Sustainability in design at Dyke House school
Balfour Beatty Engineering Services has designed a low energy sustainable solution to reduce overheating and increase natural daylight, through an early involvement partnership approach, leading to an accolade from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.
BBES used early involvement, working with the architect at bid stage to influence the design of the £12.4m contract. By listening to the needs of the school, the community and Balfour Beatty Construction, BBES’ design team found a sustainable solution by using natural ventilation and lighting.
The existing classrooms tended to overheat due to the solar gain on the south facing Grade II listed façade which gave poor natural daylight. The solution was to retain the façade, but increase the glazing area and provide solar reflecting glazing and high and low level actuated opening sections to increase the natural ventilation to the spaces and give increased daylight.
Derek Briggs, pre-construction manager for BBES adds: “We are committed in all of our education bids to providing low energy sustainable designs that provide comfortable environments for people to teach and learn in. Dyke House school is a clear example of low energy sustainable design at its best.”
Following a review of the project, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment said that Dyke House is one of the best refurbishment school schemes that they have seen.
Posted: Monday 29 November 2010