RESEARCH

Previous studies have found that classrooms are often inadequately ventilated, with the resultant increased risk of negative impacts on the pupils. This paper describes a series of field measurements investigating  the indoor air quality, thermal comfort and acoustic performance of nine recently built secondary schools in England and  makes a number of conclusions regarding school design. Chief of these  is that the complex interaction between ventilation, thermal comfort and acoustics presents considerable challenges for designers. The study showed that while the acoustic standards are demanding it was possible to achieve natural ventilation designs that meet the criteria for indoor ambient noise levels when external noise levels are reasonably low. The most telling conclusion of the research is the degree to... complete info

 As an engineering doctorate (EngD) student at the Brunel University, Ian Pegg investigated the application of post-occupancy evaluation in a design consultancy. This EngD supervised by Professor Maria Kolokotroni  involved looking at intrinsic barriers in the industry (who pays for feedback, and how to manage the resulting knowledge), the drivers (professional interest and staff development, competitive advantage), but most of all looking at some completed buildings and finding out what could be improved. Academies are interesting because they have more or less the same requirements, and operate with similar constraints and a similar budget. This makes it much easier to compare the findings and determine what causes differences in results. This study looks at five city... complete info