A review on significance of thermal comfort in educational facilities

Huda  Riaz; Ahmad  Riaz; Amna  Iqbal; Norheen  Amina; Sunera  Imtiaz

doi:10.59400/be2100

A review on significance of thermal comfort in educational facilities

Huda Riaz Department of Architectural Engineering and Design, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan
Ahmad Riaz Department of Architectural Engineering and Design, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan
Amna Iqbal Department of Architectural Engineering and Design, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan
Norheen Amina Department of Technology, Civil Faculty University of Lahore, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
Sunera Imtiaz Department of Building and Architectural Engineering, Civil Faculty, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan

Article ID: 2100

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/be2100

Keywords: climate change; productivity; health; educational facilities; building occupants; student’s performance

Abstract

Climate change and the urgency of decarbonizing the built environment drive technological innovation in delivering thermal comfort to occupants. Studies have shown that thermal discomfort can lead to a decline in students’ cognitive function, motivation, absenteeism, and a decrease in instructors’ work performance. This article reviews significant changes, developments, and trends in thermal comfort research for educational facilities classrooms. This study summarizes research regarding the importance of environmental comfort in education facilities, different climatic regions, and various parameters that play a vital role in determining thermal comfort. The investigation of the current literature showed that researchers focused on different issues, adopting diverse models and indices to investigate thermal comfort in classrooms. Indeed, even if the environmental conditions comply with standards, in several cases, a prolonged stay indoors affects the health and productivity of students. However, it is important to focus on students’ preferences in different regions, climates, and educational stages to create healthy and human-centered buildings. It is also clear that current research trends mainly focus on cold regions of Europe, while, by educational level, secondary-stage classrooms are the least investigated; thus, further investigation is needed. Therefore, an integrated approach that considers both the positive and negative effects of indoor exposure is needed, including the individual preferences and needs of occupants in the least researched regions, such as Asia and Africa.

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Published

2025-04-02

How to Cite

Riaz, H., Riaz, A., Iqbal, A., Amina, N., & Imtiaz, S. (2025). A review on significance of thermal comfort in educational facilities. Building Engineering, 3(2), 2100. https://doi.org/10.59400/be2100

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