Analysis and influence on hygrothermal comfort and ventilation in educational centres in the Basque Country

Abstract

Multiple research studies have evaluated indoor comfort in the last decades by measuring different environmental conditions. These conditions are called Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), which groups together thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting and acoustic comfort. Although ventilation does not determine IEQ, it directly impacts the conditions that achieve IAQ and thermal comfort. IEQ research has focused mainly on offices and residential buildings, with less research on schools. Schools are particularly vulnerable due to the age of their occupants, who are still in development age and where poor IEQ can affect their health and academic performance. In addition, occupancy density in schools is higher than in other building types, such as offices. It is, therefore, essential to ensure adequate IEQ in these centres. The parameters most studied in previous research are thermal comfort and ventilation. Multiple models define thermal comfort, the adaptive model or the heat balance. It is also significant to ensure adequate indoor ventilation, using different methods to assess ventilation, occupant perception, gas concentration, or ventilation ratios. As for the measurement of these models, different methodologies can be used, such as surveys, monitoring or simulations.