Evaluation of Construction Materials and Environmental Situation Management in School Buildings Throughout a Half-Century (1970 to 2021) in Erbil City

Abstract

This study conducted on the selected five school buildings to evaluate the Environmental impact and sustainability. School sector is one of the buildings that impacted by several factors such as; Globalization, climate change, technology. Consequently, this research investigated construction materials, environmental conditions and management of the five selected schools that established during 1970 to 2021 in Erbil City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Five schools were selected due to using their different construction materials and environmental circumstances during the construction. Quantitative and qualitative data collection were obtained through site visits to the allocated schools. Results revealed that new materials for construction and finishing were used in the schools. Normally, green areas and sports yards in the schools were satisfactory. Window-to-floor ratio (WFR) figures for the chosen schools ranged between 14.9 % and 46.6 %. Accordingly, lighting and ventilation in the classrooms and sanitation were fulfilled. Noise pollution was observed due to the locations of the schools and the kind of materials. Solid waste gathering and cleaning of the schools were sound achieved. A firefighting system was not available in the selected schools. At the end of the study, it is concluded the summarized evaluation of school sustainability based on age and materials used for construction, the environment that provides for the students, and the classroom conditions as well. The findings will contribute to sustainability based on the knowledge and future direction of this research. The study will be the basic plan for development and keep sustainability of the building for future researchers on this subject, which is the goal of this study.