Welsh schools 'to have highest levels of sustainability'

Office design news from Morgan Lovell

Published on 05-11-2007

Newly-built schools in Wales will have the highest standards of sustainability in Britain under new guidelines.

All school buildings - including ancillary structures such as offices - built in Wales after the start of the current academic year must achieve a rating of excellent under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (Breeam) for schools.

This compares to England's requirement that new build and refurbishment projects must achieve a very good Breeam rating, the Times Education Supplement Cymru notes.

Breeam spokesperson Christina Gulvanessian notes that that to date there is no school structure in the UK that has an excellent rating.

Pupil and staff health and wellbeing are also to be taken into consideration under the new guidelines.

Breeam rates buildings against a range of criteria and provides a score which falls within a band, thus providing a structure with a rating of pass, good, very good or excellent.