sustainability
Article
Environmental Comfort Indicators for School
Buildings in Sustainability Assessment Tools
Tatiana Santos Saraiva 1, *, Manuela de Almeida 2
1
2
3
*
ID
, Luís Bragança 2 and Maria Teresa Barbosa 3
International Doctoral Program in Sustainable Built Environment, School of Engineering, Minho University,
Guimarães 4800058, Portugal
Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Minho University, Guimarães 4800058, Portugal;
malmeida@civil.uminho.pt (M.d.A.); braganca@civil.uminho.pt (L.B.)
Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036900, Brazil;
teresa.barbosa@engenharia.ufjf.br
Correspondence: saraivaus@yahoo.com; Tel.: +55-96-98106-1627
Received: 13 February 2018; Accepted: 30 May 2018; Published: 2 June 2018
Abstract: Decades ago, the only requirement to construct a building was to give men the right
conditions for the execution of their work or leisure activities. With the development of knowledge
about the internal and external environments of buildings, other requirements have been added
such as the issue of user comfort. New construction techniques have been incorporated and new
products have been created to improve internal environment comfort. This research addressed the
importance of using indicators related to environmental comfort in sustainability assessment tools
applied to school buildings. It also considered the importance of environmental issues for the good
performance of human beings, and the harmonious coexistence of the comfort indicators indoor air
quality, thermal comfort, visual comfort, acoustic comfort and ergonomic comfort based on data
gathered in research carried out with users of high schools (only students). This research was carried
out in two different cities of different countries, Guimarães (Portugal) and Juiz de Fora (Brazil),
that have similar characteristics of teaching standards and climate conditions (temperature and air
humidity). In this study, interviews were made through questionnaires and, later, the information
collected was analyzed. This study demonstrates the need to include an ergonomic indicator for
school buildings in sustainability assessment tools.
Keywords: comfort indicators; assessment tools; sustainability in school buildings
1. Introduction
Since the 1970s, architecture has been slowly reviving its concern with local climate, human
comfort and environmental impacts on a global level, resulting in bioclimatic architecture. According
to this concept of architecture, a building is responsible for the comfort of human beings, establishing
a relationship between local climate and the search for better conditions of internal environment
to provide user satisfaction in visual, hydrothermal, acoustic, ergonomic, emotional and cultural
aspects [1].
In the last decades, the negative effects caused to the environment by the construction industry
have grown, resulting in an increased worry about the measures related to the sustainability of
buildings, expressed by indexes, ratings or sustainability indicators. These indicators and ratings are
used in different contexts [2]. Several certification systems have been developed to assess sustainable
buildings and to better inform building users and, therefore, improve sustainability. Nowadays, there
is a huge variety of certification methodologies, using different sets of indicators, such as LEED and
BREEAM, in which the indicators are measured through the check in system, and SBTool, in which
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www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
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the indicators are measured according to the percentage value associated with each environmental
indicator [3].
School buildings are one of the most important facilities in a community given that students
spend about 25% of their time inside classrooms. Moreover, a school usually has a considerably higher
occupancy rate than any other type of building [4]. It is very important for schools to have a level
of indoor comfort that will not affect children’s health or intellectual performance. Besides, student
examination grades have proportionally decreased in relation to the increase in complaints concerning
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) factors such as indoor air quality and thermal, ergonomic, visual
and acoustic comfort [5].
However, there are many assessment tools and comparing their results is very difficult because
they were developed for different types of buildings or different phases of the construction process,
considering different perspectives of the building life cycle, or using different databases or guidelines.
Therefore, it is necessary to implement a specific methodology for each region, which is emphasized in
this paper.
This study addressed the importance of using comfort indicators in methodologies to assess the
sustainability of schools based on questionnaires applied in high schools in different cities and different
countries where the concept of sustainable development is more widespread: Guimarães (Portugal)
and Juiz de Fora (Brazil). This methodology is intended to minimize uncertainties and errors that may
occur in the parameters that allowed the evaluation of the concept of Indoor Environmental Quality in
different cultures.
It should be noted that the schools surveyed could not represent the whole country where they
are located (Portugal or Brazil) since they have great cultural and climatic diversity. The cities of Juiz
de Fora and Guimarães have similar average annual temperature, average annual humidity, building
characteristics and classroom layout, a result of Portuguese colonization. In addition, despite cultural
differences, the results were similar for both cities.
The significance of this paper lies in the presentation and discussion of classroom conditions that
influence children’s educational performance and the emphasis of the IEQ indicator for the student’s
well-being and attainment. Finally, the authors hope that this research may provide the basis for future
studies in other countries [6].
2. Review of Comfort Indicators
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is a popular theme in all sustainable development assessment
tools aimed at increasing the comfort, health and safety of a building’s occupant [7]. In most
methodologies for schools, such as LEED for School, SBTool for School and BREEAM Education,
the most common indicators are: thermal, acoustic and noise comfort; ventilation and contamination
level; and illumination and lighting [8]. A brief description of these indicators is presented below:
(i)
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is defined as the building’s ability to maintain the health and well-being
of its users through adequate temperature, air quality and air humidity [9]. Measurement of
indoor air quality is made to verify if internal pollutant concentrations are within the limits
established by local laws [10]. One of the most important environmental parameters that need
to be controlled is carbon dioxide and that can only be achieved through proper ventilation.
Inadequate IAQ conditions in classrooms can lead to a reduction in children’s performance of up
to 30% [11].
(ii) Thermal comfort is the condition of mind that generates satisfaction with the thermal
environment. [12]. Human thermal comfort is standardized by International Standard ISO
7730 (1994), which is based on studies conducted in 1970 by Fanger, Denmark [13]. According
to Barrett et al. (2015), thermal comfort is related to the learning progress, i.e., students usually
perform better in the classroom where the temperature is easy to control [14].
(iii) Visual comfort is the main factor considered regarding the lighting needs of a building. It is
related to the set of conditions in a specific environment in which human beings can develop
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their visual tasks with less effort, with reduced risk of accidents and damage to the eye, and
with maximum visual precision and accuracy [14]. Integrating objective and subjective aspects,
three fundamental aspects of learning spaces are achieved: efficiency, comfort and performance
modulated by appropriate design [15].
(iv) Acoustic comfort is the area of physics that studies sound, covering reception, spread, genesis
and sound insulation. Acoustic comfort depends on sound intelligibility, reverberation time and
noise control [16]. Noise can be generated from the school environment, common areas or inside
the classroom. Thus, it is very important to isolate areas that produce excessive noise so that
acoustic problems are reduced in the classroom. The design should avoid openings to streets and,
as far as possible, reduce windows and doors [17].
(v) Ergonomic comfort is the study of the adaptation of a man to the work, involving the physical
environment and organizational aspects related to the activities performed on site. School
furniture design demonstrates a close link between school desks, health problems and discipline
in class [18]. Anthropometric measurements of students vary between different ethnic groups,
cultures, ages, races and genders. It is difficult for a furniture designer to determine specific
dimensions for many students [19]; therefore, the best option to solve this problem is the use of
adaptable desks.
3. Materials and Methods
This research aimed to analyze the importance of environmental comfort in school buildings
in the cities of Guimarães (Portugal) and Juiz de Fora (Brazil), since they have similar temperature,
humidity and classroom conditions (room size, number of students per room, and others). The schools
studied in this research are traditional in their respective cities and were built in the nineteenth century.
The city of Guimarães is considered the ninth city in quality of life in Portugal (of a total of
338 cities) and has good education and health systems. The climate is hot and tempered with an
average annual temperature of 14 ◦ C, average annual air humidity of 81%, and annual precipitation
above 1500 mm. Francisco de Holanda High School, subject of this study, was built in 1864 and,
in 2011, underwent a major renovation for the purpose of modernization, and currently holds the title
of “standard school” in Portugal [20].
The city of Juiz de Fora is considered the seventh city in quality of life in the state of Minas Gerais
State, Brazil (of a total of 853 cities in this state). The climate is hot and tempered with an average
annual temperature of 16 ◦ C, average annual air humidity of 80%, and annual precipitation above
1500 mm. Colégio Cristo Redentor and Colégio Santa Catarina, subjects of this study, were built in 1891
and 1900, respectively. These buildings are a result of the influence of Portuguese colonization [21].
In this study, the questionnaire was based on Ricardo Mateus’ thesis [22], since it was developed
to be applied to students in Guimarães, Portugal. The adapted questionnaire (multiple-choice answers)
was used in high school students to identify the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) conditions in the
school buildings. After that, a statistical analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel, with a level of
probability of 0.05 (reliability coefficient), to evaluate the performance of the answers. Through the
analyses of the results, it was possible to understand which types of environmental comfort issues are
more important to the student.
To minimize errors, the questionnaires were applied in winter, when the temperatures were
similar, 8–15 ◦ C in Juiz de Fora and 8–18 ◦ C in Portugal. Air humidity was also high in both cities
(about 80%).
The multiple-choice answers of the questionnaires were sorted according to the level of importance
to the students and to how they interfere in their well-being and learning process, ranging from comfort
(very good) to extreme discomfort (insufficient). The complete survey is presented in the Appendix A
this article and comprises six questions.
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4. High School in Portugal
Francisco de Holanda High School (FHHS) was initially built to be an industrial school in 1864.
In 1959, a major renovation took place with the creation of its main building with three floors. In 2011,
there were new major renovations carried out by the Parque Escolar Company (in Portuguese, EPE) and
the school still uses a great part of the resources and equipment installed by the company. The school
represents the current school construction standard in Portugal [21], that is, it is a “Portuguese standard
school”.
The Program for the Modernization of Schools for Secondary Education (PMEES) aimed to place
Portuguese education in a position of international reference. The PMEES includes interventions in
332 schools. This program sets standards for all schools that are or will be reformed by the EPE. Table 1
shows several standards adopted by the PMEES regarding classroom comfort.
Table 1. Standards adopted by PMEES regarding classroom comfort. FHHS.
Content
Description
Dimensions
Normal classroom (50 m2 ), small (20 to 40 m2 ) and large (100 m2 )
Minimum classroom height: 2.70 m
Air quality
Transverse natural ventilation in all spaces of continuous occupation.
Occupancy of room = 26 people; air renewal rate = 30 m3 /h person
Thermal Comfort
Natural and or Forced Ventilation + Passive Cooling
Heat Recovery/Cooling Ventilation (Exchangers)
Roof insulation (strong insulation)
Double glasses in windows Exterior Wall Insulation
The exterior spans should be double-glazed with heat treatment
Spaces without HVAC, dry bulb temperatures can be between 18 and 28 ◦ C.
Sun protection—allow the passage of 25–30% of the radiation.
Visual comfort
Recommended level: 500 lux, with a maximum of 10 W/mC
49 W fluorescent lamp, with a minimum of 99.99% purity,
Acoustic Comfort
Ceiling with acoustic treatment;
Double glasses
The questionnaires were applied to high school students from 15 to 18 years old and the
environmental comfort verified in this work takes as a base the classroom, where students spend most
of their time. The research was done in nine classes, three of each grade, giving a total of 269 students.
Table 2 shows the main aspects related to the interview and classroom characteristics, and Table 3
shows the results of the survey, considering a total of 100% of the interviewed students, which reflects
how satisfied students are or not with different types of environmental comfort issues.
Table 2. Main aspects related to the interview and classroom characteristics of FHHS.
Content
Description
Interview Date
11 January 2017
Number of students in the school
1400
Number of student that answered
the questionnaires
269 (19.21% of total)
Temperature in the city
11 ◦ C to 15 ◦ C
Air humidity
85%
Temperature in the class
18 ◦ C to 22 ◦ C
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Table 2. Cont.
Content
Description
Air quality
Ozonium, formaldehyde, bacteria, legionella, radon, carbon dioxide and
carbon monoxide fungus, particles suspended in air with a diameter of
less than 10 µm and volatile organic compounds presented low results
according to Regulatory Compliance Statement for this construction.
Mechanical System
System of ventilation, aiding the entrance of new air, and air
conditioners in every classroom, maintaining the same temperature.
Window size
Glasses are double and laminated, separated by a chamber of
dehydrated air with 12 mm of thickness, helps to maintain the
temperature with efficient energy.
Window material
Windows are large (2 windows, H = 1 m and L = 2 m), there are also
skylights in darker places, favoring natural lighting.
Lamps
Fluorescent lamps or metal halide lamps are used, providing
adequate illumination.
Cover Material
The floor is formic; the wall has bright white paint with glass windows.
Reverberation time
0.75 s, which is high according to EN ISO 3382-2 (0.55 s to 0.60 s), since
the cover material is hard and smooth.
Sound level outside
35 db—does not interfere, and there is no noise from rooms close to
the classrooms.
Sound level inside
54 to 71 dB, higher than what is established in the European Comfort
Standard EN 15251 (30 to 45 dB).
Size of chairs and tables
Parque Escolar uses standard and fixed furniture, not adaptable to the
biotype of each student.
Table 3. Result of the percentages related to the students’ level of satisfaction with the different types
of environmental comfort indicators at Francisco de Holanda High School, Portugal.
IEQ
Level 1
Comfortable
Level 2
Slightly Uncomfortable
Level 3
Uncomfortable
Level 4
Very Uncomfortable
Thermal
Lighting
Acoustic
Air quality
Ergonomic
General
61%
78%
54%
72%
27%
56%
23%
18%
38%
2%
50%
31%
10%
4%
6%
26%
19%
12%
6%
0%
2%
1%
4%
1%
The statistical analysis between groups was done using Microsoft Excel (Analysis of variance
(ANOVA)) regarding the IEQ results for Francisco de Holanda High School. It verified that the
Fcalculated = 14.17 > Ftabulated = 3.23 (probability of 0.05), i.e., there is significant variability between
the data. The students’ satisfaction regarding thermal, lighting and air quality comfort was very
high, but the satisfaction was somewhat lower regarding acoustic comfort and deficient regarding
ergonomic comfort, as described below:
(i)
(ii)
Sixty-one percent of the students stated that they are comfortable with the temperature inside the
classroom, which is not a good result considering that this is one of the main problems found in
Portuguese buildings and it is advisable that 80% of the people [12] within the same environment
should be comfortable.
Seventy-eight percent of the students stated that they are comfortable with the lighting inside the
classroom, which is a good result. This result is within the expectations. Artificial lighting related
to the students’ level of comfort in this aspect seems to be quite adequate.
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(iii) Fifty-four percent of the students are comfortable with the noise level. It is a high value
considering that it is a classroom. The students’ dissatisfaction with the environment has a
strong relationship with their productivity. As it was informed in Table 1, the sounds come,
mainly, from the inside. The reverberation time (0.75 s) and the sound levels (54 to 71 dB) are
too high.
(iv) Seventy-two percent of the students stated that they are comfortable with the air quality inside
the classroom.
(v) Twenty-seven percent of the students stated that they are comfortable with ergonomics. This
low result related to the number of students who feel comfortable shows the need for greater
concerns with this aspect and, therefore, the inclusion of an indicator related to the ergonomics of
desks in the methodologies that evaluate and certify sustainability in school environments.
(vi) Fifty-six percent of the students are comfortable inside the classroom. This is not a good result,
mainly due to the level of satisfaction of the students who answered the questionnaire regarding
acoustic and ergonomic comfort.
Through the analysis of the information, there is a clear need to support the schools, giving
priority to ergonomic and to acoustic comfort related to IEQ in the Portuguese building school.
5. High Schools in Brazil
This section presents the questionnaires applied to the students of two high schools chosen in Juiz
de Fora. These schools are two of the best and most traditional private schools in the city, both of which
have been operating for more than 100 years. Colégio Santa Catarina was built in 1900 and Colégio
Cristo Redentor was founded in March 1891 by farmers and industrialists [21]. They are buildings
with three floors.
The questionnaires were applied to high school students from 15 to 18 years old and the
environmental comfort verified in this work takes as a base the classroom where students spend most
of their time. The research was done in six classes, two of each grade and two of each school, reaching
269 students. Table 4 shows the main aspects related to the interview and classroom characteristics and
Table 5 shows the results of the survey, considering a total of 100% of interviewed students, reflecting
how satisfied students are or not with different types of environmental comfort issues.
Table 5 reflects how satisfied or not students are with the different aspects of environmental
comfort at the Brazilian high schools. The statistical analysis between groups was done using Microsoft
Excel (ANOVA) regarding the IEQ results for the Brazilian High Schools. It verified that the Fcalculated
= 17.81 > Ftabulated = 3.09 (probability equal to 0.05), i.e., there is significant variability between the
data. The students’ satisfaction regarding thermal, lighting and air quality comfort was very high, but
the satisfaction was somewhat lower regarding acoustic comfort and deficient regarding ergonomic
comfort, as described below:
(i)
Seventy-five percent of the students stated that they are comfortable inside the classroom, which
is a reasonable result considering it is advisable that 80% of the people [12] within the same
environment should be comfortable.
(ii) Eighty percent of the students stated that they are comfortable with the lighting in the classroom,
which is a good result. This result is within the expectations. Lighting related to the students’
level of comfort in this aspect seems to be quite adequate.
(iii) Thirty-eight percent of the students are comfortable with the noise in the classroom. It is a high
value considering that it is a classroom. The students’ dissatisfaction with the environment has a
strong relationship with their productivity. As shown in Table 4, the sounds mainly come from
the inside. The reverberation time (0.86 s) and the sound levels (60 to 65 dB) are too high.
(iv) Seventy-nine percent of the students stated that they are comfortable with air quality in the
classroom, which is a good result. This result is within the expectations.
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(v)
Twenty-nine percent of the students are feeling comfortable with ergonomics. This low result
related to the number of students who feel comfortable is very close to the results found
in Portugal (vide Table 3), which show that 27% of the students are comfortable regarding
ergonomics. That emphasizes the need of including the indicator related to ergonomics of desks
in the methodologies that evaluate and certify sustainability in school environments.
(vi) Fifty-eight percent of the students feel comfortable with all the factors mentioned. This is not a
good result, mainly due to the level of satisfaction of the students who answered the questionnaire
regarding the acoustic and ergonomic comfort.
Table 4. Main aspects related to the interview and classroom characteristics in Juiz de Fora.
Content
Interview and Classroom Characteristics in Juiz de Fora Description
Interview Date
19 July 2017
Number of Students in the school
1980
Number of student that answered
the questionnaires
303 (57% from Colégio Santa Catarina + 43% from Colégio Cristo
Redentor)
Temperature in the City
11 ◦ C to 14 ◦ C
Air humidity
81%
Temperature in the class
14 ◦ C to 18 ◦ C
Air quality
Ozonium, formaldehyde, bacteria, legionella, radon, carbon dioxide and
carbon monoxide fungus, particles suspended in air with a diameter of
less than 10 µm and volatile organic compounds presented low results
according to Regulatory Compliance Statement for this construction.
Mechanical System
The classrooms of both schools do not have heating systems but they
can maintain the internal temperature.
Window size
The windows are large, favoring natural lighting.
Window material
Windows are large (2 windows, H = 1 m and L = 2 m), there are also
skylights in darker places, favoring natural lighting.
Lamps
Most of the lamps used are fluorescent, offering a good illumination.
Cover Material
The external walls are made of solid bricks, and the windows used are
simple and without special sealing.
Reverberation time
0.86 s, which is high according to EN ISO 3382-2 (0.55 s to 0.60 s), since
the cover material is hard and smooth.
Sound level outside
35 dB—does not interfere, and there is no noise from rooms close to
the classrooms.
Sound level inside
60 to 65 dB, higher than what is established in the European Comfort
Standard EN 15251 (30 to 45 dB).
Size of chairs and tables
The schools use standard furniture, not adaptable to the biotype of
each student.
Table 5. Result of the percentages related to the students’ level of satisfaction with the different types
of environmental comfort indicators at High Schools in Juiz de Fora, Brazil.
IEQ
Level 1
Comfortable (C)
Level 2
Slightly Uncomfortable (SU)
Level 3
Uncomfortable (U)
Level 4
Very Uncomfortable (VU)
Thermal
Lighting
Acoustic
Air quality
Ergonomic
General
75%
80%
38%
79%
29%
58%
14%
12%
39%
1%
29%
30%
9%
6%
13%
20%
28%
11%
2%
1%
10%
1%
14%
1%
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Through the analysis of the information, there is a clear need to support the schools, giving
priority to ergonomic and acoustic comfort without forgetting the other three indicators.
6. Discussion
Table 6 and Figure 1 show the differences and similarities between the percentages of
environmental comfort perceived by the students of the schools of Juiz de Fora (Brazil) and Guimarães.
Table 6. Comparison of the percentages of the answers given by students of the schools of Juiz de Fora
(BR) and Guimarães (PT) regarding environment comfort.
Level 1
Comfortable (C)
IEQ
Thermal
Lighting
Acoustic
Air quality
Ergonomic
General
Level 2
Slightly Uncomfortable (SU)
Level 3
Uncomfortable (U)
Level 4
Very Uncomfortable (VU)
(BR)
(PT)
(BR)
(PT)
(BR)
(PT)
(BR)
(PT)
75%
80%
38%
79%
29%
58%
61%
78%
54%
72%
27%
56%
14%
12%
39%
1%
29%
30%
23%
18%
38%
2%
50%
31%
9%
6%
13%
20%
28%
11%
10%
4%
6%
26%
19%
12%
2%
1%
10%
1%
14%
1%
6%
0%
2%
0%
4%
1%
The statistical analysis between groups (Table 6) using Microsoft Excel (ANOVA) regarding the
IEQ results for the Brazilian and Portuguese High Schools found that:
(i)
(ii)
s). These high values occur because the classroom’s surface materials are smooth and
For the countries: Fcalculated = 0.02 < Ftabulated = 2.60 (probability equal to 0.05), i.e., there
is no significant variability between countries. The Brazilian students and Portuguese students
have the same parameters in building school.
For the IEQ: Fcalculated = 9.68 < Ftabulated = 2.60 (probability equal to 0.05), i.e., there is
significant variability of IEQ between the countries.
As can be seen in Table 6, the general results of environmental comfort assessments are similar,
since the cities of Juiz de Fora (Brazil) and Guimarães (Portugal) have similar characteristics, such as
temperature and humidity.
V U PT
V U BR
U PT
U BR
S U PT
S U BR
C PT
C BR
General
Ergonomic
Air quality
Acoustic
Lighting
Thermal
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Figure 1. IEQ for Brazilian high school and Portuguese high school.
’
80%
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The results on acoustic comfort (see Table 6) show that just 38% of Brazilian students and 54% of
Portuguese students are comfortable. That was so because, at the Brazilian high schools, the sound
level inside the class is around 54 to 71 dB and the reverberation time is 0.86 s, and at the Portuguese
school the sound level is 49 to 65 dB and the reverberation time is 75 s. These values are higher
than what is recommended by the European Comfort Standard EN 15251 (30 to 45 dB) and EN ISO
3382-2, (0.55 s to 0.60 s). These high values occur because the classroom’s surface materials are smooth
and hard, accentuating reverberation, and the walls dividing one room from the other do not have
adequate acoustic insulation treatment.
The level of ergonomic comfort has low results (under 30%), in comparison with other IEQ values
because there are standard desks in all schools, which can cause discomfort and muscle pain in the
users. Considering that there are large differences in size among teenagers, adaptable portfolios that
fit the biotype of each student should be used.
Finally, there is a need to consider the ergonomic comfort of school buildings in sustainability
assessment tools because it is very important of environmental issues for the performance of
human beings.
7. Conclusions
This study made clear the importance of maintaining comfort indicators within a sustainable
range, specifically for school environments, since students stay long periods inside the school and
comfort interferes in the students’ health, concentration and learning. It also aimed to determine
the need of including the ergonomic comfort indicator in sustainability assessment tools for school
buildings, for the sake of the welfare of the students, since most of the students, 73% in Portugal and
71% in Brazil, feel school desks are uncomfortable.
Another aspect observed through the results of the work is that, although there are common
characteristics between the cities of Guimarães and Juiz de Fora (such as temperature, humidity and
school characteristics), different results were found for most indicators studied. Therefore, there is
a clear need of adaptation of this methodology to each location in each country. Brazil has a large
territorial area, so several adaptations of the methodology will be necessary to adjust it to the specific
needs of each region.
A good sustainability assessment tool interfere with the well-being of the building users and
improve quality of life. Moreover, there is a great tendency of local legislation to follow the
requirements of the methodology applied to assess sustainability in school buildings, especially
when it is widely used by the population, thus bringing great benefits.
The study carried out in Juiz de Fora serves to open precedents for new research in Brazil related to
sustainability assessment methodologies specific for schools that may be adapted to different Brazilian
regions. This kind of research is unprecedented and necessary considering that sustainability has
growing demand around the world and there is a huge demand for this subject in Brazil.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, T.S.S. and M.A.; Methodology, T.S.S. and M.T.B.; Formal Analysis,
M.A., M.T.B. and T.S.S. ; Investigation, T.S.S.; Writing-Original Draft Preparation, T.S.S.; Writing-Review & Editing,
M.A., M.T.B., T.S.S. and L.B.; Project Administration, T.S.S.; Funding Acquisition, T.S.S.
Acknowledgments: The corresponding author wants to thank: the teacher and Administrative Director of
Francisco de Holanda High School, Abílio Ferreira, for showing me the school and giving all the necessary
information, always with great attention; Parque Escolar Company (EPE) for supplying the necessary material for
the execution of the work; and Mrs. Catarina Araujo for helping me in the conception of this article. This research
did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Appendix
Questionnaires—Environmental Comfort Indicators—Students
Grade Date:
Sustainability 2018, 10, 1849
1.
Check the feeling of comfort where you are, considering only the temperature.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
2.
Fresh
Muffled
Odorless
Smelly
Comfortable
A little polluted
Polluted
Very Polluted
Check the feeling of comfort, considering only the level of ergonomic comfort, that is, the comfort
offered by desks and the movement of students in the classroom.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
6.
Comfortable
Slightly noisy
Noisy
Very noisy
Check the feeling of comfort, considering only the level of air quality.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
5.
Comfortable
A little uncomfortable with excessive lighting
Uncomfortable with excessive lighting with lighting
Very uncomfortable with excessive lighting
A little uncomfortable with insufficient lighting
Uncomfortable with insufficient lighting
Very uncomfortable with insufficient lighting
Check the feeling of comfort, considering only the noise level
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
4.
Comfortable
Very cold
Cold
A little cold
A little hot
Warm
Very warm
Check the feeling of comfort, considering only the lighting.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
3.
10 of 11
Comfortable
A little uneasy
Uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Check the sense of comfort considering all the factors mentioned above.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Comfortable
Slightly uncomfortable
Uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Sustainability 2018, 10, 1849
11 of 11
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