No method has been proposed to evaluate the fire safety of nursing homes for the elderly, including the action plans of staff in case of fire. It is also difficult for an external evaluator to visit and evaluate all facilities.

Therefore, we propose a method for evaluating the fire safety of facilities using questionnaires from the viewpoint of "human behavior that should be taken in case of fire". This paper reports the concept of the evaluation method as well as a case study of special nursing home and the results of verifying the accuracy of the evaluation results.

In this study, we investigated a fenestration system that divides the roller blinds into multiple layers, closes partially to ensure privacy, and opens the other areas to achieve both view, daylighting and solar heat gain. In the experiment in the controlled space, subjects evaluated “visibility from inside”, “estimated visibility from outside” and “openness”, and in addition to that, subjects also evaluated “view”, “brightness” and “total satisfaction” in the experiment in the actual environment. As a result, we confirmed the visual satisfaction improved by this system.

The evaluation grid method has long been applied as an important interview method in the field of environmental psychology, but this sometimes poses some problems when applying it to the different objective environments from the original paper. One is about the limitation of characteristics of objectives environments and another one is about how to handle individual differences. This study aims to discuss these two problems by comparing evaluation structures with multi-usage scenarios.

As a result, evaluation structures showed specific evaluation items and different causal relationships in specific conditions. Individual evaluation structures showed the interviewee’s predilection.

This study aims to develop a prediction model to evaluate the visual environment based on the visual system. In this paper, in order to systematically investigate the visual characteristics in the visual field of discomfort glare, it was reported the relationship between the borderline between comfort and discomfort¹⁾ (BCD) luminance and the experimental variables in which the background luminance, the solid angle and the eccentric angle. Furthermore, based on the relationship, visual characteristic values were estimated using the prediction model for discomfort glare and compared the values in previous report²⁾.

A questionnaire survey was conducted for the clarification of the current state of satisfaction on sound insulation performance in the multistorey dwellings for sale and for rent. The result suggested that the situation was the same with the study completed in 1970s: the floor impact sound insulation performance was one of the most unsatisfied attributes. In addition, tendency of the room type (i.e. 1K or 3LDK), family structures (i.e. single or with kids) and architectural specification (i.e. structure types of the building) on the multistorey dwelling for sale and for rent was different.

To provide employees with thermal satisfaction and improve workplace productivity, subjects were studied during a cooling period in an office room temperature modulation protocol that takes into account aspects of human circadian rhythm. The following findings were obtained in this paper.

Task performance was improved by setting the room temperature 1℃ lower than 27℃ during morning hours and after lunch.

Sleepiness tended to be ameliorated by setting the room temperature 1-2℃ lower than 27℃ during postprandial working hours.

No correlation was found between room temperature and task performance, even when the temperature was increased in the evening.

A web-based questionnaire survey on residents' awareness of environmental adjustment behaviors among residents of houses in dense areas are conducted. The results show that environmental control behaviors aren’t effectively utilized on the first floor of detached houses due to concerns about security and privacy. In contrast, about 65% of detached houses built in dense areas have living rooms on the second or third floor as a way to secure sunlight and openness. Also, there is less concern about security in multi-family dwellings. This suggests the interest and potential of residents’ environmental adjustment behaviors to make the thermal environment more comfortable.

The air and the surface fungal communities were collected from a cool/heat pit and two offices during the 2019 heating and the 2021 cooling seasons. A total of 16 samples were analyzed with ITS2. The results showed that 92.2% (heating season) and 82.3% (cooling season) of each collected fungi were classified under the phylum Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. Genera Malassezia, Cladosporium and Mycosphaerella were predominantly detected in both seasons. Schizophyllum commune and Aspergillus fumigatus were predominantly detected indoors. Fungi in the pit during the cooling season can affect offices and countermeasures are needed. This does not occur in the heating season.

Photovoltaic power generation has attracted attention as a renewable energy technology for households as societies make efforts toward decarbonization. However, it is difficult for PV to supply stable electric power and energy storage since the power generation varies depending on the weather. Therefore, in this study, annual operation plan of a PV, BT and FC (PEFC) cooperation system is optimized by mixed integer liner programming. As a result, optimization of this cooperation system reduced primary energy consumption and operation costs, and increased electricity self-sufficiency.

A questionnaire survey with the Kanagawa Prefecture residents on regional resources and satisfaction with their residential area was conducted. Residential resources were extracted from the residents’ perspectives based on the survey. Results of the decision tree analysis using indicators of the natural environment of the residents’ residential areas and their personal attributes revealed that residents are more likely to perceive a cohesive green space with tall vegetation within a radius of up to 3 km from their residential area. It was confirmed that the local natural environment enhances their sense of well-being and contributes to community satisfaction.

This study clarifies the design of public assistance to promote self-help and mutual aid among disaster victims during the recovery and reconstruction phases of natural disasters.

1. Self-help by disaster victims is fostered through explanatory meetings with residents and individual on-site support that corresponds to the characteristics of the disaster. Public assistance should provide information and consultation until housing reconstruction is complete.

2. During the recovery and reconstruction periods, public assistance should provide support for mutual aid, which subsequently declines over time. Creating of opportunities for interaction and supporting neighbour-to-neighbour coordination build trust among residents and fosters mutual aid.