An indoor environmental quality study for higher education buildings with an integrated BIM-based platform.

Maigari, Mukhtar, Fu, Changfeng, Balodimou, Efcharis ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1249-3941, Kc, Prapooja, Sudhakaran, Seeja and Sakikhales, Mohammad ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0019-2084 (2025) An indoor environmental quality study for higher education buildings with an integrated BIM-based platform. Sustainability, 17 (13). pp. 1-27.

[thumbnail of PDF/A]
Preview
PDF (PDF/A)
An Indoor Environmental Quality Study for Higher Education Buildings_MaigariM_accessible.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (5MB) | Preview

Abstract

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of higher education (HE) buildings significantly impacts the built environment sector. This research aimed to optimize learning environments and enhance student comfort, especially post-COVID-19. The study adopts the principles of Post-occupancy Evaluation (POE) to collect and analyze various quantitative and qualitative data through environmental data monitoring, a user perceptions survey, and semi-structured interviews with professionals. Although the environmental conditions generally met existing standards, the findings indicated opportunities for further improvements to better support university communities’ comfort and health. A significant challenge identified by this research is the inability of the facility management to physically manage and operate the vast and complex spaces within HE buildings with contemporary IEQ standards. In response to these findings, this research developed a BIM-based prototype for the real-time monitoring and automated control of IEQ. The prototype integrates a BIM model with Arduino-linked sensors, motors, and traffic lights, with the latter visually indicating IEQ status, while motors automatically adjust environmental conditions based on sensor inputs. The outcomes of this study not only contribute to the ongoing discourse on sustainable building management, especially post-pandemic, but also demonstrate an advancement in the application of BIM technologies to improve IEQ and by extension, occupant wellbeing in HE buildings.

Item Type: Article
Identifier: 10.3390/su17136155
Keywords: building information modeling (BIM); facilities management (FM); higher education (HE) buildings; indoor environmental quality (IEQ); post-occupancy evaluation (POE)
Subjects: Construction and engineering
Depositing User: Mukhtar Maigari
Date Deposited: 07 Jul 2025 08:35
Last Modified: 07 Jul 2025 11:15
URI: https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/13825

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Menu