Designing for Health and Comfort and Cognitive Performance in Schools: What Do We Know?

This chapter evaluates the strength and consistency of current evidence indicating that there is an association between indoor pollutants and thermal conditions in schools on students’ performance. It examines evidence that air pollution and thermal conditions may have acute and adverse effects on students’ health which can indirectly affect performance, through impaired attendance and discomfort. It discusses three relevant projects: (a) The Effects of Thermal Conditions and Indoor Air Quality on Health, Comfort and Cognitive Performance of Students: A Systematic Review of the Literature, (b) Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in London’s Schools, and (c) The Effect of Temperature and Ventilation Rates on Cognitive Performance of Female Students in Hot and Dry Climates. A recent meta-analytic study employed a systematic approach to evaluate the potential relationship between asthma and asthmatic symptoms in children with exposure to traffic-related pollutants