Articles

Comparative Study of the Existing and Post Intervention of the Mr. Dwiyanto’s House in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

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This study presents a quantitative comparative analysis of environmental performance before and after an architectural intervention on a vernacular dwelling in the Gunungkidul District, Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. Conducted as a longitudinal field investigation, the research employed a baseline-endline methodology with data collection in June 2025 (pre-intervention) and October 2025 (post-intervention). Key metrics included surface temperatures of building components (ceiling, walls, floor) and comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters, notably particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations, measured against national ambient air quality standards (NAB). The results demonstrate a pronounced dual outcome. The intervention achieved its primary objective of drastically improving IAQ, with PM10 and PM2.5 levels reduced by over 90%, transitioning from exceeding to far below the NAB thresholds. However, this significant improvement coincided with a critical trade-off. A severe reduction in indoor air velocity (78%) altered the thermal environment, leading to mixed results: while floor temperatures decreased consistently, other components showed varied responses, and the heat stress index (WBGTi) slightly increased despite a lower dry-bulb temperature. The study concludes that while passive architectural strategies can effectively protect against outdoor particulate pollution, they can inadvertently compromise natural cooling ventilation. These findings highlight the essential ventilation-filtration dilemma in tropical climates and underscore the necessity for integrated, balanced design approaches in sustainable housing retrofits to simultaneously ensure occupant health and thermal comfort.

A Systematic Review on Long Term Variation of Carbonaceous Aerosols in Pm2.5 at Different Sites of “Delhi” Capital City of India

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Being a criteria pollutant Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) exposure  not only affects human health but also deteriorates environmental health, air quality and artifacts. Traffic, biomass burning and industrial activities are important contributors to ambient fine particulate matter in major cities of the world. Therefore, to reduce fine particulate matter pollution and the considerable disease burden it causes solutions to bring down ambient fine particulate matter are needed. Carbonaceous aerosols are found to be a significant contributor to fine particulate matter. These aerosols are subdivided into organic carbon and elemental carbon. Elemental carbon is released from primary sources whereas organic carbon can be released either from primary or secondary sources. This paper presents a comprehensive critical review of the assessment of fine particulate matter and its carbonaceous content in the past decade on different sites in New Delhi, the capital of India. Considerable health effects of particulate pollution have also been discussed in the paper. Critically reviewed data showed a non – significant increase in the trend of particulate matter concentration. It was also shown through the data of each study that the emission standards of WHO exceeded by 15 times whereas for NAAQS they exceeded by 5 times respectively.