Yorgos Spanodimitriou

Wearable sensors enable continuous, non-invasive monitoring of physiological and near-body environmental parameters, offering an occupant-centric alternative for thermal comfort assessment and building control. This systematic review analyses 117 studies (2008–2026) using body-worn sensors, tracing them along a four-stage pipeline: sensing, signal integration, comfort modeling, and building actuation. This reveals a previously unquantified bottleneck: while all 117 studies perform sensing and 83 (71%) integrate physiological and environmental signals, only 52 (44%) build predictive models and just five (4%) reach the building-actuation stage, of which only three implement closed-loop, wearable-informed control. Skin temperature (77 studies, 66%) and heart rate (69, 59%) are the most monitored signals, predominantly at the wrist (70, 60%); multimodal configurations are associated with higher accuracy than single-domain approaches. Machine learning models reach median classification accuracies near 90%, though validation strategy matters: leave-one-subject-out reaches 85% versus 90% for within-subject k-fold. Five structural limitations are identified: small, homogeneous samples (median 16 participants), laboratory-dominated designs (73 studies, 62%), inconsistent validation, limited open data, and unresolved multi-occupant aggregation. The field has learned to measure the occupant but not yet to act on the measurement. Closing this gap requires open benchmark datasets, standardized validation including leave-one-subject-out testing and PMV benchmarking, transfer learning, multi-occupant integration, and inclusive recruitment of vulnerable populations.

Underground heritage spaces represent a distinctive yet underexplored asset of the built environment, characterized by stable microclimatic conditions, limited natural lighting, strong material identity and complex perceptual dynamics. Despite their potential for sustainable regeneration, existing adaptive reuse approaches often fail to establish explicit links between environmental diagnosis, heritage conservation and user-centered design. This study proposes an integrated human-centered framework for the sustainable adaptive reuse of hypogeal heritage spaces, structured into three sequential phases: multisensory environmental diagnosis, reversible architectural design and virtual reality (VR)-based perceptual validation. The framework is applied to a disused historic underground complex in Dugenta (southern Italy), where an underground cavity is being repurposed within a hospitality-oriented redevelopment project. The diagnostic phase combines LiDAR-based geometric acquisition, indoor environmental monitoring and acoustic analysis, translating measured parameters into sensory indicators and a diagnostic criticality matrix. These outputs inform the development of a reversible liner/shell architectural system designed to improve environmental quality while preserving the integrity of the heritage fabric. Finally, alternative multisensory design scenarios are assessed through an exploratory VR-based evaluation focused on perceived restorativeness and spatial experience. The results demonstrate how environmental data can be systematically transformed into traceable design decisions, supporting conservation, user well-being and sustainable heritage regeneration. The proposed framework contributes a replicable methodology for integrating environmental performance, heritage preservation and human-centered design into the adaptive reuse of underground built heritage.

The building sector accounts for 30% of worldwide final energy usage and 26% of global energy-linked emissions. In construction, innovative materials and systems can offer flexible, lightweight, energy-efficient solutions to achieve more efficient buildings. This study addresses the energy analysis and environmental impacts of retrofitting residential buildings in Monterusciello, Italy, using an innovative second-skin façade system design that incorporates 3D-printed and fabric modules. The purpose is to enhance energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of residential buildings originally constructed with prefabricated elements that have degraded over time. This research employed TRNSYS modelling to simulate energy consumption and environmental impacts at the single-building and whole-district levels, analysing the system’s effectiveness in reducing cooling and heating demands and using different materials for optimal performance. The results show that retrofitting with the second-skin façade system significantly reduces cooling energy demand by 30.2% and thermal energy demand by 3.84%, reaching a primary energy saving of 16.4% and 285 tons of CO₂ emissions reduction for the whole district. The results highlight the potential of second-skin façade systems in improving energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, suggesting future research directions in material innovation and adaptive system development for district-wide applications.

Innovative materials and systems for flexible and lightweight energy-efficient solutions in construction can help achieve the objective of more efficient buildings. This literature review categorizes these solutions into three categories: materials/systems topology, design flexibility from 3D-printing technologies, and innovative solutions for building envelope designs. The review shows a significant increase in interest in this research topic in recent years, with an average annual growth rate of about 73%, with most research focused on the design and thermal aspects, as well as the material typology and 3D-printing technologies. According to the review, flexible and lightweight systems can be applied to all building sectors, and retrofitting existing buildings may become the primary approach. However, there is no specific European regulation for these systems, and a more holistic design approach is needed, involving both designers/constructors and users, to plan for actual social, economic, and environmental impacts.

Immersive virtual reality allows showing people virtual environments with high levels of presence, realism, and “feeling of being”, as if they were in the real world. With this aim, virtual environments must provide proper light distributions and elicit sensations similar to those seen in the real world. So far, experiments with human subjects are the most effective way to evaluate the accuracy of virtual reality in reproducing real spaces. This paper investigates the role of subjective assessments in lighting research using virtual reality. According to the review results, the investigations aimed at using immersive virtual reality for lighting can mainly be divided into three groups: (i) comparison between virtual and physical environments, (ii) analysis of different lighting scenarios, and (iii) investigation of users’ interaction with the virtual model. On the one hand, the results show that immersive virtual reality is a useful tool for research and design in lighting. On the other hand, they highlight the limitations that still need to be overcome. Finally, the main findings and gaps concerning the subjective assessment were listed.

A large amount of the Iranian energy demand is related to the building sector, mainly due to its obsolescence. In this paper, a second-skin system has been implemented as a retrofit action for an office building, evaluating the effect of a tensile material as second-skin in terms of primary energy saving, carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, and simple payback period. The analysis was carried out through numerical simulations across a whole year and for four Iranian cities (Tabriz, Teheran, Yazd, and Bandar Abbas) in four different climates (cold, temperate, hot-dry, and hot-wet), and with the building aligned at either north-south or east-west. Moreover, an economic analysis was carried out suggesting different incentive policies to promote building energy refurbishment. The simulation results highlighted a favorable orientation for buildings in Iran, suggesting a guideline for new constructions. Indeed, the best results were achieved for an east-west orientation of the building (up to a primary energy saving of 13.6% and reduction of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of 45.5 MgCO₂,eq, in Yazd), with a decrease of the annual specific total (cooling and thermal) energy demand of 37.9 kWh/m²/year. The simple payback period values were also lower in the east-west orientation than the north-south one.

Christian churches and their bell towers represent a big part of the historical architectural heritage in Italy, and they had a major role in the development of the urban and social fabric of the Italian cities. This study is focused on the design of a lighting renovation for the bell tower of “San Pasquale a Chiaia” (Napoli, south of Italy). The lighting refurbishment is designed with the aim of: (i) emphasizing the architecture of the bell tower façades and (ii) providing a figurative and emotional role to the whole building. Several lighting scenarios have been implemented in order to compare the different luminaire types and arrangements on the basis of the effectiveness in valorizing the architectural characteristics of the bell tower, as well as the energy performances of the different design solutions. Finally, the best case has been further implemented in order to take into account the different needs of the historical building as well as the enhancement of the surrounding urban spaces.