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- Danielski, Itai, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Atrium in residential buildings – a design to enhance social interaction in urban areas in Nordic climates
- 2018
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Ingår i: Cold Climate HVAC 2018. - Cham : Springer. - 9783030006617 - 9783030006624 ; , s. 773-789
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The design concept of conditioned atria receive growing popularity in both commercial and service buildings all over the world, but still not common in the residential sector. This study used a psychological framework to examine if building design with enclosed heated atria in apartment buildings can enhance sense of community and social interactions in Nordic climates. A qualitative study was conducted to understand the perception of residents living in apartment buildings with heated atrium. One of the few examples in Sweden. This was compared to the experience of residents in a “traditional” apartment building without an atrium. The questionnaire was comprised of six parts: (i) socio-demographic aspects; (ii) information about the apartment; (iii) social activities within the building; (iv) social interaction with neighbours; (v) information about principles in life; and (vi) sense of community linked to their homes.The results showed significant social differences between the residents of the atrium and “traditional” buildings, which could not be explained solely by differences in preferences and principles in life. A large proportion of the social differences between the buildings could be explained by the building design, as the common and semi-private areas within the atrium building provide opportunities to establish social interactions. The residents in the atrium building was found to have greater sense of community and higher frequency of interactions, which are both parts of social sustainability.
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- Danielski, Itai, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Design för energieffektiv vardag : Slutrapport projekt DEVA-skolor
- 2021
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Dålig inomhusmiljö i grundskolor i Sverige verkar vara ett problem i många kommuner. I det här projektet har man tittat på om en installation av en stor mängd växter i ett klassrum skulle kunna ändra på det. Det finns nämligen forskning om visar att vi mår, både fysiskt och psykiskt, bättre om vi är omgivna av växter. Fysiskt för att de kan rena luften och omvandla koldioxiden till syre. Dessutom ökar de luftfuktigheten och reglerar temperaturen. Psykiskt kanske för att vi är en del av naturen och har levt i den största delen av mänsklighetens historia. Växter kan också skapa bättre akustik i rummet genom att absorbera ljudvågor. Dessutom finns det tidigare studier som visar att växterna kan öka både koncentrationsförmågan och minnet.Projektet hade tre olika perspektiv; design, miljö och hälsa. Platsen för projektet var en grundskola belägen i ett mindre landsbygdssamhälle i norra delarna av Sverige. Totalt installerades 350 gröna växter i fyra växtställningar, dessa fördelades sedan på två olika klassrum med ca 25 elever ur årskurs 8 vardera. Ett liknande klassrum (åk9) bredvid dessa användes som referensobjekt. Växtställningarna designades av industridesignstudenter på Mittuniversitetet och skulle resultera i fungerande prototyper med automatisk bevattning. Projektet pågick under två terminer, höstterminen 2019 och vårterminen 2020.Mätningar av inomhustemperaturen visade att de gröna växterna bidrar till en mer stabil temperatur och till och med kan öka temperaturen något, vilket kan användas för att minska värmebehovet. Effekterna på luftfuktighet var endast högre i klassrummen med växter under natten när ventilationsflödet var lågt. Koldioxidnivåerna i klassrummen med växterna var 10 % lägre under undervisningstiden jämfört med kontrollklassrummet vilket indikerar att gröna växter skulle kunna användas för att minska ventilationsluftflödet och därigenom minska värmeenergiförluster. Energiberäkningen visade upp till 18% minskning på uppvärmningsbehovet. Mängden luftburna partiklar var redan låg och man kunde inte se någon förändring efter installationen av växterna.I början uppskattade både lärare och elever att de hade fått ett “grönt klassrum”. Minnet och koncentrationsförmågan hos eleverna blev bättre. I mätningen ett halvår senare hade dock effekten avtagit. Det är svårt att säga om detta berodde på hemmablindhet, Covid 19-pandemin (som hade brutit ut en månad tidigare) eller för att det var problem med några av bevattningssystemen som gjorde att vissa växter vissnade. Kanske en kombination.Resultaten av det här projektet kan ge kunskap och inspiration till kommuner och skolor om hur de kan förbättra inomhusklimatet med växter som ett kostnadseffektivt komplement till befintliga ventilationssystem som också kan förbättra elevernas och lärarnas prestationer och välbefinnande. Det är värt att notera att den här studien genomfördes på landsbygden där det redan är en bra luftkvalitet. Därför vore intressant att genomföra en liknande studie i ett storstadsområde men sämre luftkvalitet och även i andra med typer av byggnader med lägre ventilationsflöde.Det är också värt att notera att när projektet befanns sig i halvtid inträffade en pandemi, covid-19, som gav en betydande påverkan på både många samhällsfunktioner och för många människor. Detta kan ha påverkat resultatet av effekterna i mätningarna av hälsa och koncentration.
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- Danielski, Itai, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of Green Plants on the Indoor Environment and Wellbeing in Classrooms : A Case Study in a Swedish School
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 14:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many schools in Sweden lack a proper indoor environment due to, e.g., poor thermal-envelope properties, overcrowded classes, poor visual appearance and insufficient ventilation. This study aims to explore the integration of a large number of indoor green plants into classrooms’ environments. This case study consists of three parts: measurements of the indoor environment including a final energy model, a questionnaire to the pupils with questions about their well-being and qualitative interviews with teachers. The case was two classrooms in a secondary education facility in central Sweden with an average annual temperature of 3 °C and a long and dark winter period with snow. The results showed 10% lower CO2 and slightly higher and more stable temperatures due to the green plants. Worries about climate change and war among the pupils decreased after several months with the plants and worry about infectious disease increased. The teachers experienced fresher air from the plants and used the plant stands for a flexible classroom design. The conclusion is that indoor plants have the potential to contribute to a better indoor environment, but due to the high number of uncontrolled variables (including the effect of COVID-19) in measurements of real-life conditions, more studies are needed.
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- Weimer, Kerstin
(författare)
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Behavior Change Towards a Sustainable Lifestyle – Effects of Interventions and Psychological Factors on Pro-Environmental Behaviors
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Climate changes due to human-caused global warming are serious challenges for the planet. Changes in individual human behavior towards more pro-environmental actions are thus highly necessary. Human behavior is complex, however, and promoting behavior change requires a solid understanding of how people behave in different situations and contexts.Previous research has pointed out several reasons why people do not behave in accordance with our knowledge about the threat of climate change. Besides structural barriers, other reasons may be related to psychological barriers, such as beliefs, values, and social norms, which limit us in adopting more pro-environmental choices and behaviors. The overall aims of this thesis were to investigate the effects of interventions on energy conservation and ecological food consumption in promoting pro-environmental behavior, to explore the experiences of an energy-saving intervention from the perspective of the participants, and to investigate how values, attitudes, and other psychological factors predict pro-environmental behavior and pro-environmental intentions.This thesis is built on four studies. The first study was a survey, where an investigation was made of the predictive power of value orientation, awareness of consequences, environmental concern, moral judgment competence, locus of control, and sense of coherence, on eight pro-environmental behaviors and behavioral intentions. The results showed that only the value type universalism predicts pro-environmental behaviors and behavioral intentions, with attitudes, awareness of consequences for the biosphere, and environmental concern for the biosphere as intermediate or transmitting variables. The results indicate that found determinants of one single behavior may not be applied to other behaviors as dependent variables. Thus, a separate analysis for every type of both actual and intentional lifestyle might have been more successful in confirming these independent variables as determinants of pro-environmental behaviors and behavioral intentions.The second study was a randomized quasi-experimental field study. This field intervention investigated the effect of feedback on residential electricity use in households. For a period of eight weeks, differentiated energy use for daily domestic behaviors was monitored by 15 residents via an internet-based system. Feedback based on Relational Frame Theory was used to enhance motivation for energy conservation, and follow-up studies analyzed the maintenance of change for another three months. Psychological factors, including values, attitudes, moral judgment competence, locus of control, and sense of coherence, were simultaneously assessed by web surveys. No significant effects of the feedback on reduction of energy use were found. The small sample size, and the fact that warm water energy use was not monitored, were discussed as explanatory factors.In the third study, semi-structured interviews were conducted among eight households having participated in the intervention in the second study. The interview transcripts were subject to qualitative content analysis with the purpose of exploring the experiences of the participants. Those experiences were, on the one hand, described as a struggle to overcome internal and external barriers as well as feelings of contradiction and ambivalence, representing the limitations imposed by participating. On the other hand, there were also descriptions of feelings of ability and motivation, and interaction between satisfaction and improvements, representing the opportunities available to a participant in this kind of intervention. These results support the importance of specific strategies in developing the design of future interventions for promoting residential energy conservation.Finally, in the fourth study, an experimental field study was conducted to investigate the effects of behavioral interventions, commonly known as nudges, in promoting the consumption of organic fruits and vegetables. The consumption of both organically and conventionally produced fruits and vegetables was measured during four days (one day every other week) in a grocery store, where consumers were exposed to informational messages in combination with either emotional images or social norm messages. Measurements of daily consumption without exposure to nudges were carried out during four other days (one day every other week, alternated with the nudging days). The results showed that the proportion of sold organic products in the total sale of the selected fruits and vegetables was slightly higher during nudging days when price differences between conventional and organic products were low. This limited effect of nudging disappeared when the price of organic products was considerably higher than the price of conventionally produced products. The results indicate that there is a need to take measures to compensate for the prevailing differences in price between organic and conventional products. Such measures are, for example, the application of a combination of all available nudging tools to strengthen the effects of nudging, as well as collecting psychological data from the participants to be aware of their attitudes towards choices of organic products.Taken together, the overall findings of the studies in this thesis confirm the complexity of behavior and of behavior change. Many questions remain unanswered and suggestions on how to develop the research on these issues are discussed.
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- Weimer, Kerstin, et al.
(författare)
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Challenges in evaluating intervention effects of feedback on residential energy conservation in a field setting
- 2018
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Rapport (refereegranskat)abstract
- A field intervention investigated the effect of feedback on residential electricity use in households in Sweden. For a period of eight weeks differentiated energy use for daily domestic behaviors was monitored by 15 residents via an internetbased system. Feedback designed based on Relational Frame Theory was convened to enhance motivation for energy conservation and follow-up studies analysed the maintenance of change for another 3 months. Psychological factors including values, attitudes, moral judgment competence, locus of control and sense of coherence were assessed by web surveys. No significant effects of the feedback on reduction of energy use were found. The small sample size and not monitoring warm water energy use were discussed as explanatory factors.
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| 10. |
- Weimer, Kerstin, et al.
(författare)
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Experiences of reducing household energy consumption - a qualitative analysis of a field study
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Semi-structured interviews were conducted among eight households having participated in an intervention with a motivation-increasing design and behavior-focused techniques in order to change behavior towards a reduction of residential energy use. Interview transcripts were subject to qualitative content analysis with the purpose of exploring the experiences of the participants. Those experiences were described as a struggle to overcome internal and external barriers as well as feelings of contradiction and ambivalence, representing limitations imposed by participating, together with descriptions of feelings of ability and motivation, and interaction between satisfaction and improvements, representing the opportunities available to a participant in this kind of intervention. How and to what extent future energy policies and the development of interventions may take these experiences into account is discussed.
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