FEATURE
Photos: Peter Durant
E WAY IN SUSTAINABILITY
improve the oxygen levels and aid outstanding by Ofsted inspectors. The new technologies and
concentration; low energy photosensitive It’s therefore hardly surprising that the environmental design approaches
auto-dimming lighting; rainwater school has also been awarded ECO implemented at Howe Dell are a perfect
harvesting; and a play space which Green Flag accreditation (the highest level example of how sustainability in UK school
encourages not only biodiversity but of award granted by the UK’s eco-schools design and construction is continuing to
enables pupils to learn about all things programme) and has already earned advance rapidly. It really is an excellent
environmental. plaudits from BREEAM (the world’s most example of how sustainable principles can
Over the life of the project, the school widely used environmental assessment play a vital role in terms of both building
has even integrated sustainable principles method for buildings) by being selected as design and children’s education.
into an ‘eco curriculum’ with user friendly one of eight projects used during the Clare Devine is Head of Capita
collaborative approaches to involve and development of the BREEAM for Schools Architecture’s Education division.
inspire the pupils, making sure the initiative. clare.devine@capita.co.uk
building users are fully
aware of their own
impact on the
environment and the
efficiency of the
building. An easily
accessible, school-wide
software interface also
allows pupils to monitor
the various
environmental systems
and help them to
understand how energy
has been generated,
how it is being stored,
and how much has
been exported to the
National Grid. Visitors
to the school can even
see real time energy
data displayed on an
LCD screen within the
main school entrance!
Little wonder that, after
just a few months, the
‘eco curriculum’ has
already been rated as
SUSTAINABLE FM | APRIL 2008
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