Across Europe, schools are grappling with the twin challenges of climate change and indoor air quality. Rising temperatures, pollen, wildfire smoke, and urban pollution increasingly threaten student health, comfort, and learning performance. In some regions, summer heat has even forced temporary school closures, while poor ventilation continues to undermine focus and wellbeing inside classrooms.
During the HealthRiskAdapt Consortium in Lyon, the teams from TNO, VFA, and Lucam presented a vision that felt distinctly ahead of its time.
While most public discussions still revolve around basic CO₂ reduction or post-COVID hygiene, the SchoolVent project takes a far more ambitious approach, reimagining how classrooms can be clean, safe, and resilient in the face of heat, pollution, and a changing climate.
In a joint interview, the three partners, scientists, technologists, and engineers, shared how their collaboration bridges research and real-world innovation. Few projects illustrate so clearly how shared ambition and cross-disciplinary thinking can lead to tangible breakthroughs in education and health.
Because this topic remains underexposed, this interview aims to shed light on the science, technology, and engineering behind SchoolVent, and to reveal how this collaboration between TNO, VFA, and Lucam came to life, from first prototypes to full-scale pilots in European schools.
Q: How does SchoolVent compare with other ventilation systems currently used in Europe?
TNO: “The unique collaboration between research, technology, and engineering sets SchoolVent apart. While CO₂ sensors and basic ventilation are becoming standard, few systems integrate fine dust filtration with temperature control and user feedback in the way SchoolVent does.”
VFA: “Other European systems rarely use electrostatic filtration at this level including performance and safety. Ventilation systems normally use conventional fiber filters. Some even claim low pressure drop / high energy labels by replacing the filters earlier, which in fact increasing the amount of disposable and the maintenance costs. Besides, conventional filters retain dust and humidity and hence biofilms can be formed on them and hence become the source of new pathogens and diseases (part of the sick building syndrome).
Other electrostatic systems lack proper control and hence cannot comply to required safety levels as the case with the VFA technologies. It is important to understand that the ASPRA is not an electrostatic filter but and Electrostatic filtration system. The SchoolVent’s combination of components and monitoring provides a performance advantage on many levels: performance, costs, safety, sustainability and future qualification.”
Lucam: “The engineering design, particularly in airflow and heat exchange, also differentiates our system. Many European units do not optimise for energy efficiency, sound reduction, or filter maintenance in the same integrated way.”
Mission in Motion
At the heart of the SchoolVent initiative lies a shared mission: translating science into tangible solutions that protect health, improve comfort, and advance sustainability. The project turns precision research into practical impact, exactly where innovation meets purpose.
Piet Jacobs, Senior Scientist at TNO Presenting key insights from the SchoolVent project at the HealthRiskAdapt Consortium.
Q: Why focus on classroom air quality?
TNO: “Better air improves attention, comfort, learning outcomes, and health. CO₂ levels and temperature have a direct effect on student performance.”
Collaboration Driving Innovation
Nine years of research have shown that air filtration and cooling cannot operate in isolation. As TNO discovered in early trials, “Improved filtration is only effective when combined with cooling. Without it, classrooms remained uncomfortably hot, and windows were opened, letting in polluted air.”
Q: What makes SchoolVent unique?
VFA: “Our electrostatic filtration system achieves high performance, safety, and sustainability while keeping energy consumption low and maintenance minimal.”
Pilot Success: Montessori Lyceum, Zeist
The school, located near a busy highway, was a perfect test bed. Before SchoolVent, winter CO₂ levels sometimes reached 4000 ppm, and summer heat forced temporary closures. With the system installed, classrooms consistently achieved Class A indoor climate standards, reducing CO₂ to below 900 ppm even during warm days.
Teachers reported: “Cooler and quieter classrooms in summer, and improved comfort in winter.” Students noticed less distraction and more comfortable study spaces.
Q: How did feedback shape the system?
VFA: “Monitoring and feedback allowed us to fine-tune ASPRA for different classroom sizes and conditions, ensuring reliable performance across every space.”
Lucam: “Engineering refinements based on airflow analysis reduced energy use while maintaining thermal comfort.”
Innovation Beyond Technology
SchoolVent combines passive evaporative cooling, automated CO₂-based ventilation, and multi-phase electrostatic filtration into one integrated system. Windows can remain closed, reducing noise and distractions, while the heat-recovery unit saves energy in winter.
Q: How does SchoolVent support sustainability?
VFA: “By minimizing energy consumption and avoiding disposable filter waste, the system reduces its environmental footprint while maintaining clean, safe air.”
Looking to the Future
Through the HealthRiskAdapt project, SchoolVent will expand across Europe, with another pilot case internationally. Continuous monitoring and data-driven optimisation will allow schools to maintain high air quality, reduce environmental impact, and support student performance.
Q: What does the future hold for classroom ventilation?
Lucam: “Technically, we anticipate better energy management, quieter operation, and larger filter surfaces for reduced pressure loss. Heat exchangers will continue to be optimised to balance airflow, energy consumption, and sound levels.”
TNO: “Attention to cooling will increase, building on early systems developed between 2006 and 2009. While basic ventilation must remain reliable, innovation will focus on energy-efficient cooling and air purification. We also anticipate the rise of hybrid cooling systems, highly energy-efficient solutions that combine the comfort of mechanical cooling with the efficiency of evaporative cooling.”
VFA: “ASPRA technology will evolve alongside regulatory and environmental requirements, maintaining effective filtration while keeping energy use low. VFA shall continue development towards reducing disposables.”
Conclusion: A Model for Sustainable Learning
SchoolVent demonstrates the power of collaboration, vision, and engineering innovation. By combining research, technology, and practical design, TNO, VFA, and Lucam have created classrooms that are healthier, more comfortable, and better suited for learning, a true reflection of VFA’s guiding principle: Engineering Purity.
