Indoor Environmental Air Quality Assessment of University Workspaces in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

This study investigated indoor environmental air quality (IEAQ) across university workspaces at a higher education institution in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), assessing environmental conditions that may influence occupant health, the surrounding environment, and sustainability. Physical parameters (temperature, relative humidity, noise, and illuminance), chemical parameters (indoor gases and particulate matter), and biological contaminants (airborne bacteria and fungi) were measured in semi-occupied indoor environments with a total of 68 random samples collected and analyzed. Perceived heat discomfort and environmental variability were assessed using the Thom Discomfort Index (TDI), Humidex Index, ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U, and one-sample t-tests. Average measurements of relative humidity, temperature, noise, and illuminance were 60.7%, 21.6 °C, 57.5 dB, and 440 lux, respectively. Average concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, CO, and CO2 were 1223 ppm, 104 ppm, 1 ppm, and 623 ppm, respectively. Microbial contamination was generally insignificant across most investigated workspaces. While most measured parameters remained within recommended threshold limit values (TLVs), elevated levels of noise, illuminance, and particulate matter were observed in selected workspaces. These findings demonstrate that university indoor environments generally maintain acceptable air quality conditions; however, targeted interventions, including improved HVAC maintenance and indoor pollutant management, are required to enhance sustainable university indoor environments and optimize occupant comfort.