Themes

Influences on participation in learning

Experiences of learning

Technology and learning

» Themes/Experiences of learning/School Design

Sustainability

Sustainability is an issue which has gained increased importance over recent years. With a greater recognition of the need to preserve our planet's natural materials, and of the catastrophic results of global warming, policymakers are embedding the sustainability agenda into a range of government strategies, including that of schools and school buildings.

By 2020 the government would like all schools buildings and grounds to be regarded as living, learning places where pupils see what a sustainable lifestyle means through their involvement in the continual improvement of the school estate.

For this to happen, new ways of doing things need to be found. At the moment, schools use 25% of the public sector's energy consumption and the education sector produces up to 700,000 tonnes of waste a year, most of which ends up as landfill.

Energy efficiency - The zero carbon school can be made a reality through the use of renewable energy sources such as wind, photovoltaics and wood-fired boilers burning locally-coppiced wood. This could involve schools using electricity companies which provide "green energy" or installing their own renewable energy system, e.g. solar panels on the roof.

In addition, using sustainable building materials and designing the building effectively will also reduce the amount of energy consumed by a school. For example, having boreholes, earth tubes and heat storage in both the building structure and the ground reduces the amount of energy needed by a significant margin.

Waste minimisation - Schools can do much to raise awareness about reducing the amount of waste we produce. By encouraging pupils to recycle all possible materials, reuse items and repair broken items rather than buying replacements, schools can help to reduce the amount of waste which will end up as landfill.

Community use - Ensuring that the school building is not only used Monday to Friday during school hours is another way of making the building efficient and sustainable. By opening the school up to community groups, courses and projects, it can promote community cohesion and ensure that the school is at the heart of the community rather than a separate entity. When planning the design of a school, the ways in which the building will be used by the local community also need to be taken into consideration.

Access and Inclusion - For a school to be sustainable, it needs to be able to accommodate a broad range of pupils, as well as their families and wider communities. This means taking into consideration issues such as SEN and gifted and talented pupils, those from different cultural backgrounds, those with physical disabilities and those with learning disabilities. Whilst many are aware of the need to focus on these issues within schools, the Building Schools for the Future programme offers an opportunity for school buildings to be truly inclusive to the whole of the school community.

Tools - There are tools to measure how sustainable a building project will be. BREEAM is one such tool; a comprehensive way of measuring how sustainable a building is, in which all new build projects must attain a rating of at least 'very good'.

Back to School Design Home