BUILDINGS, MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT
Sports, dance, drama, activity studio floors - environmental impact of floor maintenance
Comment by RICHARD AYLEN, Technical Manager, Junckers Ltd
Sports and activity halls are among the largest indoor spaces in schools and the upkeep of the floor finishes can require considerable resources. We are used to talking about this in financial terms, but I am not so sure the environmental impact of maintenance is discussed quite so often. When comparing floor systems for our schools, carbon data sources are
coming on stream, and for most materials there will be at least a generic source of information about embodied carbon levels. Many manufacturers publish product specific embodied carbon data in the form of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). But how often do we look at the environmental impact of the
maintenance and repair work that will inevitably be needed during the life of the floor? This will strongly affect the whole life carbon impact of the floor because disposal and replacement is costly to the environment.
How easy is it to repair? Floors made from large elements, typically
plywood or chipboard sheets 600mm x 2400mm on to which vinyl, polyurethane or linoleum is laid, can be difficult to repair because of the large sheet size, and repairs will often result in large amounts of waste. The sheets will be glued together and often glued down as well. Floors made from smaller elements that are not fixed together, such as solid hardwood boards are easier to repair on a localised basis with far less waste. Can you refurbish it? Solid wood floors can be sanded and sealed to
give them a life span of 60 years or more. But not all refurbishment is necessarily good. Is it good for the environment to refurbish a polyurethane resin floor by applying more layers of PU resin and thereby increasing the use of plastics and adding to the future burden on landfill? Can it be recycled?With the concept of the circular economy gaining
traction, keeping raw materials in use for as long as possible reduces environmental damage. Choosing a floor that can be reprocessed in some way will help. Reprocessing to produce new raw materials for manufacture or making a clean biofuel for energy production are among the options. Can it be re-purposed?Many floors cannot be re-used because they
will be destroyed when they are lifted. Some loose laid floors or mechanically fixed finishes such as solid timber floors are ideal for re purposing and will often have a second lease of life for many years. Using local contractors The environmental impact of maintenance will
be reduced if carried out by local contractors, not only for movements of personnel but plant and machinery too. If the initial choice of floor system, its maintenance, aftercare and end of
life are properly considered the school will have a floor that is less harmful to the environment through its life and making the right choices can often mean lower lifetime costs and a longer life span, especially if the floor can be refurbished.
uwww.junckers.co.uk
Planning Permission Granted for New Music Rooms at Collingwood College
N
ational Architects, GSSArchitecture, have successfully achieved planning permission for a
new custom music facility at Collingwood College in Durham. The existing music facilities cannot accommodate
bands greater than 4-5 members, and due to the positioning of the space below residential accommodation, the times available for use are limited due to noise breakout. With over 560 student residents on site at Collingwood College, the College were keen to listen to the views of the students, many of whom had been requesting an updated and expanded music provision. The approved plans, which were put together by
GSSArchitecture, incorporate high-quality facilities including a live room, drum booth, vocal studio, circulation/break out space and practice rooms. In order to provide a facility that will better suit the needs of the students, the layout has been designed to divide the space in to three sections: recording, social & entrance, and practice. This layout ensures reduced disruption to the recording suite from the practice rooms, therefore providing an improved space compared to the current music provision, which does not have dedicated spaces for recording and practising. The single storey building is to be constructed on an existing car park
at the College, adjacent to a major student circulation route to and from the campus. GSSArchitecture adopted a sustainable approach to the
34
www.education-today.co.uk
design of the building, including photo-voltaic panels. Speaking of the approved designs for the new custom music facility,
Professor Joe Elliott, Principal at Collingwood College, said “GSS has once again provided us with an iconic design that will enable our students to maximise their potential.” To keep up to date with the progress of this project and others that
GSSArchitecture are currently working on, or for details on how to get in touch to discuss your upcoming project, please visit
uwww.gssarchitecture.com February 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
