The elderly are more prone to develop depression from physical, psychological, and economic changes, and 25.7% of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) elderly population suffer from depression. Color therapy is a widely accepted treatment to solve the depressive symptoms of the elderly. The color preference of the Seniors’ Happiness Centre—in Ajman UAE—a residential space for the elderly, could improve the quality of life, including depression symptoms. This paper explored the relationship between the color preference of the resident bedroom space and the depressive symptoms. As a methodology, using color images as stimuli, the physiological and psychological responses of the 86 elderly participants to the proposed color preference of the resident bedroom interiors—observed through a viewing box to simulate 3D space perception—were compared and analyzed to investigate the relationship between the color preference and depression by a survey with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Electroencephalogram (EEG) measurement. The results showed that the elderly’s preference for warm colors is higher than that of cold colors, and each room needs a different color scheme because the elderly, 65 and above, have different visual characteristics. There was no significant difference between the left and right alpha wave values of the prefrontal cortex of the participant group. The main reason is that the brain waves are minute electrical signals and appear different from person to person. The color scheme on one side of the wall with increased saturation seemed to improve depressive symptoms effectively. It was found that psychologically, healthy elderly reacted positively to the single-color scheme of the Blue cool color, but elderly with depression reacted well to the contrast color scheme of the Blue-Yellow/Red cool color. This study will serve as critical data to propose more color preferences for the Seniors’ Happiness Center suitable for the elderly by studying the response to more diverse colors in the UAE.

Dubai has the reputation of a continuously growing city, with skyscrapers and mega residential projects. Many new residential projects with poor choices of material and ventilation have led to a faster rise in sick building syndrome (SBS) in Dubai than in any other country, and the IAQ (indoor air quality) has become more critical. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde (HCHO) affect the health of residents, producing the phenomenon known as SBS (sick building syndrome). It has been reported that wood materials used for furniture and wooden windows and doors are a significant source of indoor air pollution in new houses. This paper aims to identify the factor elements emitting harmful chemical substances, such as VOCs and HCHO, from wooden mashrabiya (traditional Arabic window) by examining the characteristics of the raw and surface materials through test pieces. As a methodology, a small chamber system was used to test the amount of hazardous chemicals generated for each test piece. For Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and HCHO, the blank concentration before the injection and the generation after seven days were measured. The results showed that to reduce TVOC, it is necessary to secure six months or more as a retention period for raw materials and surface materials. The longer the retention period, the smaller the TVOC emission amount. In the case of mashrabiya, an HCHO low-emitting adhesive and maintenance for one month or more are essential influencing factors. It was proven that using raw materials with a three-month or more retention period and surface materials with a one-month or more retention period is safe for indoor mashrabiya. This study is the first study in the Middle East to identify factors and characteristics that affect the emission of hazardous chemicals from wood composite materials, such as wood mashrabiya, that affect indoor air quality in residential projects in Dubai. It analyzes the correlation between emission levels and the retention period of raw and surface materials, in order to provide a new standard for indoor air pollutants.

The residents of Dubai spend more than 90% of their time indoors and this lifestyle makes them easily exposed to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Even though Dubai Municipality strictly apply the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) stipulation, indiscreet use of unproven finishing materials has been increased to deteriorate the health of residents in Dubai. The objective of this paper is to investigate the degree of influence of building material on indoor air pollutants concentration by measurement and prediction. As a methodology, indoor pollutants concentration was measured and investigated, variables were extracted through emission intensity experiments, and the indoor concentration was predicted by applying the double exponential decay model. The result had shown that electronic products, furniture, and textile products become new sources of indoor air pollution. The difference in emission patterns of wallpaper and flooring is confirmed via the emission rate test. It is statistically proven that Formaldehyde (CH2O) and VOCs showed a difference in the cumulative emission amount within 100 h but after that, it was confirmed that the difference in emission amount between materials became very small. In case of CH2O, the cumulative emission of the flooring material is greater than that of the wallpaper. This study will serve as a basic data to explore the cause of indoor air pollutants in daily life to reduce SBS symptoms in Dubai.

Dubai was one of the top three real estate destinations in the world for investment in 2020. This paper aims to understand the order of preference for various housing determinants by housing consumers in Dubai. As a methodology, a survey was conducted on Dubai residents, and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was performed to identify the housing determinants and consumers’ preferences. In addition, the respondents’ demographic characteristics identified priorities by income, place of residence, age, gender, and type of house. The results showed that housing consumers place importance on housing price and rent (0.0918), and the investment value (0.0866). However, there was no serious consideration for social and psychological factors, other than safety (0.0730). Regarding gender, men place more importance on the housing price and rent (0.113), and the investment value (0.110). In comparison, women place more importance on factors such as the convenience of transportation (0.104), safety (0.093), and residential environment (0.082). In the age groups, the interest in the educational environment (0.081) among the 40-year-olds was relatively high. In terms of monthly income, the higher the income, the higher the interest in investment value (0.086).

The population of Dubai has increased dramatically in the last 40 years. Along with social changes, neighborhood parks are becoming increasingly important for enhancing the residents’ quality of life. This study aims to evaluate the physical environment of parks and investigate park users’ satisfaction in neighborhood parks of Dubai. After defining the park and surrounding environment for access, a field survey was performed at Bay Avenue Park and Al Ittihad Park. The data for analysis were collected from the Department of Geographical Information System (GIS) Center at Dubai Municipality. The results show that the standard duration was 60–90 min, and the walking/driving time was 10–20 min. “Children Facility” and “Various Attractions” were low in both parks. The statistical results of multiple regression analysis of the derived factors and satisfaction show that Bay Avenue Park influenced satisfaction in the surrounding environment for access, pedestrian space, park facility, convenience and comfort of the park, and various attractions and activities. Furthermore, Al Ittihad Park influenced satisfaction in pedestrian space, green landscape, surrounding environment for access, park facilities, and safe access. Therefore, factors such as park facilities, surrounding environment for access, and pedestrian space were analyzed to affect satisfaction in both parks. The analysis of the surrounding environment for access factors using GIS would methodologically help determine priorities for future improvements around parks. However, this study is limited by the scope and investigation period of the target parks, and detailed factors related to the surrounding environment for access are also not evaluated.

The global record of 1,700 % urban footprint growth in only 38 years made Dubai one of the fastest growing cities in the world. The density of the metropolis population is approximately 762.6 individuals/ km2, and high-rise residential buildings in Dubai have reached 581,166 units (79%) in 2020 and become a common residential type. The objective of this study is to provide basic data for the design of high-rise residential buildings in the future by evaluating the health of the residents of high-rise residential buildings in Dubai. As a methodology, the Todai Health Index, a structured health assessment tool, was used for high-rise residents’ survey. For the analysis, the health evaluation data from residents were used as the dependent variable, and the number of living floors as the architectural characteristic and the indoor temperature and humidity condition as the residential environments were analyzed as the independent variable. The result had shown that residence floor is irrelevant to overall health, changes in the health status compared to those in the previous year, and the occurrence of daily disease health evaluation by the Todai Health Index. It was statistically proven that the thermal environment has a significant correlation with the residence floor, but the effect of the thermal environment on health was not strong. However, the humidity environment has a very strong relationship with the health of residents. The humidity environment has a very close relationship not only with the occurrence of daily diseases of residents but also with the health evaluation analyzed by the Todai Health Index. There is a significant relationship between the humidity environment and both physical and mental health. It was analyzed that a slightly humid condition had a positive effect on health.

Due to fast economic development, Dubai has built many high-rise apartments in a short period of time. The Dubai Municipality attempts to control indoor air quality with strict regulations, but the detailed provisions are still not comprehensive. The objective of this paper is to conduct on-site measurements for new high-rise apartments before moving on to investigate indoor air pollution and to analyze pollutant emissions by type of finishing material. As a methodology, on-site measurements were conducted fornine different housing units (three lower, three middle, and three higher floors) before moving on to investigate the status of indoor air pollution in new apartments. Based on the on-site measurements data, lab experiments with a small chamber for the same finishing materials from the most polluted housing unit (a lower two bedroom unit) were conducted to measure the emission of pollutants over 30 days. The result shows that the average of CH2O (64.4 μg/m3 for studio, 64.5 μg/m3 for one bedroom, and 83.4 μg/m3 for two bedroom) was lower than the standard (100 μg/m3) in all units, while the average TVOC (520.1 μg/m3 in the studio, 509.5 μg/m3 in one bedroom, and 754.7 μg/m3 in two bedroom) exceeded the standard (500 μg/m3) in most of the units. It was proven that regarding the CH2O, silk wallpaper, initial wallpaper, and wallpaper adhesive had the highest emissions and for the TVOC, tile and tile adhesive had the highest emission. During small chamber experiments, CH2O and TVOC emissions tended to decrease gradually over time, but the emission amount changed significantly in high pollutant emission material especially from day 1–10. Therefore, Dubai municipality should establish the regulation for residents to move into their new apartment after at least 10 days to avoid the high polluted emission from the curing process of the interior finishing material.

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