Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Evaluation of Higher Education Learning Environments

Authors

  • Supreet Lama University of West London, London, UK
  • Changfeng (Charlie) Fu University of West London, London, UK
  • Angela Lee University of Salford, Manchester, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jsbct.v4i1.4042

Abstract

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), particularly in educational facilities, is gainingconsiderable interest and is a synonymous indicator towards evaluatinghuman comfort. Factors such as CO2 concentration, temperature, andhumidity play crucial parts in determining an acceptable level of IAQ.Many studies have also demonstrated that the indoor air quality ofclassrooms affects students’ concentration and performance. Today withthe threat of a global pandemic, the demand of clean & fresh indoor airquality in education buildings is extremely intensive. This study focuseson investigating IAQ situations and changes in different typical functionalspaces of a higher education building in the UK. CO2, temperature, andhumidity data in various learning environment were monitored via dataloggers during the winter. Associated with data monitoring, a set ofquestionnaires surveys were carried out to evaluate the user’s experience.The results of this study show that temperature and CO2 concentrationin the classrooms was constantly higher than the government guidanceon a daily basis. The analysis also shows that temperature and humidityincreased with CO2 levels, but at a much lower rate. This study hasrevealed poor and concerning IAQ in higher education buildings in the UK,particularly in larger rooms with high occupancy. Along with the findings,this paper also identifies possible impact or factors and proposes solutionsto overcome these issues.

Keywords:

Indoor air quality, Temperature, Carbon dioxide (CO2), Humidity, Human comfort, Educational building

References

[1] Allen, J., MacNaughton, P., Satish, U., Santanam, S., Vallarino, J., Spengler, J., 2016. Associations of cognitive function scores with carbon dioxide, ven￾tilation, and volatile organic compound exposures in office workers: a controlled exposure study of Green and conventional office environments, Environmen￾tal Health Perspective. 124(6), 805-812.

[2] Annesi-Maesano, I., Baiz, N., Banerjee, S., Rudnai, P., Rive, S., 2013. Indoor Air Quality and Sources in Schools and Related Health Effects, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, (16)8, 491-550.

[3] Asanti, K., Voden, L. & Majeed, A., 2021. Healthier schools during the COVID-19 pandemic:ventilation , testing and vaccination. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 0(0), 1-4.

[4] Azuma, K., Yanagi, U., Kagi, N., Kim, H., Ogata, M & Hayashi, M., 2020. Environmental factors in￾volved in SARS-CoV-2 transmission: effect and role of indoor environmental quality in the strategy for COVID-19 infection control. Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine. 25(1), 1-16.

[5] Bakó-Biró, Z., Clements-Croome, D.J., Kochhar, N., Awbi, H.B. & Williams, M.J., 2012. Ventilation rates in schools and pupils’ performance. Building and En￾vironment, 48, 215- 223.

[6] CIBSE, 2015. CIBSE Guide A: Environmental De￾sign. 8th ed. CIBSE: London.

[7] Department for Education, 2016. Guidelines in ven￾tilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools: Building Bulletin 101.

[8] Downing, C. C. & Bayer, C. W., 1993. Classroom indoor air quality versus ventilation rate, ASHARE Trans, 99(2), 1099-1103.

[9] Fisk, W. J., Lei-Gomez, Q. & Mendell, M. J., 2007. Meta-analyses of the associations of respiratory health effects with dampness and mold in homes. In￾door Air, 17, 284-296.

[10] Fransson, N., Västfjäll, D. & Skoog, J., 2007. In search of the comfortable indoor environment: A comparison of the utility of objective and subjective indicators of indoor comfort. Building and Environ￾ment, 42(5), 1886-1890.

[11] Frontczak, M. & Wargocki, P., 2011. Literature sur￾vey on how different factors influence human com￾fort in indoor environments. Building and Environ￾ment, 46 (4), 922-937.

[12] Griffiths, M. & Eftekhari, M., 2008. Control of CO2 in a naturally ventilated classroom. Energy and Buildings, 40(4), 556-560.

[13] Haddad, S., Synnefa, A., Marcos, M. A. P., Paolini, R., Delrue, S., Prasad, D. & Santamouris, M. On the potential of demand-controlled ventilation system to enhance indoor air quality and thermal condition in Australian school classrooms. Energy and Buildings, 238.

[14] Korsavi, S; Montazami, A; Mumovic, D, 2020. In￾door air quality (IAQ) in naturally-ventilated primary schools in the UK: Occupant-related factors. Build￾ing and Environment, Volume 180.

[15] Hens, H., 2011. Applied Building Physics: Boundary conditions, building performance and material prop￾erties. 1st ed, Berlin: Ernst & Sohn.

[16] Hoskins, J. A., 2003. Health effects due to indoor air pollution, Indoor and Built Environment, 12(6), 427-433.

[17] HSE, 1999. Health and safety law: What you should know. Leaflet, ISBN 0 7176 1702 5.

[18] HSE, 2013. Workplace health, safety and welfare regulation 1992. 2nd ed, London: HSE Books.

[19] Jacobson, T.A., Kler, J.S., Hernke, M.T., Braun, R.K., Meyer, K.C., Funk W.E., 2019. Direct human health risks of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Na￾ture Sustainability. 2(8), 691-701.

[20] Jiang, J., Wang, D., Liu, Y., Di, Y., Liu, J., 2021. A holistic approach to the evaluation of the indoor temperature based on thermal comfort and learning performance. Building and Environment. 196.

[21] Klepeis, N.E., Nelson, W.C., Ott, W.R., Robinson, J.P., Tsang, A.M., Switzer, P., Behar, J.V., Hern, S.C., Engelmann, W.H., 2001. The National Human Activ￾ity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): a resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants. Journal of Ex￾posure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology. 11, 231-252.

[22] Kottek, M., Grieser, J., Beck, C., Rudolf, B., Rubel, F., 2006. World map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification updated. Meteorologische Zeitschrift. 15(3), 259-263.

[23] Kukadia, V., Upton, S., 2019. Ensuring good indoor air quality in buildings. BRE Trust: Watford.

[24] Kulshreshtha, P., Khare, M., Seetharaman, P., 2008. Indoor air quality assessment in and around urban slums of Delhi city, India. Indoor Air. 18(6), 488-498.

[25] Marques, G., Ferreira, C.R., Pitarma, R., 2019. In￾door air quality assessment using a CO2 monitoring system based on internet of things. Journal of Medi￾cal Systems. 43(3), 1-10.

[26] McMullan, R., 2018. Environmental science in build￾ing. 8Th ed, Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke.

[27] Megahed, N.A., Ghoneim, E.M., 2021. Indoor air quality: Rethinking rules of building design strate￾gies in post-pandemic architecture. Environmental Research. 193, 1-9.

[28] MENDELL, M.J., 2007. Indoor residential chemical emissions as risk factors for respiratory and allergic effects in children: a review. Indoor Air. 17, 259-277.

[29] Moore, P., 2016. The positive impact of human CO2 emissions on the survival of life on earth. 1st ed, FCPP: Winnipeg.

[30] Nicol, F., Humphreys, M., Roaf, S., 2012. Adaptive thermal comfort: Principles and practice. 1st ed. Routledge: Oxon.

[31] Satish U., Mendell M.J., Shekhar, K., Hotchi, T., Sullivan, D., Streufert, S., Fisk, W.J., 2012. Is CO2 an Indoor pollutant? Direct effects of low-to-moder￾ate CO2 concentrations on human decision-making performance, Environmental Health Perspectives. 120(12), 1671-1677.

[32] Shrestha, M., Rijal, H.B., Kayo G., Shukuya M., March 2021. A field investigation on adaptive thermal comfort in school buildings in the temperate climatic region of Nepal, Building and Environment. Volume 190.

[33] Wang, Z., Ning, H., Zang, X., Ji, Y., 2016. Human thermal adaptation based on university students in China’s severe cold area. Science and Technology for the Built Environment. 23(3), 413-420.

[34] Wargocki, P., Wyon, D., 2007. The effects of moderately raised classroom temperatures and classroom ventilation rate on the performance of schoolwork by children. HVAC&R Research. 13(2), 193 -220.

[35] Weschler, C., 2009. Changes in indoor pollutants since the 1950s. Atmospheric Environment. 43, 153-169.

[36] WHO, 2010. The right to healthy indoor air. Bilthoven, The Netherlands, WHO regional Office for Europe.

[37] Wolkoff, P., 2018. Indoor air humidity, air quality, and health – An overview. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. 221(3), 376-390.

Downloads

Published

2022-01-05

How to Cite

Lama, S., Fu, C. (Charlie), & Lee, A. (2022). Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Evaluation of Higher Education Learning Environments. Journal of Smart Buildings and Construction Technology, 4(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.30564/jsbct.v4i1.4042

Issue

Vol. 4 , Iss. 1 (June 2022)

Section

Articles

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.