Green Build Recovery for Education

The UK government must use its school building programme to retrofit existing buildings in order to become a leader in low carbon innovation in schools, says climate charity, Ashden in a letter to the chancellor. 

Schools across England have been promised a £1bn rebuilding programme to upgrade and refurbish schools to give children a ‘world-class education’ after months away from the classroom.

Climate charity Ashden, who have spent the past years supporting schools to reduce their carbon footprint is calling on the Prime Minister to ensure that this funding supports a low-carbon future.

According to the charity, 65% of England’s schools are more than 80 years old, so retrofitting buildings to improve energy efficiency is essential.

Ashden is among 52 other environment and education organisations who have written to the Chancellor Rishi Shunak calling for a ‘Green Recovery for Education.’

The letter says: ‘It is our view that the education estate should be prioritised for any fiscal stimulus investment. The education system can, and will, play a pivotal role in helping transition society towards a net-zero future, and the buildings the next generation are educated in must be at the heart of this.

Harriet Lamb, CEO of Ashden commented on the letter: ‘We welcome this long-overdue investment in the fabric of England’s schools.

‘Energy is the second-largest budget item for schools after staffing, every pound spent sorting out leaky and energy-guzzling school buildings can be money invested in our children’s learning. The UK could become a global example of low carbon innovation in school retrofit and construction which could kickstart our national green economy.

This is an example we need to set to our children – who have been leading calls for action on the climate.

‘We know schools stand ready to play their part in tackling climate change through the food they buy, encouraging children to walk and cycle to schools, and addressing energy use and building refurbishment. They look to the Government to play its part with a massive investment programme following this welcome first step.’

 

Source: Environment Journal

 

 

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Arup go Dutch with the Echo Complex

UK consulting engineer Arup and Dutch architect UNStudio have designed a carbon-neutral building for Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The Echo complex will contain seven teaching rooms with flexible layouts, a 700-capacity lecture theatre that can be divided into three separate rooms, and 300 study spaces. It also houses cafes and restaurants and an underground cycle park. Designed in line with the Dutch universities’ requirements of extra teaching space, the latest intervention at TU Delft engenders larger teaching rooms. Supporting educational typologies with an energy-generating building, Echo is centered on the adaptability and wellbeing of the user.

The future campus needs to be programmed with a series of agile spaces that invite students and faculty to learn, collaborate and co-create. As student numbers continue to grow, educational buildings need to be extremely flexible: they not only need to operate for shared, interfaculty use, but also need to house a large variety of flexible spaces that cater for various ways of teaching and studying and varying class sizes.

Echo is currently under construction and due to be completed in December 2021.

 

Source: SteelGuru

 

 

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Winchester University ‘Ups’ its Green Credentials

The U.K. is home to some of the world’s oldest — and most prestigious — universities. And while these may be centers of excellence for learning, many institutions’ buildings were built centuries ago and are in need of refurbishment or, in some instances, total replacement.

It’s a problem that’s not restricted to higher education. Across the country, a lot of building stock is old and not as energy efficient as it should be.

Victorian-era housing, for example, can be draughty and costly to maintain, while office blocks developed even 20 years ago can often feel tired and out of date.

In the south of England, one place of learning is attempting to boost its green credentials with a brand new development.

Earlier this week, construction firm Osborne “formally handed over” the West Downs Centre to the University of Winchester. A handover refers to a contractor formally passing a development over to their client.

The building boasts a number of sustainable features designed to boost its green credentials. These include a combined heat and power system; solar photovoltaic panels; rainwater recycling; and what the university described as “smart building management.”

Its development was supported by green financing through a £30 million ($37.26 million) loan from Triodos Bank, which offers what it describes as “sustainable financial products.”

The university has previously described the West Downs Centre as being “on target” for an “excellent” BREEAM rating. BREEAM is a “sustainability assessment method” from the Building Research Establishment that covers infrastructure, masterplanning projects and buildings.

It’s hoped that teaching at the building could begin in September this year, although given the current situation with regards to the coronavirus pandemic, this is dependent on government advice. An official opening and inauguration are slated for next year.

Around the world, buildings designed for the education sector are being developed with sustainability in mind.

In March of this year, it was announced that the firm Veidekke had been tasked by the city of Oslo to build an energy-efficient, solar-paneled school.

At the time Veidekke said the Voldsløkka secondary school would have solar panels on its facades and roof. In addition, machinery used on the building site would run on “fossil-free fuel.”

Back in the U.K., a number of universities are also turning to renewable sources of energy. These include the University of Sussex, which has installed over 3,000 solar panels at its campus in a £1.5 million initiative.

Elsewhere, the University of Nottingham has said its “recent new builds” include things such as biomass boilers, green roofs and passive design.

Source: CNBC

 

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A School within a School

“We are well equipped to build during Covid-19 having adjusted our projects to meet the
Site Operating Procedures to ensure social distancing.
“We are proud to be involved in providing these facilities to provide SEND pupils with
the very best environment to learn and develop.”
Richard Poulter, Willmott Dixon managing director for the Central South region

 

Wiltshire Council has appointed Willmott Dixon to build a school that will provide up to 400 places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

The £33m investment will provide state-of-the-art learning facilities for SEND pupils in north Wiltshire by bringing Larkrise, St Nicholas and Rowdeford schools together as one maintained school over three sites.

The schools will combine from 1 September.

Willmott Dixon will work with Wiltshire Council to prepare the project to start on-site, with a focus to maximise employment and training opportunities within Wiltshire during construction and ensure the use of local supply chains to support the economy.

Procured via the SCF framework

Willmott Dixon will oversee work to build a school on the Rowdeford site that provides up to 400 places for SEND pupils aged from early years to post-16, with work scheduled to start in summer 2021 and complete by September 2023.

The new facilities will operate as a ‘school within a school’, involving a community of small teaching clusters that will provide a range of specialist teaching spaces, therapeutic support, and quiet dining.

Each cluster will be designed to offer plenty of space to move around while maximising natural daylighting and ventilation to create an airy feel. The clusters will be designed as a standalone school provision for early years, primary, secondary and post-16.

There will be a hydrotherapy pool and outdoor learning provision. The new facilities both internally and externally will be fully accessible for all pupils at the school.

Involving the pupils in the design

Councillor Pauline Church, cabinet member for children, education and skills, said: “This is a major step forward in ensuring we have sufficient places for all our SEND children in the north of Wiltshire.

“The involvement of children from all three sites and the wider school community was included in the contract as their views are important to us.

“The work will create a number of new classrooms, areas and facilities which will really complement learning.

“We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with the school community across all three sites and involving the children in the design as we move forward.”

Richard Poulter, Willmott Dixon managing director for the Central South region, added: “Willmott Dixon has a long-established track record of working in Wiltshire, which includes building Wiltshire College Chippenham Campus recently.

“We are also well equipped to build during Covid-19 having adjusted our projects to meet the Site Operating Procedures to ensure social distancing.

“We are proud to be involved in providing these facilities to provide SEND pupils with the very best environment to learn and develop.”

 

Source: PBC Today

 

 

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Zero Carbon Training Centre

Businesses who locate at the Enterprise & Innovation Centre at the £63 million HALO Kilmarnock will be able to collaborate on-site with top Scottish law firm, Anderson Strathern, which has become the first Gold #ROCKME Partner at the ground-breaking development.

 

Anderson Strathern and the HALO Kilmarnock have launched a two-year partnership that will result in the law firm becoming one of only six Gold Partners in the HALO’s #ROCKME scheme, the only legal firm and the preferred legal services supplier at the world class facility on the site of the former Johnnie Walker bottling plant.  Phase 1 of the project – the four-storey HALO Enterprise & Innovation Centre (HEIC) – is currently under construction and will open its doors in 2021.

 

The partnership with Anderson Strathern will help the HALO achieve its ultimate vision of being a dynamic commercial, educational, cultural, leisure and lifestyle quarter where people can ‘Live, Work, Learn and Play’. The HALO will also be the first net zero carbon emissions development of its type in Scotland.

 

As a Gold #ROCKME Partner, Anderson Strathern will have a permanent presence on the Enterprise floor of the HEIC, home to a thriving community of collaborative technical innovation, with high-growth technology businesses collaborating and developing their technology with HALO’s blue-chip commercial partners and world-renowned academic partners.

 

The law firm will provide drop-in legal sessions and advisory presentations for companies based at the HALO and will offer companies based at the HALO discounted rates for its full range of legal services, including: intellectual property rights protection; commercial contracts; employment; pensions; and HR advisory work; dispute resolution; health & safety law; risk management; and corporate governance and structures.

 

Anderson Strathern will also benefit from access to the HALO’s Tomorrow’s World Globe – a unique virtual communication facility with weekly international conferencing being streamed into the HALO Enterprise Floor – and to the HALO’s international partner network of technology and innovation hubs; and access to the HALO’s #ROCKME Jewel Box sponsors’ space for meetings, presentations and briefings.

 

Anderson Strathern joins the HALO’s existing partners – Scottish Power, Barclays, Scottish Business Resilience Centre, East Ayrshire Council, Scottish Enterprise, BT, Iberdrola, Community Pharmacy Scotland, the Digital Health Institute, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre and the UK and Scottish Governments.

 

Marie Macklin CBE, Founder and Executive Chair of the HALO Urban Regeneration company, said: “Anderson Strathern has a 250-year history of supporting innovative Scottish businesses and I warmly welcome them as a HALO Gold #ROCKME Partner. Together, we’ll support the success stories of the future.

 

“The start-ups, SMEs and scaling companies that will locate at the HALO will need top quality legal support to help protect their ideas, their services and their products and I am confident that Anderson Strathern will rock their worlds.

 

“With such strong support from our Gold #ROCKME Partners like Anderson Strathern, the HALO will lead the way in tomorrow’s world by delivering sustainable, long-term economic and social benefits and creating jobs, not just for Kilmarnock and Ayrshire but also the wider Scottish communities.”

 

Murray McCall, Managing Partner, at Anderson Strathern said: “We’re delighted to be the first of six Gold Partners chosen to help support the entrepreneurs of the future.  I’m particularly proud that this world class innovation centre will be based in my home town of Kilmarnock and I share Marie’s deep-rooted passion for the project.

 

“As a medium sized enterprise ourselves, we are fully supportive of the HALO’s ambitions and its drive to create jobs, opportunities and education in Scotland. We will bring our top class experts to the project as well as our vast experience with clients across the commercial and public sector and look forward to working with new and thriving enterprises in a working environment that is zero carbon and future-focussed.”

 

The HALO is set to be an ambitious, innovative and inspiring environment for entrepreneurs experimenting, creating and growing highly specialised digital and cyber businesses. It will feature an industry-leading digital, data and cyber training and learning facility within an exciting and digitally connected workspace, establishing the HALO at the forefront of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” – the digital revolution.

 

A £63m urban regeneration project on a 23-acre site, the HALO Kilmarnock will be the first town centre net zero carbon energy project in Scotland, setting the standard for low carbon energy sites across the UK.

 

The HALO is providing only a limited number of its Gold, Silver and Bronze #ROCKME packages to supporters of the development.

 

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World’s First Carbon Fibre Building at Dresden University

A two-story building on the campus of Technical University in Dresden, Germany is the world’s first building made from carbon fiber reinforced concrete.

The world’s first building made of carbon fiber reinforced concrete, known as Carbonhaus, is a collaborative effort of engineers, designers, and researchers who have advocated for use of advanced materials in place of the traditional concrete and steel in construction for many years.  The 5-million-euro project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The 2,200 sq. ft. building consists of a precast box and a double-curved roof made possible because of the use of the lightweight and pliable composite materials. The carbon fiber being used in the project is produced from petroleum-based polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and provide the tensile strength of steel at one-quarter the weight.

According to Barzin Mobasher, a professor at the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at Arizona State University with almost 30 years of experience in the field, at least half of the concrete in a typical building component is used to protect the steel reinforcement from corrosion.  He further explains that because steel and concrete “work in tandem, but not together,” the resulting component continues to be prone to cracking and erosion.

Manfred Curbach, director of the Institute of Concrete Construction at Technical University Dresden, another industry veteran and advocate of the use of advanced materials in construction, stated that composite components are more durable and better for the environment, saving up to 70% in greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Curbach added that the cost of carbon fiber reinforced concrete is comparable to steel when labor, equipment, manufacturing, and transportation are figured in, with both costing $13-15 per kilogram to produce.

The construction industry has been slow to adopt lighter weight reinforcement materials because of regulations and because of the history of using steel and concrete. Both Mr. Mobasher and Mr. Curbach remain hopeful that carbon fiber reinforced materials could be adopted for more use in the future. Mr. Mobasher noted that he has seen some interest in using carbon fiber reinforced materials for quick repair work within damaged infrastructure in the U.S., and Mr. Curbach added that it could take 20 years, and would require changes in regulations, but companies in China and Israel are already showing interest.

 

Source: Composites Manufacturing

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MULTI MILLION POUND DEVELOPMENT EDGES A STEP CLOSER

The multi-million pound development of a new school in Kent has edged a step closer.

The second phase of Barton Court Academy Trust’s £20 million plans to build a new education institution on the site of the former Chaucer School in Canterbury by 2022 has been approved by Kent County Council.

In an urgent decision, KCC’s cabinet member for finance, Cllr Peter Oakford (Con), awarded a contract to building firm, Kier Construction, despite some questions raised by councillors about the contractor’s performance and cost.

However, fears the coronavirus outbreak could lead to the scheme being further pushed back have been quashed by KCC chiefs.

A KCC spokesman said: “The school is still on track to open for September 2021, but may need to open in temporary accommodation for a short period.”

In January 2019, the Spring Lane school build was set back by 12 months due to protracted negotiations delaying its development.

Cllr Ida Linfield (Lib Dem), who represents the area at county level, said: “The school is desperately needed. I would welcome it coming as soon as possible.”

 

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However, Cllr Linfield said school construction work should not take place on Saturday mornings, suggesting extended weekdays in the summer to ensure that many elderly residents get some “respite” from the development.

Ward district councillor Pat Edwards (Lab) has raised concerns about the likely traffic “disruption” to Barton residents when the school is completed, with many living in the dozens of neighbouring homes near Spring Lane.

Although supporting the building design, she said: “The school will cause gridlock and disruption because all the roads in the area are smaller or residential.

“The transport plan for how this site will be managed needs to be detailed and closely consulted with local councillors and residents.”

The Chaucer Technology School has stood empty since it shut in 2015, but builders have begun tearing down the ivy-clad premises ahead of the secondary school and sixth form build, paid by the Department for Education.

Barton Manor School will cater for 1,050 pupils, aged 11 to 18, after plans were approved by KCC’s planning committee in November.

It will feature facilities for lessons, such as design and catering, and a 1,200sqm sports block.

It is hoped the Spring Lane school will help cope with the added demand for secondary places in Canterbury.

KCC predict that an extra 135 Year 7 places will be needed in the city by 2021, rising to 203 by 2023, if no action is taken.

 

Source: Kent Online

 

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Dynamic design for new school building

Stroud School, located in Romsey, is currently developing a new Key Stage 2 building which is due to be ready September 2020.

Following on the success of its new KS1 building a couple of years ago, pupils are eagerly watching the process of the new building develop in front of their eyes.

The new building will provide a “spacious educational environment, with a very dynamic design”.

The school says what should strike visitors immediately on entering the building is how light and bright it will feel – the design includes a large amount of glass to allow natural light to stream in.

 

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All classrooms will have direct access to undercover outside areas, allowing all pupils to learn outdoors in all weather.

The materials and colours have been chosen carefully to fit in with our natural woodland surroundings.

A Stroud spokesperson said: “The soundproof, folding walls between teaching rooms enable collaborative interaction across more open and flexible spaces.

“These have been used successfully in Finnish schools, which regularly feature in the top five within world education tables.

“These walls also offer an interactive space, where students and teachers can write together to build topic knowledge.”

Once the ground is ready, the modular buildings will be constructed off-site and installed in just weeks, minimising disruption.

Stroud School is passionate about limiting its impact on the environment and therefore external cedar cladding will help improve the overall sustainability of the school.

Chris Hopper, Operations Manager, said: “This building will considerably improve existing provision, and is a further development as part of an ambitious period of investment from King Edward VI School to update facilities for future generations.”

This comes as Stroud has been awarded the ‘Council for Learning Outside the Classroom’ Silver Award, a national accreditation that has been endorsed by the Department for Education.

Source: Romsey Advertiser

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Boost of £8 million upgrade for Brighton and Hove Schools

COUNCILLORS have approved plans to spend more than £8 million on building work and repairs at schools across Brighton and Hove in the coming year.

They agreed the details of the schools’ capital budget at the council’s policy and resources committee meeting at Hove Town Hall on Thursday without debate.

The three party leaders were the only councillors at the meeting where they were joined by a handful of senior officials.

The slimmed down meeting was part of the council’s response to reducing the risks posed by the coronavirus (covid19) pandemic. The biggest project looks likely to be the £3.3 million Cullum Centre for autistic children which is due to be opened Hove Park School.

Brighton and Hove City Council is expected to contribute £1.5 million toward the project with a further £1 million from the Cullum Foundation and £850,000 from the Government’s Special Provision Fund.

 

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The long list of other projects includes new roofs, boilers, toilets and electrical rewiring.

The priorities include new play equipment at Cherry Trees Nursery, in Brentwood Road, Hollingdean, as well as re-plumbing Hove Park Upper School, in Nevill Road.

Coombe Road Primary School needs damp-proof rewiring, new lights and ceilings. Next year the council plans to spend £5.5 million on structural maintenance once each school has had a condition survey. The plans include £100,000 to deal urgently with poor ventilation systems in several school kitchens and £150,000 to remove asbestos and tackle the risk of legionella building up in water supply systems. Last year the biggest schemes included a £9.4 million project to upgrade the special education needs and disabilities (Send) hubs at Hill Park and Downs View special schools. An extra £700,000 has been set aside in the 2020-21 budget.

Source: The Argo

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Berkeley Homes –Safety First for Youngsters

HIGH Wycombe primary school children learned about health and safety on building sites from a housing developer with a special assembly.

Pupils at the newly built Abbey View Primary School were educated about key health and safety issues on construction sites by Berkeley Homes, a developer building a new collection of homes at nearby Abbey Barn Park.

Christianne Wotherspoon, regional head of health and safety at Berkeley Homes (Oxford & Chiltern), was accompanied by construction mascot, Ivor Goodsite, owner and site manager of Goodsite Construction, whose goal is for children to be aware of the dangers of playing on a construction site, at a special ‘Health and Safety Assembly’.

The three key messages that Berkeley Homes and Goodsite Construction shared with the children were to read and follow safety signs – they are there to keep you safe, if you want to know more about what is being built, ask a responsible adult to help you and never enter a building site without a responsible adult and the correct protective clothing.

Madasar Mirza, head teacher at Abbey View Primary in Kennedy Avenue, said: “It was great to have members of the Berkeley team join us to help to educate the children on the key health and safety issues of a building site.

 

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“The mascot, Ivor Goodsite, was extremely well received by the pupils and really helped to reinforce the messages”.

Christianne added: “As a responsible developer, we have a clear health and safety vision – Berkeley is committed to operating incident and injury free and aspires to have a positive health impact on all those employed and affected by what we do.

“Working with schools to start the education process early is a key part of our strategy to ensure health and safety awareness starts from a young age.”

 

Source: Bucks Free Press

 

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