In 2004, the Department for Education and Skills launched a £45 billion “Building Schools for the Future” programme. It aims to work with local authorities and the private sector to rebuild or refurbish every secondary school in the UK within 15 years.

The funding will enable schools to move away from just repairs and take a “strategic approach to funding, design and procurement”.

It will also add a new level of scrutiny into how schools are built and what targets on energy and waste they should aspire to. It has already been reported that 12 exemplar schools, built as a precursor to the scheme, are currently using five times more electricity than intended.

These revelations, as well as leading to accusations of a government “greenwash”, highlight a distinct and pressing need for building services engineers to take a greater role in the design and operation of these new schools.

It is the building services engineers who can help solve these problems, enabling DfES and other government departments to meet new and ever more challenging targets on climate change.

With this in mind, CIBSE is inviting members active in this area to come together to promote the role of building services in this process through the formation of a special interest group.

As with all groups, it will need a member to propose a group and more members to support its formation. If you are interested in supporting or joining an education buildings group, please contact Hanny Abuzaid by email on habuzaid@cibse.org

This is an exciting time for the education sector and this latest news shows it is an important time for building services engineers to get involved and take advantage of this great opportunity to influence public buildings of the future.

Source

Building Sustainable Design