Analyses of the thermal evaluation method of Proinfância program preschool designs

Abstract

Proinfância Program was created to increase preschools vacancies and introduce standardized designs to facilitate bidding processes and their implementation in Brazilian municipalities. The Program Manual requires that any preschool design achieves the Minimum level of thermal performance for winter and the Intermediate level for summer, according to the simulation method of NBR 15.575: 2013. However, the Manual does not correlate the thermal performance levels with thermal comfort temperatures for the appropriate development of scholar activities. Thus, this work analyzes the adequacy of the thermal assessment method of preschools proposed by the Manual by correlating the thermal performance levels achieved by a standard design with thermal comfort temperature ranges in the eight bioclimatic zones defined by NBR 15.220: 2005. Thermal performance was assessed using the NBR 15,575: 2013 simulation method, while thermal comfort was analyzed according to the ASHRAE Standard 55-2017 adaptive model. In order to reduce uncertainties of the NBR 15,575 simulation method because of its residential focus, adaptations were made to assess the preschool thermal performance.  It was found that the undefined parameters of the NBR and the Proinfância Manual might change the project’s thermal performance classification. Furthermore, the thermal performance assessment temperatures are not following thermal comfort ranges, nevertheless reaching allowable classifications by the Proinfância Manual. This study emphasizes the importance of developing specific thermal comfort regulations for schools..