Thermal Comfort Meets ESG Principle: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies in Educational Buildings

Securing thermal comfort while minimizing energy consumption in educational buildings is vital for achieving sustainable development goals. Drawing on the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework, this systematic review synthesizes findings from 84 peer-reviewed studies published over t...

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Main Authors: Yujing Xiang, Pengzhi Zhou, Li Zhu, Shihai Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2692
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author Yujing Xiang
Pengzhi Zhou
Li Zhu
Shihai Wu
author_facet Yujing Xiang
Pengzhi Zhou
Li Zhu
Shihai Wu
author_sort Yujing Xiang
collection DOAJ
description Securing thermal comfort while minimizing energy consumption in educational buildings is vital for achieving sustainable development goals. Drawing on the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework, this systematic review synthesizes findings from 84 peer-reviewed studies published over the past decade, with a focus on how thermal comfort and energy use are assessed in educational contexts. The review identifies three primary research themes: climate resilience, multidimensional human-centric design, and energy decarbonization. However, it also reveals that existing studies have placed disproportionate emphasis on the environmental dimension, with insufficient exploration of issues related to social equity and governance structures. To address this gap, this study introduces an ESG-driven theoretical framework encompassing seven dimensions: thermal environment stability, multimodal thermal comfort assessment integration, sustainable energy use, heterogeneous thermal demand equality, passive–active design synergy, participatory thermal data governance, and educational thermal well-being inclusivity. By fostering interdisciplinary convergence and emphasizing inclusive stakeholder engagement, the proposed framework provides a resilient and adaptive foundation for enhancing indoor environmental quality in educational buildings while advancing equitable climate and energy strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-e1f57eabab3b4cbdb387735aa49ebae12025-08-20T03:36:31ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-07-011515269210.3390/buildings15152692Thermal Comfort Meets ESG Principle: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies in Educational BuildingsYujing Xiang0Pengzhi Zhou1Li Zhu2Shihai Wu3Hunan Police Academy, Changsha 410138, ChinaSchool of Architecture, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410076, ChinaHunan Police Academy, Changsha 410138, ChinaSchool of Architecture, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410076, ChinaSecuring thermal comfort while minimizing energy consumption in educational buildings is vital for achieving sustainable development goals. Drawing on the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework, this systematic review synthesizes findings from 84 peer-reviewed studies published over the past decade, with a focus on how thermal comfort and energy use are assessed in educational contexts. The review identifies three primary research themes: climate resilience, multidimensional human-centric design, and energy decarbonization. However, it also reveals that existing studies have placed disproportionate emphasis on the environmental dimension, with insufficient exploration of issues related to social equity and governance structures. To address this gap, this study introduces an ESG-driven theoretical framework encompassing seven dimensions: thermal environment stability, multimodal thermal comfort assessment integration, sustainable energy use, heterogeneous thermal demand equality, passive–active design synergy, participatory thermal data governance, and educational thermal well-being inclusivity. By fostering interdisciplinary convergence and emphasizing inclusive stakeholder engagement, the proposed framework provides a resilient and adaptive foundation for enhancing indoor environmental quality in educational buildings while advancing equitable climate and energy strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2692ESG principleindoor thermal comforteducational buildingsenergy efficiencyoptimization strategiessustainable thermal environment
spellingShingle Yujing Xiang
Pengzhi Zhou
Li Zhu
Shihai Wu
Thermal Comfort Meets ESG Principle: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies in Educational Buildings
Buildings
ESG principle
indoor thermal comfort
educational buildings
energy efficiency
optimization strategies
sustainable thermal environment
title Thermal Comfort Meets ESG Principle: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies in Educational Buildings
title_full Thermal Comfort Meets ESG Principle: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies in Educational Buildings
title_fullStr Thermal Comfort Meets ESG Principle: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies in Educational Buildings
title_full_unstemmed Thermal Comfort Meets ESG Principle: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies in Educational Buildings
title_short Thermal Comfort Meets ESG Principle: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies in Educational Buildings
title_sort thermal comfort meets esg principle a systematic review of sustainable strategies in educational buildings
topic ESG principle
indoor thermal comfort
educational buildings
energy efficiency
optimization strategies
sustainable thermal environment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2692
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AT pengzhizhou thermalcomfortmeetsesgprincipleasystematicreviewofsustainablestrategiesineducationalbuildings
AT lizhu thermalcomfortmeetsesgprincipleasystematicreviewofsustainablestrategiesineducationalbuildings
AT shihaiwu thermalcomfortmeetsesgprincipleasystematicreviewofsustainablestrategiesineducationalbuildings