Date of Award

6-2025

Degree Name

MS in Mechanical Engineering

Department/Program

Mechanical Engineering

College

College of Engineering

Advisor

Jennifer Mott Peuker

Advisor Department

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor College

College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences

Abstract

Indoor air quality (IAQ) significantly affects cognitive performance, yet many older buildings at Cal Poly, such as Building 20, struggle to maintain healthy indoor environments due to outdated ventilation systems. This thesis aims to identify issues and provide suggestions on how we can improve the learning environment to improve student success within Building 20. Temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration inside Building 20 were measured from January to April 2025. To determine the effects of different ventilation strategies, a model of Building 20, room 128, was developed and validated using DesignBuilder. Additionally, ventilation rates were measured and compared to a non-linear regression model that was developed. We found that CO2 levels exceeded 1000 ppm everyday with occupancy — a concentration that hinders cognitive functions. Temperature and relative humidity levels varied considerably and were not in the comfort zone for 85.7% of the monitoring time. This shows that students routinely face inconsistent conditions that hinder their learning. Analysis concludes that Building 20 does not have adequate ventilation to support a consistent and productive learning environment. Ventilation within Building 20 needs to be increased to support continued learning at Cal Poly.

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