A STUDY ON THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF HIGH SCHOOLS IN TIRANA. THE EFFECTS ON STUDENTS PERCEPTION.

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 2000’s there has been a focus on a new aspect of architecture, the Indoor Environmental Quality. Shortly addressed as IEQ, this term refers to the quality of a building's environment in relation to the health and wellbeing of those who occupy space within it. It sums up all the physical conditions of an enclosed environment, which are separated into: thermal comfort, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), aural comfort, visual comfort and acoustic comfort. Research indicates that the indoor environmental qualities of school classrooms have a major effect in the student performance and wellbeing. Factors such as temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration can play a major role in the interactivity and productivity of a student, especially the ones of younger ages. Most of the public high schools in Albania have been built decades ago without proper study of the conditions, furthermore there is an overcrowding of students in classrooms that causes congestion of the space. The aim of this study is to evaluate the conditions in which high school students expose themselves and to, compare them to the comfort standards then come to a conclusion of the effect it has on them. The study is composed of two main parts; firstly there will be used environmental sensors to keep track of the levels of temperature, humidity, CO2 and dew point, and then the students are given questionnaires to fill, to gather information about their situation in the classroom. The study takes place the months of May to June. Three schools with different characteristics (geographical position, demographic position, building materials) are chosen in the study. There is a prominent problem in the temperature during summer months, especially lack of ventilation and cooling supplies and air quality. This study presents a correlation between the perceived IEQ and the factors that affect it, mainly building condition and urban context.