A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND THERMAL COMFORT LEVELS IN NUS TEACHING LABORATORIES

Abstract

Singapore has a hot and humid climate with high rainfall. There had been numerous thermal comfort and indoor air quality studies carried out in schools, offices and eateries places, but not in laboratories. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to study the indoor air quality and thermal comfort levels in laboratories during occupied and nonoccupied periods. Objective and subjective assessments are carried out in NUS Teaching Laboratory 2 and 3. For the subjective assessment, both indoor air quality and thermal comfort levels are acceptable in both laboratories. However, a few SBS such as lethargy, eye irritation and dry throat were identified, even though the measurements of chemical parameters from objective assessment were within SS554:2016. For objective assessment, Teaching Laboratory 2 had air temperature that is lower than the lower limit of 23ºC. Moreover, the relative humidity in both laboratories had exceeded the SS554:2016 as the average RH in outdoor air is 78%. Thus to improve the indoor air quality in both laboratories, dehumidifiers are suggested to place in both laboratories.