On this school in the Netherlands, photovoltaic
cells generate some of the energy requirements.
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| LATYMER UPPER SCHOOL ARTS CENTRE AND TEHATRE, Hammersmith, London
Sustainability means
working with the existing environment, for example using
elements such as the tree shown here to good advantage. |
The
Government has set out its aims in the document Sustainable
Development Strategy (1999). Many Local Authorities have
developed Local Agenda 21 strategies on sustainable development
in their areas. Building Bulletin 83, Schools Environment
Assessment Method (SEAM), provides a framework for designing
a sustainable school, and allows schools to carry out
a self assessment of how environmentally-friendly their
school, or school design, is. |
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'Satisfying
basic human needs; privileging quality of life over material
standards of living; minimising resource use, waste, and pollution;
taking a lifecycle approach; and acting with concern for future
generations.'
Defining Sustainability, Oslo Symposium (1994)
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Sustainability
impacts on many aspects of a schools design. The main issues to
consider are:
•
Selection of site to minimise transport use;
•
Orientation of the building to maximise daylight, reduce noise disturbance,
etc;
•
use of local and recycled materials;
•use
of timber from sustainable sources;
•
minimisation of construction waste;
•
design for low maintenance.
The most
important aspect of sustainability is to design for low energy usage.
This not only limits use of fossil fuel but also reduces CO2
emissions.
2D.2
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
•
Energy conservation should be the keystone for the design of school
buildings.
•
Good housekeeping can reduce energy usage by 20%.
Once
complete, buildings account for 50% of the UK's energy consumption.
There is a long way to go in improving the energy efficiency of
our buildings, which rarely reach the level of energy efficiency
commonly found in Germany or Scandinavia. Energy conservation should
be the keystone for the design of school buildings, especially as
energy costs are increasing.
Some renewable energy sources are economic and well tried. Unfortunately,
at present, many renewable energy sources like photovoltaic (solar
power) cells, and wind-generators are only just economic but this
could change very quickly as markets develop and capital costs come
down. They can be considered as pilots, demonstration projects or
in special circumstances.
The key features of an energy efficient design include:
•
high levels of insulation;
•
good use of daylight and natural ventilation;
•
High thermal mass (in the walls and ceilings) to avoid temperature
fluctuations;
•
Good temperature control and lighting control systems.
From April 2001, the Climate Change Levy started applying to energy
use in schools, adding roughly 10% to school fuel bills. Gas prices
are also rising sharply, so it is important that schools are energy
efficient and that the users, including members of the community,
learn to use the building and its energy controls properly. It has
been estimated that simple good housekeeping measures can reduce
energy usage by 20%.
Benchmarking programmes are available to enable schools to compare
their energy and water consumption with other schools (for more
information see www.watermark.gov.uk).
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