School premises regulations, wider guidance and baseline designs

1. School premises regulations, wider guidance and baseline designs Chris Bissell Design Advisor EFA

2. Recent Changes 2012: School Premises Regulations simplified • Clearer and fewer • Less prescriptive, leaving detail in guidance 2011: funding reduced • gross area funded reduced by average 6% of BB99, 15% of BB98 • Cost per m2 reduced to £1450 total (£1113 building)

3. School Premises Regulations • Capital Review recommended: • That the Department revises its school premises regulations and guidance to remove unnecessary burdens and ensure that a single, clear set of regulations apply to all schools. The Department should also seek to further reduce the bureaucracy and prescription surrounding BREEAM assessments • Consultation ran from 3 November to 26 January 2012 • Revised regulations signed off in July and will come into force 31 October 2012 and January 2013

4. Rationale • Three (well four) sets of DfE premises regulations, plus a substantial amount of other legislation that applies to all buildings including schools • Some school specific regulations required to ensure the needs of pupils are met, particularly on issues that could impact on welfare or education • Makes sense to have the same regulations for maintained and independent schools, including Academies and free schools • Clarify requirements and avoid duplication of other legislation

5. The ISSs refer to the SPRs in part and to the NMS, which in Turn refer to the SPRs for detail…..and then there’s the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

6. Regulations being removed • Duplication – requirements that are covered in other pieces of legislation. For example: • Weather protection • Drainage • Fire Safety • Unnecessary – requirements that do not need to be regulated and are best left to the School. For example: • Security (covered by H&S + Safeguarding) • Standard of decoration • Furniture and fittings

7. Regulations which are being removed

8. The rationale for their removal is that they either duplicate what is covered in other legislation or they are unnecessary

9. Regulations being retained • Seven areas that will apply to all schools • Toilet and washing facilities • Medical accommodation • Health, safety and welfare • Acoustics • Lighting • Water supplies. • Outdoor space • Six additional areas for boarding schools

10. What’s different? • Regulations have been written much more straightforwardly. • Focus on provision being suitable to meet the needs of pupils, having regard to their age, number and sex and any special requirements they may have • Removal of prescription – e.g. floor area in m2 for boarding schools, precise numbers of toilets and ratio of urinal/washbasin provision, lux levels • Guidance significantly reduced, but does include some advice where regulation has been removed. • See Standards for School Premises

11. Wider Guidance • We also consulted on our approach to guidance. • Over 5000 pages, much of which is out of date, has been superseded, or just very, very lengthy. • Proposals to streamline guidance cover • Area guidelines for mainstream and special schools • Acoustics, fire, ventilation, (BBs 93/100/101) • Compendium for special schools and special units • Compendium for mainstream schools • Outdoor spaces (now to be integrated in compendia) • Procurement mini-guides for schools • Technical mini-guides for schools – e.g. fire safety

13. Any questions so far? • School premises regulations • Design guidance

14. Baseline designs • Capital Review recommended: • That a suite of standardised drawings and specifications is prepared which could easily be applied across a wide range of educational facilities. • Baseline designs: • Do use standardised dimensions and have suites of spaces, but are not templates that everyone must use. • Can be taken and developed into detailed schemes, or Contractors can propose alternative designs. • Will evolve further in response to feedback and further versions will be added.

15. Baseline designs • Aim to demonstrate what can be achieved within area and cost constraints and, initially, PSBP PFI FOS. • Will demonstrate how a wide range of school-specific requirements can be accommodated • Will match typical SoAs for a range of school sizes (so far for a 420 primary and 1200 secondary)

16. How we got to where we are Test and agree reduced area standards Collate best practice in recent designs and guidance Lessons Learnt from recent schools through POE Identify best practice principles Identify new OS requirements to resolve common problems Agree criteria for different suites with expert panels Test affordable solutions in base-line designs

17. Utilisation of space in primary Primary net capacity based on: • 30 ‘basic’ workplaces in 49m2 classroom • At least 70% of ‘basic’ workplaces must be used for classrooms Primary Schedule of Accommodation allows: • 55m2 minimum size of classroom • 62m2 in reception and nursery • Optional specialist space • Hall or studio for each FE

18. Primary: 420 5-11 + nursery

19. Flexibility • Larger classrooms or • Specialist space

20. Lessons learned: early years • Nursery and reception in early years suite • Coats and toilets off classroom and playground for infants • 62m2 classrooms

21. Lessons learned: entrance and admin • Public access only to lobby and interview room • Open reception desk • Facilities available to community without access to main school • Sick bay and MI/ therapy room

22. Utilisation of space in secondary Secondary net capacity based on: • 67% to 75% of ‘basic’ workplaces utilised at any one time in 11-16 (less in sixth form) Secondary Schedule of Accommodation: • As BB98: same number of rooms • Teaching spaces at bottom end of acceptable range • Circulation and dining within acceptable range • Full-service kitchen sufficient for 1/3 pupils to eat hot meals and 2/3 to have cold or other options

23. Secondary 1200 11-16

24. Lessoned learned: performing arts • Movable bleacher seating rather than sliding/folding screen • Central access from dining/foyer space • Flexible performing area with control room at back • Drama space accessible from performance area as ‘back stage’ facility

25. Lessons learned:D&T • Prep/storage at end of workshops • Identity to a suite • Links to other subjects

26. Flexibility

27. Secondary ‘superblock’

28. Lessons learned: science • Suite of spaces • Central prep room • Chemical store • 83m2 general labs or • 90m2 specialist labs and 69m2 science studio • Lift for easy deliveries

29. “Baseline designs represent a challenge for architects and contractors to improve upon”

30. Baseline designs – internal environment • Simple to operate – users can easily adjust the temperature and the ventilation • Design uses natural ventilation and daylight as much as possible • Comfortable to work in – tackles overheating

31. Daylighting Daylight • Principles • Light from two sides • Tall spaces with windows right up to the soffit • Improved quantity and quality of light Climate Based Daylight Modelling • Daylight Factor replaced by two criteria: • Daylight Autonomy- 50% of each space to be able to be lit by sunlight and daylight during the occupied hours of the day • Useful Daylight Index- requires 80% of the space between 100-2000 lux

32. Daylight Floor to ceiling height is 3.3m where no external obstructions exist. Roof lights are placed over the corridor openings to maximise the internal daylight. North Façade Glazing is 30% of the internal wall where no external obstructions exist. Internal reflections must be 70/50/20 as a minimum. South façade glazing requires a light shelf or light redirecting component. The acoustic baffles are located away from the window openings. Open / translucent balustrade design is required to allow light to distribute to the lower floors. Internal Glazing is 25% of the internal wall façade. This provides secondary light into the space. The first floor opening is 1.8m wide to allow daylight to the lower floors.. The ground floor opening is 1.2m wide to provide daylight to the ground floor spaces.

33. Sound absorption to circulation space Acoustics Concrete roof provides rain noise control Suspended Class A absorbers Class A absorbent wall panels Attenuated high level ventilators either side of glazed panel Acoustic performance standards for the Priority Schools Building Programme’ replaces BB93

34. Fire BS 9999:2008 Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings, Floor to ceiling height is 3m and depth 7.8m. Actuated insulated louvres in roof upstand. Exposed concrete soffits with night purge. Glazing is 30% of the internal wall , light shelf for shading and solar control glass The acoustic baffles and lighting raft obscure 40% of soffit Ventilation slots link the circulation spaces through the building.. Acoustically treated air path to circulation space

35. Thermal Comfort Ventilation Principles • More demanding comfort criteria • Cross ventilation • Exposed concrete soffits • Minimum openable areas • Controllability • Performance in use Adaptive Thermal Comfort CIBSE Overheating Task Force • Operative Temperature = Air temp + Radiant temp • Design Summer Year not Test Reference Year Two of 3 Criteria: • Overheating – duration above max outside < 40hrs • Degree of overheating • Upper limit

36. Thermal Comfort Criteria BB101 revisions Single sided is not allowed.

37. Natural Ventilation Secondary Ventilation via open circulation Floor to ceiling height is 3.3m and depth 7.8m. Actuated insulated louvres in roof upstand. Exposed concrete soffits with night purge. Glazing is 30% of the internal wall , light shelf for shading and solar control glass The acoustic baffles and lighting raft obscure 40% of soffit Ventilation slots link the circulation spaces through the building.. Acoustically treated air path to circulation space Demonstrated in secondary

38. Natural Ventilation Secondary Ventilation via chimneys Ventilation Stacks Exposed concrete soffits with night purge. Floor to ceiling height is 3.3m and depth 7.8m. Demonstrated in primary

39. Winter Ventilation- heat recovery Delivering energy efficiency