The impact of design configurations of educational spaces on indoor air quality (IAQ)

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in investigating indoor air quality levels in complex buildings such as primary schools to assess the impact of students’ performance and well-being. Concerns are raised towards identifying the parameters that negatively affect indoor air quality in classrooms. Poor indoor air quality is expected to play a vital role in the prevalence of allergic and respiratory diseases. Indoor air quality in schools plays an important role in assessing student exposure to air pollution as children are more sensitive when exposed to unhealthy air because they breathe more air than their body weight and at a faster rate. This study shows measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on indoor air quality for classrooms in a primary school in Cairo, Egypt, and discusses the concentration levels of these parameters on indoor air quality. Readings of the measurements were applied on an air quality monitoring system that is developed by the author. This study raises awareness towards considering indoor air quality in schools designs with the purpose to minimize health risks and improve students’ Learning performance. This research follows the deductive method. It hypothesizes that school designs, typologies, and configurations affect the extent of natural airflow and ventilation within classrooms, and thus air quality.