The Indoor Air Quality in 35 Wellington Primary Schools During the Day

Abstract

In the context of national imperatives for more sustainable buildings and healthier indoor environments, this thesis considers the indoor environments of naturally ventilated primary school classrooms. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques, the research investigates the indoor environment of thirty-five primary school classrooms in the Wellington region. Classrooms conditions were measured and compared with national and international minimum acceptance standards for air temperature, relative humidity and air movement as well as measurement of biological contaminants found in the indoor air. Setting a series of benchmarks for assessing the quality of the indoor environment and considering optimal conditions for learning, it reflects on the classrooms' fitness for purpose. All classrooms were tested while occupied during normal school hours in the winter months. Considering the published New Zealand guidelines for classroom design and maintenance, it finds that classrooms are not sufficiently well designed for the density of occupation and the type of occupancy, nor sufficiently maintained and operated for their purpose, and identifies particular areas of concern. lt recommends the development of performance standards and increased regulation for the sustained attainment of those standards and sets out some directions for further research.