Cost and sustainability issues become a juggling act

Contractors could struggle to balance cost against the need to meet environmental targets under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, a leading architect warned this week.
Speaking at CJ's Building Schools for the Future seminar last week, John Thornberry of Ruddle Wilkinson Architects said contractors could not afford to underestimate the importance of the environmental targets which the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is setting for BSF school contracts.
The DfES is planning to use the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) to measure the sustainability of all BSF new build and refurb projects over £500,000 in the primary sector and over £2m in the secondary sector. It will also cover all BSF projects which involve the remodelling or complete refurbishment of more than 10% of the total internal floor area of a school.
Launched in January this year, BREEAM Schools is already being used to assess new build and refurbishment schools projects in line with DfES requirements. Assessment criteria are based on environmental performance levels rather than on specific design solutions to allow the maximum design flexibility.
"Projects falling under one or more of these three criteria will be expected to achieve at least a 'very good' rating," Thornberry warned delegates. Smaller scale projects will also be encouraged to use the methodology.
Thornberry said sustainability issues must be incorporated into BSF projects at the design, construction and operational stages of a school if they are to achieve the necessary BREEAM rating.
Thornberry went on to give delegates the benefit of his experience on the Howe Dell Primary School project, which was designed by Ruddle Wilkinson Architects and project managed by Mace. The project was a BREEAM Schools pilot and was given an "excellent" BREEAM rating. He told delegates that it is essential for designers, contractors and FM companies to find out what can be done and to keep up to date with Building Regulation changes.
Thornberry said one issue that became clear during the project was how various building regulations have the potential to contradict and work against each other. He warned that designers could find themselves trying to balance the conflicting demands of, say, thermal and acoustic targets, against the need for more natural light or opening windows.
Finally Thornberry questioned how, under the current DfES funding arrangements for BSF, the government's sustainability targets for school buildings will be met.