A detailed quantitative overview on different micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) smart glass technologies and smart glass technologies in general is given. Next, our MEMS smart glass is focused. This technology based on millions of miniaturized, tiltable, planar mirrors. Installed in windows or building facades, it allows personalized daylight steering as well as thermal and energy management in buildings via electrostatic actuation, strongly supports health and has a large potential for reducing CO₂ emissions and energy consumption of buildings, noticeably. Various results of experimental characterizations and reliability studies are summarized. Simulations of light steering are reported for different use cases involving tailored variable tilt angles of the mirrors. Ray tracing is used to visualize light steering and distribution in a model room, showing that our MEMS smart glass can generate high illuminance where necessary in workspaces. Finally, simulations of energy savings are presented using hourly resolved real weather data over up to 10 years, varying cloud coverage, daytime and seasonal varying irradiance via varying sun orbit, respective geo coordinates of different locations, energy price and others. Simulation results are depicted for four German and two international cities, varying in latitude and elevation. Huge energy saving potential of our MEMS smart glass and amortization of investment in MEMS smart glass within less than five years in the best case is reported compared to conventional window blind systems.

The cement-based materials have significant thermal properties which play a potential role in heat dissipation into the buildings. To improve thermal properties, particularly thermal conductivity, advanced materials such as phase change materials, vacuum insulation panels, and highly porous materials are employed. In this study, a biochar mixture was introduced in cementitious materials for thermal property enhancement. The biochar was prepared from the mixture of 10 wt% rice husk and 90 wt% sawdust in the absence of oxygen with the aid of muffle furnace at a temperature of 550 °C for 2 hours at a rate of 10 °C/min. The biochar dosages such as 3 wt%, 5 wt%, and 10 wt% were added with the replacement of cement in a cement paste. After 7 and 28 d, porosity, flexural strength, compressive strength, density, water absorption, and thermal conductivity were determined. The mechanical properties of samples were increased with 3 wt% biochar replacement with the cement and then decreased with 5 wt% and 10 wt%. The thermal conductivity of samples was decreased by 19-26.4% and 20.16-8.5% at 7 and 28 d respectively. The substitution of 3 wt% of biochar performed well in comparison to the control sample. Reduction of thermal conductivity of biochar-incorporated cementitious materials may be beneficial in situations where heat resistance is required due to its porous nature.

For the sake of energy and cost savings, it is sometimes necessary to maintain the indoor climate in a room at conditions that deviate from optimal thermal comfort. More important than thermal sensation is how a change in conditions will affect the thermal acceptability of a space and whether the percentage of people who are (dis)satisfied with the environment will change with regard of the acceptability. The aim of this technical note and arithmetic study is to find out to what extent the thermal indoor climate can be assessed on the basis of thermal acceptability, in addition to the thermal (dis)satisfied, by making use of research that has already been carried out. In addition to the relationship between the percentage of (dis)satisfied and acceptability, attention is paid to how this result relates to current Dutch government building regulations. The paper concerns a proposal for the assessment of thermal indoor climate based on the thermal acceptability, in addition to the thermal (dis)satisfied.

Urban sustainable development of cities could ameliorate many aspects such as population expansion, housing price increase, and ecological environment. For a better understanding of urban sustainability, many scholars have conducted different frameworks to make an accurate evaluation for urban planning. However, a myriad of existing research analyzes sustainable development based on separate and static indicts, which inevitably miss some important information related to interconnects between different indicators and timelines. This study, thus, proposes a comprehensive method that integrates the system dynamic and Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis to examine the interrelationships between different subsystems with a time series, in order to predict the feasibility of new policies for future development. A probabilistic system dynamics approach for policy optimization of sustainable urbanization is proposed with the consideration of dynamic changes and time flows. Several scenarios are simulated to perform and validate the proposed framework, where the comparisons from different results provide optimal strategies for urban sustainability. Some interesting findings can be drawn: (1) the social system is more sensitive to policy change, typically for transport connections and traffic saturation flow respects; (2) policies A1, B1, and B2 are encouraged to implement, as these regulations will boost the urban development; (3) the proposed hybrid method can be used to analyze the variables with a dynamic and long-term urban system.

High expectations from employers and complex communication between stakeholders in the construction industry, resulted in fundamental changes during the design and construction process. Excellence in communication and coordination is required between stakeholders and automated interdisciplinary change management to meet needs and expectations in the construction industry. Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers numerous benefits, including reducing construction time, cost, and risk while improving project quality, communication, and coordination. However, there are still significant barriers to BIM implementation. Since Iran is in the early stages of BIM implementation, a roadmap for adopting BIM in Iran's construction industry is designed for the first time to exploit BIM benefits in this paper. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with professionals to structure the roadmap. In addition, online interviews were carried out with 16 experts. Furthermore, a Delphi-based approach was employed to reach consensus. The roadmap consists of six main pillars with 53 activities designed to create a matured BIM plan based on local culture and needs. And the roadmap begins with assigning a strong leadership to lead the process. The industry is expected to be motivated to adopt BIM as it learns the benefits associated with BIM. Then, it continues with developing related best practices, rules and regulations. In the third stage, the roadmap encourages the industry to provide the required education and training. In the next pillar, the roadmap follows the establishment and development by defining a contractual platform. In the fifth pillar, the quality of BIM and its results will be measured and compared with expectations and pre-defined goals. Eventually, the government will provide a continuous BIM implementation. The study is expected to facilitate BIM implementation in the Iran construction industry which will improve the quality of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) practices. It will help to culminate tangible and intangible project deliverable by reducing time, cost, risks and improving overall quality. Therefore, all stakeholders satisfy the final outcome beside resolving conflicts and interferences.

The residential sector is responsible for the consumption of 46% of the building's total primary energy consumption in Jordan. The Jordanian housing stock will need to be significantly improved to meet the government's commitment to reduce national emissions by 2050. This research aims to examine the available statistical data on residential buildings, to help better understand the current state of housing stock in Jordan and pave the way to generate a national housing stock model, as well as to identify opportunities in improving the energy efficiency of these buildings. The study synthesized data from the Department of Statistics housing survey and the Jordan Green Building Council survey to investigate the Jordanian national housing stock. The aggregated data was examined using a descriptive statistical analysis method. The data was then merged to provide aggregated datasets with detailed building characteristics.The study successfully characterized residential buildings archetypes and identified a range of typical thermal performance-related building characteristics (e.g., envelope properties, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, lighting systems, etc.). The findings of the statistical analysis can be useful for policymakers in Jordan to gain insights into the current state of the housing stock, identify trends and patterns, and make informed decisions and initiatives such as the improvement of regulatory building code requirements for energy efficiency.