CIBSE Schools Guide Dejan Mumovic essential reading CIBSEs guide to integrated school design will be launched at this months Technical Symposium. Its co-editor Dejan Mumovic explains why the guide will help anyone striving to design, construct and operate successful school buildings word and for music and since sound amplification is generally not used, background noise control is critically important. Carbon and energy targets further contribute to school design challenges. A key message that this Technical Memorandum (TM) conveys strongly is that school buildings are complex, dynamic, socio-technical systems, seeking to provide solutions to a multitude of ill-defined and conflicting issues. The built environment is fundamental to the pupils sense of wellbeing, and it is important we understand and appreciate that. TM57 co-editor/author Dejan Mumovic Why has CIBSE published a guide to integrated school design? Spaces for learning are environmentally more complex than most structures. They usually have high heat gains, due to high occupant density and full or nearly full occupancy, which is of a transient nature, as pupils come and go; and from lighting, which changes from class to class, depending on the teaching methods used. Spaces for learning need to perform well acoustically, both for the spoken success, and that issues relating to design, building operation, handover procedures and the complexity of BMS systems are found to have a significant impact on outcomes. To ensure that the systems are designed properly, we have introduced two chapters to the TM: Setting the design process and Early engineering considerations and design hierarchy. The building services design engineer requires an understanding of the many factors that relate to the design process. Thisincludes an awareness of the various interlocking briefs such as the masterplan,educational outcomes, capital and revenue costs, and performance-in-use standards and the roles of the members of the design team. The potential for building services engineers to foster the role of informed client is clear, because of the wide influence they have over the design outcomes through commissioning, maintenance and operation. What are the key themes? The premise behind this publication is the need to focus on the environmental parameters ofsuccessful schools, and to identify whichdesign conflicts require the greatestattention. This means looking at acoustic, lighting and ventilation design inthe context of energy efficiency and in-use performance. However, TM57 alone will not guarantee good school design; a checklist of criteria does not constitute successful design. School designers must make the effort to visit existing buildings and study exemplar cases to experience fully the results of the design process, both good and bad. To support this, TM57 also provides chapters on methods for postoccupancy evaluation, and an in-depth integrated case study. eor RmadE CIBSE TM57: InTEgraTEd SChool dESIgn How will the document ensure systems are designed and commissioned correctly? In this TM, we emphasise that performance in use rather than design intention is the best test of other members of the design team such as architects, client bodies and users who have influence on the design outcomes. By doing this, it is intended that service engineers, in particular, will be able to use their understanding of all aspects of building design and performance to influence a more informed design team. With this in mind, the section on Facilities management is written to enable the designer to understand the needs of the facilities manager when operating school buildings. eor RmadE About the CIbSe SChool DeSIgn group How do we ensure schools are monitored for energy performance? Part L regulates the energy performance of fixed building services under standardised conditions assumed in the National Calculation Methodology. Unregulated loads, operational conditions such as occupancy levels, time schedules and temperature set points that are different from those assumed for Part L calculations, and shortcomings in the commissioning of systems are the main reasons for increased energy consumption. Unfortunately, in the vast majority of schools, the facilities managers Is there guidance on maintenance andoperation? Yes. The aim in producing this TM is to provide guidance not only for the buildingservices engineer, but also for have little or no understanding of energy management. It is the premise of this TM that they must be well equipped to take ownership of energy consumption. We summarised lessons learned from 10 post-occupancy evaluations of mostly secondary school buildings to enable facilities managers to take charge of the dayto-day operation of schools, with special focus on energy management and occupant comfort. The sections on lessons learned are based on substantial research carried out, in the main, by Ian Pegg and Esfand Burman. Who needs to read TM57? Our hope is that simple and clear guidelines can help steer designers, contractors and users towards creating places where teachers, children and the community can be satisfied or, dare I say, inspired. TM57 is also essential reading for students of sustainable building design and building engineering physics. cJ DEjan MuMovIC FCIBSE is professor of building performance analysis at the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, and co-founder and secretary of the CIBSE School Design Group AbouT ThE CIbSE SChooL dESIgn grouP CIBSE TM57: InTEgraTEd SChool dESIgn Launch: CIBSE Technical Symposium, 16-17 April, UCL Produced by CIBSE School Design Group 14 principal authors and 10 contributing authors Editors (and co-authors): John Palmer, Aecom, and Dejan Mumovic, UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering Many of the current CIBSE special interest groups cover specific issues, but the CIBSE School Design Group will integrate design, construction and maintenance issues in a particular sector. The principal terms of reference are to: Foster knowledge exchange between all interested parties working on sustainable school design Develop a strategy for healthy and sustainable school buildings Encourage cooperation between professional bodies of relevance to school design Reflect on changing procurement routes and design standards Identify gaps in the science of designing learning environments Initiate cooperation between academia and industry to resolve the problems relevant to the industry