FEATURE: SCHOOL BUILDINGS
Lighten up to improve learning
I
n our first look at school buildings this month, Scott Leeder, Commercial Director
at VELUX Modular Skylights, discusses the benefits of natural daylight and ventilation in schools. 64 million children across Europe spend more
time at school than anywhere else other than their own home. In total they attend approximately 200 school days each year, which corresponds to almost one full year inside a classroom throughout their time at primary school*. As such a number of reports have been carried out, particularly over recent years, to determine how and what effects the environment that they are taught in can have on pupils. Results found that the overall design of a
school building can have quite an impact on a student’s ability to learn, their attainment, aspirations, and ultimately academic performance. Furthermore, research conducted by Professor Peter Barrett and his team of school
design experts at the University of Salford, showed clear evidence that well-designed primary schools can substantially boost children’s academic performance in reading, writing and maths. The HEAD Project (Holistic Evidence and
Design)+ concluded that differences in the physical characteristics of classrooms explained 16% of the variation in learning progress over a year. Put simply, the better designed the classroom, the better children do academically. It is therefore extremely important that when developing a school, architects consider how they can be designed to be healthier and more supportive of great learning outcomes.
Elements to consider The UK and Europe are soon to see a boom in the construction and renovation of schools, although much has already taken place in the UK. This provides a great opportunity for both architects and educators to rethink how the physical environment can be designed to have a positive impact on learning. The findings outlined in the HEAD study
revealed that certain elements, including daylight, temperature and indoor air quality, are intrinsic to improving learning in the classroom. The report found that more daylight and fresh air, as part of an optimised learning environment, can increase children’s learning capacity by up to 8%*. It also states that good natural light helps to create a sense of physical and mental comfort, and its benefits seem to be more far-reaching than merely being an aid to sight. In addition, using daylight to illuminate facilities can also reduce energy use and in turn the school’s outgoings. While daylight does occasionally need to be
supplemented by ample, high quality artificial lighting when outside light levels are too low; where possible architects should therefore aim to make it the main source of lighting in schools. A very effective method of ensuring the
optimum level of natural lighting is achieved, is to incorporate rooflights or skylights into the building design. Rooflights can be installed within a pitched roof or flat roof on new or existing buildings, however, glare is now a greater issue because of the widespread use of interactive whiteboards and computer projection in UK
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classrooms. The position and orientation of the rooflight is therefore as equally important. Another effective solution for glare control is the installation of easily operable opaque blinds to control daylight levels. North facing installations are usually preferred
by building designers because they provide a balanced light source throughout the day that is not affected by glare of the sun. For that reason, “North Light” is considered as the best light for internal spaces. The maximum amount of light in a morning is provided by installing them on an east-facing roof, whereas a west-facing installation will capture sunlight from early afternoon onwards.
Trumpington Community College One school that has taken these findings into account is Trumpington College. As the first new secondary school in Cambridge for 50 years, the College needed to demonstrate the benefits that new school design can bring to learning outcomes. Sustainability drove every aspect of the college design, including a transport target for 90% of students to arrive by foot, bicycle or public transport. The school, which specialises in science, now provides 750 student places. High levels of natural daylight, whilst being
compact yet airy, are the hallmarks of the building, featuring around 552m2 modular skylights to create spaces that are highly conducive to learning. As well as optimising natural daylight, the skylights promote energy efficiency and offer a robust life expectancy, helping the building achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.
Breathe easy As poor indoor air quality can not only seriously inhibit students’ concentration and overall performance but can also lead to increased absenteeism due to illness; adequate ventilation is imperative to help students flourish. Children breathe more air, eat more food and drink more liquid in proportion to their body weight than adults do. This alone makes the air quality in schools a matter of concern. Windows and skylights with large opening
sizes, ideally with multiple openings, allow users to ventilate classrooms effectively in different
June 2018
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