Schools And Education Facilities Supplement February 2010

Schools and education facilities supplement Policy and funding
conditions, than in the majority of buildings. Plus,
there has been little use made of near-site energy
generation which taps into other local public buildings
and developments.
Hudson sees other challenges as related to some
local authorities’ limited experience and understanding
of running such large developments, getting all
stakeholders to agree the aims, as well as ‘sharing and
managing the development risks’.
In order to make the BSF programme work better,
Barnes believes a number of improvements need to be
made, including allocating more time to address the
clients’ needs and ensuring schools are adaptable to
future needs. Furthermore, engineers need to educate
Newcomer... Newfi eld
> diffi cult to create sustainable schools. the client – and other members of the design team –
was one of the fi rst
‘The affordability limits in many instances do not about the need to focus on internal environment, adds
BSF schools to open in
seem to have made allowance for the costs associated Barnes. ‘Getting the above right is crucial, together
Sheffi eld.
with the drive for lower carbon emissions within with the realisation that examples of good schools do
schools,’ he says. ‘This drive by government to achieve not necessarily stop at the White Cliffs of Dover. We all
reduced carbon emissions, primarily at the schools have much to learn from our colleagues overseas.’
rather than supply side has often resulted, from the Hudson believes BSF could be improved by applying
school’s perspective, in over-complicated designs, the Egan principles, which derive from the 1998 report
often including a lack of understanding of the day-to- to government to improve the quality and effi ciency
day needs of a school and what it costs to keep them of UK construction, and by ensuring local authorities
running – leading to advanced systems being installed have ‘adequate and effective technical support from
that the school simply doesn’t have money to maintain consultants’.
and use to its best advantage.’ Barnes even questions whether the zero-carbon
Brailsford adds: ‘Present budgets lead to schools schools target of 2016 is a sensible one. The cost of
meeting the letter of the current criteria only.’ He also getting from very low to zero carbon would be better
fears there is no ‘forward look’ for an ever warmer spent on making stock buildings more energy effi cient,
world in most new schools. Building Bulletin 101 he says: ‘The latter will usually give a much greater
(which refers to temperature) criteria conditions are return for investment and do more to reduce UK’s
far warmer internally, against a cooler view of summer carbon footprint by 2050.’ ●
The good, bad and ugly of Building Schools for the Future
Pros of BSF, according to industry, include: • The long and expensive design and build
• It has demonstrated central government’s ﬁ rst real procurement method that the bidding process is
commitment in decades to improve the quality of based on;
education in secondary schools; • Time to detail, design and construct is too short;
• It has provided a new work sector in the construction • Fears that many performance outcomes may end
industry, helping to keep skilled workers in jobs; up being little better in the longer term than those
• It has pulled together experienced professionals and of the old schools being replaced because of slow
contractors to deliver new schools with increased learning within the industry and products that are of
efﬁ ciency in costs and the construction process; a variable quality;
• How a well-organised Local Education Partnership • Over-complicated designs to reduce carbon that
with a clear remit can achieve successful building lead to advanced systems being installed, which the
projects on time and on budget; school simply can’t afford to maintain and use to its
• Improving school design thanks to better best advantage;
stakeholder engagement; and • The methodology used for the CABE reviews, where
• A growing emphasis on sustainability and the misunderstandings appear to occur easily;
‘Future policy learning environment. • Insufﬁ cient input from educationalists to ensure that
could require
there is a step change in educational experiences for
Cons of BSF include: the students;
school designers
• It has been relatively slow to start in some parts • Some local authorities’ limited previous experience
to create more of the country, being broken down into regional and understanding of running large development
imaginative
‘waves’; programmes; and
• Over-complex and overly long procurement process • Lack of post-occupancy feedback from completed
solutions’ –
knocking out all but the biggest players; projects.
Gordon Hudson
26 CIBSE Journal February 2010 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEfeb10_School_pp22-24,26_policy.indd 26 25/1/10 15:43:35
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