Kagan, Paula Brumer Franceschini (2024) Occupant behaviour modelling for building performance simulation of naturally ventilated school classrooms. PhD thesis, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil.
Abstract
Most studies on occupant behaviour (OB) in school classrooms are focused on window operation in oceanic climates. In naturally ventilated schools, thermal comfort and indoor air quality are mainly affected by OB with respect to window, door and fan operation. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of indoor air quality, particularly in densely occupied buildings such as schools. Therefore, 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. A systematic literature review was carried out to raise up information about existing models of occupant behaviour for school buildings. A data collection of 66 public schools located in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was performed to identify envelope and construction characteristics and select representative school buildings for a field campaign. Environmental variables, manual operation of windows, doors and fans, and occupancy rate were monitored and questionnaires were applied in a set of classrooms of selected school buildings. During part of the physical monitoring, restrictive occupancy measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic were observed. Statistical analysis was applied to assess the influence of the recorded parameters on the window, door, and fan status and to generate OB predictive models. An OB model was implemented in building performance simulations to predict OB over a year and compare it to optimized scenarios, considering thermal comfort and indoor air quality requirements. 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. The comparison between real and optimized occupant behaviours revealed variations of up to 42.5% in CO2 levels and up to 9% in discomfort hours, highlighting the potential to enhance indoor conditions by adjusting occupant behaviour. Finally, the optimal strategies varied by school, emphasizing the importance of evaluating recommendations within each specific context.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Neves, Leticia de Oliveira and Silva, Vanessa Gomes da |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | occupant behaviour; school building; natural ventilation; multi-criteria analysis; computational simulation |
| Index terms: | statistical analysis, systematic literature review, monitoring, discomfort, strategy, thermal comfort, questionnaire, complexity, COVID-19, occupant behaviour, natural ventilation, occupancy rate, variation, Brazil, pandemic, routine, school classroom, social norms, classroom, accuracy, public school, school building, building performance simulation, window, indoor air quality, modelling |
| Subjects: | architectural elements, data science, construction type, environmental health, research evaluation and metrics, environmental engineering, data collection methods, sociology, health behaviours and lifestyles, health risk and incident analysis, systems engineering, management, social justice, asset management, Geography, contractual condition, modelling and simulation, professional development, control systems, analytical methods, educational institutions |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Business Strategy, Engineering Principles, Health and Safety, Ethics, Education, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Information Management, Design Practice, Sustainability, Contract Administration, Digital Applications, Construction Technology, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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