DMG 04. Junior Ranks' Single Living Accommodation JRSLA

Defence Works Functional Standard 

Design and Maintenance Guide 04 

Junior Ranks' 

Single Living Accommodation 

JRSLA 

CONSULTANT AUTHORS: STRIDE TREGLOWN LTD 

DEFENCE ESTATE ORGANISATION (WORKS) 

Ministry of Defence 

London: The Stationery Office

JRSLA Design Guide 

© Crown Copyright 1996. 

Published with the permission 

of the Ministry of Defence on 

behalf of the Controller of Her 

Majesty's Stationery Office. 

Applications for reproduction 

should be made in writing to 

The Copyright Unit, 

Her Majesty's Stationery 

Office, St Clements House, 

2-16 Colegate, Norwich 

NR3 1BQ. 

ISBN 0 11 772483 1 

Design Guide by 

Stride Treglown Ltd 

for 

Defence Estate Organisation 

(Works) 

This document is catalogued in 

the DEO(W) Technical 

Publications Index under the 

following keywords: 

* Residential Facilities 

* Messes

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA Contents 

Contents 

FOREWORD 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

INTRODUCTION 

1 . BACKGROUND 

1 . 1 HISTORY AND ROLE OF JRSLA 

1 . 2 DIFFERENCES IN USER REQUIREMENTS BETWEEN THE 3 SERVICES 

1.3 MAIN TYPES OF EXISTING ACCOMMODATION 

1.4 JSP SCALES OF ACCOMMODATION 

2. GENERAL FUNCTIONAL AND DESIGN REQUIREMENTS 

2.1 INTRODUCTION 

2.2 PRIMARY / RELATED ACTIVITIES 

2.3 LOCATION AND SITING 

2.4 ARCHITECTURAL SCALE AND FORM 

2.5 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS 

2.6 CONSTRUCTION/COMPONENTS 

2.7 FINISHES 

2.8 FIXTURES/FITTINGS 

2.9 STATUTORY LEGISLATION 

2.10 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 

3. SPECIFIC ROOM / AREA DESIGN REQUIREMENTS 


3.2 PLANNING RELATIONSHIPS 

PLANNING DATA SHEETS AND DESIGN REQUIREMENTS 

3.3 MODULAR SUITE 

3.4 ENTRANCE, STAIRS & CORRIDORS 

3.5 BEDSITTING ROOM 

3.6 ABLUTIONS & TOILET AREAS 

3.7 UTILITY ROOM 

3.8 STORAGE 

3.9 SITTING/VISITORS'ROOM 

3.10 DUTY ROOM 

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DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA Contents 

4. ENGINEERING SERVICES 


4.2 MECHANICAL SERVICES 

4.3 ELECTRICAL SERVICES 

5. ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE 

5.1 MODERNISATION AND REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS 

5.2 EXTERNAL WORKS 

5.3 MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS 

5.4 BUILDING COSTS 

TECHNICAL ANNEXES 

A EXAMPLES OF COMPLETED JRSLA BUILDINGS 

B KEY TO PLANNING DATA SHEETS 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

INDEX 

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DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 

Foreword 

This publication replaces the range of design guidance documentation produced by 

the PSA on the provision of Junior Ranks' Single Living Accommodation (JRSLA) 

and Messes. As these are building types used specifically by the Services, 

commercial design guidance documentation on them is not available. 

Much of the PSA's more recent design guidance concentrated on the provision of 

the Modular Suite concept for standardised living accommodation developed 

initially for the Army. As an executive Agency the PSA developed this guidance 

information in considerable detail to include standard construction details and 

specifications. Whilst the planning concept of the Modular Suite remains relevant 

to meet many of the Services' current accommodation requirements, the detail 

drawings and specifications have not been updated since the demise of PSA and are 

no longer suitable for use by DEO(W). 

This Tri-service guide has been developed to update previous guidance in 

accordance with current practice and to focus designers' attention on the specific 

MOD operational requirements and Joint Service space standards that need to be 

considered during the design process for this building type. The guidance given in 

this publication is advisory only. 

This Functional Standard has been devised for the use of the Crown and its 

contractors in the execution of contracts for the Crown. The Crown hereby 

excludes all liability (other than liability for death or personal injury) whatsoever 

and howsoever arising (including, but without limitation, negligence on the part of 

the Crown, its servants or agents) for loss or damage however caused where the 

document is used for any other purpose. 

CONTACTS FOR QUERIES 

All queries relating to the application and use of this guide should be directed to:- 

Estate Development Group 

Technical Standards Directorate 

Defence Estate Organisation (Works) 

Blakemore Drive 

Button Coldfield 

West Midlands 

B75 7RL 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

This publication has been produced by the Technical Standards Directorate of the 

MOD Defence Estate Organisation (Works) at Sutton Coldfield, in conjunction 

with Consultant Architects Stride Treglown Ltd of Bristol. 

Principal authors: Gina Sanders of Stride Treglown and Ian Watts of DEO(W). 

Cartoons by Roger Penwill. 

The authors wish to thank the representatives of the three Services for their 

valuable assistance during the production of this guidance document.


Introduction 

SCOPE OF DESIGN GUIDE 

The scope of this Design and Maintenance Guide is to provide detailed guidance on 

the design of sleeping and living accommodation for junior service men and 

women within the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force. Any 

differences in design approach between the three Armed Forces are highlighted 

within the guide. 

The guidance given applies to the provision of JRSLA within the United Kingdom 

and Northern Ireland, but the principles will equally apply to overseas locations. 

This guide deals with the particular requirements of military users and is 

applicable to modernisation and refurbishment, as well as new build projects. It 

also covers aspects of Junior Ranks' Mess design not covered by other DEO(W) 

guides, particularly the relationship between JRSLA and Junior Ranks' Mess 

(JRM) buildings. 

Superseded Documents 

This document supersedes previous MOD and PSA design data on JRSLA, 

including: 

'The Modular Suite - A standard approach to JRSLA', produced by PSA in 1983 

and updated in 1988. 

'Standard Designs for RAF JRSLA', Produced by PSA in 1990. 

Target Audience 

The guide is aimed at assisting those involved in the procurement and design 

stages of JRSLA projects, to act as a resource document that reflects the latest 

MOD policy, design practice and performance standards. 

RELATED DEO(W) DOCUMENTATION 

Junior Ranks' Messes 

The design of kitchens and dining rooms within Junior Ranks' Mess buildings is 

detailed within the current DEO(W) Functional Standards (FS): 

FS 02 Catering Design Guide 

FS 03 Catering Equipment Specification 

These two guides cover the full range of accommodation and equipment 

incorporated within the Junior Ranks' Mess building, under JSP 315 Scale 39. 

Junior ranks' dining, socialising and living accommodation are generally provided 

within separate buildings, but the three building types have a close relationship to 

one another. This guide considers the relationship between the JRSLA living 

accommodation and the messing facilities for junior ranks. 

vii

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA Introduction 

Officers' and SNCOs' Messes 

Accommodation for officers and SNCOs, including living quarters and public 

rooms, is considered under the two DEO(W) Design & Maintenance Guides (DMG): 

DMG 05 SNCOs' Messes 

DMG 06 Officers' Messes 

Kitchen facilities for officers and SNCOs are also covered by the Catering Design 

Guide and Equipment Specification. 

A list of other design guidance documentation considered particularly relevant to 

JRSLA buildings is included within the Bibliography. 

STRUCTURE AND USE OF GUIDE 

This guide is structured to provide a layering of design information, from general 

planning, through to detailed specification of individual rooms. The Sections 

within the guide address the subject of JRSLA design in increasing degrees of 

detail as follows: 

Section 1 Introduction and background to the building type 

Section 2 General design requirements applicable to JRSLA 

Section 3 Specific design requirements for each room 

Section 4 Design information for building services 

Section 5 Associated guidance on related topics 

Technical Annexes Supporting information - technical and detailed design 

Terminology 

The 3 services, and in particular the Royal Navy, use different terminology to 

describe the same room function or facility. For example in the Royal Navy toilets 

are referred to as heads, kitchens as galleys and bedrooms as cabins, whether on 

board ship or not. The Royal Navy also translate JRSLA to mean Junior Rates 

Single Living Accommodation, rather than Junior Ranks as used by the other 

services. As this is a Tri-Service Design Guide, terminology peculiar to one service 

has not generally been used. However, designers working on individual JRSLA 

projects will need to familiarise themselves with and use the traditional 

terminology associated with that Service user. 

Drawings 

Example building and room layouts have been included within the guide to 

demonstrate possible solutions to meet the design criteria. These should be taken 

as examples only and not regarded as standard design solutions.


Figure 1.1 Crowded communalablutions 

areas within traditional 

Barrack blocks. 

1. Background 

1 . 1 HISTORY AND ROLE OF JRSLA 

The Members of the modern armed forces are highly professional volunteers. They 

have joined the Royal Navy, Army, or Royal Air Force as a positive career choice 

and their expectations of the quality of their surroundings and living 

accommodation are higher than those of the conscripted serviceman of former 

times. 

Historically, JRSLA was provided as barrack accommodation, with multiple 

occupancy dormitories and large shared WC and ablutions areas. There was little 

consideration of privacy or personalisation of living space. Without a sense of 

personal ownership or responsibility towards the living accommodation, communal 

areas were often mal-treated and poorly maintained. Furthermore, the allocation 

of space within the sleeping quarters did not allow introduction of any personal 

belongings to supplement the basic MOD furniture provision, and lack of security 

made individuals reluctant to upgrade their living space. 

The modern serviceman / woman's way of life has changed over the years. 

Individuals have a higher expectation of the quality of their living space. They also 

have a greater quantity of belongings, particularly electrical equipment such as 

stereos and TVs etc., which are now an accepted norm of the comforts of home. 

There is a demand for more personal space, with a greater degree of privacy and 

security. 

Research into the design of JRSLA led to the development of the Modular Suite 

concept of flat design in the 1980s. This is now widely adopted as the preferred 

design approach for new build projects and refurbishment, where practical. The 

accommodation is grouped into 6-bed flats, providing a more personalised living 

space than multiple-occupancy dormitories.

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 1 Background 

1.2 DIFFERENCES IN USER REQUIREMENTS BETWEEN THE 3 SERVICES 

1.2.1 Navy 

Naval personnel spend considerable periods of time at sea where they are obliged 

to occupy particularly cramped Mess Deck accommodation with only the basic 

facilities. The limited space and disciplined regime at sea means there is little 

privacy or opportunity for off-duty relaxation. Their on-shore accommodation 

should therefore afford privacy and space, and allow some individuality in the 

treatment of their living space. Modular Suite accommodation to Standard Y (see 

1.4.2) is regarded as a minimum, with Z standard single room layouts provided 

where possible. 

Naval personnel are generally careful users of JRSLA, with a regard for cleanliness 

and hygiene instilled during their periods on board ship and reinforced through 

regular accommodation inspections. Individuals tend to store fewer personal 

effects within JRSLA, than members of the other services, and JSP315 scaled 

storage facilities are generally adequate. While at sea, the ship's company will 

operate as a unit; however, postings will tend to be on an individual basis. 

1.2.2 Royal Marines 

Royal Marines junior ranks invariably work in close knit operational teams where 

the requisite team spirit can be enhanced by the provision of Standard Y 

accommodation. Where the operational posture of the unit does not require this, 

provision of Standard Z single bed-sitting rooms is appropriate. Particular 

emphasis should be placed on storage facilities for bulky field equipment and 

clothing such as webbing, sleeping bags and arctic clothing. Adequate wash down 

and drying facilities are required for dirty equipment and clothing on return from 

field conditions. 

Royal Marine personnel are physically fit, engaged in regular outdoor field 

training, and likely to use furniture and fittings robustly. 

1.2.3 Army 

The Army is made up of self sufficient units, trained for deployment to front line 

locations and used to a regime of regular postings away from a home base. Army 

personnel operate in units, working as a team and living in shared accommodation, 

to engender the team spirit. They are likely to have shared unit possessions, such 

as hired TVs, and also unit emblems and trophies. 

The emphasis on the quality and comfort of the barrack living accommodation has 

historically not been as great within the Army as the other services. New build 

accommodation needs to be robust with a quality of finishes and furniture able to 

withstand a rough degree of usage. Any unit involved in field exercises is going to 

rely heavily on facilities for drying and cleaning clothes and kit. 

1.2.4 RAF 

The RAF tend to be based away from the front line and are a more home-based 

service than either the Army or Navy. Traditionally there has been a demand for a 

higher quality of accommodation from staff within the RAF, and the wear on 

JRSLA is generally less marked than within Army accommodation. 

Individual bedsitting rooms are universally adopted throughout the RAF, for 

JRSLA, except in the case of training units. There is less emphasis on team 

working than within the other services. The movement of staff is through trickle 

posting, rather then relocation of complete units as in the Army, and many 

personnel operate on a shift work basis.


Block 

1.2 Victorian Barrack 

1.3 MAIN TYPES OF EXISTING ACCOMMODATION 

Refer to Technical Annexe A for examples of completed projects. 

1.3.1 Barrack Accommodation 

Before the development of the flat concept, barrack accommodation was adopted 

for the majority of JRSLA. For new build projects today this style of 

accommodation is generally provided only for transit or for fixed, short term 

occupation, within training units, for example. 

The sleeping accommodation is provided in dormitories grouped along a corridor, 

with communal WCs and separate ablutions area located adjacent to circulation 

cores. The bedsitting rooms are scaled to provide four, six or ten bed-spaces, with 

communal facilities grouped to cater for up to twenty personnel. 

Over the years a range of standard barrack block designs have been developed, for 

example: Sandhurst and DFW Blocks for the Army, and H, Q and R Blocks for the 

RAF. Many of these block types have been the subject of modernisation 

programmes to bring them up to the current standards applicable at the time. 

Sheet Al.l in Technical Annexe A, shows the layout of a refurbished Sandhurst 

Block at The Dale Barracks, Chester. Sheet A2.1 is an example of a new build 

Barrack style accommodation block for the Army Training Centre at Sir John 

Moore Barracks, Winchester. 

1.3.2 Multi-Bed Flat Concept 

The original flat concept was designed to accommodate between 12 and 18 men 

with a combination of single and 4-bed rooms, with central ablutions and sitting 

rooms. In the late 1970s 'The Rayner Report' criticised many aspects of the 

accommodation provided for single servicemen and servicewomen, including the 

lack of space and privacy. Other criticisms were that large flats were still too 

institutional and impersonal, resulting in a tendency for common areas to be 

abused. 

A major review of user requirements was carried out by PSA following the Rayner 

Report which led to the introduction of a smaller and more domestic flat concept 

known as the Modular Suite, designed initially to accommodate 4 persons and then 

later amended to 6 persons. This remains the standard of accommodation 

currently recommended in the JSP Scales.


Figure 1.3 Modular Suite Blocks 

1.3.3 The Modular suite 

The Modular Suite is a standard flat design, developed by the PSA, to meet the 

scaled area entitlement of a group of bedsitting rooms and associated storage, 

utility area, WC and ablutions. This accommodation design is adopted for long 

term occupation. 

The flats are scaled to accommodate 6 beds, and within the standard design the 

planning can be varied to meet single or multiple groupings of bedsits. Each of the 

3 Services tends to favour the particular arrangement of accommodation which 

suits its operational requirements most effectively. 

As-built Modular Suite layouts are included in the Technical Annexe A on Sheets 

A3.1, A4.1 and A5.1, and also within Section 3, on Planning Data Sheets 3.3.2 and 

3.3.3. 

1.3.4 Single Room 

Single room JRSLA can be provided within the Modular Suite design, for long term 

occupation. An example of this is included in the Technical Annexe, Sheet A7.1, 

and on Planning Data Sheet 3.3.3 within Section 3. 

Single rooms with ensuite WC and shower facilities have also recently been 

adopted by the MOD for JRSLA buildings. See Technical Annexe, Sheet A8.1. 

This type of accommodation has been adapted from a modular style of motel design 

and is not to JSP315 accommodation scales. The construction is to a system of 

building with pre-fabricated components or complete accommodation blocks. The 

layouts available for JRSLA are restricted by the design flexibility of the system 

that is used. 

The grouping of bedsitting rooms is generally in blocks of 20, with the associated 

storage and utility rooms provided centrally in the building. The larger grouping 

of bedrooms, compared with the Modular Suite, results in larger rooms for the 

associated accommodation.


1 . 4 JSP SCALES OF ACCOMMODATION 

1.4.1 Relevant JSP 315 Scales 

The Scales in the Services Accommodation Code, JSP 315, are the general 

standards set by the MOD with the agreement of HM Treasury for the provision of 

accommodation for the regular British Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. 

They are not an automatic entitlement, but have to be compared with defined 

requirements and justified, together with any variations from the scales, in 

accordance with standard procedures. 

Applied in accordance with MOD policies and procedures, the scales provide a 

sound basis for financial control in achieving value for money in both initial capital 

cost and subsequent maintenance. 

This design guide is to be read in conjunction with the relevant JSP Scales listed 

below. Designers should check that they are working to the current amendment of 

the Scales and if discrepancies occur between this guide and the JSP Scales, the 

information contained within the Scales is to take precedence. 

Scale 1: Main Introductory Notes 

Scale 3: Junior Ranks' Single Living Accommodation 

It is important that the general design requirements as listed under JSP Scale 1 

are considered in conjunction with the building-specific information incorporated 

within Scale 3. 

Associated JSP 315 Scales: 

Scale 17: Garages, cycle sheds and parking 

Scale 39: Service Catering Facilities 

Scale 51: Social Clubs 

1.4.2 Accommodation Standards X, Y & Z 

Within Scale 3, three standards of junior ranks single living accommodation are 

identified: Standards X, Y and Z. 

Standard X is adopted where the occupation of the accommodation is short term 

(up to 6 months), for recruits, or personnel undergoing short periods of training, 

and including Royal Marines recruit training which exceeds 6 months. The 

sleeping accommodation is provided in either shared rooms of four or six beds, or 

ten-bed dormitories, with individual rooms for senior personnel. This type of 

accommodation is subject to tougher use than either standard Y or Z, and should 

not be combined with the other standards within the same block. 

Standard Y is adopted where both individual and shared rooms are required for 

long term occupation. The accommodation is in the form of self-contained flats 

designed for 6 personnel, with 2 single bed-sits and one multiple bed-sitting room 

for 4 people. 

The Modular Suite flat concept allows flexibility in the standard of accommodation 

provision. The multiple bed-sitting room within Y standard accommodation can 

easily be converted, at design stage, into individual rooms (Z Standard) by the 

introduction of extra partitions. Conversion of already completed buildings, to 

meet Z standard, would require additional wash hand basins, with water supply 

and drainage, within the new single rooms. 

Standard Z is adopted where individual bed-sitting rooms are required for long 

term occupation. The accommodation is in the form of a 6-person flat with 

individual bed-sitting rooms. Where Z standard accommodation is adopted, 

consideration should still be given to the provision of some four-person rooms, 

which would be available for new arrivals to assist in the settling in process.


1.4.3 Area Addition 

The relevant JSP 315 scales give the total Scheduled Area of the rooms within the 

accommodation. This area does not take into account the space requirement for 

circulation or service ducts etc. To make allowance for these ancillary areas, and 

to provide a total building floor plan area, an Area Addition is added, expressed as 

a percentage of the Scheduled Areas.


Figure 2.1 Robust detailing 

required 

2. General Functional and Design 

Requirements 


This Section provides an overview of the design and functional requirements of 

JRSLA buildings. 

Junior ranks' accommodation is essentially in domestic scale buildings, with the 

bed-sitting room forming the basic unit of design. Bed-sitting areas, either within 

multiple occupancy 'dormitories', 4-man rooms or individual rooms, are grouped 

with their scaled entitlement of WC and ablution areas, and utility room. Storage 

areas and sitting rooms are either provided within flats, or located centrally to the 

accommodation block. 

Although domestic in size, JRSLA is subject to a greater than 'domestic' degree of 

wear and tear. The selection of finishes and fittings, and the design detailing must 

reflect this. 

2.2 PRIMARY / RELATED ACTIVITIES 

2.2.1 Pattern of Use 

The JRSLA is home to the servicemen and women during their training or posting 

to a unit. Whatever the length of their stay, the bedsitting room is their relaxing, 

sleeping and studying space during off-duty hours. 

Meals are served within the separate Junior Ranks' Mess (JR Mess) building, with 

only limited snack preparation facilities provided within some JRSLA. Where 

personnel do shift work, as in some RAF units, the facilities for making light meals 

will be used more regularly, as Mess serving times may be missed. Snacks are 

sometimes served within the Junior Ranks (JR) Club, provided by the NAAFI.

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 2 General Functional & Design Requirements 

The JR Club is the servicemen's off-duty retreat, providing bars and social rooms 

for informal and organised social events. 

The day-to-day working patterns of occupants will vary between units, with some 

personnel working a '9 to 5', some doing shift work and others away for periods on 

exercise. The organisation of the building design and the allocation of 

accommodation to personnel, needs to take working patterns into account, to 

minimise noise disturbance and to allow effective management and servicing of the 

building. 

Personnel working the same hours can be grouped within flats or discrete 

accommodation blocks, reflecting company or squadron units. The smaller the size 

of these blocks, the greater flexibility there is for room allocation by work team, or 

for segregation into male and female designated accommodation. 

The nature of this type of accommodation also means that there will be a regular 

change over of personnel, due to staff postings abroad or within the UK. There 

may be periods when sections of the JRSLA will be left vacant between occupants. 

The design of JRSLA must assume occupation by either male or female personnel. 

Accommodation is normally divided between male and female by building block or 

by floors within a block, depending on numbers. The determining factor is the 

number of rooms sharing the WC and ablutions. Although the design of these 

facilities is unisex, male and female personnel do not share the use of WC and 

ablution areas. Where ensuite facilities are provided to individual rooms there is 

the opportunity for mixed corridors, but greater privacy is afforded by the 

allocation of designated male and female accommodation. 

Personnel returning to the JRSLA may have left an office job, technical or manual 

task or be returning from a training exercise. The entrance area will be shared by 

a group of bedsits, receiving considerable traffic, and will be the first area in 

contact with any wet or mud brought in from outside. Access into the 

accommodation blocks should progress from dirty through to clean areas to ensure 

that the sitting room and bedrooms are maintained as clean areas. Utility rooms 

and drying areas should be sited close to the accommodation entrance to allow 

dirty and wet kit to be left before personnel enter the living areas. These rooms 

can also act as a sound barrier between the circulation core and bedrooms to 

minimise the noise disturbance. 

2.3 LOCATION AND SITING 

2.3.1 Infrastructure 

The junior ranks' living accommodation should be sited within a zone dedicated to 

living and mess accommodation. This should be sited away from any working zone 

within the Unit to protect the sleeping quarters from noise, and provide privacy 

from overlooking. General vehicle access into and within the unit should avoid 

passing through this living zone. 

2.3.2 Access / Parking 

Service access is needed for collection of refuse, for deliveries and for fire vehicles. 

General vehicle access is required to the accommodation entrance for the transport 

of furniture and belongings, with a designated drop-off point. 

Parking adjacent to the living accommodation is not encouraged for security 

reasons. The parking rules within a unit will be determined by local security risks, 

but generally parked cars are restricted to a minimum of 25m from occupied 

buildings. 

The provision of garaging and covered cycle storage is dealt with under JSP315 

Scale 17 and detailed within Section 5 of this Design Guide.


Figure 2.2 Planning and siting 

criteria associated with JRSLA 

buildings. 

2.3.3 Noise/Disturbance 

JRSLA should be sited away from facilities or functions which produce loud noise. 

Where this cannot be achieved, the siting and orientation of the building can 

reduce the level of disturbance caused within the accommodation. The JRSLA 

should be orientated to shield as much of the private sleeping quarters as possible 

from the prevailing sound source. Elevations facing the source of the noise should 

have a minimum number, and size, of openings in the building envelope, as these 

will allow sound to enter the building, with double glazed windows for added sound 

insulation. 

External noise disturbance can be reduced by: quietening the source of the noise 

(although this is generally outside the scope of the JRSLA design); by dissipating 

the sound on its path between the source and the receiver; or by obstructing the 

sound path. 

Dissipation of the sound is best achieved over distance, as the sound will be 

weakened and spread out as it travels through the air. Areas of soft landscaping 

and ground cover, along the sound path, can offer a degree of sound attenuation. 

Trees can provide noticeable sound reduction only if planted in very deep belts. 

Obstructions on the sound path can take the form of screening or fencing, located 

close to the sound source or to the JRSLA, or by the sound insulation properties of 

the construction materials of the building itself. This is dealt with at 2.5.2 

(Acoustics / Sound Control).

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 2 General & Design Requirements 

10 

2.3.4 Privacy / Screening 

JRSLA should be screened from working areas by the building configuration, its 

location or by planting. However, the screening of JRSLA to increase privacy for 

occupants must not conflict with security requirements of the unit. Site planning 

must allow for effective patrols of the buildings. Grouping of the buildings into 

courtyards can provide privacy and protection against the wind and outside noise, 

but dead-end pedestrian courtyards should be avoided for security reasons. 

2.3.5 Relation to other Facilities 

Within the accommodation zoning of an MOD Unit, the JRSLA, Mess and Social 

Club should be collocated within the living zone. The three facilities should be 

sited close enough to allow easy access, under cover if possible. 

Junior servicemen and women are also regular users of the unit sports facilities 

and the siting of JRSLA relative to sports halls and gyms should reflect this 

interest. 

2.4 ARCHITECTURAL SCALE AND FORM 

JRSLA buildings are generally of 2 or 3 storeys. Combined with planning around 

the basic flat unit, this results in a domestic scale of building divided into small 

building blocks. The choice of materials and components needs to give a domestic 

scale and character to the JRSLA buildings, while still meeting the endurance and 

maintenance criteria of the MOD unit. 

The buildings are generally of brick/block load-bearing construction with pitched 

roofs of clay or concrete tiles, or fibre-cement slates. The MOD Reference Cost 

Manual allows for a straight-forward, sturdy building design, without elaborate or 

unnecessary decorative features. Facing brickwork can include band courses and 

window surround detail to give variety to the elevations, while the roof is kept 

simple with roof lights over circulation cores where required. 

Where standard accommodation modules are used, whether it is the 6-person flat 

or 20-bed block, the treatment of the link blocks is important in the overall 

configuration of the building footprint. If poorly designed, these link elements can 

waste large amounts of space. 

Large accommodation blocks are often institutional in character. The design of 

JRSLA should promote a more domestic feel, with the flat forming the basic unit of 

the architectural massing. Changes in direction in the elevation and a stepped 

profile create interesting views and external spaces. Careful treatment of the 

entrance to the building and its adjacent landscaping helps to anchor it in its 

surroundings. 

2.4.1 Local Character 

Response to the local architectural character will involve the sympathetic use of 

materials and an appropriate scale of building massing. The scale and density of 

development in the locality will have a bearing on JRSLA design where projects are 

located close to civilian accommodation. 

2.4.2 Height Restrictions 

JSP315 Scale 3 recommends accommodation blocks of 3 storeys for reasons of 

economy. This is also a maximum height under the Modular Suite design, since a 

single staircase is relied on to serve each block and under Building Regulations this 

restricts the height to a maximum of 3 storeys for fire escape purposes. 

On RAF sites, where airfield flight paths pass close to JRSLA, the buildings are 

generally restricted to 2 storeys.


Figure 2.3 JRSLA elevations 

designed in keeping with 

character of local architecture. 

2.5 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS 

2.5.1 Natural / Artificial Lighting 

No room, other than store rooms, are to be designed without windows. The 

planning of JRSLA must allow natural light into, and views out from, all habitable 

rooms, namely the bedsitting rooms, sitting and visitors' rooms and duty room. 

Similarly the utility room, WC and ablutions areas should have a natural light 

source to provide a pleasant environment, with a view possible from the utility 

space. 

Where internal corridors are unavoidable, within the Modular Suite design for 

example, borrowed natural lighting can be provided via fire resistant over-panels 

or glazing within the utility room door. Glazed panels should not be provided over 

bedsitting room doors, as night time light levels from the corridor may disturb the 

occupants. 

Artificial lighting levels are given within the JSP315 scales for each room or area, 

and within the Planning Data Sheets in Section 3. 

Emergency escape lighting is required to all common escape routes. 

2.5.2 Acoustics /Sound Control 

The habitable rooms within the JRSLA need to be protected against noise 

generated outside, as well as from adjacent rooms within the building. This can be 

achieved partly through the internal planning of the JRSLA. Noise sensitive 

rooms, such as sleeping quarters, should be separated from communal facilities 

which generate noise, ie utility rooms, busy circulation cores etc. Where the space 

planning does not allow this, the construction of separating walls must provide 

adequate sound insulation. 

Most servicemen and women have their own stereos and televisions, and the 

construction of partitions within the JRSLA needs to provide good sound 

insulation between rooms, equivalent to hotel design. Partitions and floors 

between bedsitting rooms, and between bedsitting rooms and corridors, should 

have an average sound insulation of not less than 48 db(A). The effect of this noise 

reduction is to make loud speech only faintly audible within an adjoining room. 

Corridors are spaces where the generation of noise disturbance is most common. 

Doors across circulation spaces should not be sited adjacent to bedroom partitions, 

as banging of doors will disturb sleepers, and corridors should be separated from 

circulation cores by self-closing doors. Where possible, bedroom doors should be 

11


12 

staggered so that the opening of one bedroom door will not disturb the occupant 

opposite. Floor and wall finishes along busy circulation routes should be chosen to 

minimise noise. 

Control of external noise can be achieved through the sound insulation of the 

building envelope. The density / mass of the construction will determine its sound 

insulating properties, with components, such as doors and windows, creating local 

penetrations in the building envelope. For the sound attenuating qualities of the 

building envelope to be maintained, the penetrations within it should be kept to a 

minimum, particularly on the elevation exposed to most noise. 

Windows should be double glazed to provide both thermal and sound insulation. 

The use of secondary glazing can provide additional sound insulation by creating a 

larger air gap than can be achieved with a double glazed unit alone. To be 

effective, the secondary pane must be securely closed. 

The design of the building fabric for sound insulation, must include protection of 

the top storey, possibly with a concrete over-slab, where noise levels on the site 

dictate. The sound insulating properties of a traditional timber and tiled pitched 

roof will not be good enough to control noise levels from low flying aircraft, for 

example. Buildings on air stations will generally be subject to greater levels of 

external noise than on other sites, and the detailed design of the JRSLA should 

take this into account. 

The ventilation system within the JRSLA needs to be designed to ensure low noise 

levels within the bedsitting rooms. This is particularly important with ensuite 

WC/shower rooms, which rely exclusively on the mechanical extraction of air, and 

which are sited so close to sleeping areas. 

Acoustic / Sound insulation measures should not conflict with the ventilation, fire 

and health and safety requirements of the design. 

2.5.3 Visual Criteria /Colour 

The materials, building massing and density of development should be appropriate 

to the site and building use. The quality of building materials can vary the 

appearance of the JRSLA project through the choice of scale, texture and colour. 

Local variety of colour and form within repeated elements of construction can add 

identity to individual accommodation blocks. 

2.6 CONSTRUCTION/COMPONENTS 

2.6.1 Building Structure 

The small scale nature of JRSLA buildings suggests a load-bearing form of 

construction for reasons of economy. The majority of JRSLA buildings will be 

loadbearing brick / block, with pitched roofs with clay or concrete tiles. This is 

supported within the MOD Manual of Reference Costs for JRSLA, and this form of 

construction is assumed within the following notes. 

The case for a framed structure may be supported where the risk to the building 

from terrorist attack is considered to be high. In these cases the protection against 

building collapse, following bomb blast, is best achieved through a structural 

frame. Whatever structural solution is adopted, measures to combat building 

collapse and injury from flying debris must be considered as part of the design. 

Aircraft can create pressure vortexes which can cause uplift damage to roof 

coverings. A risk assessment should be carried out on JRSLA projects, on sites 

adjacent to aircraft runways, to determine whether this will be a factor in the 

design of the roof.


2.6.2 Stairs /Floors/Walls/Ceilings 

The fire rating of construction elements and the compartment of the building must 

be in accordance with current Building Regulations and MOD Fire Standards. 

Potential fire risks need to be contained and escape routes protected in the event of 

a fire in the building. 

Stairs 

Stair cases and fire escapes must be constructed in brick, concrete or steel, with 

sturdy balustrading of simple design. The volume of traffic will vary according to 

the particular design of each accommodation block, but the stair width should be a 

minimum of 1100mm, with sufficient space for 2 people to pass with ease, allowing 

for each carrying a backpack or shoulder kit bag. 

Walls 

External walls are to be load-bearing cavity wall construction with an inner leaf of 

blockwork and an insulated cavity. The outer leaf can be either rendered 

blockwork, or facing bricks appropriate to the locality. 

Internal walls are generally blockwork, for both load-bearing and non-load-bearing 

partitions. The walls are to be taken up to form a tight seal at roof level or fire 

resistant floor or ceiling level. Brickwork can be used within entrance areas, where 

a fair-faced finish is required. In these areas, consideration should be given to the 

location and fixing method of wiring or pipework, which will be exposed. Fairfaced 

brickwork on busy circulation routes is likely to become chipped or marked, and is 

less easily maintained than plastered blockwork, which can be repaired and 

repainted. 

Internal walls should meet sound reduction requirements and must be able to 

resist impact damage. All walls are to comply with the surface spread of flame 

ratings prescribed in the Building Regulations. Within the Modular Suite flat 

design, fire resistant partitions are required between bedsits and all rooms 

containing a fire risk (eg Utility and sitting rooms), and between bedsits and the 

protected corridor escape route. The final exit route from the building stairway 

and all ground floor accommodation needs to be protected within fire resistant 

construction. 

Floors 

New build JRSLA floors must be pre-cast or reinforced concrete floor slabs, with 

sand-cement screeds, to provide the structural stability and sound reduction for a 

multiple occupancy building. The case for timber frame, timber floor construction, 

under systems of building (see 2.6.4), would have to be justified at design stage. 

Reference should be made to the DEO(W) document: 'Robustness measures for 

buildings of conventional construction', where the threat of terrorist attack on a 

particular site warrants the implementation of additional 'robust measures'. 

Ceilings 

Ceilings are formed by the fairfaced soffit of the concrete floor system, or by the 

application of plaster or plasterboard. Suspended ceilings are not generally used, 

although their application within refurbishment projects may be required to 

conceal services, or to lower the ceiling height within small rooms. Where 

suspended ceiling are not provided, the design of exposed service runs and 

pipework must be considered. Finishes to non-suspended ceilings should be 

emulsion paint or textured plastic coating, with a moisture resistant finish within 

wet areas. Exposed pipework should be painted. 

13


Figure 2.4 Treatment of windows 

on a recently completed JRSLA 

project. 

2.6.3 Doors/Windows 

Doors 

External doors will need to be robust enough to withstand heavy use, with a 

locking and hinge mechanism able to resist attempts at forced or rough entry. 

Doors and frames can be either hardwood or aluminium, with a flush, panelled or 

glazed door leaf. Regularly used entrance doors should be partially glazed to 

ensure good vision. Final exit doors should be locked by single release catches, and 

not with detachable keys. 

Internal doors will also receive a heavy duty degree of wear and should be flush, 

solid core construction. The doors should be softwood doorsets, with hardwood 

frames to communal areas, and softwood frames to doors receiving less wear. The 

surface of the door leaf needs to be protected from knocks either with a facing 

finish, like melamine, to the whole surface, or by the application of protection or 

kick plates to the lower half of the door. 

The fire rating of internal doors, the leaf construction, provision of smoke seals, 

vision panels etc., must be in accordance with current Building Regulations and 

MOD Fire standards. Air transfer grilles are not to be fitted to fire doors. 

Glazed screens, where required, should be made of softwood. 

Ironmongery and fixings in non-fire rated doors need to be sturdy, either 

aluminium or nylon coated steel. Ironmongery to fire doors must comply with 

MOD Fire Standard C3 and BS 476 Part 22. Lever handles to doors, rather than 

knobs, provide an easier opening mechanism for personnel with wet or oily hands. 

Internal doors will need name or number plates, identifying a room by its use or 

number, or allowing individuals to insert their own name plate on bedsitting room 

doors. Door stops should be provided to avoid noise disturbance and damage to 

wall finishes. 

The system of locking of entrance doors and bedsitting rooms within the JRSLA 

needs to be determined. Entrance doors are generally accessed with an 

independent code system lock, with a suited system of locks within the JRSLA 

flats. Where locks are suited, access to one flat door and to an individual bedsitting 

room door, will be via the same key.


Windows 

Window frames to JRSLA can be either aluminium, steel, uPVC or timber. 

Aluminium and uPVC are more widely used by the MOD as offering a reduced 

level of maintenance over timber. Timber may be best used where new build 

windows are required to respond to the glazing bar design and proportion of timber 

frames in existing buildings. Hardwood or a good quality softwood can be used. 

External cills can be constructed from a variety of materials. Facing brickwork or 

precast concrete cills provide a hardwearing finish. Alternatively the cills are an 

integral part of the window design, fabricated in aluminium, steel or uPVC. 

Timber internal cills will require regular maintenance and repainting, but provide 

an attractive surface. Plastic, or ceramic or quarry tiles, provide an easily cleaned 

finish, suitable for use within wet areas. 

Where the JRSLA building is designated as being at risk from terrorist attack, the 

glazing to windows should be designed with reference to the DEO(W) Design and 

Maintenance Guide 02: 'Glazing standards for MOD buildings subject to terrorist 

threat.' 

Double glazing should be fitted to all windows, to give good acoustic insulation and 

to cut down on heat loss. Where secondary glazing is provided, for sound reduction 

purposes, it should be in the form of sliding panes. Inward opening secondary 

glazing units should not be used, as these restrict the usable space within the 

bedsitting rooms, when open. 

The window opening mechanism needs to take safety, security and ventilation 

requirements into account. Ground floor windows require a restricted opening 

mechanism, to prevent injury to people passing close to the building, but should be 

easily opened if designated as a means of escape. Trickle vents should be provided 

within the window frames to allow background ventilation to a room and reduce 

condensation. 

2.6.4 Building Systems / Volumetric 

System build or volumetric construction provide off-the-shelf designs which have 

been used for JRSLA by the RAF. These systems have been developed for use as 

motel designs and rely on repetition of a basic unit of accommodation, comprising 

of a single bedsitting room with ensuite bath or shower room. The cost of these 

improved facilities, over the standard JRSLA provision, is off-set by the relative 

low cost of the basic system and the speed of construction. 

Different systems have been used by the RAF, but they are generally of 2 storey 

timber frame construction, with timber or concrete ground floors, and timber 

intermediate floors. Some systems use a steel framed accommodation module. 

The external cladding to all systems is brickwork, with pitched, tiled roofs. 

The modular elements come to site pre-fabricated and consist of either complete 

rooms or whole sections of the building, incorporating several rooms along a 

corridor. The ensuite WC and shower facilities come pre-plumbed, with all fittings 

in place, and are connected to on-site services. 

Planning and Design 

The use of a system of building for JRSLA, incorporating ensuite shower or bath 

facilities, would have to be justified at design stage, as it does not conform to 

JSP315 scaling of accommodation. 

The bedsitting rooms, where well designed, are well suited to use in JRSLA. The 

ensuite facilities provide a level of privacy preferred by the junior servicemen and 

women. It is important, however, that the depth of the accommodation module, 

and layout of the ensuite shower room, allows the maximum usable space within 

the bedsitting room. The bedsit should be well-proportioned, with some flexibility 

in the layout of furniture. 

15


Figure 2.5 System build JRSLA. 

16 

The requirements of the central and communal facilities of JRSLA differ from 

motel design, and these areas of system JRSLA blocks are often poorly considered. 

Utility rooms tend to be equipped as kitchens, with small domestic sinks 

unsuitable for washing outdoor clothing, and bathrooms and sitting rooms are not 

provided. The link blocks or junctions between the standard accommodation 

blocks, are also rarely 'designed', resulting in oversized circulation cores. 

The danger of accepting a ready-made design is that it may not be appropriate to 

the requirements of JRSLA in general, or to the building site or project in 

particular. Where adherence to the JSP315 scales is relaxed in part, i.e. relating to 

the ensuite facilities, it is important that the full accommodation provision is 

reconsidered, to ensure that the system build project is designed to bear strict 

relevance to its use as a JRSLA. For example: 

• A bathroom should be provided in addition to the ensuite shower rooms, 

one per wing or floor. 

A separate WC should be provided for use by visitors to the building, 

including cleaning staff. 

A staff rest room for cleaners, and a store for cleaning materials, may be 

required, depending on the size of the JRSLA and its proximity to other 

accommodation. 

A communal sitting room may be required on some units. 

The particular storage needs of the resident unit should be assessed, as the 

standard provision is often inadequate. 

Specification and Durability 

It is difficult to judge whether the specification of the system blocks, currently 

occupied by the RAF, is robust enough to withstand JRSLA use, as none are more 

than a few years old. 

Between bedrooms, the double skin timber construction provides good acoustic 

insulation. However, the deflection of timber floors, particularly within first floor 

corridors, gives the feeling of low quality to the building. Poor impact sound 

insulation between floors compounds this feeling of impermanence and has given 

rise to complaints of systems buildings being noisy. 

The space allowance for service ducts adjacent to the ensuite WC facilities varies 

with the system used. Good access is provided from the corridor but the space 

within the ducts is often inadequate for the service runs to be accommodated.


Problems with leaking showers are common, although this could be attributed to 

inadequate services connection or site supervision. However, with the increased 

number of shower rooms, the potential for problems due to water leakage is 

multiplied. 

Internal WC and shower rooms must also rely exclusively on mechanical extract of 

air. Whatever system is used it must be sufficient to ensure no build up of 

moisture in the room, while limiting the noise disturbance to adjacent bedrooms. 

When fans are too noisy, occupants do not use them. 

Structural Fire Precautions 

The design of the system buildings is required to meet Building Regulations, 

including structural fire precautions, and MOD Fire Standards. A particular area 

of concern, on some completed projects, has been inadequacies in the fire stopping 

between modular units, and around flexible ductwork between the WC / shower 

room and the vertical service duct. Supervision of the on-site assembly of system 

buildings is vital to ensure that the actual building construction conforms to the 

design drawings, and to Building Regulations, in the provision for 

compartmentation, fire resistance and fire stopping. DEO(W) Health and Safety 

Warning Notice No 13/94 refers. 

2.7 FINISHES 

2.7.1 Suitability/Durability 

The finishes within JRSLA need to be hard wearing and easily maintained to take 

the knocks that will be dealt to them. Servicemen and women are heavy users of 

their accommodation, particularly the circulation spaces and communal facilities. 

The entrance to the building will receive the most traffic and will need a heavy 

duty choice of finishes. Personnel may be returning from dirty activities or 

carrying equipment and until they reach the utility, drying or storage areas their 

movement through the building will leave its mark on the floor and walls. 

Different units may adopt different standards of finishes, particularly within the 

bedsitting rooms and flat corridors. In these areas either carpet or sheet flooring 

materials are required. The choice of finish should meet not only the requirements 

of the resident unit but also any realistically anticipated unit in the future. 

2.7.2 Repair and Maintenance 

Repairs to JRSLA are inevitable over the life of the building. The choice and 

detailing of finishes should allow easy, regular cleaning and facilitate sectional 

repair or replacement in the event of damage. The matching of finishes needs to 

be considered through the retention of repair stock, of tiles for example, and 

through the initial specification of readily available materials and colours. 

Specification details should also be included in the Building Maintenance Manual 

provided by the design team at handover. 

Most cleaning within the flats is carried out by personnel living in the building, 

although communal circulation areas and sitting rooms are generally cleaned by 

contract cleaners. Areas to be maintained by servicemen need to be finished with 

surfaces that can be readily cleaned on a regular basis, without the use of 

mechanical appliances. 

Cleaning of slip-resistant flooring is often difficult, because of the drag of the 

surface finish. Non-slip vinyl floor finishes can become badly marked from rubbersoled 

boots and light coloured vinyl should be avoided. 

17


Figure 2.6 Bedroom fittings 

18 

FIXTURES / FITTINGS 

2.8.1 Fixings / Positioning 

Example room layouts, indicating the location of furniture and fittings, are 

included within the Section 3 Planning Data Sheets. 

The MOD Reference Costs include for sturdy built-in furniture, shelving and 

fittings, as listed within Technical Annexe B. Non-fitted items, such as beds, desks 

etc, are provided from Defence Accommodation Stores (DAS). Spares need to be 

readily available, with items such as light fittings provided from DAS. 

Project Managers are no longer restricted to the range of MOD supplied furniture 

(eg Benbow), but should provide fittings that represent the equivalent value for 

money and degree of robustness. Furniture used in JRSLA must be able to 

withstand heavy use and mis-use, and must conform to BS 4875, level 5 strength 

and stability performance. 

It is important at design stage to establish what furniture is to be included within 

the building contract and whether items available from DAS are compatible in size 

and design with the proposed new furniture. It is the responsibility of the Sponsor 

to co-ordinate the procurement of fitted and loose furniture, to ensure the best 

solution in terms of design, operation and cost. It may be appropriate to include all 

furnishings, fitted and loose items, under the building contract, to ensure a 

consistent quality of finish and design. The particular requirement of the resident 

unit should also be checked, against the standard furniture provision, to ensure 

that their operational requirements are met. For example, some training units will 

require desk space that can take large maps. 

The choice of furniture should take maintenance into account. Items must be easy 

to repair and/or allow replacement of individual elements, such as wardrobe doors. 

Hinges on cupboards and wardrobes should be from a heavy duty range with 

secure fixings to avoid the need to realign doors during the life of the unit. The use 

of face-fixed hinges, or hinges with loose pins that may easily be removed, should 

be avoided, to protect individual's belongings from theft. 

Colours should be specified which disguise the marks of general wear; for example, 

white bedroom furniture should be avoided. However, dark coloured furniture can 

be intrusive in small rooms, giving a heavy look. Light coloured timber veneers 

give a smart, attractive appearance.


2.8.2 Soft Furnishings 

Curtains are supplied from Defence Accommodation Stores for all bedsitting room 

windows. Net curtains are provided to give privacy to ground floor windows and 

where rooms are over-looked. The curtain rail and fixings form part of the project 

contract. 

2.9 STATUTORY LEGISLATION 

2.9.1 Town Planning Legislation 

Although formally exempt from Planning Permission, under Crown Immunity, it is 

the policy of the MOD to follow the spirit of the planning legislation. Consultation 

with Local Planning Authorities (LPAs), equivalent to securing full planning 

consent, is necessary for JRSLA buildings on MOD sites. This consultation process 

is referred to as a Notice of Proposed Development (NOPD), and is carried out 

under the procedure set out in DOE Circular 18/84. 

The Local Defence Land Agent (DLA) should be contacted at an early stage to 

determine if there are any sensitive planning issues relating to the proposed site, 

or nature of the development. Copies of the Planning drawings must be sent to the 

DLA, before submission to the LPA, to determine whether the Defence Land Agent 

wants to undertake the process of consultation himself. 

The requirements under Town Planning and Historic Building Legislation can, in 

certain circumstances, have significant bearing on the design and siting of a 

building eg. the size of the project, its proximity to civilian public areas, 

refurbishment work on a historic building, or a proposal involving significant loss 

of trees or landscaping. 

DEO(W) Technical Bulletin 33/94 covers the procedure for Town Planning 

Clearances. 

2.9.2 Building Regulations 

It is MOD policy that all works be planned and executed in compliance with the 

current Building Regulations. 

Access for Disabled 

Part M of the Building Regulations relates to access and facilities for disabled 

people. At present it applies to all buildings other than dwellings, although under 

future changes the regulations may be amended to encompass dwellings. 

It is unlikely that JRSLA buildings would normally be occupied by persons other 

than those fit and physically able bodied. Designers must seek advice from the 

DEO(W) Building Control Officer at an early stage to ensure that the appropriate 

facilities are provided. An application for dispensation or determination of the 

regulations would normally follow this discussion process. In Scotland, any 

dispensation or determination must be provided by the Secretary of State for 

Scotland, with applications again directed via the DEO(W) Building Control 

Officer. 

2.9.3 MOD Fire and Safety Standards 

In addition to complying with the appropriate Building Regulations, building 

designs must conform to the MOD's own mandatory Fire and Safety Standards. 

The following MOD Fire Standards are relevant to the design of JRSLA: 

Part B Building Legislation (B2). 

Part C: Fire resisting construction, fire doors, fire resistant glazing, 

linings, ventilation, components, finishes etc. 

Part D: Fire alarms, detection systems, fire appliances etc. 

19


Part E: Service Single Living Accommodation (E3), Service Messes, 

Kitchens and Galleys (E5). 

Part F Furnishings (F7). 

In addition, compliance with the 'Standard Fire Precautions for Contractors 

Engaged on Crown Works' booklet is mandatory. 

Early and continued consultation with the MOD Project Fire Officer is essential, 

particularly at the preliminary design stages of a project, to ensure that the MOD's 

mandatory standards are fully understood and complied with. 

2.9.4 Health and Safety 

It is MOD policy that all works be planned and executed in compliance with the 

appropriate Health and Safety Regulations. 

2.10 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 

The security requirements of different sites and buildings will vary and risks 

should be identified at an early stage in the design process. 

2.10.1 Anti-Terrorist Measures 

The degree to which the JRSLA building is at risk from terrorist attack should be 

established at an early stage in the design process. If it is not clear in the project 

brief, confirmation of the risk assessment and measures required should be 

confirmed though discussions with the Project Sponsor and appropriate Security 

Branch. 

The following specialist guidance documentation produced by the DEO(W), is 

available through the Project Sponsor: 

Robust measures for buildings of conventional construction (draft August 

1995) 

Design and Maintenance Guide (DMG) 02: Glazing standards for MOD 

buildings subject to terrorist threat 

2.10.2 Crime Prevention Measures 

Early consultation with the local Service Police Crime Prevention Officer is 

recommended at the preliminary design stages of a project to identify likely crime 

risks and ensure that appropriate measures are understood and considered. 

The crime risks associated with JRSLA buildings include the theft of personal 

belongings and equipment stored within bedsits and store rooms. The provision of 

locks and anti theft fittings on fitted furniture and bedsit doors, allows individuals 

to protect their belongings. Access into accommodation blocks should be controlled 

through code or key operated locks, openable by residents of that block only. The 

number of entrance points into the building should be limited, with fire exit doors 

used exclusively for emergency exit. 

The need for external security lighting and surveillance equipment should be 

established during design. 

The site layout and design of the building groupings should allow effective 

patrolling of JRSLA sites by security staff. Dead-end courtyard spaces without 

pedestrian through-routes are not recommended.


Figure 3.1 Personal items of 

kit can be bulky 

3. Specific Room / Area Design 

Requirements 


This section gives details of individual rooms within the JRSLA, and the immediate 

relationship between these rooms. It also includes examples of Modular Suite 

block layouts and site planning. The planning data and example layouts should be 

read in conjunction with the relevant JSP Scales. 

For each room type, as listed under JSP 315 Scale 3, a section describes the Design 

Requirements that need to be met within that area. Example layouts with 

planning notes are provided on Planning Data Sheets to demonstrate options for 

different rooms. 

Planning Data Sheets are included for the following areas: 

3.3 Modular Suite Flat Layouts & Site Planning Configuration 

3.4 Entrance, Stairs & Corridors 

3.5 Bedsitting Room 

3.6 Ablutions & Toilets 

3.7 Utility Room (including drying room, snack preparation area and store) 

3.8 Storage 

3.9 Sitting / Visitors' Room 

3.10 Duty Room 

21

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 3 Specific Room/Area Design Requirements 

22 

3.1.1 Planning Data Sheets 

Keys to the electrical symbols and furniture codes used on the Planning Data 

Sheet drawings, are included within Annexe B. 

3.2 PLANNING RELATIONSHIPS 

3.2.1 Key Circulation Routes 

The key circulation routes within JRSLA are the entrance and stair core, shared 

between several 'flats', and the corridor that serves each collection of bedsitting 

rooms (see Planning Data Sheets PDS 3.4). The bedsitting rooms (PDS 3.5) are 

grouped together with their scaled entitlement of WCs and ablutions (PDS 3.6) and 

utility room (PDS 3.7). This may be in barracks style accommodation, 6-bed flats 

or, hotel-style individual bedrooms, depending on the standard of accommodation 

(X, Y or Z) and the local Unit policy. 

Storage (PDS 3.8) and sitting rooms (PDS 3.9) should be located off the central 

accommodation circulation cores, with easy access from the 'flats' they serve. 

Planning Data Sheets 3.3.1 to 3.3.3 demonstrate example Modular Suite flat 

layouts.


SCALE 1:500 20m 

Planning Notes 

The most economical configuration of Modular Suite 

blocks is 3-linked flats on 3-storeys. Some 2 or 4-link 

blocks may be necessary to meet the required number 

of beds, or to maintain unit integrity. The additional 

cost of 2-storey blocks would have to be justified at 

option study stage. 

See the building examples in Technical Annex A to see 

the variety of ways blocks can be set out to suit 

individual site requirements. 

PLANT ROOM TO SERVE AT 

LEAST TWO BLOCKS, 

POSSIBLY COMBINED WITH 

CLEANERS' ROOM. 

LAUNDRETTE etc. 

Modular Suite 

Sheet 3.3.1 

Y&Z Standard Accommodation 

Site Planning Configuration 

3-FLAT BLOCK 

POSSIBLE LOCATION OF 

SITTING/VISITORS' ROOM, 

DUTY ROOM etc. 

23


Scaled Area: 

Bedsitting rooms: 

Utility room: 

Ablutions & WC areas: 

Circulation: 

SCALE 1:100 


6 @ 11.0m'' 

1 @ 12.0m 2 

1 @ 15.0m 2 

as Modular Suite layout 

The above drawing shows a layout for Y standard 

accommodation, with alternative furniture 

arrangement within the bedsitting rooms. 

The JSP315 scales allow for additional drying space 

within JRSLA for units undergoing intensive field 

training, eg Royal Marines, RAF Regiments and Army 

training units. The scales do not cover additional 

storage space for these units, although this is often a 

24 

Modular Suite 

Sheet 3.3.2 

Y Standard Accommodation 

Multiple & Single Rooms 

problem area. The storage and drying room 

requirements of the particular unit intending to 

occupy the JRSLA, needs to be identified at an early 

stage of the design, and a case put for any increase 

over the scaled entitlement.

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 3 Specific Room/Area Design Requirements Planning Data Sheet 

Scaled Area: 

Bedsitting rooms: 

Utility room: 

Ablutions & WC areas: 

Circulation: 


6 @ 11.0m 2 

1 @ 12.0m 2 

1 @ 15.0m 2 

as Modular Suite layout 

SCALE 1:100 5m 

The above drawing shows a layout for Z standard 

accommodation, widely used by the RAF, with 

alternative furniture arrangements indicated within 

the bedsitting rooms. 

Where single rooms are grouped along a central 

corridor, a window should be provided at the end of 

the corridor to gain daylight into the circulation space. 

This layout has recently been adapted by the Navy, 

WINDOW AT END OF CORRIDOR 

FOR NATURAL LIGHT 

Modular Suite 

Sheet 3.3.3 

Z Standard Accommodation 

Single Rooms 

with a widened central corridor and 6 slightly smaller 

bedsitting areas separated by partitions. Each 

bedsitting space is afforded a greater degree of privacy 

than within the 4-bed multiple room, and the 

circulation space acts as a communal sitting area. A 

store room is provided at the corridor end. 

25


Scaled Area: Area Addition 

The area for entrances and stairs to JRSLA blocks form part of the 

building area addition. 

JSP315 Scale 3, serials 18 & 27. 

PREFERRED HALF-LANDING TO STAIRCASE 

(THE USE OF QUARTER LANDINGS IS TO 

BE AVOIDED) 

GLAZING TO STAIR * ENTRANCE 

TO CREATE WELL-LIT INTERIOR 

1100mm MIN STAIR 

WIDTH BETWEEN 

HANDRAILS 

MATWELL AT 

FLAT ENTRANCE MIRROR 

(X STANDARD ONLY) 

BOOT SCRAPER 

AT ENTRANCE 

LOCATION OF 

~| 

J / 

Entrance & Stairs 

Sheet 3.4.1 

All Accommodation Standards 

MATWELL TO FIT 

FULL WIDTH OF 

ENTRANCE 

MIN DEPTH: 

1100mm 

SCALE 1:50 2m SEE TECHNICAL ANNEXE B FOR KEY TO SYMBOLS 


The entrance and stairs should be located centrally 

within the accommodation grouping. 

Entrance halls need to be well-planned to avoid oversized 

circulation areas, particularly where standard 

accommodation blocks are joined together, for 

example with Modular Suite or System Build projects. 

Staircases within JRSLA are to be a minimum of 

1100mm wide, between handrails, and have a going of 

26 

not steeper than 34°. The use of quarter landings is to 

be avoided, where possible, with half landings as the 

preferred option.


Scaled Area: to Modular Suite design 

The corridors within modular suite blocks do not form part of the 


JSP315 Scales 3, serial 28. 

BORROWED LIGHT INTO CORRIDOR FROM 

GLAZING IN DOOR LEAF OR OVERPANEL 

TO UTILITY * ENTRANCE DOORS 

UTILITY ROOM 

FLAT 

DOOR INCREASED CORRIDOR 

ADJACENT TO SHARED • 

FACILITIES WITHIN FLAT 

MIRROR 

ABLUTIONS 

FIRE ALARM 

& TANNOY 

CARPET 

SINGLE BEDSITTING ROOM 

Corridors 

Sheet 3.4.2 

GLAZED PANELS ARE NOT TO BE PROVIDED 

OVER BEDSITTING ROOM DOORS, AS LIGHT 

FROM CORRIDOR MAY DISTURB OCCUPANTS 

CHANGE OF FLOOR FINISH 

TOILETS SINGLE BEDSITTING ROOM 

Modular Suite 

MIN. CORRIDOR WIDTH IN 

MODULAR SUITE: 1100mm 



The design of JRSLA buildings should avoid the use of 

long, internal corridors without natural daylight. 

Wherever possible corridors should be opened up, 

including glazing and views out. Glazed panels over 

doors can provide additional light into enclosed 

corridors. However, glazed panels should not be 

provided over bedsitting room doors, as these are 

invariably blocked out by occupants to stop the light 

from the corridor shining into the bedsitting room. 

Corridor widths should be adjusted to take account of 

the number of rooms opening onto it, and should 

consider the proportions of the space, particularly on 

longer corridors. The corridor widths required for 

Means of Escape under Building Regulations should 

be taken as a minimum. Within Modular Suite flats, 

where corridors are relatively short, the minimum 

width should be 1100mm. In X Standard 

accommodation, where the shared bedrooms and 

ablutions are larger, the flow of traffic at peak times 

will require a greater corridor width, particularly 

where personnel are likely to be carrying kit bags etc. 

A corridor width of 1400mm will allow two people to 

pass with ease, while a width of up to 1800mm should 

be used where several multiple dormitories open onto 

the same circulation route. 

27

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 3 Specific Room/Area Design Requirements Design Requirements 

GENERAL NOTES 

Problem Areas: Storage of bicycles within the 

entrance hallways should not be permitted, with 

adequate secure storage provided close to the JRSLA. 

FITTINGS 

Entrance: 

Metal foot scraper outside each external entrance 

Notice board 

Matwell to fit entrance, with a minimum depth of 

1100mm 

Telephone kiosk / hood (1 phone per 50 occupants) 

Mirror 1360 x 460mm (X Standard only) 

Flat Corridor: 

Mirror 1360 x 460mm 

Matwell ('dirty units' only) 

Figure 3.2 Glazed entrance door & screen 

FINISHES 

Floor 

Vinyl or linoleum, with hardwood or vinyl skirting 

Rubber studded sheet flooring and skirting to be used 

where units are involved in intensive field training 

Matwell at entrance and within Y&Z flats where 

occupied by 'dirty' units 

Walls 

Plastered with vinyl silk emulsion 

Fair-faced brickwork, with corner protection 

28 

Entrance, Stairs & Corridors 

Sheet 3.4.3 

MECHANICAL SERVICES 

Heating 

16.0 °C 


Unheated in modular suite staircases where fair-faced 

brickwork walls 

Ventilation 

Natural ventilation with openable windows and trickle 

ventilation 

Water & Drainage 

Separate fire fighting water supply required to hose 

reels in stairways 

ELECTRICAL SERVICES 

Electrical Supply 

Separate electrical installation from the rest of the 

building (MOD Fire Standard E3) 

Lighting 

Entrance & Stairs lux at finished floor level; 

plus additional lighting over notice board 

Corridor = 100 lux at finished floor level 

Dustbin area = 50 lux at finished floor level 

Power 

Ix 13A double socket per 12m of corridor or 37 m2 of 

floor area 

PA 

Requirement for public address system within JRSLA 

to be determined for each project 

FIRE 

Fire Resisting Construction: Staircase protected 

shafts, utility rooms and storerooms to be 1 hr fire 

resistant construction, corridors to be hr fire 

resistant construction, FD30S doors, self closing to be 

fitted. All glazing in fire resistant walls or doors, 

including borrowed lights, to be fire resistant. 

Fire Alarms and Automatic Fire Detection: 

Provide an electric fire alarm system with manual call 

points to comply with BS 5839 Part 1. Provide an 

automatic fire detection system, connected to the fire 

alarm system, to comply with BS 5839 Part 1. The 

detection system, to an L3 standard, is to be extended 

to provide detection in all rooms used for sleeping 

purposes.


To reduce the risk of false alarms due to smoking, 

ionisation chamber smoke detectors should be 

installed. 

Emergency Escape Lighting: to be provided to all 

escape routes and communal areas in compliance with 

BS 5266 Part 1. 

Fire Fighting Equipment: Wall mounted hose reels 

are to be provided in the staircase enclosure at each 

storey level. 

Signage: to comply with EC Directive 92/58/EEC, 

and BS 5499 Part 1 

Figure 3.3 Stair within accommodation block 

SECURITY 

Entrance Doors: 

Self-closing doors with code system locks. 

Flat Doors: 

Self-closing door with cylinder lock. Suited locks, with 

a single key giving access to one bedroom, plus utility 

room and store within the flat. 

OTHER 

Canopy - external protection to the entrance is 

provided on exposed sites only. 

Dustbins - an enclosed, ventilated space is required for 

the storage of refuse bins, with external access. The 

type & size of bin is dependent on the contractor 

responsible for refuse collection, and security 

restriction in force on the site. The current storage 

Entrance, Stairs & Corridors 

Sheet 3.4.4 


provision is generally for wheeled bins. 

Figure 3.4 Corridor within Modular Suite flat 

29


Scaled Area: 8.5 m 2 per person 

JSP315 Scale 3, serial 19 

Bedsitting room scaled for 10 personnel (part plan) 


1:50 

W3 

W5 

KC4 

PIN BOARD 

C6 C4 

COAT HOOKS 

See Technical Annexe B for furniture codes. 

Units shown dotted indicates furniture located at high 

level. 

30 

o 

Bedsitting Room 

Sheet 3.5.1 

X Standard - Dormitory 

SEE TECHNICAL ANNEXE B FOR KEY TO SYMBOLS 

10-BED DORMITORY 

SEE DRAWING ABOVE

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 3 Specific Room/Area Design Requirements PlanningData Sheet 

Scaled Area: 9.0 m 2 


C6 C6 

ALTERNATIVE ROOM LAYOUTS 


Sheet 3.5.2 

X Standard - Single 





level. 

Alternative rooms shapes and furniture layouts are 

indicated on the above drawing. The square-shaped 

room offers the best planning solution, with a better 

proportioned room and more usable floor space. 

31




SCALE 1:50 




level. 

Different furniture layouts have been shown on the 

drawing above, with Bedsitting Area 1 representing 

the best design solution. The desk is located close to 

the window for light and views out, and the wardrobes 

and high level cupboards are fitted along one wall, 

avoiding 'floating' units. 

32 

ALTERNATIVE BEDSITTING AREA LAYOUTS 


Sheet 3.5.3 

Y Standard - Multiple 

C6 C6 

SEE TECHNICAL ANNEXE B FOR KEY TO SYMBOLS


Scaled Area: 11.0m 


C6 

ALTERNATIVE ROOM LAYOUTS 


Sheet 3.5.4 

Y/Z Standard - Single 





level. 

This Planning Data Sheet shows two room layouts, 

with alternative locations for the bed and desk. 

33

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 3 Specific Room/Area Design Requirements Data Sheet 

Scaled Area: Non-scaled accommodation 

CONSIDER THE USABLE SPACE 

BETWEEN EN SUITE FACILITIES 

EXTERNAL WALL 

SHOWER HEAD LOCATION 

SERVICE DUCT 

SHARED BETWEEN TWO 

EN SUITE FACILITIES 

CHANGE OF FLOOR FINISH 

AT SHOWER ROOM THRESHOLD 


Sheet 3.5.5 

Single with Ensuite Facilities 



See Technical Annexe B for furniture codes. Furniture 

shown dotted indicates units located at high level. 

The fitted furniture within system build projects is 

generally provided as part of the building contract. It 

is important to establish what items of furniture are 

to be provided and to design the room layout with the 

Defence Accommodation Store items to be included, to 

check compatibility of size and design. Desks under 

system build projects are often too small or narrow for 

training units, particularly RAF, where an area is 

required to lay out maps. 

The units indicated on the drawing are to Z standard, 

to provide a comparison with the Modular Suite 

34 

layouts. 

The design of the bedsitting rooms with ensuite 

facilities must consider the usable space within both 

rooms. The depth of the bedsitting room, between the 

shower room and the external wall, must be sufficient 

to allow some flexibility in the arrangement of the 

bedroom furniture, and to create well-proportioned 

rooms. 

Where bedsitting rooms have ensuite shower facilities, 

a common bathroom should be provided on each floor 

or wing of the JRSLA.


GENERAL NOTES 

Use: 

Bedsitting rooms are designed as spaces for sleeping, 

TV watching and studying. Where there are no sitting 

rooms provided, they also double up as socialising 

areas. 

Location: 

The sleeping areas need to be protected from noise 

disturbance by locating them away from the building 

circulation cores and by siting external paths away 

from bedroom windows. 

Problem Areas: 

The increased amount of military clothing and kit 

supplied to servicemen and women, added to an 

increase in the amount of personal belongings, means 

that the typical wardrobe and cupboard space is not 

always adequate. 

Many servicemen have their own microwaves, 

refrigerators and kettles and unofficially bedsitting 

rooms are also used for preparation of snacks and food 

storage. 

Ironing is often done within the individual's room, 

close to the clothes storage, instead of in the utility 

room. 

Figure 3.5 Fitted furniture within system build project 

FITTINGS 


Sheet 3.5.6 


Curtain runners and fittings for privacy curtains 

(where required) are to be provided under the project 

contract. 

See schedule of fitted furniture at Technical Annex B 

for furniture codes. See individual Planning Data 

Sheets for furniture layouts. 

Defence Accommodation Stores: 

Bed 765w x 18801 x 450h 

Locker 450w x 450d x 600h 

Desk 850w x 550d x 750h 

Office chair 

Easy chair 

Waste bin, carpet & curtains 

FINISHES 

Floor 

Vinyl or linoleum within X Standard 

Fibre-bonded carpet, dark coloured within Y&Z 

Standard 

Hardwood or vinyl skirting 

Walls 

Plaster and emulsion 

Cills 

Hardwood or softwood internal cills 

Ceiling 

Painted plaster or plasterboard 


Heating 

18.5 °C 

Ventilation 

Openable windows, with trickle vents for background 

ventilation 


Hot and cold water supply within single rooms 

35

OEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 3 Specific Room/Area Design Requirements 


Lighting 

X Standard: 

100 lux at the work plane, with additional light fitting 

at each bedhead 

Light over basin within single rooms, plus shaver 

socket 

Y&Z Standard: 

125 lux at the work plane, with additional light fitting 

at each bedhead 

Light over basin within single rooms, & shaver socket 

Power 

Location of elec. sockets to suit furniture layout 

X Standard: 

2 x 13A double socket outlets per bedspace 

Y&Z Standard: 

3 x 13A double socket outlets per bedspace 

TV/FM 

The JSP315 scales allow for one TV socket per 

bedspace. In addition to this, provision should be 

made for satellite TV, with a single aerial socket per 

bedspace, linked to a communal reception dish. 

Figure 3.6 Single room within Modular Suite JRSLA 

36 

FIRE 


Sheet 3.5.7 


Fire Alarms and Automatic Fire Detection: 

The automatic fire detection system should provide 

detection in all rooms used for sleeping purposes. The 

fire alarm sounders are to be audible to a level of 75 

dB(A) at the bedhead with all doors shut. 

SECURITY 

Access to bedsitting rooms to be via suited locks



JSP315 Scale 3, serial 22a. 

SCALE 1:50_____2m 


Ablutions area scaled for 20 personnel 

RAISED THRESHOLD 

Planning Data Sheet 

Ablutions Area 

Sheet 3.6.1 

SEE TECHNICAL ANNEXE B FOR KEY TO SYMBOLS 

X Standard 

37



The area for toilets within X Standard accommodation forms part of the 


JSP315 Scale 3, serial 22b 


SERVICES FOR 2 No URINALS TO BE 

PROVIDED IN ALL WC AREAS. 

SANITARY WARE INSTALLED WHERE 

ACCOMMODATION DESIGNATED AS MALE. 

Toilet Area 

Sheet 3.6.2 



Toilet area scaled for 20 personnel 

Service connections for 2 No urinals are to be provided 

to all accommodation. Urinal sanitary ware is to be 

fitted where the accommodation is designated for male 

use. Female toilet area is to include a sanitary 

disposal unit. 

38 

X Standard




Ablutions & Toilets 

Sheet 3.6.3 

DUCT 

SHOWER HEAD 

SCALE 1:50_____2m SEE TECHNICAL ANNEXE B FOR KEY TO SYMBOLS 

Planning Notes: 

Ablutions and toilet areas combined into washroom, 

scaled for 6 personnel. 

FIXED SEAT IN 

BATHROOM & 

SHOWER 

Y Standard 

39





Sheet 3.6.4 

FIXED SEAT IN 

BATHROOM & 

SHOWER 

SHOWER HEAD 


Planning Notes: 

Separate ablutions and toilet areas scaled for 6 

personnel. 

Single bedsitting rooms, under Z standard 

accommodation, each have their own wash hand 

basins. The ablutions area is therefore designed 

without communal basins. A small wash hand basin is 

provided within the toilet area. 

40 

Z Standard


GENERAL NOTES 

Location: Ablutions area and toilet area to be located 

close to the group of bedsitting rooms they serve, acting 

as a buffer zone between the communal areas of 

circulation core, stores, sitting rooms etc. and the 

bedsitting rooms. 

Layout: Ablutions and Toilet areas are to be provided in 

separate rooms, except in the case of Y standard modular 

suite flats. 

Where shower rooms are provided ensuite for each 

bedsitting room, a communal bathroom must be provided 

for each floor or wing. Similarly, where there is no 

communal WC, a separate facility must be provided for 

the use of visitors and cleaning staff. 

The design of ablutions and toilet areas must be suitable 

for male and female occupants. Service connections for 

urinals should be provided to all toilet areas, where 

scaled. The provision of sanitary disposal units within 

female accommodation is to be agreed at design stage. 

Figure 3.7 Modular Suite ablutions 

Problem Areas: 

Problems regularly occur in the detailing of the larger, 

multiple occupancy ablutions areas: 

Inadequate falls to floor gulleys and leaks around outlet; 

Leaks due to inadequate tanking of floor; 


Sheet 3.6.5 

Poor detailing of shower areas. 

FITTINGS 

Sanitary ware to be ceramic 


Baths to be pressed steel with rigid side panels 

Showers to have adjustable direction shower head, at a 

fixed height of 2.0m 

The shower area should be either a shower tray with 

surrounding tiled floor laid to falls, or a fully tiled floor 

and surround. Shower heads should be adjustable. For 

JRSLA, curtains are preferable to complete shower units 

with doors, as they will not be so easily damaged. 

However, curtains need to be cleaned regularly, as they 

become mildewed if not dried out properly. 

Accessibility of services is important, in the event of 

problems. The shower area should be raised, with 

adequate duct space. 

Wash hand basins need to be well-fixed to protect 

against rough usage. The use of captive plugs is 

advisable to avoid loss and the cost of replacement. 

Sanitary disposal units should be provided, one to 

each female toilet area. 

X Standard Ablutions 

per 3 persons (excluding occupants of single rooms): 

1 x wash hand basin 

per basin: splashback, mirror, shelf, towel rail, 

clothes hook 

per 10 persons: 

1 x bath (min one per ablutions area) 

per bath: fixed seat, 2x clothes hooks, soap 

holder, shelf, towel rail 


1 x shower 

per shower: fixed seat, 2x clothes hooks, soap 

holder, shelf, towel rail, curtain rail 

X Standard Toilet 


per WC: toilet roll holder, clothes hook 

per 16 men: 

1 x urinal 

per toilet area: 1 x small wash hand basin 

per basin: splash back, towel rail 

41


Y Standard Ablutions & Toilets 

per flat: 

2 x wash hand basin 

per basin: splashback, mirror, shelf, towel rail, 

clothes hook 

1 x bath 



1 x shower 



2xWC 


Z Standard Ablutions 

per flat: 

1 x bath 



1 x shower 



Z Standard Toilet 

per flat: 

2xWC 

FINISHES 

Floor 


1 x small wash hand basin 

per basin: splash back, towel rail 

Non-slip quarry / ceramic tiles and coved skirting. 

Vinyl sheet flooring is provided within System Build 

ensuite shower facilities. 

Floors within communal ablutions areas (X Standard) 

are to be fully tanked and tested, with falls to floor 

gulleys and a raised threshold at the door opening. No 

tanking is required to ensuite or modular suite domestic 

scale ablutions. 

Walls 

Bath and shower areas to be within full height blockwork 

partitions 

Robust demountable partitions between multiple WCs 

42 

and showers 


Sheet 3.6.6 


Ablutions and toilet areas to have ceramic tiles to full 

height 

Ceiling 

Plaster or plasterboard, with a washable paint finish. 

Figure 3.8 Ensuite WC and shower 


Heating 

16.0 °C 

Ventilation 

Mechanical ventilation should be provided where baths 

and showers are located within the ablutions areas. 

Different applications could warrant light switch / 

humidity / movement sensor operations of the ventilation 

system. 


Hot and cold water supply. 

Labelled drinking water supply (X Standard only) 

Drainage gulley in floor (X Standard only) 


Lighting 

125 lux at the work plane 

supplementary lighting over mirrors, shaver sockets



(a) laundry / cleaning 

(b) drying 

(c) ironing / airing 


DRAINAGE CHANNEL 

& FLOOR GULLEY 

BENEATH DRYING RAILS 

min area: 7.4 m 

min area: 3.7 m 

min area: 3.7 m 2 

WORK SURFACE 

WITH CUPBOARDS UNDER 

CEILING CLOTHES DRYER 

HANGING RAILS 

Utility Room 

Sheet 3.7.1 


IRONING BOARD 



Utility room scaled for 20 personnel 

X Standard 

43




(b) drying 


(d) snack preparation 

(e) store 


CUPBOARD OVER 

WORKSURFACE EXTRACT 

Utility Room 

Sheet 3.7.2 

Y&Z Standard 

RAISED STEP BETWEEN 

DRYING & UTILITY ROOM 



Utility room scaled for 6 personnel. 

The modular suite utility room includes limited snack 

preparation facilities, consisting of a 2-ring electric 

hob, and services for a refrigerator. 

44


GENERAL NOTES 

Use: washing and drying clothes and military kit, 

preparation of snacks and storage of cleaning 

materials. 

Location: adjacent to entrance and circulation core 

within X standard accommodation, and adjacent to the 

flat entrance within Modular Suite (Y&Z Standard). 

Layout: The scales give separate areas for 


(b) drying 


(d) snack preparation (Y&Z Standard only) 

(e) storage (Y&Z Standard only) 

The drying area is provided as a separate room or 

cupboard, generally accessed off the utility space. 

Units involved in intensive field training (eg Royal 

Marines) are entitled to additional drying facilities 

(see scale 3, serial 7). 

Problem areas: 

The service connections for one washing machine are 

provided for under the scales. This is not always 

adequate if a central laundry facility is not available. 

Each Unit will have a different policy on laundry: a 

central station laundrette; a laundry within each 

accommodation block with large coin-operated 

machines; or personal or hired domestic machines 

plumbed into each flat. 

Figure 3.9 Modular Suite utility room 

FITTINGS 

X Standard 


Utility Room 

Sheet 3.7.3 


(a) stainless steel deep washing sink with integral 

draining board. 

(a) 1.8m impervious work surface with splashback 

and cupboards under 

(c) 1 x ironing board 

per room: 

(b) ceiling clothes dryers with hanging rails @ 

0.4m per person 

(b) hanging rails @ 0.3m per person, with captive 

hangars and slatted shelf over. Shoe rail @ 

0.3m run per person. 

(c) slat shelving and plastic covered hanging rail 

Y&Z Standard 

per flat: 

(a) stainless steel deep washing sink with draining 

board and cupboards under 

(a) 600 x 600mm cleaning materials cupboard 

(b) 600mm deep drying cupboard with slatted 

shelved and plastic covered hanging rail with 

captive hangers, shoe rail, plastic strip curtain 

(c) 1 x free-standing ironing board 

(c) ceiling airer with plastic covered hanging rails 

(d) impervious work surface, inset with small sink 

and 2x electric hob heaters 

(d) high level wall unit over work surface 

(e) 3x fixed slatted timber shelves 

Items from unit funds or privately supplied: 

Kettle, microwave, washing machine, tumble dryer, 

refrigerator. 

Ceremonial Units (Army): 

Additional space for draining / washing surfaces 

adjacent to sinks for scrubbing their kit clean. 

Ventilated / dehumidifying lockers are used to store 

dress uniform. 

45


FINISHES 

Note: Finishes within the Utility area must be fire 

resistant 

Floor: 

Non-slip ceramic / quarry tiles, with coved skirting. 

Vinyl sheet flooring is provided within Systems Build 

projects 

Floors within X Standard utility rooms are to be fully 

tanked and tested, with falls to floor gulleys and a raised 

threshold at the door opening. No tanking is required to 

ensuite or modular suite domestic scale utility rooms. 

Walls: 

(b) full height ceramic tiling 

(a), (c) & (d) ceramic tiles to 600mm splashback to 

sinks and worktops; elsewhere plastered plus emulsion 

paint. 

Cills: 

Ceramic / quarry tiles 

Ceiling: 

Plaster or plasterboard, with a washable paint finish. 

Figure 3.10 Drying cupboard with plastic strip curtain 

46 


Heating: 

(a), (c) & (d) 16°C 

(b) heating coil 

(e) 13°C 

Ventilation: 

Utility Room 

Sheet 3.7.4 


(a), (c) & (d) natural where adequate, or mechanical 

extraction 

(d) extract over hob, linked to hob operation with over 

run 

(b) mechanical extraction Note: the heating and 

ventilation to drying areas need to operate together. 

The ventilation system must run at all times the 

heating is operational. 

(e) natural ventilation 

Water & Drainage: 

(a), (c) & (d) hot, cold and drinking (labelled) water 

supply. 

(a) plumbing for washing machine. 

(b) drainage channel and gulley 


Lighting: 

(a), (c) & (d) 225 lux level at the work plane 

(b) 175 lux level at the work plane 

Power: 

Isolator switch to electric hob 

Service connections for washing machine 

Location of electric sockets to suit equipment to be 

used. Control switches to low level equipment should 

be located above work surface for easy access 

X Standard: 


1 x 13A double sockets (minimum of 3) 

Y&Z Standard: 

(a) 3 x 13A double sockets 

(d) 2 x 13A double sockets


Scaled Area: 

General store: 15.0 m2 

provided centrally within each building 

Baggage Store: 1.0 m2 per person 

provided one per floor 


General & Baggage Store 

Sheet 3.8.1 

SCALE 1:50 SEE TECHNICAL ANNEXE B FOR KEY TO SYMBOLS 


The general store is used for the storage of blankets 

and bedding. 

The baggage store is used by occupants of the JRSLA 

for storage of personal belongings and packing boxes. 

The store requirements of different units will vary, 

with the scaled provision being inadequate for some 

users. The need for additional baggage space, over the 

scaled entitlement, must be identified in the initial 

stages of design. 

X Standard 

The configuration of the store room should give the 

maximum lengths of shelving possible, with good 

access for the removal of heavy or awkward items. 

47

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 3 Specific Room/Area Design Sheet 

Scaled Area: 3.5 m2 

Cleaners store provided @ one per floor or every 280 m 

JSP315 Scale 3, serial 25 & Scale 1, Annex E 

Cleaners' Store 

Sheet 3.8.2 

SCALE 1:50 SEE TECHNICAL ANNEXE B FOR KEY TO SYMBOLS 

Planning notes 

The cleaners' store is used by cleaning contractors for 

the secure storage of cleaning materials. 

The provision of additional staff facilities should be 

considered where the JRSLA is remote from other 

accommodation. Staff lockers, a rest room and WC 

should be provided if there are not adequate facilities 

within the building or close by. 

48 

X Standard


GENERAL NOTES 

Problem Areas: Where the stores are designed as 

part of the Utility room, under Y&Z Standard, the 

access is often awkward. Stores should be designed to 

give the maximum shelving space and adequate 

access, for the room area. 

FITTINGS 

General Store: 3 tier timber slatted shelves 

Baggage Store: 3 tier timber slatted shelves 

Cleaners' Store: bucket sink with draining board, 

store cupboard with lock and shelving 

FINISHES 

Floor: 

Rubber, vinyl or linoleum sheet flooring 

No skirting 

Walls: 

Fair-faced or painted blockwork 

Ceiling: 



Heating: 

General & Baggage Store: 13.0°C 

Cleaners' Store: frost precautions only 

Ventilation: 

General & Baggage Store: natural ventilation where 

possible 

Cleaners' Store: mechanical extract is advisable, 

where cleaning materials are stored 

Water and Drainage: 

Cleaners' Store: hot and cold water supply 


Power 

Cleaners' Store: 1 x 13A double socket outlet 

Lighting 

100 lux level at the work plane 

Figure 3.11 Baggage store 

FIRE 

Storage 

Sheet 3.8.3 


Fire Resisting Construction: storerooms to be 1 hr 

fire resistant construction, FD30S doors, self closing 

to be fitted. 

49



Minimum area for sitting room is 19.0 m 2 


Sitting Room 

Sheet 3.9.1 



Sitting rooms are provided for a group of dormitories, 

generally one per wing or block. The minimum sitting 

room area of 19.0m2, is equivalent to the area 

entitlement for 64 personnel. 

50 

X Standard



Visitors' Room area: min area = 10.0m2, 

max area = 23.0m2 

Cloakroom is provided out of Area Addition 


Sitting / Visitors' Room 

Sheet 3.9.2 



This room is used as a visitors' meeting room and 

JRSLA sitting room, as well as an additional 

bedsitting room if required. 

The visitors' room is located on the ground floor with 

direct access from the entrance hall, or with a 

separate entrance. It can be within a satellite building 

adjacent to the JRSLA, or can be designed within the 

Z standard modular suite layout, taking the place of a 

single bedsitting room (see Technical Annexe A7.1). 

Y&Z Standard 

The cloakroom is designed to be accessible to both 

male and female disabled users. The route from 

outside the building, to both the cloakroom and 

visitors' room, must be level to allow wheelchair 

access. 

The minimum room area of 10.0m 2 , is equivalent to 

the area entitlement for 25 personnel, or 

approximately 4 modular suite flats. 

51


GENERAL NOTES 

Problem areas: 

Sitting rooms tend not to be used unless a TV is 

provided. There is no entitlement for communal TVs, 

although these are sometimes purchased through unit 

funds. 

Rooms should be provided with locks to allow 

individuals to set up the room with personal TVs etc. 

FITTINGS 

Sitting / Visitors' room: 

No fittings provided under the Scales. 

Furnishings may be provided from Unit supplies. 

Personal electrical items used within the JRSLA are 

required to be checked under Health & Safety 

regulations. Similarly, furnishings brought into 

communal areas must comply with the fire 

regulations. 

Cloakroom: 

1 x WC, suitable for disabled use. 

FINISHES 

Floor: 

per WC: toilet roll holder, clothes hook, wash 

hand basin. 

per basin: splashback, mirror, roller towel 

fitting. 

Fibre-bonded carpet, dark coloured, with ceramic / 

quarry tiles within cloakroom 

Walls: 

Plaster and emulsion paint 

Ceiling: 



Heating: 

18.5 °C 

Ventilation: 

Provision for extract of cigarette smoke. 


Hot & cold water supply to cloakroom. 

52 

Sitting & Visitors' Room 

Sheet 3.9.3 


Lighting: 

175 lux level at the work plane. 


Wall lights with flexible switching to allow dimmed 

illumination for watching TV. 

Power: 

Sitting room: 

3 x 13 A double socket. 

Visitors' room: 

2 x 13 A double socket. 

TV/FM 

The JSP315 scales allow for a single TV aerial socket 

per sitting room. In addition to this, provision should 

be made for satellite TV, with a single aerial socket 

per room, linked to a communal dish. 

FIRE 

Fire Alarm Systems: 

The fire detection system within the JRSLA should 

provide detection to all rooms used for sleeping. As 

visitors' and sitting rooms are often used as additional 

bedsitting rooms, the fire detection system should be 

extended to include these rooms.


Scaled Area: 9.0 m 

Duty Room provided one per block, where required 


Duty Room 

Sheet 3.10.1 




The Duty Room provides sleeping accommodation for 

duty personnel. 

The room is located on the ground floor, often 

combined with company office accommodation, 

administrative facilities and stores. 

Y&Z Standard 

53


FINISHES 

Floor: 

Fibre-bonded carpet, dark coloured 

Walls: 

Plastered and emulsion 

Ceiling: 



Heating: 

18.5 °C 

Ventilation: 

Natural ventilation 


Hot and Cold water supply. 


Lighting: 

125 lux level at work plane, with additional light from 

fitting at a bed-head 

Light over mirror with a 2 pin socket 

Power: 

2 x I3A double socket outlet 

54 

Duty Room 

Sheet 3.10.2 

Y&Z Standard


Figure 4.1 Showers often leak 

4. Engineering Services 


Although JRSLA projects may include a large number of accommodation units, the 

level of M&E services required are essentially of a domestic scale. 

The users of JRSLA are transient, staying between 6 months and 2 to 3 years, and 

the occupation of any one flat or block will change, as personnel or units move on. 

Some form of zoning and sectional control of services is needed, to allow flexibility 

in the way each block is serviced, particularly for heating. All buildings are to be 

metered separately so that records of the energy efficiency and cost-in-use of the 

JRSLA can be compiled. 

Personnel within communal accommodation blocks are not generally concerned 

with economising on heating and lighting etc. Central controls regulating the 

heating and lighting, and movement sensors and delay switches on lights and 

appliances within the building, can help to reduce energy wastage through 

carelessness. For example, to ensure lights are not left on while a flat is empty, the 

electricity supply can be interrupted momentarily at predetermined times of day, 

causing all lights to switch off. 

55

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 4 Engineering Services 

56 

4.1.1 Model Specifications / Performance Standards 

Designers should refer to the following DEO(W) documentation: 

Standard Specifications (SPEC): 

SPEC 034 Electrical installations 

SPEC 036 Heating, hot and cold water, steam and gas installations for buildings 

SPEC 037 Air conditioning, air cooling and mechanical ventilation for buildings 

4.1.2 Design Energy Targets 

The building and services should be designed to meet the DEO(W)/MOD 

mandatory design energy targets, as set out in DEO(W) Technical Bulletin 10/93. 

4.1.3 Space / Access for Plant / Service Runs 

Designers should refer to the DEO(W) Design and Maintenance Guide: 

DMG 08 Space requirements for plant access, operation and maintenance. 

Plant rooms must have secure, external doors, allowing access for authorised 

personnel only. Doors should be louvred to allow natural ventilation. 

4.2 MECHANICAL SERVICES 

4.2.1 Heating 

Temperature levels required to be met within individual rooms, are given in the 

JSP315 scales. 

JRSLA is essentially of a domestic scale and space heating is provided by a low 

temperature hot water system, feeding radiators fitted with individual 

thermostatic valves. 

Many system buildings use electric space heating which comes as part of the design 

package. This is not the most economical form of heating, especially where peak 

supply is used, and alternatives should be discussed at an early design stage 

The movement of personnel through postings away from a unit, means that some 

form of zoning of JRSLA blocks is needed to allow flexibility in the servicing of the 

accommodation. If a unit or platoon are absent from their flats for a period, the 

zoning can be used to reduce the heating to a background level within the vacant 

flats, while still providing full heat to adjacent areas. Radiator controls to 

individual rooms provide local variations in temperature during occupation of the 

building. 

Calorifier room 

A plant room is required on the ground floor to house the heating and hot water 

supply plant for the building, as required. This should have external louvred doors 

to allow natural ventilation and access by authorised personnel for maintenance 

and movement of equipment. 

4.2.2 Ventilation 

Ventilation within bedsitting rooms is via openable windows and the natural flow 

of air. 

Within the utility room, ablutions, and toilet and ensuite shower areas, mechanical 

ventilation will be required, via supply duct and extract fans. 

The operation of the extract system must be linked to the room's light switch, or 

activated by humidity sensors or by movement detectors on someone entering the 

room.


The utility room will require local extraction of cooking smells above the hob, 

where provided (Y&Z standard accommodation). This should be linked to the 

operation of the electric hob, with an overrun to ensure adequate extraction. 

The heat source for drying clothes within the drying room needs to operate in 

tandem with the ventilation system. Operation of the ventilation system should 

not be linked to occupation of the drying room by personnel, but should run at all 

times clothes are being dried. Some form of space heating, independent of the 

ventilation system, may be required to provide background heat, in the event of 

the building remaining unoccupied over the winter. 

Where the sitting room is a designated smoking area, mechanical ventilation will 

be required. 

4.2.3 Hot and Cold Water Services 

Hot and cold water supplies are required to the ablutions, toilet area, utility room, 

cleaners' room and single bedrooms. Drinking water is required to all JRSLA 

buildings, to the snack prep sink within the utility room of Y&Z standard 

accommodation, and to all wash hand basins in the ablution areas and single 

bedsitting rooms. 

4.3 ELECTRICAL SERVICES 

4.3.1 Power 

The number of electrical sockets required within JRSLA rooms are noted within 

the JSP315 scales and indicated on the Planning Data Sheets within section 3. 

They are to be either single or double, 13A flush switched socket outlets, in white 

plastic. The run of uPVC conduits are to be concealed in all rooms, except the 

plant room and stores, where they can be surface fixed. Where entrance area walls 

are fairfaced blockwork or brickwork, conduits will be surfaced fixed. 

4.3.2 Lighting 

The lighting levels required are indicated within the JSP315 scales, and are given 

as the average maintained illuminance at working plane or floor level. The MOD 

Reference Cost Manual allows for compact fluorescent lamps enclosed within 

suitable luminaires. However, the siting of large fluorescent strip lights within 

small bedrooms should be avoided. The choice of light fittings should be 

sympathetic to the room use, providing comfortable levels of light within 

bedrooms, and avoiding 'institutional' strip lighting. 

Consideration should be given to wall-mounted lights, or recessed or circular 

fittings, particularly within corridors, to avoid long lines of fluorescent strip 

lighting. 

Luminaires within wet areas shall be to the appropriate index of protection (IP) 

rating. 

4.3.3 Communication / Alarm Systems 

Provide an electric fire alarm system in compliance with BS 5839 Part 1. The 

audibility level in sleeping areas is to be 75 dB(A) at the bedhead with all doors 

shut. Provide an automatic fire detection system connected to the fire alarm 

system, to comply with BS 5839 Part 1. The detection system is to be an L3 

standard to cover all escape routes and it is to be extended to all rooms used for 

sleeping purposes. To reduce the risk of false alarms due to smoking, ionisation 

chamber smoke detectors should be installed. 

Some units operated a tannoy system and may require speakers within JRSLA. 

57


4.3.4 Telephones 

Telephone connections should be provided within the entrance areas of JRSLA 

buildings. Where a Duty Room is required, provision of a telephone point within 

the bedroom / office of the duty officer should be considered. 

4.3.5 TV & Sound Reception Systems 

Refer to JSP315 Scale 1, serial 9 for the provision of TV and FM reception systems. 

In addition, ducts and cabling are to be provided to allow for the later addition of a 

communal satellite dish to each accommodation block, to avoid the ad hoc 

installation of individual dishes. 

4.3.6 Emergency supplies 

Emergency lighting is required to stairways and entrance corridors. These areas 

are required to have a separate electrical installation from the rest of the building 

(MOD Fire Standard E3). The minimum level of illuminance on escape routes is 

not to be less than 1 lux. 

4.3.7 Specialist Systems eg lightning / fire detection 

The provision of lightning conductors is dependent on a risk analysis, carried out 

in accordance with BS 6651 : 1985 'Protection of Structures against Lightning'. 

The siting and sensitivity of the fire detection units within JRSLA have caused 

problems in the past. Dust from bedding and electric heaters can set off alarms if 

the detection system is too sensitive. 

4.3.8 Electrical Appliances 

All electrical items, including personal items, are required to be registered and 

tested in accordance with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, to which 

DEO(W) Technical Bulletin 95/03 refers.


Figure 5.1 Mountain bikes are 

valuable items and will need 

secure storage racks. 

5. Additional Guidance 

5.1 MODERNISATION AND REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS 

5.1.1 Opportunities/Constraints 

Each refurbishment project will present different problems and opportunities to 

the designer, and specific design guidance will vary from project to project. The 

scope of the refurbishment should first be defined through preparation of an 

Option Study. This will determine whether refurbishment, modernisation or new 

build provides the best solution to the accommodation requirements of the 

particular project. 

An Investment Appraisal is required for all works above a value of £100K (excl 

VAT). Where the project is under a value of £240K (excl VAT), the responsibility 

for the works comes under the unit Property Manager. The Property Manager 

tasks the Establishment Works Consultant (EWC) to prepare a scope of works (or 

Statement of Requirements) and cost estimates. If funding is made available, the 

Property Manager will task the Works Services Manager (WSM) to undertake the 

design, specification, procurement and management of the works. 

Generally, the policy for all current Y and Z standard JRSLA projects is to adopt 

the flat concept of space planning. Within refurbishment projects, the number of 

persons per flat will be determined by the constraint of the existing building, and it 

is accepted that provision of the Modular Suite concept may not be possible. The 

JSP315 scales of accommodation are to be used as a guide to the room 

requirements but strict provision of scaled areas will not be possible in all 

instances, and over-scaled accommodation is acceptable. Under-scaled 

accommodation may be acceptable where no other solution is possible, and only for 

difficult areas of development, but this would have to be justified at design brief 

stage. Two-person bedsitting rooms are not to be provided within JRSLA projects. 

59

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA 5 Additional Guidance 

Figure 5.2 Sandhurst Block 

60 

The current MOD philosophy towards JRSLA design is for small groupings of 

bedsitting rooms and it is likely that modernisation of barrack style bedsits will 

involve sub-division within the accommodation. Issues relating to this type of 

project will include upgrading of accommodation to meet changes in Building 

Regulations, particularly relating to Fire and means of escape. Sub-division of 

existing building layouts may result in increased travel distances and necessitate 

additional escape stairs. 

5.1.2 Historic and Listed Buildings 

The MOD has responsibility for the largest proportion of historic buildings on the 

Government Estate and is publicly committed to aiming for the highest standards 

of conservation. 

The term 'Historic Building' denotes all buildings of architectural and historic 

interest. Whilst formally exempt from listed building and scheduled monument 

consent procedures, MOD requires formal clearance to be obtained for all works 

affecting the character of listed buildings. Refer to the 'MOD Conservation 

Manual' published by HMSO March 1994, for guidance on policy and procedures, 

and DEO(W) Technical Bulletin 94/36 for details of clearance procedures. 

5.2 EXTERNAL WORKS 

5.2.1 Hard and Soft Landscaping 

Landscaping around the building is an important part of the overall design, to 

provide an attractive setting for the JRSLA, and the design of external spaces 

should be considered at design brief stage. The topography and exposure of the 

site should also be looked at, early on in the design process, to ensure that the 

JRSLA building design is suited to the site. An example of the importance of this 

is where off-the-shelf system buildings are located on sloping sites, without 

adjustment of the standard design, resulting in considerable external works to 

level the required building footprint, and problems with site maintenance. 

While landscaping is to be encouraged, the design needs to take account of the 

particular security requirements of the MOD unit. Security policies generally 

restrict the planting to ensure it does not obscure the building perimeter or 

provide hiding places. The problem of Foreign Object Damage (FOD) to aircraft on 

RAF bases also limits the density of planting possible.


Figure 5.3 Covered bicycle 

storage incorporated as part of 

the JRSLA building design 

The treatment of the routes around JRSLA buildings can emphasise either a 

vehicular or pedestrian priority of access through the use of materials. Brick paved 

roads, for example, encourage pedestrian usage, while still allowing periodic 

vehicular access. 

5.2.2 External Furniture / Signs 

Signage is required to the entrance to each JRSLA block, for ease of identification. 

These can either be mounted on the building or provided as a free-standing sign. 

External lighting to pathways between accommodation blocks is required, 

generally provided as low level post lights. Increased lighting for security 

requirements should be discussed at an early design stage. 

5.2.3 Garaging / Parking / Bicycle / Bin Storage 

Secure bicycle storage should be provided for living-in personnel, to stop internal 

circulation areas being used for ad hoc storage of mountain bikes. The storage 

sheds are generally load-bearing brick single storey buildings with pitched roofs. 

They are made secure with lockable timber doors, with internal racking for cycles. 

Garaging, where required, is provided in buildings of similar construction to the 

cycle storage sheds. These are arranged in strips or back to back blocks, with a 

single hand-operated up and over door to each unit. 

A covered, ventilated bin storage enclosure is required close to each building 

entrance, with an external access. The particular units' method of refuse 

collection may dictate the number of local bin stores provided. 

The siting of garages, cycle and bin storage will be determined by the local security 

restrictions of the unit. Bin storage should be located as close to the entrance as 

these restrictions will allow, to ensure rubbish sacks are regularly disposed of. 

The provision of garaging, parking and cycle storage is dealt with under JSP315 

Scale 17. Garaging is provided for 50% of the number of living-in personnel, with 

60% of the remaining junior ranks in JRSLA qualifying for a car parking space. 

The provision of cycle storage is flexible, provided for between 5% and 20% of 

living-in personnel, and is dependent on the requirements of the unit. On some 

sites, particularly where accommodation zones are distant from working areas, 

cycles may be the main form of transport for occupants of JRSLA, and the number 

of racks will need to reflect this. 

61


62 

5.3 MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS 

5.3.1 Selection and Use of Materials 

JRSLA will receive a heavy duty degree of wear over the life of the building. The 

choice of materials and furniture must assume that wilful, as well as accidental 

damage, will be inflicted on them. Repair of sections of surface finishes and 

fittings must be possible, without the wholesale replacement of a complete unit or 

element. 

As well as designing in the possibility for sectional repair, the specification of 

finishes and furnishings needs to consider the availability of materials in the 

future. A stock of regular repair items, such as tiles, should be maintained, to get a 

good match of colour and material. The initial specification should also choose 

from readily available styles, materials and colours, and these should be recorded 

in the building maintenance manual. 

The long term maintenance (LTM) of the JRSLA is the responsibility of the 

Property Manager who carries out inspections with the Works Services Manager 

(WSM) and Establishment Works Consultant (EWC). A Schedule of Maintenance 

will form part of the handover documentation for the new building. Records of the 

building performance in terms of running costs will be provided from the Building 

Management System (BMS). 

5.3.2 Access for Maintenance and Repairs 

A separate plant room with external access doors should be provided. Water tanks 

within the roof space should be accessible from outside the flat accommodation, 

from within circulation cores. Service ducts should be provided with access at each 

floor level. 

5.4 BUILDING COSTS 

5.4.1 MOD Reference Cost System 

DEO(W) maintain a Reference Cost System that enables Budget Holders to 

compare project estimates with the equivalent Reference cost. 

The overall objective of the system, which is used in conjunction with the JSP 

Scales of Accommodation, is to ensure that clients' requirements can be provided 

to an acceptable quality, at a price which represents good value for money against 

a recognised benchmark of affordability. 

The Reference Cost System is outlined within the MOD Reference Cost Manual. 

5.4.2 DEO(W) Guidance Documentation 

The following DEO(W) guidance documentation on project costing is to be referred 

to for all building types:- 

Technical Bulletin 06/94 Order of cost estimates 

Technical Bulletin 07/94 Risk analysis 

Technical Bulletin 96/03 Value engineering 

Technical Bulletin 96/04 Through life costing 

Technical Bulletin 96/08 Risk management 

JSP 435 Chapter 5 Value management


Technical Annexe A 

EXAMPLES OF COMPLETED JRSLA BUILDINGS 

Building Example Sheets 

Examples of completed JRSLA buildings are illustrated in the following pages. A 

floor plan, site plan and external photographs are included for each of the JRSLA 

buildings. The logic of the accommodation planning is demonstrated on the floor 

layout by the colour-coding of the individual room areas. 

JRSLA buildings at the following sites have been illustrated: 

Al The Dale Barracks, Chester 

A2 Sir John Moore Barracks, Winchester 

A3 HMS Collingwood, Fareham 

A4 HMS Dryad, Fareham 

A5 Norton Manor Camp, Taunton 

A6 Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth 

A7 RAF Valley, Anglesey 

A8 RAF Rudloe Manor, Corsham 

The examples have been chosen to show a range of design solutions. Not all 

aspects of these schemes are regarded as good practice, and where feedback has 

indicated short-falls in the building design, these have been highlighted within the 

text. 

63

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA A Examples of JRSLA Buildings 

Floor Layout Scale 1:200 

The Dale Barracks, Chester 

Refurbishment of the Sandhurst block involved 

dividing the existing 10-bed dormitories into smaller 

3- or 4-bed shared rooms, and providing smaller 

groupings of WCs and ablutions. The basic planning 

of the original design was not greatly altered, with 

deep plan bedsitting rooms along one side of a 

naturally lit perimeter corridor. An external escape 

stair was added to meet the travel distances demanded 

by the current Building Regulations. 

64 

The Dale Barracks 

Sheet A1.1 

Training Unit (Army)

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA A Examples of JRSLA Buildings Building Example Sheet 

Site Plan Scale 1:1250 

The Dale Barracks 

Sheet A1.2 

Training Unit (Army) 

65



Sir John Moore Barracks, Winchester 

Sir John Moore Barracks is a training establishment 

for new recruits in the Army. Recruits share large 

dormitories where they sleep, study and prepare their 

kit for each days training. Storage facilities are 

considered lacking on this particular site as there is no 

central unit bedding store, and mattresses etc. have to 

be stored locally to the dormitories. Similarly drying 

space is too limited for the heavy demand made on 

these rooms following field training exercises. 

Movement of personnel on training exercises is in 

dormitory groups, minimising disturbance within 

66 

Sir John Moore Barracks 

Sheet A2.1 


shared rooms. The standard 'Section' of personnel 

within training teams is 11, while the dormitory 

design is traditionally based on 4, 6 or 10-bed 

groupings, and on this site an additional bed space has 

been added within the dormitories. WC and ablutions 

are shared between 22 personnel. 

The building grouping forms attractive brick paved 

courtyards located on sloping ground looking out over 

an adjacent hillside. Pedestrian priority circulation 

routes encourage a quiet, residential feel to the living 

accommodation zone.

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA A Examples of JRSLA Buildings Example Sheet 


Sir John Moore Barracks 

Sheet A2.2 


67



HMS Collingwood, Fareham 

The JRSLA at HMS Collingwood are to the Modular 

Suite 6-bed flat design traditionally used by the Navy, 

with a sitting room flat on the ground floor, for every 

11 flats. The basic L-shaped 2-flat blocks are arranged 

to form courtyards and meandering spaces between 

the buildings. The approach to landscaping is 

combined hard landscaping features with low level 

creeping plants and tall, sparse foliage plant varieties. 

Covered refuse bin and cycle storage areas are 

included as part of the building design. 

68 

HMS Collingwood 

Sheet A3.1 

Modular Suite (Navy)

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA A Examples of JRSLA Buildings ExampleSheet 


HMS Collingwood 

Sheet A3.2 

Modular Suite (Navy) 

69



HMS Dryad, Fareham 

The JRSLA at HMS Dryad are built to an adapted 

Modular Suite layout. The utility room and ablutions 

are similar to the layout at HMS Collingwood (A3.1), 

but the sleeping quarters have been combined into a 

6-bed semi-shared space. The individual bedsitting 

rooms are underscaled, but a communal sitting area 

has been incorporated into the widened central 

corridor. The planning of each bedspace is tight, if the 

scaled furniture provision is to be included, but this 

arrangement provides a greater degree of privacy for 

the individual than the 4-bed multiple bedsit. 

70 

HMS Dryad 

Sheet A4.1 

Modular Suite (Navy)



HMS Dryad 

Sheet A4.2 

Modular Suite (Navy) 

71



Norton Manor Camp, Taunton 

The recently completed JRSLA project at Norton 

Manor Camp is made up of Y standard modular suite 

flats, with 3 flats on each floor arranged around a toplit 

open circulation core. The design incorporates a 

sitting room and an increased storage area per flat, 

which is additional to the JSP315 scaled entitlement. 

The 3-flat JRSLA blocks are linked in pairs. An area 

equivalent to 2 flats is given over at ground floor to a 

'buffer zone' of wet areas, to meet the extra scaled 

entitlement for the Royal Marine Commando Unit. 

Access into the living accommodation, following field 

training, is via a wash down area, toilet and shower 

72 

Norton Manor Camp 

Sheet A5.1 

Modular Suite (Royal Marines) 

area, and drying room. Lockers for living-out 

personnel are combined within this buffer zone. 

The buildings are 2 or 3 storeys, depending on their 

position on the sloping site and the blocks are widely 

spaced around, what will be, formally landscaped 

gardens and circulation routes. 

The project has incorporated Energy Management 

Systems within the specification of the building, to 

allow zoning and monitoring of the individual flats 

within the blocks. Energy saving devices have been 

included to ensure that the operation of lighting, 

extract systems and heating, responds to the actual 

occupation of the specific areas.

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA A Examples of JRSLA Buildings Example Sheet 


JRSLA 

GROUND FLOOR BUFFER ZONE 

WASHING * FACILITIES 

Norton Manor Camp 

Sheet A5.2 

Modular Suite (Royal Marines) 

73



Aliwal barracks, Tidworth 

The JRSLA at Aliwal Barracks were designed as part 

of a new build barracks completed in 1992. The 

accommodation is in 6-bed, Y standard modular suite 

flats, on 3 storeys and grouped in 3 flats per floor 

around a tightly planned circulation core. The 

buildings are grouped around a large open piazza 

shared with the JR Mess and Social Club, providing 

opportunities for open-air social activities like 

barbecues. 

74 

Aliwal Barracks 

Sheet A6.1 

Army Modular Suite 

The JRSLA blocks do not include communal sitting 

rooms or have any provision for visitors. These 

facilities could have been incorporated within the 

satellite block attached to the standard building plan, 

shown here as a plant room. 

The flats have been successful in most respects, with 

occupants taking responsibility and care for their 

surroundings. One area of concern, however, has been 

the showers, with poor detailing leading to recurrent 

leaks to the majority of the shower areas.



Aliwal Barracks 

Sheet A6.2 

Modular Suite (Army) 

75



RAF Valley, Anglesey 

The JRSLA at RAF Valley are Z standard modular 

suite flats, with individual bedsitting rooms, linked 

into L-shaped groups on 2 storeys. The corner of the 

building footprint incorporates the entrance, staircase, 

and plant and baggage store. Where two L-shaped 

blocks meet, the corridor is extended into a link block 

with its own entrance, with a cloakroom and visitors' 

room provided on the ground floor. 

Problems have occurred with condensation around the 

76 

RAF Valley 

Sheet A7.1 

Modular Suite (RAF) 

window reveals due to the lack of ventilation, and 

within the shower rooms because of inadequate 

extraction. Leakage and water spread from tiled 

shower areas is also a problem. 

The JRSLA development includes garaging, parking 

spaces and cycle storage, as well as covered refuse bin 

storage areas.



RAF Valley 

Sheet A7.2 

Modular Suite (RAF) 

77



RAF Rudloe Manor, Corsham 

The construction of the building is to a system design, 

with pre-fabricated elements transported to site for 

assembly. 

The accommodation is provided in a single rectangular 

plan building, on 2 storeys, with 20 single bedsitting 

rooms on each floor, arranged along a central corridor. 

Each bedsitting room has an ensuite WC / shower 

room, located adjacent to the corridor and accessed 

from the bedsit. The limited depth of the bedsit 

module means that the ensuite facilities take up a lot 

of the usable space within the bedroom. The resulting 

L-shaped plan leaves little flexibility in the use of the 

space or arrangement of furniture. 

78 

RAF Rudloe Manor 

Sheet A8.1 

System Build Project (RAF) 

The bedsits form the basic planning module within the 

block, with the utility room, drying room and store on 

each floor, fitting within a factor of the same module 

of space. The layout has not been adapted specifically 

for JRSLA use, and the communal facilities are poorly 

designed, with an over-sized utility room and undersized 

store. 

The system design has not been adapted to respond to 

the particular topography of the area, and a standard 

2-storey block has been part-buried into a sloping site. 

This increased the basic construction cost, and has 

caused problems with maintenance of the site.



JUNIOR RANKS 

SOCIAL CLUB 

RAF Rudloe Manor 

Sheet A8.2 

System Build Project (RAF) 

79


Technical Annexe B 

KEY TO PLANNING DATA SHEETS 

B1 SCHEDULE OF FITTED FURNITURE 

B2 DRAWING KEY 

81

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA B Key to Planning Data Sheets 

82 

Code Description 

Wl Wardrobe, 2x full height doors and cylinder lock; high level 

compartment (380H) and internal 4 shelf unit (giving one third 

full length hanging space in main compartment) 

W2 Wardrobe, 2x full height doors and cylinder lock; high level 

compartment (380H) 

W3 Wardrobe, 2x full height doors for use with padlock; high level 

compartment (380H) and internal 4 shelf unit (giving one third 

full length hanging space in main compartment), mirror, tie and 

towel rails. 

W4 Wardrobe, one full height door with left or right hinge, for use 

with padlock, high level compartment (380H) and internal 4 

drawer unit (full width) 

W5 Wardrobe, one full height door with left or right hinge and 

cylinder lock; high level compartment (380H) and internal 4 

drawer unit (full width) 

Dl Drawer unit, 4x drawers, top drawer lockable, without top 

D2 Drawer unit, 4x drawers, top drawer lockable, without top 

D3 Drawer unit, 4x drawers, top drawer lockable, with top 

D4 Drawer unit, 4x drawers, top drawer lockable, with top 

Cl Cupboard, Ix door, left or right hinge, not lockable, without top 

C2 Cupboard, 2x doors, not lockable, without top 

C3 Cupboard, 2x doors, not lockable, with top 

C4 High level cupboard, 2x doors, for use with padlock 

C5 High level cupboard, 2x doors, not lockable 


C7 High level cupboard, 2x doors, with cylinder lock 


S1 Shelf unit, with towel rail 

S2 Shelf unit 

S3 Shelf unit 

Tl Flat top 

VI Vanitory unit, 2x doors with aluminium handles, with white 

plastic coated wire linen basket 

Ml Mirror 

Schedule of Fitted Furniture 

Sheet Bl 

Dimensions (mm) 

1000w x 600d x 2280h 

1000w x 600d x 2280h 

1000w x 600d x 2280h 

600w x 600d x 2280h 

600w x 600d x 2280h 

500w x 600d x 690h 

800w x 600d x 690h 

800w x 600d x 710h 

lOOOw x 600d x 710h 

500w x 600d x 690h 

800w x 600d x 690h 


600w x 600d x 380h 

700w x 600d x 380h 

800w x 600d x 380h 



530w 

530w 

750w x 400 & 350d 

600d 

700w x 600d x 690h 

700 x 400 x 6

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA B Key to Planning Data Sheets 

Drawing Key 

Sheet B2 

83


Bibliography 

DEO(W) Design and Maintenance Guides (DMG) 

DMG 02 Glazing standards for MOD buildings subject to terrorist threat. 

DMG 05 SNCOs' Messes. (Due to be published in spring 1997) 

DMG 06 Officers' Messes. (Due to be published in spring 1997) 

DMG 08 Space requirements for plant access, operation and maintenance. 

DMG -- Robust measures for buildings of conventional construction 

(draft Nov 1995, due to be published as final DMG in spring 1997) 

DEO(W) Functional Standards (FS) 

Documents due to be updated in 1997 and issued as Design and Maintenance 

Guides: 

FS 02 Catering Design Guide. 

FS 03 Catering Equipment Specification. 

DEO(W) Standard Specifications (SPEC) 

Documents to replace the former PSA Standard Specifications Nos. 1, 3 and 100. 

Expected publication early 1997. 

SPEC 034 Electrical installations. 

SPEC 036 Heating, hot and cold water, steam and gas installations for buildings. 

SPEC 037 Air conditioning, air cooling and mechanical ventilation for buildings. 

Users of the Design Guide should refer to the current issue of DEO(W) Technical 

Publications Index (TPI) to ensure that the latest document is being referred to. 

This index is published twice yearly by The Stationery Office and states how copies 

of each document type can be obtained.


Index 

Ablutions, 

design requirements, 41, 42 

layout, X standard, 37, 38 

layout, Y standard, 39 

layout, Z standard, 40 

Access, 

planning, 9 

servicing, 8 

Accommodation standards, 5 

Architectural character, 10 

visual criteria, 12 

Area addition, 6 

B 

Baggage store, 

design requirements, 49 

layout, X standard, 47 

Bathroom, see Ablutions 

Bedsitting room, 

barrack accommodation, 3, 64- 

67 


layout, modular suite, 32, 33, 

68-77 

layout, single with ensuite, 34, 

78, 79 

layout, X standard, 30, 31 

modular suite, 4, 23-25 

single room, 4, 25 

Bicycles, 

storage, 61 

Building Regulations, 10, 13, 14 

access for disabled, 19 

system build projects, 17 

Ceilings, 12, 13 

Cleaners' room, 



Communication systems, 57, 58 

Corridor, 


layout, Y and Z standard, 27 

Cost Guidance, 62 

Crime prevention, 20 

D 

Disabled users, 19, 51 

Doors, 14 

Drying room, see Utility room 

Duty room, 



E 

En Suite facilities, 15-17, 34, 78, 

79 

Entrance, 


layout, all accommodation 

standards, 26 

External works, 

hard and soft landscaping, 60 

signs, 61 

Finishes, 17 

durability, 17 

repair, 17, 62 

Fittings, 18, 19, 62 

Floors, 

finishes, 17 

structure, 13 

Fire precautions, 

detection, 58 

standards, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20 

Furniture, 18, 19, 82 

G 

Garages, 61 

H 

Health and Safety, 20 

Heating, 56 

Junior Ranks Mess, ix, 7 

Kitchens, ix 

Landscaping, 60 

Legislation, 19-20 

Lighting, 11, 57 

Listed buildings, 60 

Location and siting, 8, 9 

M 

Maintenance, 17 

access, 62 

Modular Suite, 1, 4 

layout, Y standard, 24 

layout, Z standard, 25 

site planning, 23 

N 

Noise, see Sound control 

Parking, 61 

planning, 8, 9 

Pattern of use, 7,8,9 

Privacy, 9, 10 

R 

Refurbishment, 59, 64, 65 

s 

Security, 

anti terrorist measures, 20 

crime prevention, 20 

landscaping, 60

DEO(W) Design Guide JRSLA Index 

Services, 55-58 

performance standards, 56 

Signs, 61 

Sitting room, 




Soft furnishings, 19 

Sound control, 11 

walls, 12 

Stairs, 13, 26, 28, 29 

Storage, 47-49 


System Build Projects, 15-17 

planning and design, 15 

specification, 16 

structural fire precautions, 17 

Telephone, 58 

Television, 58 

Toilets, see Ablutions 

Town Planning, 

legislation, 19, 60 

u 

Utility room, 




v 

Ventilation, 56, 57 

Visitors room, 



Walls, 

finishes, 17 

structure, 13 

Water supply, 57 

Windows, 14 

Printed in the United Kingdom for The Stationery Office Dd 302167 C19 2/97

DMG 04. Junior Ranks' Single Living Accommodation JRSLA

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