Neighbouring house transaction response to assisted living facilities and nursing homes

Abstract

Senior group housing that offers services signals that its residents have physical and/or cognitive limitations, which may be viewed as a neighbourhood disamenity. Buyers may discount house values near group homes due to negative perception of the residents or the structure. Most senior group home residents come from the surrounding community; therefore, residents of neighbourhoods with a large proportion of older residents may perceive nearby senior housing as desirable. We employ a system of equations to examine the influence of assisted living and nursing homes on single-family house sales prices and time-on-the market. The results indicate that the presence of a senior group home, especially a nursing home, within one-half mile has a significant negative effect on single-family house prices. The effect is most evident in neighbourhoods with few elderly residents. A clustering effect is present in non-distressed sales. The scale of a nearby senior group home contributes to a longer marketing duration, especially for distressed sales.     

Color preference cool versus warm in nursing homes depends on the expected activity for interior spaces

This study explores the color preferences of elderly residents of nursing homes based on the expected activities for different rooms, activity rooms, and bedrooms and compares the results with the arousal level induced by each color. Two experiments were conducted, one with elderly people living in nursing homes in the Valencian Community, and the other in a laboratory with virtual reality and physiological markers (i.e., heart rate variability). Individuals assessed six colors in two groups of warm and cool. Results demonstrate that preferences for warm and cool colors depend on the room type. For the activity room, warm colors were preferred over the cool colors by both genders, fitting the higher arousal levels induced by warm versus cool colors. For the bedrooms, cool colors were preferred by both genders, fitting the lower arousal levels induced by cool colors in females and the other models that suggest a U-shaped relation between the arousal level and the visible spectra of colors. Therefore, the color preferences for interior spaces in nursing homes depend on the room type and are related to the arousal level for the expected activity in them.     

Glazing daylight transmittances: a field survey of windows in urban areas

The effect of urban air pollution on glazing daylight transmittance was investigated by measuring the percentage loss in glazing transmittance of a number of windows throughout a large city in the UK. A total of 430 windows in a range of building types and locations were used to create the database for this window survey. The measurements were taken under overcast sky conditions to minimise errors that could occur during periods of rapidly changing sky luminance. In addition, two adjacent photocells were used so that simultaneous comparative measurements were taken. In general it was observed that the loss in transmittance for a vertical window did not usually exceed 10%. The factors that most significantly reduced glazing daylight transmittance were (i) the function/use of the building or the rooms within, (ii) the inclination of the window and (iii) the shading of the window by overhangs. It is, therefore, suggested that future daylight design guidelines should include these factors.     

Full-scale test and CFD-simulation of radiant panel integrated with exposed chilled beam in heating mode

Thermal conditions in an office room with a chilled beam having integrated radiant panel (CBRP) were analysed in the full-scale laboratory test and using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation. Thermal conditions in the office room were measured in six heating cases under steady state conditions that had different window surface temperatures and internal heat gain conditions. CFD simulations of two measured cases were done in order to investigate indoor climate conditions in more detail and comparing CFD results to measured results. An additional CFD simulation was done with office desk location to near to window to study thermal conditions below the desk. Ventilation efficiency was studied with CFD-simulation. Indoor climate conditions with all measured cases were at good level. Radiant asymmetry and vertical temperature stratification fulfil the requirements of category A in ISO-7730. The highest room air velocities and draught rate readings were 0.16 m/s and 17% respectively. The results indicate that radiant panel heating is applicable solution also in cold climate. Good thermal conditions could be ensured when the temperature of window surface is at least 14–15 °C. At the same time, vertical temperature stratification is acceptable and thus maintains high energy efficiency. Results indicate also that when room is occupied and ventilation is introduced, the temperature gradient is much smaller compared to unoccupied room space.     

Assessing and predicting average daylight factors of adjoining spaces in atrium buildings under overcast sky

Daylight use in an atrium is particularly beneficial as the natural light can illuminate potentially dark core areas and decrease energy consumption from electric lighting. This study has investigated, for overcast sky conditions, the horizontal daylight levels in spaces adjoining atria and the vertical daylight levels on atrium well walls in atria. The daylight levels in the rooms and on the walls were derived from scale model measurements, theoretical calculations and predictions from the lighting simulation package Radiance. A comparison of measured data and modelling has validated Radiance simulations of atrium daylighting. The simulations show generally good agreement with theory while some limitations in the calculations used in determining the daylight factors in rooms with large widow area to total wall area ratios were observed. The average daylight levels in rooms displayed a linear relationship with the vertical daylight levels on the well wall. In terms of the well geometry and well façades (decided by the ratio of window area to solid wall area) and well surface reflectance, the variations of daylight level in the adjoining rooms have been analysed and some conclusions and design strategies for supporting preliminary design decisions are presented.     

基于熵权优化模型的养老院设施管理评估方法研究

目前,我国老龄化形势严峻,对于养老设施的管理尚未有一套统一的评估标准,制约了养老机构的发展。将养老院的设施管理整合成空间管理、建筑设备以及辅助设施3 个维度共包含12 个评估指标,并利用熵权优化模型对香港养老院中的设施管理指标进行系统的评估。熵权优化模型以熵权作为设施管理评价指标的权重系数,并与双基点法（TOPSIS 法）结合,可以避免主观评价的不确定性和随意性,获得较为科学、合理的评估结果。研究结果深化了对养老院设施管理的认识,并为进一步的对国内养老机构设施管理评估提供了理论指导。     

Efficient calculation of daylight coefficients for rooms with dissimilar complex fenestration systems

The daylight coefficient (DC) method is a powerful and efficient method to perform annual daylight illuminance simulation. A set of coefficients are calculated for a given room space and static fenestration systems prior to simulation start. Time series of indoor daylight illuminances are obtained by only knowing the sky luminance. However, for rooms with dissimilar dynamic complex fenestration systems (such as windows with movable shadings) whose optical behaviour (transmission, reflection and scattering) may change during simulation, the efficiency of the DC method may be compromised as another whole set of coefficients must be re-calculated. This study presents the development of a new methodology to compute the DC set for rooms with dissimilar complex fenestration components only once prior to simulation start. A validation study is carried out, in which the daylight illuminances in an office space equipped with a clear window and internal Venetian blinds are compared using predictions from the present model, the Radiance program, as a benchmark model employing detailed optical model of Venetian blinds, and the Daysim program employing a simple engineering blinds model. Findings from the validation study show that the present model yields overall accurate results when compared with the benchmark model for any window orientation, although some local illuminance differences are observed in areas under direct sunlight exposure.     

Double window system with ventilation slits to prevent window surface condensation in residential buildings

Many Korean apartment units use balconies as semi-indoor spaces by installing external windows. These balconies form environmental buffer spaces to improve comfort and reduce cooling and heating costs. However, the balcony spaces of some units have been removed and have been placed in living rooms. The removal of these environmental buffer spaces has caused problems. Significant heat loss through windows is one of the most serious problems; window surface condensation caused by low surface temperatures in the winter makes residents uncomfortable and damages construction materials. Therefore, it is evident that window design requires improvements.This study introduces a double window system with improved thermal performance and ventilation slits to solve the window surface condensation problem in apartment units without balconies. To verify the thermal performance of the proposed system, temperature factors were analyzed by field measurements. The condensation frequencies were also evaluated by temperature factors at an indoor temperature of 25 °C and 55% humidity. Ultimately, the double window system was able to reduce condensation frequency greatly.An examination of the air volume by ventilation slit operational mode found that the case with an open outer window bottom vent and an inner window top ventilation slit, discharged the indoor vapor effectively and increased the dew point of the window's surface.     

Risk factors for dissatisfaction with the indoor environment in open-plan offices: an analysis of COPE field study data

We applied binary logistic regression techniques to data collected from 779 participants in a field study of open-plan ('cubicle') offices conducted in nine buildings. Independent variables were physical conditions in the workplace, and dependent variables were derived from occupant satisfaction measures; personal characteristics were included as covariates. There was a significantly higher risk of dissatisfaction with privacy and acoustics (defined as being below the 20th percentile as opposed to being above the 80th percentile) associated with being in a small workstation, or being seated next to a window. A higher risk of dissatisfaction with ventilation was associated with being seated next to a window, temperatures substantially higher than the average neutral temperature, and a carbon dioxide concentration greater than 650 ppm. A higher risk of dissatisfaction with lighting was associated with panel heights greater than 66 inches (1.7 m), high reflected glare on computer screens, desktop illuminances outside 300-500 lux, desktop illuminance uniformity (min/max ratio) less than 0.5, and being in a workstation distant from a window. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: We have demonstrated statistically significant relationships between indoor environment conditions in office spaces and environmental dissatisfaction risk. Although generally supported by prior research, not all of these risk factors are reflected in existing recommended practice documents for office design. Consideration of these findings in future revisions of such documents may be warranted.     

Measuring the spatial quality of bedrooms in nursing homes with visual environmental performance

The elderly’s perception of their environment largely depends on acquired visual information. This study provides a quantitative analytical method for designing bedrooms in nursing homes by developing a computational model that uses viewing distance, viewing angle, and viewing field as variables. The model is utilized to measure a range of visual environmental properties, including privacy, accessibility, permeability, and visibility, which reflect the quality of bedrooms in nursing homes. The suitability levels of bedroom planes for the elderly and their main living functions as well as the fitting degree of the functional layout are calculated based on these data. After validating the computational model’s feasibility, this study optimizes the typical schemes of single and double rooms in nursing homes. Results reveal certain advantages of the arrangement where bathroom doors are set toward the inside of the bedroom and double rooms have a large width. The computational model can be used in measuring the spatial quality of bedrooms in nursing homes and as a mathematical model for related algorithm design and software programming to assist in the design and optimization of bedrooms for the elderly.     

Predictors of summertime heat index levels in New York City apartments

During heat waves, fatal overexposure to heat most often occurs at home. It is not known how factors such as building size, floor level, and different types of air conditioning (AC) contribute to excess indoor heat. We monitored indoor temperature and humidity in 36 apartments in New York City during summers 2014 and 2015 and used these values to calculate the indoor heat index (HI). We investigated the role of AC type and building‐level factors on indoor HI using multilevel regression models. Thirty‐four of 36 homes had AC. Central and ductless AC types were associated with the coolest indoor conditions; homes with window and portable AC were significantly warmer. Apartments on the top floor of a building were significantly hotter during heat advisory periods than other apartments regardless of the presence of AC. High indoor HI levels persisted in some homes for approximately 1 day following the end of the two heat advisory periods. We provide concrete evidence of higher heat levels in top floor apartments and in homes with certain types of AC. High heat levels that persist indoors after outdoor heat has subsided may present an underappreciated public health risk.     

Lighting preferences in office spaces concerning the indoor thermal environment

The accurate prediction of the visual comfort zone in an indoor environment is difficult as it depends on many parameters. This is especially the case for large compact urban areas in which the density and shadow from neighboring buildings can limit the accessible daylighting in indoor spaces. This paper investigates the satisfaction range for illuminance regarding indoor air temperature in office buildings and the significant parameters affecting this range in six office buildings in Tehran, Iran. Lighting comfort has been evaluated by a subjective survey (509 total responses) and field measurement. The questionnaires were filled out in 146 and 109 rooms in summer and winter, respectively. The results show that the illuminance should not be less than 550 lx, while illuminance between 600 and 650 lx provides the highest satisfaction level. The satisfaction with lighting level is affected by individual parameters such as age, type of activity, and environmental parameters such as window orientation, external obscurations, and season. A relationship was observed between lighting level satisfaction and thermal condition acceptance, and the overall comfort depends more on thermal conditions than the lighting level.     

Meta-analysis of indoor temperatures in new-build housing

ABSTRACT

Despite growing concerns about overheating, a lack of evidence exists on the scale of the problem, particularly in contemporary UK housing. This paper presents the results of a meta-analysis of indoor temperatures in selected low-energy housing. Temperature data recorded at five-minute intervals in 60 dwellings across 19 demonstration projects (2012–14) were collated and analysed to investigate the prevalence of overheating. Findings evidence high summertime temperatures, with 27% of living rooms exceeding 28°C during August. Based on the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) threshold of 5% annual occupied hours > 25°C, 57% of bedrooms and 75% of living rooms were classified as having overheated. Overall, 30% of living rooms exceeded the adaptive comfort threshold of > 3% occupied hours ΔT?≥?1?K. The results suggest a fundamental relationship between ventilation and indoor temperatures. The higher minimum and average summertime temperatures observed in mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) homes (p?<?0.05) and lower temperature range (p?<?0.001) suggest the need for greater attention to adequate summertime ventilation provision in airtight homes. The results demonstrate a high prevalence of overheating in exemplary housing, indicating the need for greater efforts to ensure the effective implementation of strategies to minimize overheating and improve ventilation in low-energy homes.     

Case study on father–child communication in Chinese urban apartment houses through active RFID technology

This paper used Active Radio Frequency Identification (Active RFID) technology to identify in which rooms fathers and their child tend to stay together and talk, and in which rooms they stay separately in seven one-child families living in Chinese urban apartment houses. The father was found to stay together with the child 0.5%–25% of the time when both father and child stayed at home. The use of the living room as the place in which the child stays with the father and talks was found to be highest (five out of seven families), followed by the dining room and the child's room. In over half of the cases when the child stays with the father in the living room or dining room and either of them talk, the child spoke over 1.6 times more than the father. However, in the child's room, the child always spoke less than the father, and the duration of the child's speech was less than 70% of that of the father. Findings showed that the instances in which child and father stay in different rooms fell into two groups. First, five of the seven subject fathers tended to stay in the living room, whereas the children stayed either in their room or in their parents' room to use the PC. Second, two fathers stayed in the studio or dining room to work, while their children stayed in the living room or their own rooms. For both groups, the duration of these periods of stay covered 30.0%–81.4% of the time during which both the father and child stayed at home.     

Modeling occupant behavior of the manual control of windows in residential buildings

Window opening and closing is the most preferred behavior for occupants to control their indoor environment in homes. This study aims to identify driving forces for window opening and closing behavior in the home. The additional field survey was carried out for the cooling period after following the previous study. The state of windows and environmental variables for outdoor and indoor were continuously monitored in 23 sample homes over one year. The monitored data provide evidence that there is a statistically significant relationship between window opening behavior and outdoor temperature. The behavior of the occupant's manual control of windows can be described by seasonal effects, occupancy, and time of day. Indoor stimuli, such as such as temperature, humidity, and CO₂, can better account for the window opening behavior than can outdoor stimuli. There are clear differences in driving variables between window opening and closing behavior. The closing behavior is better described when the outdoor and indoor variables are combined. Finally, multivariate logistic regression models were developed to predict typical patterns of window opening and closing as a function of indoor and outdoor variables.     

Forthcoming events

A method is proposed to estimate objectively occupants' visual discomfort in small office rooms as a function of the illuminance at one or more locations. Expressed as a visual discomfort probability, it is based on an analysis of the past history of the user's interactions with the blinds and lighting controls. A Bayesian formalism is applied to infer the probability that any illuminance distribution should be considered by the user as visually uncomfortable. This method is applied to the interactions of the experimental building's users of the Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), and a discomfort probability is derived as a function of the horizontal workplane illuminance. This discomfort probability is very high (0.5–1.0) for an illuminance below 200 lx; it reaches a global minimum (about 0.3) at 500 lx, and then increases gradually for larger illuminances until it reaches 1.0 again close to 3000 lx.

La méthode proposée a pour objectif d'estimer objectivement l'inconfort visuel ressenti par les occupants de bureaux de petites dimensions en fonction du niveau d'éclairement en un ou plusieurs endroits. Exprimée comme probabilité d'inconfort visuel, elle est basée sur une analyse de l'historique des interactions entre l'utilisateur et les stores et les commandes d'éclairage. Un formalisme bayésien est appliqué pour inférer la probabilité que toute distribution de niveau d'éclairement devrait être considérée par l'utilisateur comme visuellement inconfortable. Cette méthode est appliquée aux interactions des utilisateurs du bâtiment expérimental du Laboratoire d'énergie solaire et de physique du bâtiment (LESO) de l'Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL); une probabilité d'inconfort est dérivée comme fonction du niveau d'éclairement du plan de travail horizontal. Cette probabilité est très élevée (0,5–1,0) pour un niveau d'éclairement inférieur à 200 lx; elle atteint un minimum global (environ 0,3) à 500 lx puis augmente progressivement pour des niveaux supérieurs jusqu'à atteindre de nouveau 1,0 à proximité de 3000 lx.

Mots clés: confort, mécontentement, éblouissement, niveau d'éclairement, occupants, commande intelligente, inconfort visuel     

How home ventilation rates affect health: A literature review

This paper reviews studies of the relationships between ventilation rates (VRs) in homes and occupant health, primarily respiratory health. Five cross‐sectional studies, seven case‐control studies, and eight intervention studies met inclusion criteria. Nearly all studies controlled for a range of potential confounders and most intervention studies included placebo conditions. Just over half of studies reported one or more statistically significant (SS) health benefits of increased VRs. Wheeze was most clearly associated with VR. No health outcomes had SS associations with VRs in the majority of statistical tests. Most studies that reported SS health benefits from increased VRs also had additional health outcomes that did not improve with increased VRs. Overall, the number of SS improvements in health with increased VRs exceeded the anticipated chance improvements by approximately a factor of seven. The magnitude of the improvements in health outcomes with increased VRs ranged from 20% to several‐fold improvements. In summary, the available research indicates a tendency for improvements in respiratory health with increased home VRs; however, health benefits do not occur consistently and other exposure control measures should be used together with ventilation. The research did not enable identification of a threshold VR below which adverse health effects occur.     

Spatial variability of particulates in homes: implications for infant exposure

Personal monitoring of particulate matter (PM) exposure in infants is difficult. Indirect, microenvironment modelling methods are more practical. Infants spend most of their time indoors at home and the aim of this study was to investigate spatial variations in PM concentrations within homes. Three size fractions of PM - particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 microm (PM(10)), less than 2.5 microm (PM(2.5)) and total suspended particulates (TSP) - were monitored in the homes of 77 infants (0-2 years) using a multi-stage virtual impactor. In all homes PM was monitored simultaneously in the main living room at heights of 1.4 m and 0.2 m from the floor. In 26 of these homes monitoring was also conducted simultaneously in the infant's bedroom. Further, PM(10) was measured simultaneously in the living room, bedroom and child's cot in 14 homes using a real-time photometer. All homes in the study were non-smoking households. On average, there were no significant differences between concentrations of any of the different PM size fractions measured at the two heights (living room) and between living room and bedroom concentrations. However, there were only moderate correlations in concentrations between the different microenvironments and in some homes there was considerable variation between sampling sites. From the real-time measurements there seemed to be good agreement between concentrations measured in different rooms and in the cot and short-term peak concentrations at one sampling site were often mirrored at other sites. These results suggest that, although large variations in PM concentrations between rooms within homes can occur, a single monitoring station can provide a reasonable estimate of indoor concentrations.     

Optimum use of solar energy techniques in a semi-underground house: First-year measurement and computer analysis

In order to obtain fundamental information on techniques for the optimum use of solar energy in a semi-underground house, a twin-type test house was constructed on the campus of Tohoku University in September 1984. The test house has two rooms, with a south-facing window above the ground surface and a corridor situated between the two rooms. Insulation 10 cm deep and 1.35 m wide was installed horizontally 30 cm below the ground surface, surrounding one room of the house. The other room is not insulated. During the first year, all windows were insulated with weather shutters to avoid disturbing the heat gain due to solar radiation. As a result, the yearly room temperature swing varied °C less than the temperature swing of outdoor air. The air temperature in the insulated room was 1.2°C higher in the winter and 0.5°C lower in the summer than in the room without insulation. The influence of various thermal insulation formations in the earth around the house on room temperature fluctuation and heating and cooling loads was calculated using the two-dimensional finite element method. Calculations were performed hourly for a year under standard climate conditions in Sendai, Japan.     

An experimental study on the appraisal of the visual environment at offices in relation to colour temperature and illuminance

Colour temperature and illumination level have affected the subjective impressions at an office setting. 2000 lx was preferred to 500 lx for impressions of comfort, spaciousness, brightness and saturation evaluation. A 4000 K colour temperature was preferred to 2700 K for impressions of ‘comfort and spaciousness’, while 2700 K was suggested for ‘relaxation’ and ‘saturation evaluation’. Test results indicate that, task–background contrast is more important and shall be studied for ‘perceived brightness’ evaluation. Participants liked the ‘mixed colour temperature mood’, the remote control and the flexibility in the lighting system and the majority offered to use it at offices.