FEATURE FOCUS: CLASSROOM DESIGN
Healthy classrooms for pupils and planet
There are just over thirty certified Passivhaus educational buildings in the UK, with several exciting schemes in the pipeline. The Passivhaus Trust is an independent non-
profit organisation providing leadership in the UK for the adoption of the Passivhaus standard and methodology. Our campaign Passivhaus for Educational Buildings is a great place to start exploring whether the Standard is a good fit for your school. Spurred by climate action pledges, many
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n our second of three features this month looking at classroom design, we’re
delighted to hear from Sarah Lewis, Passivhaus Trust Research and Policy Director, who explains how climate- and energy-efficient classrooms not only promote better children’s health and learning, but also provide significant energy and maintenance cost savings.
An increasing number of people are understanding the advantages of the Passivhaus Standard to deliver reliable, comfortable, and energy-saving buildings. No longer the reserve of self-builders, Passivhaus has been applied to numerous building typologies, from large-scale residential developments to non-domestic buildings including schools and education facilities. The fast-growing international standard
prioritises occupant health & comfort, applying an efficiency first approach.
councils are setting higher building standards than national regulations for developments on council-owned property or land. The Department for Education (DfE) announced a range of new measures designed to put climate change at the heart of education at COP26. The DfE Sustainability Pilot scheme is funding several new low carbon schools, including a handful of Passivhaus prototypes.
Why Passivhaus Covid has highlighted the challenges that classrooms face to maintain safe & hygienic spaces – and the crucial role ventilation plays. In winter, teachers & pupils should not have to choose between uncomfortable cold draughts or under-ventilated rooms, both of which are detrimental to wellbeing, concentration & health. A building built to Passivhaus removes relying
on opening windows as its sole source of ventilation. High levels of fresh air are provided by super-efficient mechanical ventilation which is also constantly removing stale air. This is extremely effective in controlling CO2 levels - as well as the levels of other pollutants.
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www.education-today.co.uk
Comparative study of indoor air quality in schools through measurement of CO2 Concentration by Architype architects/ Chryssa Thoua, UCL – pg 30 Passivhaus Benefits Guide
Passivhaus construction is the most appropriate to meet the current guidance and proposed regulations, and indeed, is already likely to be helping protect occupants from Covid infection. Advice from the UK Science Advisory Group on
Emergencies (SAGE) is that buildings where CO₂ levels are above 1500ppm should urgently seek ventilation improvement to cut the risk of Covid transmission. This advice stresses the importance
February 2022
Several studies depict that increased CO2 levels can have a detrimental effect on cognitive performance. Systematic research in British schools has found
CO2 concentrations that are well above the guideline value of 1000 ppm and peaking above 3750 ppm. By contrast, research shows that new Passivhaus schools remained below 1000ppm almost all the time which put them comfortably inside the BB101 recommended levels (average CO2 concentration of 1,000ppm or below).
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