Since the s there have been continuous empirical studies in

Since the 1970s there have been continuous empirical studies in western countries indicating that meclizine hcl natural environments have therapeutic effects. For instance, Olds (1985) examines the therapeutic effects of nature by interviewing focus groups in a coherent workshop for several years, and concludes that places with natural features can heal people′s emotional depression. Francis and Cooper Marcus (1991) conducted similar interviews and found out that people went to natural environment for “self-help” under stressed or depressed conditions. As a result, several schools with different bodies of knowledge emerged, establishing a relationship between landscape and health to explore the healing mechanisms of nature (Table 1). In the following text, the author discusses four major schools based on the studies in western societies, including: medical geography, environmental psychological, “salutogenic environment” and the ecological approach, and horticultural therapy.
Systematic literature review of therapeutic landscapes/healing gardens in China
Comparison of research status between China and western countries
Conclusions
Acknowledgement
Introduction
The United Arab Emirates: a case study
Theoretical background
Building performance and analysis
Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Introduction A typical child spends about 1300h in classroom each year (Juster et al. 2004; U.S. Department of Education, 1992). Time spent in classroom is mainly for learning and academic purposes. Thus, classroom indoor environmental quality (IEQ) conditions should be conducive for such purposes. IEQ include indoor air, thermal, acoustics, visual (light), and spatial conditions (Frontczak and Wargocki, 2011). If classroom IEQ conditions are compromised, learning and academic activities may be compromised (Schneider, 2002; Mendell and Heath, 2004; Daisey et al., 2003; Bako-Biro et al., 2012; Bareett et al., 2012). Poor classroom IEQ conditions can also affect students׳ health and comforts (Sousa et al., 2012). Poor classroom IEQ conditions with young children are of particular concern. This is because young children immune systems are not yet fully developed like that of adults. Children are therefore at higher risk than adults. To minimize children risk, conscious effort is needed to understand and address poor IEQ conditions in elementary schools׳ classrooms with young children. Such effort has health and comforts, learning, academic and economic benefits (Wargocki and Wyon, 2013). A search of science-direct, PubMed, and other related research databases will reveal growing lists of research studies on IEQ conditions in elementary schools. However, very little is known about IEQ conditions in United Arab Emirates (UAE) elementary schools׳ classrooms. This is surprising because there are indoor and outdoor sources that could potentially lead to poor IEQ conditions in the UAE elementary schools’ classrooms. This present study is a continuous effort to bridge the gap in knowledge. This present study builds on earlier study, indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal conditions in Dubai public elementary schools, conducted by Behzadi and Fadeyi (2012), by investigating previously unexamined but important IEQ conditions. They include particle size distributions and concentration, and acoustics, light and spatial conditions. To address objectives of Solution hybridization study, physical measurements and walkthrough investigations were adopted. Such methods had been used in classrooms’ IEQ studies reported in the literature (De Giuli et al., 2013; Corgnati et al., 2007, 2009). Data for this study were collected from sixteen (16) air-conditioned elementary schools (public and private) in two Emirates (States) in the UAE. The study was conducted between the months of April 2012 to February 2013. The Emirates of Dubai and Fujairah were the focus of this study. Dubai schools were chosen to represent typical schools in the urban areas of the country. Chosen schools in the village part of Fujairah represent typical schools in the rural areas of the country. It is important to note that the primary aim of this study is to provide knowledge about typical IEQ conditions in UAE elementary schools’ classrooms in relation to recommended IEQ standards. This paper should be read in this context.