Comparative study of comfort indicators for school constructions in sustainability methodologies: schools in the amazon and the southeast region of Brazil

Abstract

In the 1970s and 1980s, the effects of pollution in the atmosphere grew from a local to a global scale, affecting the entire planet. Consequently, economic and social issues began to be increasingly more connected with environmental protection. Several measures were taken towards environmental preservation, many of those related to the sustainable construction of buildings. This work intended to make a parallel between comfort indicators among different schools in Brazil, beginning with the specific analyses of schools in Juiz de Fora (Minas Gerais, MG), in the Southeast region, and in Macapá (Amapa, AP), in the Amazon or Northern region. This comparison between schools is made to demonstrate the need to adapt methodologies and certifications that promote sustainability in school buildings for each region of Brazil. Questionnaires about ergonomic, thermal, visual and acoustic comfort, and air quality, were applied in two high-school buildings in Juiz de Fora, Academia School and Santa Catarina School, and in two high schools in Macapá, Tiradentes School and Professor Gabriel Almeida Café school, to understand the difference between these two regions of Brazil regarding comfort conditions. A comparison between the results of the four schools was made, proving the necessity of the elaboration of a specific methodology for each Brazilian region.