded on the 7-unit A...

The overall attainable reduction in energy consumption and enhancement of human comfort of Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are dependant on thermodynamic behavior of buildings as well as performance of HVAC components and device control strategies. In this paper by refining the models of HVAC components, the influence of integrated control of shading blinds and natural...

Shading systems have the potential to reduce energy consumption of electric lighting and improve visual comfort. Various automated control systems of shading device and electric lighting have been widely used. However, existing lighting and shading systems typically operate independently, i.e., information is not shared, and thus system performance is not optimal. Therefore, integrated control ...

Advanced naturally ventilated systems based on integration of basic natural ventilation strategies such as cross-ventilation and stack effect have been considered to be a key element of sustainable design. In this respect, there is a pressing need to explore the potential of such systems to achieve the recommended occupant comfort targets throughout their lifetime without relying on mechanical ...

Humla Province is a remote mountainous region of northwest Nepal. The climate is harsh and the local people are extremely poor. Most people endure a subsistence culture, living in traditional housing. Energy for cooking and heating comes from fuelwood, supplies of which are diminishing. In order to improve the indoor environment and reduce fuelwood use, smokeless stoves are being introduced to ...

Recent technological advances in wireless communications have enabled easy installation of sensor networks with air conditioning equipment control applications. However, the sensor node power supply, through either power lines or battery power, still presents obstacles to the distribution of the sensing systems. In this study, a novel sensor network, powered by the artificial light, was constru...