Public School Buildings Research Articles

Predictive modelling of multi-domain factors on window, door, and fan status in naturally ventilated school classrooms

Most studies regarding the investigation of occupant behaviour (OB) in school classrooms addressed the environmental influence on window operation solely and were conducted in oceanic climates. This study aimed to identify and quantify the influence of multi-domain factors (including thermal, indoor air quality, contextual and multi-behaviour domains) on window, door, and fan status in naturally ventilated school classrooms in a humid subtropical climate, in order to predict OB. Environmental variables, manual operation of windows, doors and fans, and occupancy rate were monitored and questionnaires were applied in a set of classrooms of three public school buildings in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, during four rounds at two-month intervals, resulting in a comprehensive year-long study. During part of the physical monitoring, restrictive occupancy measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic were observed. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were applied to assess the influence of the recorded parameters on the window, door, and fan status and to generate OB predictive models. Results showed that indoor environmental variables influenced window, door, and fan status in school classrooms, with few exceptions. Yet, the models including school routines, social norms and teachers’ behaviour as predictors led to the highest accuracy. This suggests that, while a more complex model with additional predictors can provide more accurate predictions of OB, it also becomes more context-dependent and less generalizable. The trade-off between model complexity and generalizability is an important consideration in this research study, and it highlights the nuanced relationship between multi-domain factors affecting occupant behaviour in school buildings.

Seismic Damage Prediction and Classification tool: Utilizing Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and Geographic Information System (GIS)

Seismic damage prediction of wide range of buildings is an important prioritization and classification tool for implementation of seismic risk and vulnerability assessment. This study has developed a rapid visual screening (RVS) tool using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model and Geographic Information System (GIS). Hospital an d public-school buildings located in districts 5 and 6 have been selected for assessment. Technical calculation basis in the development of FEMA P- 154 was followed in formulating the model using the neuro-fuzzy tool package in MATLAB. Six (6) building para meters and their resulting output (final score) were inputted for training. Sub-clustering FIS model showed the lowest RMSE and R2 result out of the five (5) FIS models compared. The model showed effective performance in classifying the buildings’ damage grades having 0.2908, 0.8073 and 0.948 for RMSE, and for testing and overall coefficient of determination (R2) values, respectively. Performance me trics from the developed confusion matrix showed high range of values for sensitivity, specificity, precision, and accuracy, with maximum error rate and false positive rate of 0.11 and 0.25, respectively, in classifying the buildings’ damage grade. These validate the model’s performance and ability in classifying the damage grade of the buildings observed. The results were used to develop a digital mapping of the damage grade distribution of the selected buildings in the area using ArcGIS.

Green School Buildings and Environmental Holistic Elements Approach to Cope with Hot and Humid Climate Challenges – Bahrain Case Study

Public schools in Bahrain and in the Arabian Gulf Region are facing poor indoor and outdoor environments due to the prevailing problem of harsh hot humid weather most of the year. This leads to high consumption of energy, and other resources due to the nature function of the schools. This necessitates effective actions to fill the gap and address properly the climate issues, consumption of resources, and design challenges. Reviewing related literature indicated a lack of Arab region studies in this field, in contrast to Foreign Studies. This gap includes items such as knowledge, data collection, design flaws, performance, guidelines and others. The objectives of this article are to investigate, and identify factors, green elements and possible solutions contributing to sustaining green public-school buildings and the environment while saving national resources and meeting performance sustainable criteria for school buildings and students. Literature review and qualitative descriptive method are essential investigation methodologies. The goal of qualitative descriptive studies is a comprehensive summarization and categorical. Literature review was the main action in the process to start exploring prior research and published works on green school buildings. Collected data on research materials published by reliable professional institutions and research are reviewed, explored, identified, categorized, and summarized in outputs. These are discussed and analyzed to ensure their positive influence on schools’ buildings and address collective challenges. Findings can be summarized in the following outputs: Characteristics. Advantages. Guidelines and standards. Green Building Council’s influence. Performance and rating tools for schools and students. Statistics. Innovation and Case studies and Lessons learned. The first Bahrain green school case study will contribute to the exchange experience with others concerned. In conclusion, this article recommends greening school buildings and environment design through various sustainable elements that are included in the results to enhance school buildings, the environment and student performance.

Impacts of Dampness on Structural Stability of Public Secondary School Buildings in Adamawa State, Nigeria

This research assessed the impact of dampness on the structural stability of public secondary school buildings in Adamawa state. Dampness as it were is the infiltration of water through the structural elements (interior and exterior) of an edifice, wetness of structural elements through moisture rise by capillary, or extreme quantity of moisture contained in building materials or the building components (Agyekum, Ayakwa, Koranteng & Adinyira, 2013a; Wilkowska, 2017). A percentage of building structures that deteriorate during wetness, dampness, or excessive moisture movements are perceived, visible, or measurable (Soldatova, Sansone, Stephens & Shah, 2011). A building is described as being affected by dampness when there is moisture that is not wanted to a certain degree in the building than its water- retaining capability such that finishes and structural members are stained or discoloured and certain secondary elements are either upturned or lifted (Ishak, Che Ani, Akashah &Kayan, 2013). The primary sources of moisture in buildings according to Sulaiman and Beithou (2011) are liquid water from precipitation or plumbing leaks; water vapour from the building exterior or activities/processes within the building; liquid and vapour from the soil adjoining a building; and moisture built-in with the materials of construction or brought in with goods and people. Young (2007) and Agyekum et al. (2013), categorise the primary sources of moisture into three types: penetration dampness, condensation, and rising dampness. Specifically, it; determined the common types of dampness and common causes of dampness, it also determined the extent of the impacts of dampness and suggested suitable procedures for treating the impact of dampness. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Four purposes and four research questions were raised to guide the study, the population for this study is Grade A public secondary schools in Adamawa State. Three sampling techniques were employed in this study, these are stratified sampling, purposive sampling, and simple random sampling. A checklist and a structured questionnaire were developed.

Energy consumption baseline for public schools in the West Bank-Palestine

Schools play a significant role in social development which is one of the three major pillars of sustainable development. Schools are also a hub to promote sustainable practices, and hence, it is imperative to measure the actual energy performance of school buildings. This research was designed to quantify the actual energy consumption in public school buildings in the West Bank in Palestine to establish a baseline for energy consumption in public school buildings. Methodologically, the historical energy performance of a representative random sample consisting of 103 schools in the West Bank was statistically analysed. The results show that the average annual energy consumption in public school buildings is 10,368 kWh, while the annual energy use intensity is around 8.35 kWh/m2/year, and 35.44 kWh/student/year. The results presented in this research are not surprisingly low due to the fact that energy consumption in school buildings is heavily determined by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems which often do not exist in public school buildings in the West Bank. This research is the first to provide empirical statistical evidence about the actual amount of energy consumed in public school buildings in the West Bank, as well as it is the first to present a baseline energy consumption for public schools. The results presented in this research can be used as an industry benchmark by policy and decision-makers to assess green schools’ performance which, besides reducing the negative impacts on the environment, have the potential to improve health, productivity and, education environment.

Effectiveness of Inclusive Design for Children with Disabilities in Nigerian Education Buildings

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report that twenty million Nigerian children lack access to basic school education. This is due to inadequate support for children with unique educational needs and impairments in primary school buildings. This study aims to assess how inclusive design ideas have been applied in Abuja public primary school buildings to accommodate children with unusual academic needs, including disabilities, in Nigeria. A descriptive study design with a survey technique was employed as the methodology. A standardised questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was used to collect information and was delivered to a sample size of 133 people. According to the data, physically challenged pupils and older staff were more concerned with the proportions of overall desires and security, skills, and perception. Additionally, no ramps were installed in the school buildings, prohibiting disabled students from moving vertically, and students with impairments have difficulty reaching areas of conveniences. These findings indicate that inclusive design ideas have not been included into the architectural designs of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) community primary academic buildings. The findings suggest the need for strong legislation to create an inclusive design special unit to ensure all architectural designs meet FCTA institutional standards for primary school building delivery

Smart Cities as Hubs: A Use Case in Public School Buildings

Contextual data are receiving increasing attention in Smart Cities as they enable the development and delivery of smart services for their citizens. The homogenization of contextual data flows has become an important topic for standardization bodies as they attempt to enable data flow control and vendor-independent solutions. Buildings are a critical component of cities, due to their role in several dimensions of Smart Cities (including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals); these may include the monitoring of their operation, maintenance, energy consumption, ability to respond in emergencies, and people flows, all of which affect the sustainability of a Smart City’s ecosystem. In this respect, Building Information Management Systems and Building Infrastructure Management Systems can benefit from this standardization. This paper presents how a novel solution named Smart-City-as-Hub can homogenize building contextual data and enable smart services’ development and delivery based on these data. The analysis of the data from several IoT deployments in public school buildings is the method used to highlight the segmentation and fragmentation of the IoT landscape and to present the benefits that the Smart-City-as-Hub provides in this context. The ways in which the Smart-City-as-Hub concept can mitigate these challenges and enable Smart City stakeholders to concentrate their efforts on developing value-added services is presented in the discussion section. By providing real-life data of the IoT devices deployed in Smart City projects, this study aims to further advance research pursuing the homogenization and standardization of Smart City flows.

Roles of Procurement Committees in Promoting Construction of Quality Infrastructure in Public Primary Schools in Moshi Municipal Council, Tanzania

The study investigated the Roles of Procurement Committees in Promoting Construction of Quality Infrastructure in Public Primary Schools in Moshi Municipal Council, Tanzania. The study anchored on Resource Dependence Theory, whereas convergent design under a mixed methods research approach was employed. Probability and non-probability sampling techniques (simple random, stratified random and purposive sampling) were used to sample 113 participants from 6 public primary schools and Municipal heads of departments. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data. Validity of the instruments was established through three experts from the Department of educational planning and Administration at Mwenge Catholic University, whereas reliability of the instruments was established through the Cronbach's Alpha technique (reliability coefficient = 0.8). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Hypothesis was tested at a significant level of 0.05. Qualitative data from the interview guides were analysed thematically by transcribing the information, coding and generating themes according to the research questions that were presented in verbatim quotations. The study revealed that public primary schools' procurement committee members and experts worked hard to ensure construction and renovation materials and services were acquired in accordance with Force Account Method and Public Procurement Regulatory Authority regulations. The study also found out that primary schools' committee members were not certain about their procurement roles in planning and purchasing because they were not involved by the head teachers in the procurement process. This tendency compromised the quality of infrastructure being constructed and renovated in public primary schools in Moshi Municipality. The study concluded that the procurement committee had a significant role in constructing public primary school buildings in Moshi Municipality. The study recommended that the Ministry of PO RALG should create awareness among head teachers on the roles of procurement committee members and experts.

Examining the impact of energy efficiency retrofits and vegetation on energy performance of institutional buildings: An equity-driven analysis

Inequities in the built environment have long persisted in communities around the world. Prior studies have exposed that energy retrofit programs invest inequitably in residential buildings, leaving racial minorities with disproportionately less energy inefficient homes, regardless of income level. This inequity in energy performance and retrofit investments has yet to be studied for commercial and institutional buildings. Further research has shown that tree canopy coverage and vegetation is less dense in historically disadvantaged communities, contributing to a greater urban heat island effect and corresponding higher energy consumption for cooling compared to historically advantaged communities. Moreover, there is limited albeit emerging research that utilizes granular socioeconomic data with fine temporal scale energy consumption data to help identify energy inequalities among race and income groups. This paper examines the differential impact of energy efficiency retrofit installation on energy performance between advantaged vs. disadvantaged groups using data from U.S. public school buildings. Additionally, it studies how the effect of retrofits is compounded by the presence of vegetation surrounding the building. Utilizing hourly interval smart meter data from primary and secondary school buildings in California, the impact of retrofits are quantified using three energy metrics. Then the disparities in retrofit impact for advantaged vs. disadvantaged groups (as defined by three equity metrics) are evaluated using school-level demographic data. Lastly, regression on the percent change in monthly energy consumption from the pre-retrofit to post-retrofit period is used to quantify the incremental benefits of retrofits compounded by vegetation. Findings show that energy efficiency retrofits can improve energy performance and reduce energy inequities. Specifically, retrofits significantly increase energy efficiency and reduce the energy efficiency equity gap by up to 198%. Evidence shows that vegetation surrounding a building has a synergistic effect with mechanical retrofits for reducing energy consumption in respect to reduced cooling loads, even in cases where mechanical retrofits alone resulted in significant increases in energy consumption. Dense vegetation provides around 6% energy savings, similar in magnitude to savings from mechanical retrofit installation. This validates the effectiveness of retrofits for reducing energy consumption and improving energy equity, and demonstrates the ability of vegetation to provide additional energy savings beyond mechanical interventions.

School buildings performance in 7.7 Mw and 7.6 Mw catastrophic earthquakes in southeast of Turkey

Although Turkey is located in one of the active earthquake belts of the world, the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023, 9 h apart, as rarely seen in the seismology literature, caused one of the biggest disasters in Turkey's history. In the earthquakes affecting an area of approximately 110,000 square kilometers, serious damage and collapse occurred in public buildings as well as other structures. There are more than 12,000 school buildings in the earthquake-affected area and this number constitutes an important part of public buildings. This article deals with the damage types and causes of various public school buildings that were exposed to the earthquakes in southern Turkey on February 6, 2023. The seismicity of the region and the effects of the 6 February earthquakes were discussed, and the response spectra of the different regions most affected by the earthquakes were compared with the design spectra defined in the codes. In addition, during the field investigation the damage types and causes of damage in school buildings were listed in sections and the observations made with performance based analytical studies were supported. From field reconnaissance, the importance of understanding the deficiencies of school buildings, which have social priority, in order to avoid tragic consequences in possible earthquakes has been revealed.

Il sistema verde: soluzioni per la tutela dell’ambiente e la riduzione delle emissioni di CO2. L’esempio di una scuola esistente.

The public school building sector offers great opportunities for energy efficiency and CO2 emissions reduction. In this research a method for the energy evaluation of school buildings is proposed. It implements simple input information connected to dynamic simulations. The main objective is to evaluate the energy, environmental and economic impact of different regeneration proposals, combining a green system integration. The building chosen as a case study, which presents serial and widespread constructive and thermo-physical characteristics, allows to extend the validity of obtained results to similar cases and conditions. Findings highlighted the importance of developing site-specific strategies and green energy solutions, to optimally adapt any intervention to the architectural, typological and plant characteristics of the school. The proposed example is a prototype case so that the Municipalities and Public Administrations, owned by most of the schools in Italy, can use it as basic knowledge for future projects oriented towards the energy transition, but also for specific tailored training.

Functionality Loss and Recovery Time Models for Structural Elements, Non-Structural Components, and Delay Times to Estimate the Seismic Resilience of Mexican School Buildings

Concerns about prolonged downtime and functionality losses observed after recent seismic events have made it clear that seismic design is heading towards a resilience-based approach. However, there is still currently no clear consensus on how to quantify and interpret resilience. In this document, a probabilistic approach to estimate recovery times and functionality loss in buildings is presented, which allows for the estimation of seismic resilience through consideration of delay times and the behavior of non-structural elements. To achieve these goals, simple models that associate structural response and the resilience parameters (recovery time and functionality) are defined. The proposed approach was implemented in a database for public school buildings in Puebla City, where the expected times and functionality were obtained, thus allowing for quantification of the seismic resilience of each structure. Furthermore, target values for low and high resilience are proposed, which helps to identify the weakest elements in the educative Mexican infrastructure. The results showed that the inclusion of delay times and non-structural elements in resilience quantification is mandatory if an overestimation of resilience values is to be avoided. At the same time, the target values allow for the different structures to be categorized according to the resilience values obtained, finding that a significant portion of Mexican school buildings are underprepared in a resilience context.

EVALUATING THE PHYSICAL VULNERABILITY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS AGAINST FLOODING IN METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES

Vulnerability analysis has always been an integral part of disaster risk assessment. This study aims to assess the physical vulnerability of public school buildings against flooding. It discusses the vulnerable elements or attributes, the extent of damages incurred during flood events, the damage response, and the future steps that must be taken to increase flood resiliency. The study used empirical data collection using semi-structured interviews to characterize the common types of public schools and to collate the damage responses. Quantity surveying was performed to measure the amount of damages related to different flood depths. Structural damages to public school buildings are not expected for flood heights ranging from ground level up to ten (10) m. However, damages are incurred by building finishes and fixtures. Floors, walls, and septic system are cosmetically damaged. Vulnerable components include wooden elements like doors, cabinets, blackboards and ceiling, and electrical fixtures such as wiring, lighting, outlets, switches, and fire alarm system. Comprehensive vulnerability description of public school buildings were represented as curves of flood depth vs. damage index. The damage ratio decreases as the number of floors increase. Maximum damage to one-story building is 23.6% while at 15.02% for four-story school building. This study is an attempt to promote further research of the subject matter in developing countries towards flood resiliency in the built environment.

Towards Typological and Spatial Diversities Learning from the typological solutions of the Finnish comprehensive public-school buildings

Towards Typological and Spatial Diversities Learning from the typological solutions of the Finnish comprehensive public-school buildings

Post Occupancy Evaluation of Ventilation Coefficient Desired for Thermal Comfort in Educational Facilities

In tropical regions, one sustainable measure identified to attain thermal comfort and energy savings for interior spaces is natural ventilation. However, the ventilation coefficient as a factor for effective passive ventilation required for thermal comfort in educational facilities in warm, humid climates has not been adequately investigated. This study is a post-occupancy evaluation aimed at investigating the ventilation coefficient as a parameter for effective passive ventilation efficiency for good thermal comfort in the classrooms of public primary school buildings in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria. Among the data collection instruments are two data logging devices (thermo-anemometers -AZ 9871) used to measure air velocity, humidity levels, and temperature outside and inside the classrooms of 60 government primary school buildings in the study area. This selection was based on stratified random sampling techniques. For data analysis, the global ventilation coefficient and linear regression analysis were used. The findings demonstrate that the average natural ventilation efficiency was 80%, which is higher than the global ventilation efficiency standard of 60%. The research results further highlight that colonial classroom prototype buildings have a lower temperature value and ventilation coefficient of 83%, which in turn influenced the thermal comfort conditions of the classrooms investigated. The significance of this study is that the findings contribute to the existing knowledge base that would advance strategic policy formation towards acceleration of the uptake of sustainable and energy-efficient building designs for educational facilities in warm, humid tropical environments. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2023-04-01-07 Full Text: PDF

“What We Want is the Same Thing You Want”: Educator Union Organizing for the ‘Common Good’ during Covid-19

This article examines the “common good” organizing efforts of U.S. educator unions during the 2020-2021 school year of the Covid-19 pandemic. During this timeframe, many districts across the country pushed for school reopening while often appearing to pay insufficient attention to the lived health and safety needs of students, families, and workers in schools and their broader communities. Meanwhile, many U.S. educator unions assertively and visibly organized for a “safe return to school” involving stronger health protections in public school buildings. Embracing social justice unionism as an organizing philosophy, such unions employed a range of tactics in efforts to partner with local communities while advocating for common good issues that would benefit not just their members but also the public more broadly. Drawing upon a range of popular media and artifactual union-published sources combined with educator unionist interviews, this article teases apart what common good issues were taken up by social justice unions in their organizing efforts, discusses why they chose to take up this range of issues, and considers the stakes of this frame for union organizing within and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fragility curves of Italian school buildings: derivation from L’Aquila 2009 earthquake damage via observational and heuristic approaches

Recent seismic events worldwide have demonstrated the high vulnerability of existing school buildings and the urgent need to have reliable tools for the rapid seismic performance assessment and damage and loss quantification. Indeed, the significant damage observed on structural and non-structural components may have a significant impact in terms of direct and indirect losses making critical the recovery of stricken communities. Although a significant amount of work has been done in developing fragility curves for the residential building stock, only few contributions clearly refer to school buildings that significantly differ in terms of the main characteristics from the residential ones. This research work proposes fragility curves for reinforced concrete and unreinforced masonry public school buildings typical of the Italian building stock, based on the damage observed in the aftermath of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. A comprehensive and unique database including data on damaged and undamaged school buildings (2037 records) in the Abruzzo region was built using data from four different sources. Due to limited amount of data, the fragility curves can be very sensitive to the method adopted for their derivation, thus three different approaches (i.e. empirical, empirical-binomial, heuristic) are considered in the paper and the results are compared. Finally, a direct comparison with fragility curves available in the literature for the Italian residential building stock is presented.

Investigasi Lingkungan Termal Ruang Kelas Sekolah di Kota Pontianak

<p><em>The research of the thermal environment of the school building is useful for determining the design strategy of a thermally comfortable school building. This research method is based on field measurements. A total of 8 classrooms from 4 public school buildings in Pontianak City with different characteristics of opening directions, orientations, and floor locations were selected in this study. The results showed that the air temperature and humidity in the classroom ranged between 26.9<sup>o</sup>C-33.5<sup>o</sup>C and 74.5%-84.2%. The average air velocity in the classroom is 0.24m/s. The globe temperature is higher than the air temperature with an average difference of 7.7<sup>o</sup>C. Protection against solar radiation and increased air velocity can be potential design strategies to achieve thermal comfort in classrooms.</em></p>

Narrative Review Approach on the Readiness of the Vertical Greenery Adaptation to the Public-School Building in Malaysia

Global climate concerns include deforestation and environmental change. The implementation of the concept of reintroducing nature to the urban school landscape may promote sustainable development and enhance the city’s environment quality. The Vertical Greenery System (VGS) is an important aspect in public school building because it offers sustainable urban schooling the benefits. However, low awareness school amongst government and public, as well as concerning on additional cost of construction and maintenance have become a barrier in adopting the VGS in public-school. Due to lack of studies and analysis on VGS implementation in schools, this paper aims to examine the VGS adaptation strategies towards the readiness of VGS implementation in public school buildings as well as the implications for students’ social well-being. This paper focuses on using a narrative review method and deductive thematic analysis to perceive the readiness of VGS adaptation amongst government and public in public school building. The projected outcome will explore the cost-benefits of VGS installation, with considerations of environment, and social well-being towards public-school. Hence, this paper also suggested that VGS can significantly improve the student learning performance, social interaction amongst student’s experience and overall built environment of public-school.

Environmental Assessment of Alternative Strategies for the Management of Construction and Demolition Waste: A Life Cycle Approach

The management of solid waste is currently seen as one of the most important concerns that national authorities, particularly in south Europe, must address. In recent years, emphasis has begun to be paid to Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) being the largest waste stream in the European Union that is produced by renovation and repair work on buildings, roads, bridges, and other constructions made of bulky materials such as asphalt, bricks, wood, and plastic. Many EU countries responded quickly as a result of the large amounts of such waste and the presence of hazardous substances in their composition. This study illustrates the anticipated outcomes of several CDW management strategies other than final disposal, such as recycling, reuse, and incineration, for a public-school building in Greece. In order to assess how well the chosen schemes performed in terms of various environmental criteria, the SimaPro software suite and the Ecoinvent v.3 Life Cycle Inventory database were used. In order to enhance the quality of the outcomes, inventory data from earlier studies were also employed as input data for the Life Cycle Assessment tool.