Indoor Air Quality monitoring in a historic school in South Tyrol, Italy

Children spend a large part of their growing years in schools, so it is essential to monitor and maximize the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the classrooms. In South Tyrol (northern Italy) many schools are characterised as historic and heritage buildings and improving IAQ poses a great challenge because of the need to maintain the integrity of the architectural characteristics of the structure. The aim of this paper is to provide insights into the effectiveness of a commercial low-cost smart CO₂-based visual alerting system used to improve IAQ in an urban kindergarten located in a historic building. Air temperature, relative humidity, along with indoor and outdoor air pollutants, were monitored in a classroom of 22 occupants before and after installation of the passive system. Based on high indoor CO₂ concentration and other parameters, the device alerts when to open the windows to facilitate air exchange. This research focuses on the measurements during the first few weeks after installation of the smart device. It did not show a considerable decrease in the CO₂ levels, but an improvement is desirable as the occupants become more familiar with the device. This will allow heritage buildings to guarantee a healthier environment in a simple and low-cost way.