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Virtual reality (VR) modeling has been increasingly applied in the field of construction; however, research and progress in the design and evaluation of energy-saving building envelopes of residential structures in northern cold regions remain limited. The objective of this study is to identify less laborious methods to analyze the design of energy-efficient buildings using a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) combined with VR modeling to evaluate the building envelope structure. We first use the BPNN to construct an algorithm to calculate the heat transfer coefficient of the building envelope. Houses in Harbin are used as research objects, and a VR platform is used to construct architectural models of different envelopes. Results show that the error of the BPNN algorithm applied to the heat transfer coefficient identification of the building envelope is less than 5%, and that the VR software can realize the three-dimensional modeling of different energy-saving envelope structures, as well as facilitate the evaluation of energy-saving performance. The results can provide a theoretical basis for designers and decision-makers in the application of the BPNN and VR technology to the design and evaluation of building energy conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Entrusted by the Harbin Municipal Government, evaluation medical building system for prevention and control of sudden infectious diseases in the city has been established. Background: China, as a country that found the COVID-19 earlier, has taken strict control measures. However, as the medical building system is not perfect enough to prevent and control sudden infectious diseases. Method: First, expert group methodology was used and evaluation index of ability of prevention and control of sudden infectious diseases in medical building system was selected; then fuzzy comprehensive evaluation was adopted to establish index set and to set weight and medical building system evaluation model for prevention and control of sudden infectious diseases was constructed; finally, it's to modify the indicators and weights in the evaluation set and to make an evaluation of the ability of Harbin medical building system to prevent and control sudden infectious diseases in accordance with the current management mode of system. Results: The medical building system in Harbin is significantly unbalanced in its ability to prevent sudden infections where there are low indicators for response monitoring and forecasting terminals, there are high indicators for the construction of emergency center. Conclusions: The evaluation model of the ability of medical building system to prevent and control sudden infectious diseases was constructed. The model is adopted to make practical evaluation of infectious disease prevention and control ability in Harbin and to form the evaluation method of the direct connection between the theoretical research of medical architecture and medical building design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjective evaluation is an important topic in the study of hospital indoor air quality. This study investigates air environment perception and factors influencing that perception in different types of waiting spaces in large general hospitals. Field interviews and questionnaires were conducted in six typical large general hospitals in Harbin. First, we found that the rates of air environment dissatisfaction with halls spaces and corridor spaces were less than 20%. The air environment satisfaction with corridor spaces was significantly higher than it was with hall space, with an increase of 0.31; however, air environment acceptability was similar for both. Second, air stuffiness was the most important factor affecting air environment satisfaction. At the same time, crowd density and waiting time only affected satisfaction with hall spaces. The threshold for satisfaction with crowd density was approximately 1 person/m2. Participants reported the least amount of satisfaction with the quality of acoustic environments and air environments, but these rates of satisfaction were closely related. Finally, in hall spaces, the higher the air environment satisfaction, the lower the anxiety and the higher the pleasure. The air environment satisfaction experienced by younger participants was significantly higher than that of older participants, with an increase of 0.39. In corridor spaces, the air environment satisfaction of patients and females was higher than that of escorts and males, with an increase of 0.62 and 0.31 respectively. Based on these results, this study provides recommendations for optimizing the air environment in large general hospitals. • Air stuffiness is a major factor in the satisfaction of an air environment. • Crowd density and wait time differ in significance between halls and corridors. • Crowd density threshold of satisfactory air quality is below 1 person/m2 in halls. • A good air environment reduces anxiety and improves pleasure in hall spaces. • Younger participants, patients, and females have higher air environment satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]