Toward sustainable student living: A systematic review of dormitory multi-domain environmental quality and energy performance

Dormitories are essential living environments that profoundly influence the physiological health, cognitive comfort, and overall quality of life of student populations. However, the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) within these high-density spaces is frequently compromised by inadequate thermal regulation, insufficient ventilation, and disproportionately high energy intensities. Consequently, reconciling the dialectical conflict between IEQ enhancement and building energy efficiency remains a critical challenge in sustainable dormitory design. This review systematically synthesizes the contemporary literature to evaluate advanced strategies for optimizing dormitory IEQ while curtailing energy consumption. Key observations reveal that single-sided ventilation and spatial constraints consistently degrade air quality and thermal comfort, while unpredictable occupant behaviors widen the energy performance gap. These multi-domain factors are analyzed to quantify their distinct impacts on student well-being and energy performance correlations. Furthermore, this review highlights the transformative potential of data-driven predictive modeling, sensor networks, and multi-objective optimization algorithms—which have demonstrated the capacity to reduce energy use density by over 27%—in facilitating intelligent environmental management and mitigating energy waste. It underscores the urgent scientific need to decode the underlying physiological pathways and mediating mechanisms through which IEQ affects student health. By integrating passive design optimization, multi-objective performance optimization, occupant behavioral interventions, and management policy, this review proposes a holistic framework that unifies passive design, active regulation, and operational assurance. Overall, these synthesized findings emphasize the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration to develop the next generation of healthy, resilient, and sustainable student living environments.