Abstract

Retrofitting existing schools has become an urgent task in an increasingly changing climate and with the slow rate of the construction of new schools. Built several decades ago, many existing schools keep operating below current standards or recommendations for good indoor environmental quality. As we face an increasingly changing climate, those stressed learning spaces require solutions that could be simple and affordable to implement. This study uses measured data to document existing lighting conditions for predominant prototypical classrooms in a mild-temperate climate in Chile and predicts the effects of simple envelope retrofits. Those measurements were taken in the solstices, and curtains were open (lights on and off) and closed (light on) conditions; luminance evaluation was assessed through high dynamic range images. As the classroom does not comply with the reference thresholds, a series of simple envelope passive retrofits were evaluated through simulation. The study reveals the value of envelope retrofits being tested, revealing the potential for improvements through simple and affordable solutions for tight school budgets. This study shows that simple retrofitting could be implemented with little disruption, improving lighting and energy performance in buildings that will remain operative in the coming decades.