Built environments are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Most European towns and cities have developed horizontally over time but are currently in the process of further densification. High-rise developments are being built within city boundaries at an unprecedented rate to accommodate …

The built environment requires energy-flexible buildings to reduce energy peak loads and to maximize the use of (decentralized) renewable energy sources. The challenge is to arrive at smart control strategies that respond to the increasing variations in both the energy demand as well as the variable …

Plant photosynthesis and biomass production are associated with the amount of intercepted light, especially the light distribution inside the canopy. Three virtual canopies (n = 80, 3.25 plants/m2) were constructed based on average leaf size of the digitized plant structures: ‘small leaf’ (98.1 cm2), …

VSTEP is a software development company that specializes in creating simulators for realistic virtual safety training. During my graduation period, I was assigned to work as a graphics programmer intern on environmental and nighttime effects in the company’s ship simulator NAUTIS. In the current version …

Small urban water bodies, like ponds or canals, are often assumed to cool their surroundings during hot periods, when water bodies remain cooler than air during daytime. However, during the night they may be warmer. Sufficient fetch is required for thermal effects to reach a height of 1–2 m, relevant …

At a time when the population is ageing and most people choose to live in their own home for as long as possible, it is important to consider various aspects of supportive and comfortable environments for housing. This study, conducted in South Australia, aims to provide information about the links between …

Strukton Rail wants to try new training methods for their employees by creating a virtual reality simulation where the workers can practice in a safe environment. Strukton employees have to do maintenance work in heights in the rail track. Besides the risks related to the actual job of working in heights, …

As education in Vietnam is still too intensively focused on theory, a learning forum at the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh city is a necessary development. It is situated inside an infrastructural cloverleaf of freeways and surrounded by a university campus, a High-Tech Park and a Theme park. Theory and practice …

Since it is insufficiently clear to urban planners in the Netherlands to what extent design measures can reduce heat stress and which urban spaces are most comfortable, this study evaluates the impact of shading, urban water, and urban green on the thermal comfort of urban spaces during hot summer afternoons. …