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The Land of Vorarlberg is Austria’s second smallest but most densely populated province after Vienna. Known for its innovative timber architecture, Vorarlberg’s approach integrates ecological, economic, functional, and aesthetic considerations, as championed by Wolfgang Ritsch of the Vorarlberger Architektur Institut (VAI). The region’s timber industry has faced challenges, including local provincialism and modernist material preferences, but gained prominence in the 1990s with the establishment of the Baukünstler group and the Vorarlberger Bauschule, recognised for their contributions to timber construction. Key to this development is Vorarlberg’s significant woodland, covering one-third of its area, and its commitment to sustainable forest management. Regional timber architecture aligns with the principles of appropriate technology, emphasizing eco-responsible, community-driven innovations. Vorarlberg’s timber architecture exemplifies a collaborative effort between designers and craftsmen, focusing on the use of local resources and high construction quality. The essay represents the introduction of notable projects including multifunctional public buildings, schools, offices, and residential complexes, reflecting the region’s commitment to sustainable development and architectural excellence. This ongoing innovation in wood-integrated solutions reinforces Vorarlberg as a hub for eco-friendly and culturally resonant architectural practices.

Currently, with the intensification of global education competition, how to cultivate innovative and versatile talents has become the focus of education today. Informal learning spaces (ILS) have received widespread attention due to their benefits for interdisciplinary interaction. Many forms of ILS have been built, and coffee shops are one of them. However, there is no uniform standard for the design of cafes as ILS, and there are many problems with the spatial quality. This study took a university cafe as a case study and conducted research on the environmental quality and influencing factors from the perspective of environmental behavior. In terms of research methods, this study adopted a combination of ultra-wideband positioning, questionnaire surveys, and environmental data measurements. This research method could obtain the complete relationship between user behavior, time, and location, which improved the shortcomings of traditional research methods of fragmented and accidental data acquisition, and helped to obtain more accurate research results. The study identified the impact proportions of four criteria layer elements and 26 scheme layer factors, which was also the main contribution of this study. In terms of four criteria layer elements, the physical elements had the highest proportion, accounting for 32.46%. The ontology elements ranked second, accounting for 27.07%. The atmosphere elements ranked third, accounting for 24.19%. Finally, facility elements accounted for 16.29%. The top three scheme layer factors were equipment and facilities, noise, and illumination, with weights of 11.18%, 10.71%, and 8.35%, respectively. The study summarized the development directions of cafes as ILS, such as considering the learning needs of different groups, installing sound-absorbing and soundproof devices, adding grilles to external windows, and improving glare problems.

This research focuses on achieving sustainable development in residential buildings with energy use. Under the influence of the energy crisis and related problems, research on residential buildings for less energy use has great potential. The literature review, according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, and including VOSviewer analysis, shows the research is increasing and meaningful. Solar Decathlon buildings are used as the main objects in this research. The fifth Solar Decathlon Europe energy use technologies are examined through onsite investigation and online searching. The Analytic Hierarchy Process method for multi-criteria decision analysis is used for sustainability assessment. Moreover, the Ladybug and ClimateStudio plugins simulated respectively the annual solar radiation and the best angle for receiving it. The main findings show that 34 kinds of technologies used in these buildings can be classified into two categories in three directions. Passive technologies should be applied and prioritized, but generating renewable energy is also important. Some infrequently used technologies are not insignificant. The research shows that the combination of technologies decides sustainability performance, but the quantity used does not. Furthermore, energy use also needs to be balanced and coordinated in combination with architectural aesthetics. This research on energy use in residential buildings is beneficial for achieving sustainable development.

As the quality of public space has become significant for urban development, the creation of high-quality public spaces is becoming increasingly important. Since the implementation of urban renewal policies, an increasing number of buildings have emerged, creating new types of public spaces. Compared to original public spaces, new public spaces are more open, flexible, and diverse. The design of public spaces is closely related to users and the flâneur can precisely serve as a user and observer to conduct in-depth research. So, our study was conducted under the identity of the flâneur, focusing on two cases in Guangzhou. The flâneur completes the data collection through two methods. Static research involves observing and taking photos, whereas dynamic research involves interviews and questionnaires. This study analysed three aspects: the group category, behavioural diversity, and activity time and evaluated the public space using the NPS scale. The study found that the recommendation rate of new urban public spaces is higher than that of original public spaces. The study also found that original public spaces need to be improved in four ways: equipping furniture facilities, improving traffic congestion, increasing blue-green spaces, and establishing artistic spaces. New urban public spaces need to make efforts to create more interactive spaces and increase stagnation points.

Climate change and population aging are two of the most important global health challenges in this century. A 2020 study by the Environmental Protection Agency showed that average people, particularly older adults, spent 90% of their time at home. This is even more evident during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Home-based care models have become a new trend. The health and comfort of the living environment profoundly impacts the wellbeing of older adults. Therefore, research on the physical environment of the family wards has become an inevitable part of promoting the health of older adults; however, current research is still lacking. Based on the study and analysis of continuous monitoring data related to elements of the physical environment (thermal comfort, acoustic quality, lighting quality, and indoor air quality) of family wards, this paper explores the living behaviors of the participants in this environmental research (open or closed windows, air conditioning, artificial lighting, and television) on the indoor physical environment. (1) While referring to the requirements of international standards for an indoor aging-friendly physical environment, we also discuss and analyze the physical environment parameter values according to Chinese standards. (2) People's life behaviors have different degrees of influence on the elements of indoor physical environments. For example, opening doors and windows can alleviate the adverse effects of indoor environmental quality on the human body better than simply turning on the air conditioner. (3) Owing to the decline in physical function, older adults need special care. Studying the status quo of physical environmental elements and proposing suitable environmental improvement measures for aging are of great significance. (4) This research aims to address global warming and severe aging and to contribute to sustainable environmental development.

Climate change has reduced the comfort of community environments, and there is an urgent need to improve the health and well-being of low-income residents through design and technical measures. Therefore, this paper conducts research in the context of an ongoing social housing renovation project in Aosta, Italy, in a cold winter and hot summer Alpine environment. The study combined interviews, field measurements, and multiple software simulations to analyze the home of an older adult experiencing energy deprivation. The study found that the indoor acoustic environment quality meets the requirements of various sound-related standards. Still, the lighting and thermal environment must be designed to reduce glare and western sun exposure, and the air quality could improve. Residents’ demand for renovation is low technology, low cost, and high comfort. Therefore, suggestions for combining active and passive transformation measures and maximizing the use of climate and resources are proposed. The lighting and thermal environment are optimized based on the green wisdom of the Haylofts building of the Walser family in the Alps: increase ventilation and reduce indoor air age to improve air quality. Overall, a comprehensive assessment of extreme climatic conditions facilitates the quantitative and qualitative study and control of social housing environments, improves occupant comfort, and decarbonizes such social building stock.

The Quartiere Cogne was erected at the beginning of the last century to house workers and managers employed at the new steel works. The whole neighbourhood is now affected by a wide-ranging transformation project which combines the features of aspects which really pertain to architectural building refurbishment within a broader framework of urban regeneration. Part of this project is financed by the National Programme for the Quality of Living. The design develops dwelling models aimed at strengthening the social structure at various levels (family, block, community, neighbourhood, local associations), making the most of local features. It includes initiatives to foster inclusion based on a broad network of infrastructures and services. An important feature is transition spaces, semi-private and semi-public, in which the idea and the quality of community is challenged. The aim is to give more natural and sustainable responses to instances of sharing and common use for collective housing in the Alpine area.

This research explored buildings for carbon neutrality to solve the global warming problem in the Third Solar Decathlon China (SDC). The methods were derived from subjective and objective evaluation aspects based on the competition rules. Then, the results of the concepts, technologies, and prospects of 15 buildings were output. The conclusion was summarized after a discussion as follows: (1) Solving global warming through carbon neutrality is widely required and research into this issue is required now. (2) Research methods were determined via five subjective and five objective contests with multiple sub-contests. (3) Fifteen buildings’ concepts, technologies, and prospects were determined regarding the carbon neutrality aspect. (4) A good architectural design concept was needed before building for carbon neutrality. (5) This research summarized the current development of architecture concepts and technologies in academia and industry. (6) Thirty-five kinds of active and passive technologies were determined, where PV as an active method and modular assembly as a passive method were the most used in this competition. (7) The technologies used with a low frequency, such as wind turbine, Stirling engine, hydrogen fuel cell, UHPC, PCM, and SST walls technologies, also need further attention. (8) The prospect of carbon neutrality, especially for energy production in residential buildings, may shift people’s passive acceptance of carbon neutrality to active energy production. (9) Using ANP to produce the SDC ranking may be considered for more scientific investigations to demonstrate the carbon neutrality effect. (10) The limitations will continue to be researched in the future. Finally, this research aimed to make a contribution to solving the global warming for sustainable development.