FEATURE: SCHOOL MAINTENANCE & DESIGN
Improving the quality of air in our schools
quality to be monitored in these spaces. A new consultation on the Air Quality Strategy has also been launched, which sets out the steps local authorities can take to help achieve current targets for indoor air quality.
This is also being reflected in changes to building legislation, with both Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations now recognising the role of adequate ventilation in maintaining good indoor air quality levels. This means building owners and operators must work to ensure their school buildings comply with new and existing regulations and are designed to improve air quality in these spaces. But how can this be achieved?
By following these five steps, building owners and operators can improve air quality in their school buildings, and ensure staff and students have access to clean, healthy air for years to come.
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n our second look this month at school maintenance and design Mike Egan, Business Development Manager at Mitsubishi Electric, outlines the important steps you should take to improve the air quality in your school.
The Covid-19 pandemic has firmly placed indoor air quality on the public agenda. As a result, wider awareness of the importance of good indoor air quality in our schools has grown, with the government now calling for indoor air
Understand current air quality levels Gathering data is key to understanding the quality of the air both in and around your building. What is the air like right now, and does it change depending on the time of day? This can lead to better understanding of which areas affect air quality levels and how they can be improved.
There are several quality assurance schemes available that offer a clear set of standards for occupants. For example, the RESET Air Standard
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www.education-today.co.uk
outlines the requirements necessary for the deployment of monitors, data collection and results reporting, offering a helpful starting point for assessing indoor air quality. Hand-held devices can also be useful for tracking down the source of problems. However, it is also important to consider having monitors installed in and around your school building for continuous monitoring.
Conduct a building review
The next step is to conduct a building review. This will allow owners and operators to identify which areas of the building design are affecting indoor quality and where specific improvements need to be made.
When conducting a review of your building, it can also be helpful to divide each area into different zones. This is because, for schools, occupancy often varies throughout the day – with classrooms occupied by 30 students and a teacher for most of the day, as well as a larger group for assembly. This will allow operators to consider the different issues affecting indoor air quality in these areas and the type of solution suitable for each.
Set out a clear plan of action
Once the key areas requiring improvement have been identified, operators can establish a clear plan of action for improving air quality in their buildings.
June 2023
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