Thermal Comfort in Classroom: Constraints and Issues

Development in the rapidly growing urban areas can influence local climate. This micro-climate change may affect the surrounding environment, including schools. However, the study of comfort in teaching and learning environment is very limited, especially for schools. Thermal comfort is defined as “that condition of mind, which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment” (ISO Standard 7730 in 1994). Thermal comfort is affected by heat, convection heat, radiation and absorption of heat loss (evaporative heat loss) and retained the heat produced by the human metabolism can be removed. This will maintain thermal equilibrium with the environment. Any gains or losses outside this range, the heat will cause discomfort. Many studies conducted shows thermal comfort can influence occupants in it. Several studies have shown lately that the international comfort standards for buildings and the related predictions models report a warmer sensation than the occupants report in the case of naturally ventilated buildings in warm climates. This paper exposes some aspects of the debate in the field of thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings located in warm and humid climates. This paper reports on the findings of a preliminary survey conducted to identify and investigate the student's perceptions towards classroom thermal comfort and the school's surrounding using The Teaching and Learning Classroom Thermal Comfort Inventory (TLTCI) instrument. The results show that the surveyed students have high level of awareness regarding the climate change and also they find that their teaching and learning classroom thermal comfort is at a comfortable level.