Consideration of Thermal Comfort, Daylighting Comfort, and Life-Cycle Decarbonization in the Retrofit of Kindergarten Buildings in China: A Case Study

Kindergartens play a crucial role in nurturing the physical, cognitive, and social development of children. Hence, designing kindergarten buildings requires the consideration of the unique requirements and behavior of children. Considering the rapid urbanization of China and its commitment to achieving the 3060 carbon goal, in this study, we examine the retrofitting of kindergarten buildings in China and propose a retrofit optimization method for kindergarten buildings that considers thermal comfort, daylighting, and life-cycle carbon emissions. Through this method, information on the thermal and daylighting comfort of occupants, weather data, occupant scheduling, and envelope and energy system of the kindergarten building to be retrofitted can be obtained through various approaches, such as video playback, field investigation, literature research, and consult drawings. On this basis, optimization variables are selected, and a physical model is established to guide the retrofit process. Afterward, a rapid comprehensive optimization framework based on parallel computing is adopted to obtain the comprehensive optimal design scheme for the building to be retrofitted. The proposed method is applied to a kindergarten building retrofit case in Nanjing, China, and the results show that the optimal comprehensive scheme results in a reduction in carbon emissions of 34,158.3 kg, an increase in the thermal comfort period of 2.7%, and an improvement in daylighting comfort of 79.7% over the benchmark scheme. The significance of this study extends beyond its potential for widespread application in kindergarten building retrofits. It contributes to advancing sustainable building design and environmental stewardship, creating healthier and more comfortable learning environments for children while mitigating the environmental impact of buildings. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of considering children’s unique needs and behaviors in building design, ultimately leading to better outcomes for their overall development.

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