INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
that there were high CO2 concentration levels that meant there was an insufficient change of air with open windows. The study also found that there was insufficient lighting and disturbances due to illuminance. The study found that students perceived their environment as having too warm thermal conditions, along with poor noise and indoor air quality but also satisfaction and therefore productivity and learning. This research collects some pictures of indoor environmental conditions taken in seven primary schools near Venice (Italy, North-East).70 Publication type: Journal article Study type: Case Study Sample: 614 students, 28 classrooms Duration: Longitudinal, Cross-sectional Age or developmental stage: Primary, 9 to 11 Years Old
Thermal Comfort Almeida, R. M. S. F., Ramos, N. M. M., & De Freitas, V. P. (2016). Thermal comfort models and pupils’ perception in free-running school buildings of a mild climate country. Energy and Buildings, 111, 64–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.09.066
This paper presents an assessment of the thermal comfort of children at different stages of development. The study consists of 32 measurements in 10 educational spaces in Portugal. They surveyed classrooms from students in different developmental stages, including from kindergarten to college, and gathered 490 questionnaires. They assessed thermal comfort according to PMV and the EN 15251 adaptive model. They found that the metabolic rate needed to be adjusted depending on the development stage of children. They found no perfect agreement between PMV and mean thermal sensation, and the PMV was found to be more restrictive. Educational buildings play a key role in creating a good social climate and conditions in which children and young people can develop. Several international studies have been conducted to evaluate students’ performance and the factors that most influence it, including classrooms’ thermal comfort. Yet, various revealed differences between pupils’ perception and the results of thermal comfort models. The large majority of the thermal comfort studies in classrooms were performed in heated and mechanically ventilated spaces. In free-running spaces, occupants’ expectations tend to be different and a lack of information was detected. In this research, data collected in 32 measurements in 10 educational spaces and 490 questionnaires were used to assess thermal comfort conditions in Portuguese educational buildings. Measurements were performed in classrooms and libraries and the sample included buildings from kindergarten to college. Global comfort was assessed by PMV index and according to EN 15251 adaptive model. In parallel, pupils’ perception was collected through specific questionnaires adapted according to their ages. The answers allowed a detailed analysis regarding the definition of
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