A preliminary study on the relation between indoor climate in university buildings and performances of its users

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the indoor air quality of school buildings is a much-discussed topic. It is important to know whether indoor climate of buildings influences the physical and mental situations of users in these buildings, and with that, performance of users. The aim of this study is to establish a direct link between users’ health, well-being and performances, and indoor air quality in a case study that focuses on the ‘Marie Kamphuisborg,’ a building owned and used by the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. The study was conducted by using a mixed methods approach, consisting of a literature review, surveys among students and teachers, and interviews with facility management staff. It has tried to measure the degree of well-being of users related to the indoor air quality in this building. Results of the literature review showed that poor indoor climate leads to a negative influence on concentration of users due to discomfort and weakened physical and mental health of students, in the end leading to lower performances of users. The survey showed that students as well as lecturers experienced a lower performance in situations of a poor indoor climate in classrooms. Both indicated that they develop physical complaints during a lecture in a classroom with poor indoor air quality. Lecturers tended to give a lower and insufficient grade to the indoor climate of the Marie Kamphuisborg compared students, who rated the building sufficient. Expert interviews showed that complaints about indoor climate only have to do with classrooms without windows in the inner circle, the so called M-wing, of the building. Outcomes from the interviews show that complaints, both from teachers and students are related mainly to high temperatures, high Carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels. These complaints mainly occur in the warmer season. Complaints about noise levels and light intensity are very rare. In addition, the experts argued that other aspects can influence the well-being for users in buildings, such as green walls, wall decorations with recognizable sceneries, colors, friendly staff at front offices and a proper canteen. We can conclude that both teachers and students assess classrooms in the M-wing as negative for their well-being and, with that, for their performances. This is in line with the findings of facility staff members of the Marie Kamphuisborg and confirmed by prior research.