Dataset of indoor air parameter measurements relating to indoor air quality and thermal comfort in South African primary school classrooms of various building infrastructure types

Abstract

In the resource-constrained South African education sector, infrastructure considered temporary or a backup in other countries is used as permanent classrooms, primarily but not exclusively in lower-income areas. Children's cognitive performance and comfort are directly impacted by indoor air quality. Temperature, relative humidity, particulate matter and CO2 levels, substantial determinants of air quality and thermal comfort, have not been investigated across different classroom building and infrastructure types. We measure these parameters with 11-min intervals in 24 classrooms at schools in Stellenbosch, South Africa. These classrooms consist of a range of different infrastructure types. Container classrooms with and without insulation, mobile (prefabricated) classrooms, and brick classrooms of different configurations are included. Measurements are concurrently sampled over ten months (249 days, still ongoing) across multiple seasons with relevant metadata, including ambient weather conditions, school days and times, and electricity availability in the (South) African context, which impacts air conditioning usage. This dataset provides valuable insights into true learning conditions in South African classrooms.

Keywords

• Indoor air quality
• Carbon dioxide
• Particulate matter
• Thermal environment
• Portable classrooms
• Brick classrooms