Analysing the effects of thermal comfort and indoor air quality in design studios and classrooms on student performance

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the various effects of different ventilation modes on the thermal comfort and indoor air quality in design education environment. It also investigated the relationship between the ventilation mode and student performance. Thus, an experimental study was conducted in both studio and classroom environments, in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Department at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. CO2 concentration values, indoor air temperature and humidity values as the main parameters of thermal comfort and indoor air quality was measured in both winter and summer seasons under the three modes of ventilation: 1) without opening door and windows mode setting; (2) natural ventilation mode and (3) the HVAC ventilation mode achieved by the TROX school-air unit. Under these three different modes for both attention and concentration levels, 100 students from the winter season, 50 students from summer season for the classroom environment, and 20 students from the winter season, 16 students from summer season for the studio environment participated. Results were calculated in IBM SPSS 21 software separately for both seasons and three different ventilation modes. As a result, the experimental and performance results have shown that the HVAC unit mode achieved the most satisfactory indoor environment in both seasons and higher levels of student performance.