Abstract
A key factor for achieving healthy environments in residential buildings is the provision of high indoor environmental quality (IEQ) with respect to the acceptance by its occupants, based on levels of the physical parameters which contribute to IEQ. This research focuses on defining the comfort standards of indoor environments of urban dwellings in the city of Cuenca—Ecuador. It takes into account factors such as temperature, air quality, and natural lightning through a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative measurements. Results determined the following values: a comfort temperature (Tn) of 20.12 °C (with ranges from 16.62 °C to 23.62 °C for an acceptance of 80% and from 17.62 °C to 22.62 °C for an acceptance of 90%), a relative humidity between 40–65%, a maximum CO2 concentration of 614.25 ppm, a day light factor of ≥5 for the social area and ≥4 for the bedroom, and a minimum illumination level of 300 lux. With these results, it was observed that the comfort levels of temperature, CO2 concentration, and lighting accepted by local users differ from the standards established in local and international regulations. The determined data constitutes a methodological basis for carrying out similar processes in other localities.
Highlights
It was observed that the comfort levels of temperature, CO2 concentration, and lighting accepted by local users differ from the standards established in local and international regulations
The importance of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) at houses unquestionably lies in the effects produced upon people
This study showed that, in general, students are exposed to high temperature variations, both daily and seasonal, where the comfort ranges are significantly lower than those calculated from the adaptive comfort model established for adults
Summary
The importance of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) at houses unquestionably lies in the effects produced upon people. Productivity and health gains have been demonstrated in occupants of buildings with good IEQ and a deficit on it is directly related with sick building syndrome [1]. In this context, a large amount of research has been developed for buildings of different types, with the major ones being offices, commercial buildings, and educational buildings. It was determined that children tend to adapt to these interior temperatures using strategies especially related to clothing Regarding this same type of building, a study in the Slovak Republic [4] measured environmental parameters and applied surveys to students and teachers of a school during a week
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