SB 4150 Web

Article
Healthy children benefit from better buildings
John Whalley, Managing Director of leading fenestration partner to the education sector Nationwide Windows & Doors,
discusses how a common-sense approach to refurbishment, good specification and well thought out design really can have a
positive effect on the UK’s learning environment.
Promised investment in school
buildings and refurbishment has been
at the forefront of most recent
election campaigns, and regardless of what
actually transpires on the political front, a
clear focus on investment into our
educational facilities is definitely moving up
the agenda. What is now more important
than ever, is to ensure this money is spent
on buildings and spaces that are fit for
purpose, built to last and in which safe,
healthy and sustainable learning
environments are created.
The learning environment
Academic research rates temperature,
heating and air quality as the most important
individual elements for student achievement
and there is other strong, consistent evidence
that extremes of environmental factors (e.g.
poor ventilation or excessive noise) can have
negative effects on students and teachers.
The largest ever survey of the state of school
buildings in the UK made for unsettling
reading. Published at the end of 2016, The
Royal Institute of British Architects’ Better
Spaces for Learning incorporated analysis of
primary and secondary schools, a nationwide
poll of teachers and extensive engagement
with schools building experts. Worryingly, 1 in
5 teachers said they’ve considered quitting
because of the ‘wretched conditions’ of the
school buildings in which they have to teach.
The report also estimated that overengineered
schools incorporating design
features and technology that only
consultants know how to work, costs the
sector £150 million per year. The report
concludes that both of these issues can be
addressed easily if new schools are better
designed upfront and refurbished in a
common-sense way. And teachers agree -
over 90% of those surveyed in the report
believe well-built and sensibly designed
schools improve pupil behaviour and
educational outcomes.
Considered Approach
Simplicity is key to good design and the ease
to manage, repair, operate and maintain,
ensures a building will operate efficiently and
effectively. Integrated design balanced with a
‘fabric first’ approach will seek to provide
these performance aspects passively,
meaning there is a less intensive demand for
mechanical ventilation, electrics and controls.
Whether new build or refurbishment,
specifying and installing the right doors and
windows has a significant role to play and will
impact positively on the three key areas that
define a ‘healthy’ school: ventilation, light and
temperature. Correctly designed and
positioned windows ensure efficient natural
ventilation in classrooms and when fitted
with easy to use opening and closing
mechanisms, are the quickest way to easily
maintain air quality. They also help mitigate
winter heat loss and summertime
overheating, further assisted by specialist
glass and coatings. In addition to
contributing to higher academic performance
and better fatigue resistance, studies also
report better building envelope energy
efficiency.
Natural daylight is critical when you consider
pupils spend up to 40 hours a week in the
building during lessons and after school
clubs. A good lighting strategy, sensibly
considered in the early design process, with
appropriately placed windows will capture
daylight into a room and achieve optimum
exposure. Comparisons between properly
daylit classrooms and non-daylit classrooms
show students had fewer cavities, gained
weight and grew in height more.
Partnering with Experts
With over 30 years’ experience in delivering
fenestration solutions to the education sector,
Nationwide Windows Ltd has a proven track
record in manufacturing and installing good
design solutions for windows, entrance doors
and screens, and curtain walling. Providing a
comprehensive service from initial
conceptual design to completion, we focus
on achieving an effective, efficient and
innovative solutions tailored to each
individual project requirement.
For more information, call 01788 224 466 or
visit the website.
www.nationwidewindows.co.uk
The George Dixon Academy,
Edgbaston
The 20th Century Arts and
Crafts-influenced architecture
is now complemented by 347
new slate grey aluminium
windows with a further 338 to
follow in the coming months.