Windows are crucial for indoor thermal comfort, influenced by occupant behavior, passive design, and advanced technologies, significantly contributing to sustainable building practices. This systematic review, synthesizing peer-reviewed studies, assesses the impacts of window design - encompassing geometric configurations, glazing systems, and shading; operational strategies - manual to artificial intelligence (AI) driven controls; and technologies - passive to smart systems on thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and occupant behavior. Using bibliometric and scientometric analyses, the review focuses on four primary research clusters: thermal comfort and occupant behavior; window strategies for natural ventilation and passive cooling; windows behavior and its impact on energy performance; and sustainability along with emerging trends. The review highlights that window behaviour, glazing technologies, shading systems, and design strategies significantly influence thermal comfort. Despite advancements in adaptive design and occupant-centric strategies, critical gaps remain in understanding multi-climate adaptability, the complex interrelations between window operation and occupants behavior, and the integration of occupant roles in energy-related window design strategies. This review addresses these gaps by providing a comprehensive framework linking window operation, occupant behavior, and sustainable design practices. It also traces the historical evolution of thermal comfort and offers climate-specific, occupant-centric considerations with future research aligned with SDGs 3, 7, and 11 to promote affordable, energy-efficient, and healthy building practices for sustainable communities.
Shrestha et al. (Thu,) studied this question.