Since Americans, on average, spend approximately 90% of their time indoors according to the EPA, it is crucial to provide room occupants with the best, most comfortable, and healthiest possible environment, which is known as Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). This thesis aims to identify how we can provide comfortable learning environments to improve student success. To determine the best possible environment for occupants, a model of the Math & Science Building was developed, validated, and modified using DesignBuilder. In addition, we compared thermal comfort surveys to actual measured conditions for some classrooms. Analysis indicates that students prefer a cooler thermal environment rather than a warmer thermal environment and that the Fanger PMV model is not as accurate as anticipated for predicting thermal comfort. Ventilation strategies could be modified to improve the indoor conditions, especially during exam times and in the afternoon when CO2 is shown to be at the highest concentration.
","abstract_html":"<p>Since Americans, on average, spend approximately 90% of their time indoors according to the EPA, it is crucial to provide room occupants with the best, most comfortable, and healthiest possible environment, which is known as Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). This thesis aims to identify how we can provide comfortable learning environments to improve student success. To determine the best possible environment for occupants, a model of the Math & Science Building was developed, validated, and modified using DesignBuilder. In addition, we compared thermal comfort surveys to actual measured conditions for some classrooms. Analysis indicates that students prefer a cooler thermal environment rather than a warmer thermal environment and that the Fanger PMV model is not as accurate as anticipated for predicting thermal comfort. Ventilation strategies could be modified to improve the indoor conditions, especially during exam times and in the afternoon when CO2 is shown to be at the highest concentration.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fariborzi, Pouria Ali"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS in Mechanical Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Jennifer Mott Peuker","Mechanical Engineering","College of Engineering"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:32:37Z","subjects":["Mechanical Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.15368/theses.2022.1"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.15368/theses.2022.1","href":"https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2022.1","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2597","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Jennifer Mott Peuker","Mechanical Engineering","College of Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fariborzi, Pouria Ali"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-01-30T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS in Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2597","10.15368/theses.2022.1"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Since Americans, on average, spend approximately 90% of their time indoors according to the EPA, it is crucial to provide room occupants with the best, most comfortable, and healthiest possible environment, which is known as Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). This thesis aims to identify how we can provide comfortable learning environments to improve student success. To determine the best possible environment for occupants, a model of the Math & Science Building was developed, validated, and modified using DesignBuilder. In addition, we compared thermal comfort surveys to actual measured conditions for some classrooms. Analysis indicates that students prefer a cooler thermal environment rather than a warmer thermal environment and that the Fanger PMV model is not as accurate as anticipated for predicting thermal comfort. Ventilation strategies could be modified to improve the indoor conditions, especially during exam times and in the afternoon when CO2 is shown to be at the highest concentration.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An Analysis of Thermal Comfort Perception in Cal Poly's Math & Science Building"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Jennifer Mott Peuker","Mechanical Engineering","College of Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Fariborzi, Pouria Ali"],"dc:date.available":["2022-01-30T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Since Americans, on average, spend approximately 90% of their time indoors according to the EPA, it is crucial to provide room occupants with the best, most comfortable, and healthiest possible environment, which is known as Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). This thesis aims to identify how we can provide comfortable learning environments to improve student success. To determine the best possible environment for occupants, a model of the Math & Science Building was developed, validated, and modified using DesignBuilder. In addition, we compared thermal comfort surveys to actual measured conditions for some classrooms. Analysis indicates that students prefer a cooler thermal environment rather than a warmer thermal environment and that the Fanger PMV model is not as accurate as anticipated for predicting thermal comfort. Ventilation strategies could be modified to improve the indoor conditions, especially during exam times and in the afternoon when CO2 is shown to be at the highest concentration.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2597","10.15368/theses.2022.1"],"dc:subject":["Mechanical Engineering"],"dc:title":["An Analysis of Thermal Comfort Perception in Cal Poly's Math & Science Building"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:32:37Z"}