Di Yang
About Me
Di Yang is a doctoral researcher in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University. Her research investigates climate-responsive housing strategies for low-income older adults in cold rural China, integrating building performance simulation, in-situ environmental monitoring and occupant behaviour analysis. With a background in environmental design (China University of Mining and Technology) and environmental design engineering (UCL), she combines building science with a concern for social sustainability and ageing in place.
Her doctoral work examines the thermal performance of locally sourced ground corn cob as a nature-based wall insulation material for rural dwellings in Linyi, Shandong Province. The study draws on mixed-method field investigations across older households, continuous indoor environmental monitoring, occupancy diary analysis, and a full-year in-situ wall experiment at Newcastle’s Outdoor Monitoring Environment (OME) facility. Building performance simulations using IES VE are employed to evaluate retrofit strategies informed by measured thermal transmittance values.
Di was a visiting doctoral researcher at Shandong University (2025–2026), where she collaborated on prefabricated building thermal performance evaluation. She has presented at international conferences including Building Simulation (IBPSA), Indoor Air, and PLEA, and serves as a peer reviewer for Springer Nature journals and IBPSA conferences.
Project Title
Nature-Based Insulation for Climate-Responsive Rural Housing for Older Adults in Cold Climates of China
Project Description
This study investigates the thermal performance of locally sourced ground corn cob as a nature-based wall insulation material for low-income older adult households in Linyi, Shandong Province (Cold Climate Zone II-A). Field investigations cover ten households representing five housing typologies, combining semi-structured interviews, occupancy diaries and continuous indoor environmental monitoring across summer and winter seasons. Building performance simulations using IES VE evaluate envelope retrofit strategies informed by measured U-values, quantifying improvements in thermal comfort hours and reductions in heating demand for each typology. The research demonstrates that agricultural waste available at no cost in local farming communities can provide a viable passive thermal upgrade for rural self-built dwellings, supporting ageing in place and reducing energy poverty among older populations.
Research
Research Interests
- Thermal performance and retrofit of rural residential buildings in cold climates
- Nature-based and agricultural-waste insulation materials for low-cost construction
- Indoor environmental quality, thermal comfort and occupant behaviour in older adult households
- Building performance simulation (IES VE) for climate-responsive housing design
- Ageing in place and socially sustainable housing for vulnerable populations
Current Work
Completing a doctoral thesis on in-situ thermal transmittance measurement of corn cob-filled hollow brick wall assemblies (ISO 9869-1) and IES VE simulation of envelope retrofit strategies for five rural housing typologies in cold-climate Shandong, China. The work examines the potential of locally sourced agricultural waste to provide affordable passive thermal upgrades for low-income older adult households.
Research Roles
- PhD Researcher, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University (2022–present)
- Visiting Doctoral Researcher, Shandong University (2025–2026)
- Project Lead, Thermal Performance Evaluation, Shandong Chengkai Yuanda Prefabricated Construction Co. Ltd (2025)
- Project Lead, Smart Five-Constant Low-Carbon Modular Housing Monitoring, Shandong Fangyuan Construction Technology Co. Ltd (2025)
Qualifications
PhD – Architecture and Building Performance – Nature-Based Insulation for Climate-Responsive Rural Housing for Older Adults in Cold Climates of China – Newcastle University (expected 2026)
Visiting Doctoral Researcher – Civil and Structural Engineering – Shandong University, China (2025–2026)
MSc – Environmental Design and Engineering (Merit) – The Bartlett, University College London (UCL) (2021)
BA – Environmental Design – China University of Mining and Technology (2019)
BA – Accounting (Dual Degree) – China University of Mining and Technology (2019)
Conference Papers and Publications
Journal Articles
Yang D, Hamza N, Gilroy R. Summer Energy Use and Comfort Analysis in Rural Chinese Dwellings: A Case Study of Low-Income Older Populations in Shandong. Energies 2024, 17(22), 5527; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17225527
Li C, Hou H, Yang D (corresponding author). A field framework for U-values and dynamic response in prefabricated rural dwellings: theory–measurement gaps and ranking reversal. Energy and Buildings 2026, 359, 117339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2026.117339
Yang D. Do Students with Different Genders Have a Different Perception of Temperature, Thermal Comfort, Learning and Clothing? Studies in Art and Architecture 2022, 1(1), 32–40. https://doi.org/10.56397/SAA.2022.12.06
Yang D. Report of the Russell Square Theatre. Innovation in Science and Technology 2022, 1(3), 19–42. https://doi.org/10.56397/IST.2022.10.03
Conference Papers
Yang D, Hamza N, Gilroy R, Theodoridou M. The Cornwall: Improving Wellbeing for Rural Older Population in Cold Climates Using Locally Available Agriculture Waste. In: 19th International Building Performance Simulation Association Conference (BS 2025). 2025, Brisbane, Australia: IBPSA. 10.26868/25222708.2025.1283
Yang D, Yang H. The Impact of the Built Environment on Changing Lifestyles and Physical Activities During the COVID-19 Lockdown Period in London. In: ASim 2024. 2024: IBPSA. DOI: https://doi.org/10.69357/asim2024.1115
Yang D, Hamza N, Gilroy R. Exploring Ventilation Practices and Indoor Air Quality in Diverse Rural Older Households in Cold Regions of China: A Comparative Study. In: Indoor Air 2024. 2024: ISIAQ. https://indoorair2024.org/conference-program/
Yang D, Hamza N, Gilroy R. Summer Energy Use and Comfort Analysis in Rural Chinese Dwellings: A Case Study of Low-income Older Populations in Shandong. In: 37th Passive and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA 2024). 2024, Wroclaw, Poland. https://doi.org/10.37190/PLEA_2024