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Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14411/18
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Article Next Generation Mood Adaptive Behavioral Modeling for Decarbonizing Office Buildings and Optimizing Thermal Comfort(MDPI, 2026-04-08) Alkan, Nese; Turhan, Cihan; Doruk, Ozgur Resat; Ozbey, Mehmet Furkan; Thapa, Samar; Chen Austin, Miguel; Austin, Miguel Chen; Pekcan, PoyrazConventional Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control systems primarily rely on environmental and physiological parameters, largely ignoring the critical influence of psychological states on thermal comfort. Overlooking this factor often leads to suboptimal occupant satisfaction, energy inefficiency and thus carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To this aim, this study introduces a novel mood-adaptive HVAC control system integrating psychological feedback to decrease CO2 emissions in office buildings by reducing energy consumption and optimizing comfort. A total of 7000 thermal facial measurement records and high-resolution camera images were collected across seven mood state conditions using video stimuli and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire to evaluate mood variations. A dual artificial intelligence system was developed: a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for analyzing facial expressions and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for processing facial temperatures via thermal imaging. These models collectively predict occupant mood in real-time, and a custom-designed wearable necklace interface transmits this data to dynamically adjust HVAC setpoints. To evaluate system performance, energy consumption was directly measured in real-life operations using an energy analyzer, without relying on simulations. Results indicate that this prototype personalized mood-driven system has the potential to enhance perceived thermal comfort while achieving up to a 20% reduction in carbon emissions compared to conventional systems. This human-centered approach significantly advances intelligent building management and climate change mitigation.Article Simulation-Based Optimization of HVAC Systems in Aging Educational Facilities: Addressing IAQ Challenges Through Retrofitting(MDPI, 2026-03-20) Saleh, Yousif Abed Saleh; Turhan, Cihan; Turhan, BurcuIndoor air quality (IAQ) in educational buildings plays a critical role in the health, cognitive performance, and well-being of occupants. Aging university facilities often rely on outdated ventilation systems that are not designed to meet current demands or respond to dynamic occupancy levels. This study investigates the performance and feasibility of various advanced ventilation strategies in comparison to an existing balanced mechanical ventilation (BMV) system in a university classroom accommodating 100 students. Using a Dynamic Building Energy Simulation Program, simulations were conducted to evaluate IAQ (using CO2 levels), energy consumption, and thermal comfort under three retrofitting scenarios: BMV, demand-controlled ventilation (DCV), and hybrid ventilation combining natural and mechanical airflow. The simulations indicate that DCV cuts annual HVAC energy use by 33% relative to the baseline, while the hybrid strategy achieves the greatest reduction of 42% and maintains CO2 levels and thermal comfort within recommended limits. Although hybrid systems provide seasonal advantages, their complexity may limit applicability. In addition to technical analysis, this study also explores the financial and tax-related challenges associated with retrofitting ventilation systems in university buildings. Investment payback periods, operational costs, and potential tax incentives are discussed to evaluate economic viability. Overall, the endorse hybrid ventilation as the most cost-effective strategy where mixed-mode control is feasible, and DCV as a practical alternative for buildings unable to employ natural ventilation.Article Citation - WoS: 4Citation - Scopus: 5Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and Vigour(MDPI, 2025-07-18) Ozbey, Mehmet Furkan; Turhan, Cihan; Alkan, Nese; Akkurt, Gulden GokcenThermal comfort is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment, and it is assessed through subjective evaluation, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. While research has traditionally emphasised physical factors, growing evidence highlights the role of the state of mind in shaping thermal perception. In a prior Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis, six mood subscales-Anger, Confusion, Vigour, Tension, Depression, and Fatigue-were examined for how they affect the absolute difference between actual and predicted thermal sensation. Depression and vigour were found to be the most influential, while confusion appeared least impactful. However, to accurately assess the role of confusion, it is necessary to consider its potential interactions with other mood subscales. To this end, a mediation analysis was conducted using Hayes' PROCESS tool. The mediation analyses revealed that confusion partially mediated depression's effect in males and vigour's effect in females. These results suggest that, despite a weak direct impact, confusion critically influences thermal perception by altering the effects of key mood states. Accounting for the indirect effects of mood states may lead to more accurate predictions of human sensory experiences and improve the design of occupant-centred environments.Article Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 2Recycling Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades for Post-Disaster Housing Applications(Mdpi, 2025-03-12) Turhan, Cihan; Durak, Murat; Saleh, Yousif Abed Saleh; Kalayci, AlperThe growing adoption of wind energy has resulted in an increasing number of decommissioned wind turbine blades, which pose significant disposal challenges due to their size, material composition, and environmental impact. Recycling these blades has thus become essential. To this aim, this study explores the potential of using recycled wind turbine blades in post-disaster housing applications and examines the feasibility of re-purposing these durable composite materials to create robust, cost-effective, and sustainable building solutions for emergency housing. A case study of a post-earthquake relief camp in Hatay, T & uuml;rkiye, affected by the 2023 earthquake, is used for analysis. First, the energy consumption of thirty traditional modular container-based post-disaster housing units is simulated with a dynamic building simulation tool. Then, the study introduces novel wind turbine blade-based housing (WTB-bH) designs developed using the same simulation tool. The energy consumption of these (WTB-bH) units is compared to that of traditional containers. The results indicate that using recycled wind turbine blades for housing not only contributes to waste reduction but also achieves 27.3% energy savings compared to conventional methods. The novelty of this study is in demonstrating the potential of recycled wind turbine blades to offer durable and resilient housing solutions in post-disaster situations and to advocate for integrating this recycling method into disaster recovery frameworks, highlighting its ability to enhance sustainability and resource efficiency in construction. Overall, the output of this study may help to present a compelling case for the innovative reuse of decommissioned wind turbine blades, providing an eco-friendly alternative to traditional waste disposal methods while addressing critical needs in post-disaster scenarios.Article Citation - WoS: 6Citation - Scopus: 10Impact of Green Wall and Roof Applications on Energy Consumption and Thermal Comfort for Climate Resilient Buildings(Mdpi, 2025-04-01) Turhan, Cihan; Carpino, Cristina; Austin, Miguel Chen; Ozbey, Mehmet Furkan; Akkurt, Gulden Gokcen; Chen Austin, MiguelNowadays, reducing energy consumption and obtaining thermal comfort are significant for making educational buildings more climate resilient, more sustainable, and more comfortable. To achieve these goals, a sustainable passive method is that of applying green walls and roofs that provide extra thermal insulation, evaporative cooling, a shadowing effect, and the blockage of wind on buildings. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of green wall and roof applications on energy consumption and thermal comfort in an educational building. For this purpose, a university building in the Csb climate zone is selected and monitored during one year, as a case study. Then, the case building is modelled in a well-calibrated dynamic building energy simulation tool and twenty-one different plant species, which are mostly used for green walls and roofs, are applied to the envelope of the building in order to determine a reduction in energy consumption and an increase in thermal comfort. The Hedera canariensis gomera (an ivy species) plant is used for green walls due to its aesthetic appeal, versatility, and functional benefits while twenty-one different plants including Ophiopogon japonicus (Mando-Grass), Phyllanthus bourgeoisii (Waterfall Plant), and Phoenix roebelenii (Phoenix Palm) are simulated for the green roof applications. The results show that deploying Hedera canariensis gomera to the walls and Phyllanthus bourgeoisii to the roof could simultaneously reduce the energy consumption by 9.31% and increase thermal comfort by 23.55% in the case building. The authors acknowledge that this study is solely based on simulations due to the high cost of all scenarios, and there are inherent differences between simulated and real-world conditions. Therefore, the future work will be analysing scenarios in real life. Considering the limited studies on the effect of different plant species on energy performance and comfort, this study also contributes to sustainable building design strategies.Article Citation - WoS: 8Citation - Scopus: 12Enhancing Urban Sustainability With Novel Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines: a Study on Residential Buildings in Çeşme(Mdpi, 2025-04-24) Saleh, Yousif Abed Saleh; Durak, Murat; Turhan, CihanThis study investigates the integration of three types of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs)-helical, IceWind, and a combined design-on residential buildings in & Ccedil;e & scedil;me, T & uuml;rkiye, a region with an average wind speed of 7 m/s. The research explores the potential of small-scale wind turbines in urban areas, providing sustainable solutions for renewable energy generation and reducing reliance on conventional energy sources. The turbines were designed and analyzed using SolidWorks and ANSYS Fluent, achieving power outputs of 350 W for the helical turbine, 430 W for the IceWind turbine, and 590 W for the combined turbine. A total of 42 turbines were mounted on a five-storey residential building model, and DesignBuilder software was utilized to simulate and evaluate the energy consumption. The baseline energy consumption of 172 kWh/m2 annually was reduced by 18.45%, 22.93%, and 30.88% for the helical, IceWind, and combined turbines, respectively. Furthermore, the economic analysis showed payback periods of 12.89 years for the helical turbine, 10.60 years for the IceWind turbine, and 10.49 years for the combined turbine. These findings emphasize the viability of integrating VAWTs into urban buildings as an effective strategy for reducing energy consumption, lowering costs, and enhancing energy efficiency.Article Citation - WoS: 6Citation - Scopus: 5Reconstructing Energy-Efficient Buildings After a Major Earthquake in Hatay, Türkiye(Mdpi, 2024-07-04) Saleh, Yousif Abed Saleh; Akkurt, Gulden Gokcen; Turhan, Cihan; Gokcen Akkurt, GuldenT & uuml;rkiye's earthquake zone, primarily located along the North Anatolian Fault, is one of the world's most seismically active regions, frequently experiencing devastating earthquakes, such as the one in Hatay in 2023. Therefore, reconstructing energy-efficient buildings after major earthquakes enhances disaster resilience and promotes energy efficiency through retrofitting, renovation, or demolition and reconstruction. To this end, this study proposes implementing energy-efficient design solutions in dwelling units to minimize energy consumption in new buildings in Hatay, Southern Turkiye, an area affected by the 2023 earthquake. This research focused on a five-story residential building in the district of Kurtlusar & imath;maz & imath;, incorporating small-scale Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) with thin-film photovoltaic (PV) panels, along with the application of a green wall surrounding the building. ANSYS Fluent v.R2 Software was used for a numerical investigation of the small-scale IceWind turbine, and DesignBuilder Software v.6.1.0.006 was employed to simulate the baseline model and three energy-efficient design strategies. The results demonstrated that small-scale VAWTs, PV panels, and the application of a green wall reduced overall energy use by 8.5%, 18%, and 4.1%, respectively. When all strategies were combined, total energy consumption was reduced by up to 28.5%. The results of this study could guide designers in constructing innovative energy-efficient buildings following extensive demolition such as during the 2023 earthquake in Hatay, T & uuml;rkiye.Article Citation - WoS: 15Citation - Scopus: 11The Relation Between Thermal Comfort and Human-Body Exergy Consumption in a Temperate Climate Zone(Elsevier Science Sa, 2019-12) Turhan, Cihan; Akkurt, Gulden Gokcen; Gokcen Akkurt, GuldenHuman body exergy balance calculation method gives minimum human body exergy consumption rates at thermal neutrality (TSV = 0) providing more information on human thermal responses than other methods. The literature is lacking the verification of this method in various climatic zones. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between thermal comfort and human body exergy consumption in a temperate climate zone. A small office building in Izmir Institute of Technology campus, Izmir/Turkey, was chosen as a case building and equipped with measurement devices. The occupant was subjected to a survey via a mobile application to obtain his Thermal Sensation Votes. Objective data were collected via sensors and used for predicting occupant thermal comfort and for exergy balance calculations. Under given conditions, the results show that Thermal Sensation Votes are generally zero at a T-i range of 21-23 degrees C and, are mostly lower than Predicted Mean Votes in summer while the opposite is observed in winter. Predicted Mean Votes at minimum Human Body Exergy Consumption rates were on slightly warm side while Thermal Sensation Votes are zero. It means that for given case, the HBexC rate calculation gave a better prediction of the environmental parameters for the best thermal comfort. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Article Citation - WoS: 26Citation - Scopus: 30The Influence of Meteorological Parameters on Pm<sub>10</Sub>: a Statistical Analysis of an Urban and Rural Environment in Izmir/Turkiye(Mdpi, 2023-02-21) Birim, Necmiye Gulin; Turhan, Cihan; Atalay, Ali Serdar; Gokcen Akkurt, GuldenAir pollution is a substantial menace, especially in industrialized urban zones, which affects the balance of the environment, life of vital organisms and human health. Besides the main causes of air pollution such as dense urbanization, poor quality fuels and vehicle emissions, physical environment characteristics play an important role on air quality. Therefore, it is vital to understand the relationship between the characteristics of the natural environment and air quality. This study examines the correlations between the PM10 pollutant data and meteorological parameters such as temperature (T-air), relative humidity (RH), and wind speed (WS) and direction (WD) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 project. Two different zones (Vilayetler Evi as an urban zone and Sasali Natural Life Park as a rural zone) of Izmir Province in Turkiye are used as a case study and the PM10 data is evaluated between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2021. A one-tailed t-test is used in order to statistically determine the relationships between the PM10 pollutant data and meteorological parameters. As a further study, practical significance of the parameters is investigated via the effect size method and the results show that the RH is found to be the most influencing parameter on the PM10 for both zones, while T-air is found to be statistically non-significant.Conference Object Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 2Hardware-In Assessment of a Fault Tolerant Fuzzy Control Scheme for an Offshore Wind Farm Simulator(Elsevier, 2022) Simani, Silvio; Farsoni, Saverio; Turhan, CihanTo enhance both the safety and the efficiency of offshore wind park systems, faults must be accommodated in their earlier occurrence, in order to avoid costly unplanned maintenance. Therefore, this paper aims at implementing a fault tolerant control strategy by means of a data-driven approach relying on fuzzy logic. In particular, fuzzy modelling is considered here as it enables to approximate unknown nonlinear relations, while managing uncertain measurements and disturbance. On the other hand, the model of the fuzzy controller is directly estimated from the input-output signals acquired from the wind farm system, with fault tolerant capabilities. In general, the use of purely nonlinear relations and analytic methods would require more complex design tools. The design is therefore enhanced by the use of fuzzy model prototypes obtained via a data-driven approach, thus representing the key point if real-time solutions have to implement the proposed fault tolerant control strategy. Finally, a high-fidelity simulator relying on a hardware-in-the-loop tool is exploited to verify and validate the reliability and robustness characteristics of the developed methodology also for on-line and more realistic implementations. Copyright (C) 2022 The Authors.