C27 -- Unlocking Extensive School Building Usage through Adaptable Ventilation Design: LCA & LCCA

To date, school buildings remain unused for substantial periods of time outside of school hours. This inefficient usage of infrastructure is unsustainable from multiple points of view. First, it is not in line with the principles of the circular economy which advocates valorizing all materials and products as much as possible. Second, school boards are not exploiting their financial potential: letting infrastructure to external users can increase revenues. Finally, it has also been proven that involving the local community more closely in school activities can lead to substantial positive effects on a social scale, both in the short and long run. To understand why this potential is not being capitalized on, it is important to look at the mechanisms which prevent using school buildings more extensively. An important barrier is linked to the infrastructure itself, as many buildings are not designed with adaptability in mind. Such adaptability would allow for a flexible use of buildings which is required for a local community to become more extensively involved in the school. One of the main knowledge gaps concerns the implementation of ventilation in adaptable buildings. This knowledge gap limits the possibilities of using buildings in a flexible manner since a flexible building usage can lead to fluctuating ventilation requirements. Therefore, this paper aims at illustrating how ventilation can unlock a more extensive use of school buildings in a sustainable manner. To achieve this goal, a case study is developed where flexible building usage occurs in both the short- and long-term, with usage scenarios based on the needs of educational stakeholders. Three different ventilation strategies are implemented in this case study: a centralized balanced mechanical ventilation system, a decentralized balanced mechanical ventilation system and a mechanical exhaust ventilation system in which air is supplied naturally through vents. To quantitatively assess the sustainability of these ventilation strategies, a life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is carried out. The results show that ventilation strategies which are more material-efficient are more sustainable in a flexible context.