What is it about?
Classrooms in tropical climates often become too hot for effective learning. This study examines how natural, low-energy cooling methods can improve classroom comfort without relying on air-conditioning. By testing a real school building in Costa Rica, the research shows that simple strategies such as increasing air movement and insulating roofs can keep classrooms comfortable for most of the school day while using far less energy.
Featured Image
Photo by Allen Y on Unsplash
Why is it important?
As global temperatures rise, many schools in tropical regions are becoming uncomfortably hot, making it harder for students to learn. This study is timely because it shows that simple, low-cost passive design solutions can significantly improve classroom comfort. By reducing heat while using very little energy, these strategies can help create healthier learning environments and lower long-term energy costs for schools in hot climates.
Perspectives
When I was in ninth grade, I joined a student exchange and attended a school on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. That’s where I first experienced how difficult it is to learn in an overheated classroom. By mid-morning, sweat would drip onto the paper while we were trying to write, and the ceiling fans barely made little difference. I don’t clearly remember how well I did in my exams, but I vividly recall how exhausting those school days felt and how I needed a long Siesta every afternoon just to recover from the heat. - With all the knowledge and technology we have today, I believe we can, and should, do much better when designing schools in the Tropics.
Dr. Jan-Frederik Flor
Taylor's University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Too hot to learn? Evaluation of passive design strategies for schools in the warm humid tropics, Architectural Science Review, October 2025, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/00038628.2025.2563626.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Reducing Classroom Temperature in a Tropical Climate Improved the Thermal Comfort and the Performance of Elementary School Pupils.
A two-week-long intervention study was performed in two classrooms in an elementary school in Costa Rica. Split-cooling air-conditioning (AC) units were installed in both classrooms. During the first week, the air temperature was reduced in one classroom while in the other (placebo) classroom the fans were operated but no cooling was provided. During the second week, the conditions were exchanged to create a 2 × 2 crossover design in which each pupil was their own control. A total of 37 children performed tasks similar to school work and completed questionnaires reporting their thermal sensation and perceptions. Operating the AC units reduced classroom temperature by about 5 K, from about 30 to 25°C. Thermal sensations changed from hot to neutral and slightly cold, and the percentage of children rating the thermal conditions as acceptable increased significantly. Neutral temperature was estimated to be about 27°C. The 11-year-old children performed the language and logical-thinking tasks significantly better in terms of speed at the lower temperature, while the less able pupils performed better on all tasks at the lower temperature. There were no significant effects on accuracy. These results confirm published findings from moderate climates and extend their validity to the tropics. They indicate that acclimatization can increase the optimal temperature for learning.
A Day in the Life of a Costa Rican School Pupil
A glimpse into a school day in Costa Rica through the eyes of 10-year-old Alison. From morning assembly to lessons in Maths, English, and Sports, this video shows how pupils study, learn English for their future, enjoy a healthy lunch, and balance hard work with fun in a tropical setting.
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