Abstract
Poor Indoor Environmental Quality IEQ conditions, defined by the four environmental comfort domains (thermo-hygrometric, visual, Indoor Air Quality IAQ and acoustic), can cause not only discomfort to building occupants, but also lack of concentration, and harmful and unhealthy status. In this work, visual, thermal and IAQ conditions in a primary school located in Bolzano, Italy, were analysed to assess their impact on students’ learning performance. After a survey in the school, which included measurements of illuminance, luminance, optical properties of materials, air temperature and CO2 concentration, some simulation models were developed. Through a Radiance model, daylight metrics (e.g., Daylight Factor and Daylight Autonomy) and glare metrics (e.g., Daylight Glare Index and Daylight Glare Probability) were calculated. Furthermore, the melanopic illuminance was simulated to evaluate the non-visual effects of light on children’s circadian cycles. In addition to that, EnergyPlus simulations allowed an evaluation of the long-term indoor air quality and thermal comfort conditions, which were used to estimate the students’ potential performance loss according to some models in the literature. Interventions on shading devices and HVAC system controls were suggested, in order to optimize IEQ, with a minimization of performance loss and energy consumption.