Ventilation Strategies to Ensure Thermal Comfort for Users in School Buildings: A Critical Review

People spend most of their time indoors, where air quality is crucial to health. In this context, this study conducts a critical review of ventilation strategies in schools to ensure air quality, as well as to guarantee students’ thermal comfort. Based on a bibliographical review, strategies from pr...

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Main Authors: María Teresa Aguilar-Carrasco, Remedios María López-Lovillo, Rafael Suárez, Ángel Luis León-Rodríguez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5449
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author María Teresa Aguilar-Carrasco
Remedios María López-Lovillo
Rafael Suárez
Ángel Luis León-Rodríguez
author_facet María Teresa Aguilar-Carrasco
Remedios María López-Lovillo
Rafael Suárez
Ángel Luis León-Rodríguez
author_sort María Teresa Aguilar-Carrasco
collection DOAJ
description People spend most of their time indoors, where air quality is crucial to health. In this context, this study conducts a critical review of ventilation strategies in schools to ensure air quality, as well as to guarantee students’ thermal comfort. Based on a bibliographical review, strategies from previous studies are identified and evaluated in order to determine their advantages. After a detailed search, a total of 19 articles were selected, which provides a thorough analysis of the ventilation strategies in school buildings considering thermal comfort. The identified strategies were categorized into natural, mechanical, and hybrid types. The results reveal a prevalence of natural ventilation, which accounts for over 50% of strategies in all climates. Mechanical ventilation is less common and is applicable to around 30% of cases. Hybrid strategies, combining natural and mechanical ventilation, are the least used and only appear in oceanic climates, with a usage rate of 20%. Most studies highlight the lack of air conditioning in many schools, making adequate thermal stress management through ventilation crucial. The results analyzed clearly show a lack of studies with optimal results whose ventilation strategies can be replicated in other similar educational buildings, ensuring thermal comfort and air quality.
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publisher MDPI AG
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series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-bb31e50e8e9b4437ba34301c3934e66e2025-08-20T01:56:14ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011510544910.3390/app15105449Ventilation Strategies to Ensure Thermal Comfort for Users in School Buildings: A Critical ReviewMaría Teresa Aguilar-Carrasco0Remedios María López-Lovillo1Rafael Suárez2Ángel Luis León-Rodríguez3Departamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas I, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. de Reina Mercedes 2, 41012 Seville, SpainDepartamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas I, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. de Reina Mercedes 2, 41012 Seville, SpainInstituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. De Reina Mercedes 2, 41012 Seville, SpainInstituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. De Reina Mercedes 2, 41012 Seville, SpainPeople spend most of their time indoors, where air quality is crucial to health. In this context, this study conducts a critical review of ventilation strategies in schools to ensure air quality, as well as to guarantee students’ thermal comfort. Based on a bibliographical review, strategies from previous studies are identified and evaluated in order to determine their advantages. After a detailed search, a total of 19 articles were selected, which provides a thorough analysis of the ventilation strategies in school buildings considering thermal comfort. The identified strategies were categorized into natural, mechanical, and hybrid types. The results reveal a prevalence of natural ventilation, which accounts for over 50% of strategies in all climates. Mechanical ventilation is less common and is applicable to around 30% of cases. Hybrid strategies, combining natural and mechanical ventilation, are the least used and only appear in oceanic climates, with a usage rate of 20%. Most studies highlight the lack of air conditioning in many schools, making adequate thermal stress management through ventilation crucial. The results analyzed clearly show a lack of studies with optimal results whose ventilation strategies can be replicated in other similar educational buildings, ensuring thermal comfort and air quality.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5449ventilationthermal comfortschoolstrategyindoor air quality
spellingShingle María Teresa Aguilar-Carrasco
Remedios María López-Lovillo
Rafael Suárez
Ángel Luis León-Rodríguez
Ventilation Strategies to Ensure Thermal Comfort for Users in School Buildings: A Critical Review
Applied Sciences
ventilation
thermal comfort
school
strategy
indoor air quality
title Ventilation Strategies to Ensure Thermal Comfort for Users in School Buildings: A Critical Review
title_full Ventilation Strategies to Ensure Thermal Comfort for Users in School Buildings: A Critical Review
title_fullStr Ventilation Strategies to Ensure Thermal Comfort for Users in School Buildings: A Critical Review
title_full_unstemmed Ventilation Strategies to Ensure Thermal Comfort for Users in School Buildings: A Critical Review
title_short Ventilation Strategies to Ensure Thermal Comfort for Users in School Buildings: A Critical Review
title_sort ventilation strategies to ensure thermal comfort for users in school buildings a critical review
topic ventilation
thermal comfort
school
strategy
indoor air quality
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5449
work_keys_str_mv AT mariateresaaguilarcarrasco ventilationstrategiestoensurethermalcomfortforusersinschoolbuildingsacriticalreview
AT remediosmarialopezlovillo ventilationstrategiestoensurethermalcomfortforusersinschoolbuildingsacriticalreview
AT rafaelsuarez ventilationstrategiestoensurethermalcomfortforusersinschoolbuildingsacriticalreview
AT angelluisleonrodriguez ventilationstrategiestoensurethermalcomfortforusersinschoolbuildingsacriticalreview