Associations between Green Building Design Strategies and Community Health Resilience to Extreme Heat Events: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

The gap in capacity building on climate, health, and equity in built environment postsecondary education: a mixed-methods study

Institutions of higher education are feeling increasing pressure from both students and the international climate community to offer more courses and joint degrees on the role of the built environment in advancing climate action, population health, and social equity. The built environment plays a leading role in this new, transdisciplinary approach. Thoughtfully designed buildings, neighborhoods, and communities can simultaneously lower per capita greenhouse gas emissions, reduce population exposure to dangerous climate-sensitive extreme weather events, reduce disparities in climate-related health outcomes, and advance social equity goals. This mixed-methods study explored the extent to which post-secondary courses and joint degree programs teach students the research methods and technical skills they will need to design and implement built environment interventions addressing the effects of climate change on population health and social equity. The study found that the number of universities offering courses addressing climate, health, and equity in the built environment grew from 2018 to 2022. The number of joint planning/public health degree programs rose from four in 2005 to 15 in 2022. No joint architecture/public health degree programs were identified. A detailed review of 99 course descriptions from three universities found that 17 courses (roughly 1/5 of the total) covered population health, built environment, and climate change; and, 2/3 of the set (n = 60) covered two out of the three topics. Schools of public health were more likely to offer courses covering all three topics, whereas schools of architecture were more likely to include the building scale in relevant courses. Exposure pathways and social equity/vulnerable populations were the most common methods included in relevant courses. Professors and administrators at institutions identified by the study as "transdisciplinary-ready" reported that accreditation requirements and university rules governing the allocation of student tuition had slowed efforts to offer cross-listed courses. However, faculty in these institutions regularly collaborate informally with their peers - both on transdisciplinary research and by offering guest lectures in each other's courses. The results of this study show that, while universities have made great strides over the past 18 years in beginning to support transdisciplinary research and pedagogy, institutional barriers and gaps in key content areas remain.

Impact of 3D Printing on the Overall Project Success of Residential Construction Projects Using Structural Equation Modelling

After a decade of research and development, 3D printing is now an established technique in the construction sector, complete with its own set of accepted standards. The use of 3D printing in construction might potentially improve the outcome of the project as a whole. However, traditional strategies are often used in the residential construction industry in Malaysia, which causes serious public safety and health issues along with a negative impact on the environment. In the context of project management, overall project success (OPS) has five dimensions, such as cost, time, quality, safety, and environment. Understanding the role of 3D printing in relation to OPS dimensions in Malaysian residential construction projects would allow construction professionals to adopt 3D printing more easily. The aim of the study was to find the impact of 3D construction printing on OPS while considering the implications for all five dimensions. Fifteen professionals were interviewed to first evaluate and summarise the impact factors of 3D printing using the current literature. Then, a pilot survey was conducted, and the results were checked using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The feasibility of 3D printing in the building sector was investigated by surveying industry experts. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to investigate and validate the fundamental structure and linkages between 3D printing and OPS (PLS-SEM). A strong correlation was found between 3D printing in residential projects and OPS. Highly positive implications are indicated by the environmental and safety dimensions of OPS. Malaysian decision-makers may look to the outcomes of introducing 3D printing into the residential construction industry as a modern method for increasing environmental sustainability, public health and safety, reducing cost and time, and increasing the quality of construction work. With this study's findings in hand, construction engineering management in Malaysia's residential building sector might benefit from a deeper understanding of how 3D printing is used for improving environmental compliance, public health and safety, and project scope.

A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health

Energy use in buildings can influence the indoor environment. Studies on green buildings, energy saving measures, energy use, fuel poverty, and ventilation have been reviewed, following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The database PubMed was searched for articles published up to 1 October 2020. In total, 68 relevant peer-reviewed epidemiological or exposure studies on radon, biological agents, and chemicals were included. The main aim was to assess current knowledge on how energy saving measures and energy use can influence health. The included studies concluded that buildings classified as green buildings can improve health. More efficient heating and increased thermal insulation can improve health in homes experiencing fuel poverty. However, energy-saving measures in airtight buildings and thermal insulation without installation of mechanical ventilation can impair health. Energy efficiency retrofits can increase indoor radon which can cause lung cancer. Installation of a mechanical ventilation systems can solve many of the negative effects linked to airtight buildings and energy efficiency retrofits. However, higher ventilation flow can increase the indoor exposure to outdoor air pollutants in areas with high levels of outdoor air pollution. Finally, future research needs concerning energy aspects of buildings and health were identified.

Correlation between Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) during Pregnancy and Congenital Anomalies: Its Surgical Perspectives

BACKGROUND

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) can easily penetrate blood vessels and tissues through the human respiratory tract and cause various health problems. Some studies reported that particular matter (PM) exposure during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight or congenital cardiovascular anomalies. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the degree of exposure to PM ≤ 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) during pregnancy and congenital anomalies relevant to the field of pediatric surgery.

METHODS

Mother-infant dyads with registered addresses in the Metropolitan City were selected during 3 years. The electronic medical records of mothers and neonates were retrospectively analyzed, with a focus on maternal age at delivery, date of delivery, gestation week, presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) or hypertension, parity, the residence of the mother and infant, infant sex, birth weight, Apgar score, and presence of congenital anomaly. The monthly PM_2.5 concentration from the first month of pregnancy to the delivery was computed based on the mothers' residences.

RESULTS

PM_2.5 exposure concentration in the second trimester was higher in the congenital anomaly group than in the non-congenital anomaly group (24.82 ± 4.78 µg/m³, P = 0.023). PM_2.5 exposure concentration did not affect the incidence of nervous, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal anomalies. While statistically insignificant, the groups with nervous, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and other congenital anomalies were exposed to higher PM_2.5 concentrations in the first trimester compared with their respective counterparts. The effect of PM_2.5 concentration on the incidence of congenital anomalies was significant even after adjusting for the mother's age, presence of DM, hypertension, and parity. The incidence of congenital anomalies increased by 26.0% (95% confidence interval of 4.3% and 49.2%) per 7.23 µg/m³ elevation of PM_2.5 interquartile range in the second trimester.

CONCLUSIONS

The congenital anomaly group was exposed to a higher PM_2.5 concentration in the second trimester than the non-congenital anomaly group. The PM_2.5 exposure concentration level in the first trimester tended to be higher in groups with anomalies than those without anomalies. This suggests that continuous exposure to a high PM_2.5 concentration during pregnancy influences the incidence of neonatal anomalies in surgical respects.

A multi-scalar perspective on health and urban housing: an umbrella review

With more than half the world's population living in cities, understanding how the built environment impacts human health at different urban scales is crucial. To be able to shape cities for health, an understanding is needed of planetary health impacts, which encompass the human health impacts of human-caused disruptions on the Earth's natural ecosystems. This umbrella review maps health evidence across the spatial scales of the built environment (building; neighbourhood; and wider system, including city, regional and planetary levels), with a specific focus on urban housing. Systematic reviews published in English between January 2011 and December 2020 were searched across 20 databases, with 1176 articles identified and 124 articles screened for inclusion. Findings suggests that most evidence reports on health determinants at the neighbourhood level, such as greenspace, physical and socio-economic conditions, transport infrastructure and access to local services. Physical health outcomes are also primarily reported, with an emerging interest in mental health outcomes. There is little evidence on planetary health outcomes and significant gaps in the research literature are identified. Based on these findings, three potential directions are identified for future research.