FEATURE FOCUS: CLASSROOM DESIGN


of meeting current recommendations, like most standards, including CIBSE, BE, ISO etc generally recommend 900-1200ppm is not exceeded.


“The research team estimated that a 500 ppm difference could roughly correspond to each student missing on average two-and-a-half extra days of school each year.” 'Healthy Buildings', Joseph Allen and John Macomber


from £51K to £6K a year. That is a saving of £45k/annum in heating costs alone. That is an 88% saving for the college. Extrapolated over 25 years, that is over £1 million in savings.” Barry McCarron, South West College


Improving efficiency is crucial to meeting carbon reduction targets. In a UK poll, 70% favoured accelerating climate action by meeting the government zero-carbon target much sooner - from 2050 to 2030. For any estate management team serious about climate action - Passivhaus is a robust and immediate application.


Image credit: Jack Hobhouse


All shapes and sizes In February 2012, Oakmeadow Primary School & Bushbury Primary School in Wolverhampton, and Montgomery Primary School in Exeter, became the first UK schools built and certified to Passivhaus Standard. Since then, there have been several certified Passivhaus schools built in the UK, constructed from a range of materials and budgets. Visit the Trust’s website for more examples of certified Passivhaus educational spaces.


Not only physical health is affected by the indoor environment. A lot of evidence points to the need for good air quality, thermal comfort, and a quiet environment for optimal learning. A better school or work environment will not only benefit individual students and employees, but it will also benefit their schools and their employers.


“The mean reading age of the children in classrooms exposed to high noise levels was found to be 3-4 months behind that of the children in the control group.” CIBSE TM40


Image credit: Martine Hamilton-Knight


existing schools. Follow East Ayrshire Council’s St Sophia’s Primary School upgrade for inspiration. For various reasons it may not be practical to


Image credit: BMJ Architects Recently certified Harris Academy Sutton is the


latest generation of evolution on school design by PHT Patron Architype Architects. There are simple yet impactful early design decisions including, building form, orientation & window design, that can drive efficiency. By offsetting these design savings against the extra costs for the higher quality fabric, it is possible to deliver higher quality Passivhaus buildings at no extra cost. Currie Community High School Redevelopment


Image credit: South West College


is one of the first projects to be included in the Scottish Government's Learning Estate Investment Programme, which links funding to actual building performance. Erne Campus in Northern Ireland is the world’s


Building Passivhaus classrooms means building more resilient classrooms - future-proofing learning spaces from overheating in summer and eliminating excessive heating in winter. Several monitoring studies confirm that pupils’ concentration levels benefit from the superior indoor air quality and thermal comfort a Passivhaus provides. Controlled and maintained CO2 levels help the children stay alert and attentive throughout the day. Running and maintenance costs are slashed, as the building requires nominal energy to heat or cool.


“Erne Campus is predicted to drop its heating bill February 2022


first educational building built to Passivhaus Premium standard. It is predicted to generate four times more energy from renewable sources on- site than the building needs. Several Universities are also finding Passivhaus


a perfect fit for multiple sustainability strategy solutions. Estate wide plans can see lecture theatres, offices and labs, and even swathes of student accommodation being built to the rigorous Standard.


Retrofit Whilst always more cost-effective to successfully deliver a Passivhaus if included at the conception of design – retrofit options are also available for


deliver a renovation project in a single stage, which is where a step-by-step approach may be more appropriate. It is a given that in time building components will need to be replaced, not all at the same time but as they reach the end of their lifespans. This phased approach ensures that we don’t just replace these old building components, but whilst the opportunity is present, we improve their efficiency to Passivhaus levels and in turn prevent the “lock-in” effect. The aim is to allow individual retrofit measures to be implement over an agreed timeframe, which may be years or decades even - creating a road map to get to Zero Carbon. For this approach to be successful a full overview of the project from start to completion must be undertaken, this not only ensures high levels of energy efficiency are achieved but also keeps costs to a minimum. And makes sure that the project avoids unintended consequences. Follow Retrofit Action for Tomorrow (RAFT)’s work for examples of this approach being delivered in practice.


Is Passivhaus right for your school? Explore the Passivhaus for Educational Buildings campaign. It collects multiple free resources and case studies, as well as recordings of previous campaign events, sharing tips on procurement & early design decisions. Free, for clients in the education sector. The new Passivhaus benefits guide can help you bolster your business case for building more efficiently.


Useful links uwww.passivhaustrust.org.uk


Passivhaus for Educational Buildings Campaign: http://bit.ly/PHeducation Passivhaus Benefits Guide: http://bit.ly/PHTcostbenefit UK Passivhaus schools & educational buildings: https://bit.ly/PHTeducationProjects


www.education-today.co.uk 31


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