SCHOOL BUILDINGS VENTILATION STRATEGIES
AIRING THE TASK AHEAD
Ventilating schools naturally is desirable but is hard to do well. Ewen Rose reports from a CIBSE conference
S
chools remain a key business priority for the building services sector despite the cancellation of the Building Schools for the
Future (BSF) programme. The James Review on the procurement of education buildings, published last autumn, has focused minds on how school projects could be delivered more efficiently via streamlining and better use of standard solutions. The review also points to the direct link
between the quality of school buildings and academic attainment. This connection was discussed at a recent conference staged by the CIBSE Natural Ventilation and Schools Design groups, at University College London (UCL). Speakers agreed that where the management, governors and other stakeholders took an active interest in the delivery of the building and its services, academic results improved. Derek Clements-Croome of Reading University said that years of research had also established the link between ventilation and academic performance. Students will not perform at their best unless relative humidity is between 40 and 60%; and temperature is between 20C and 22C, he said. He reported that the amount of CO2 in
classroom air was above the recommended level in eight out of 10 schools: while 1,000 parts per million is acceptable, levels above
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5,000 ppm had been recorded in a number of schools. The solution is to ensure that eight litres per second of fresh air is provided for each classroom occupant, according to Croome. ‘True FMs [facilities managers] are
very hard to find in schools these days,’ said Croome. ‘So we need to intervene. However, this does not mean increasing complexity, but doing basic systems well.’ He pointed out that, although CO2 monitoring and control is not mandatory under the Building Regulations, it should be urged as ‘good practice’, to ensure the quality of indoor air. He suggested putting CO2 monitors
at the heart of the ventilation strategy so that when levels rise above 1,500 ppm, ventilation rates could be increased, either via mechanical or natural methods; it might just require the teacher to open a window, he added. However, most naturally ventilated
schools do not provide 8 l/s for their pupils. Ben Jones from UCL, who chaired the conference, pointed to a study across eight separate countries that revealed the median level for a naturally ventilated school was 3 l/s – the minimum allowable in the
January 2012 CIBSE Journal 25
The City Academy in Hackney, east London, was New Project of the Year in the 2010 CIBSE Low Carbon Awards. The school was praised for its use of natural ventilation (see CIBSE Journal Schools Supplement, February 2010)
Tim Soar
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