The issue of indoor air quality in schools has become much more pressing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But what is the best way to ventilate a classroom? To what extent does the installation of a ventilation system improve indoor air quality and how do comparatively simple interventions (ventilation traffic lights, awareness-raising, etc.) perform? In the new DIGIdat research project, researchers from the University of Innsbruck and the University of Teacher Education Tyrol are working with pupils and their teachers to investigate the interplay between indoor air quality, thermal comfort, energy efficiency and raising awareness of the topic.
The citizen science approach, i.e. the participation of pupils in scientific processes, for example, enables the collection of valuable measurement data on a larger scale (breadth and duration) in order to be able to make well-founded statements about the effectiveness of various solutions for improving indoor air quality in schools. In the course of this project, pupils also learn key aspects of a healthy indoor climate, sustainable construction, measurement technology and digital and scientific methods. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is thus actively supported.
With the help of easy-to-programme measurement technology, pupils take "ownership" of "their" indoor air quality sensors. These measureCO2 and particulate matter concentrations as well as temperature and relative humidity. In addition, relevant metadata, such as information about the school building, location, use of the classrooms, etc., is researched, collected and documented by the pupils. The measurement is accompanied by an assessment of subjective well-being based on surveys. Initial results are presented and discussed in workshops with other stakeholders (architects, building services planners, citizens' initiative, doctors) and recommendations for action are derived and improvement measures planned. These range from simple measures such as raising awareness or actively influencing ventilation behaviour (e.g. with ventilation traffic lights) to the installation of a mechanical ventilation system. The measurement data is collected directly in an open internet-based database and digitally processed and analysed as part of the project.
The project started in September 2022, will run for three years and aims to actively involve a total of around 750 pupils at 10 Tyrolean schools in the collection of measurement data.
