The New 3Rs - refresh, refurbishment and reuse of schools

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Rethinking schools capitalinvestment: the new 3Rs?

Refresh, refurbish, reuse

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Introduction

Has the planning of schools estates during the past decade unduly favoured newbuild over refurbishment? If so, is this presumption about to change? Concerns

over the state of potential public ﬁnances, the increasing need to reduce carbon

emissions, questions over the suitability of PFI, the rise of parent promoted freeschools and the drive to increase the number of independent academies are allpointing to a future that will ensure that the refurbishment of existing buildingscould be seen as the redevelopment option of choice.There

is now a signiﬁcant body of research which suggests that the physical

environment of schools has a direct impact on students’ academic achievementand behaviour. It is therefore critical that the recent achievements of the BuildingSchools for the Future Programme are not completely abandoned in favour of a

piecemeal and reactive approach. Schools continue to need signiﬁcant capital

investment and in many cases new build may be the only option available.However, the refurbishment of existing schools may have a valuable place in

contributing to the reduction of the UK financial deficit whilst significantly helping

to raise educational standards and improve the life chances of young children.

Michael Olliff, Architectural Director, Scott Brownriggwww.scottbrownrigg.com

I believe that investment in school environments is an overlooked tool for theimprovement of school standards. Alongside quality teaching and purposefulleadership, decent school environments inspire pupils to give their best andproperly enable our teachers to teach. Decent air, light, acoustics and qualityfurniture are as vital as water in helping you concentrate and learn.The Big School Makeover, a national educational programme, enables schoolsto think about those neglected or wasted spaces for teaching and learning andchange them within days. With our partners, Willmott Dixon, we transform spaces

to be ﬁt for learning and provide a showcase for British products and expertis

e.We need to think more about the state of our schools and then act on sortingthem out. This new pamphlet from BCSE members highlights work, large andsmall, that could help change the school experience for pupil and teacher alike.Thank you to all, but particularly Michael Olliff, who it was a pleasure to edit. We arecreating world class schools in this country and a little pride would not go amiss.

Join us. Ty Goddard, Director, British Council for School Environmentswww.bcse.uk.net

Written by Michael Olliff of Scott Brownrigg with Paul Zuccherelli and John McEvoyof Davis LangdonEdited by Ty Goddard and Charlotte Wensley. With thanks to Ian Fordham and Jenny Thomas

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rapidly evolving sustainability agenda,now driven in part by the CarbonReduction Commitment, improving the

energy and carbon efﬁciency of the

existing building stock will need to be amajor component of the future schoolsprogramme, incentivising this as a one-off opportunity to decarbonise the schoolssector. Furthermore, in an environmentwhere public funding is scarce, ensuringthat a refurbishment-based projectportfolio can be made attractive to private

funders will be signiﬁcant, requiring aﬂexible approach to risk manage

ment.With the prospect of independentlymanaged ‘free schools’ beingintroduced, the use of buildings other than purpose-built schools is beingactively considered. Independentschools have a history of convertingresidential buildings for educational use,albeit often used very conventionally.However, there are a growing number of examples of highly successfulconversions of former industrial andcommercial buildings in Sweden andthe USA which provide effective settingsfor radically different approaches toteaching and learning. If this modelis to become more widely used in the

UK then more ﬂexibility is required in

meeting the requirement to deliver

environments that are ﬁt for purpose, as

well as overcoming the challenges setby the current town planning system.

This booklet

identiﬁes the issues that

face policy makers, teachers, parents,governors and their professionaladvisors when they are consideringhow to modernise their schoolswithin existing buildings.

Schools Enquiry and The Big SchoolMakeover have been particularlysuccessful in highlighting key issues.This booklet continues that programmeof work and points out a number of issues that future policy makersshould consider when contemplating areplacement for the Building Schoolsfor the Future (BSF) programme. Ithighlights a number of case studies thatdemonstrate the added value that gooddesigners can bring when working withexisting buildings.

The place of refurbishmentin a new school investmentprogramme

The BSF programme was originallyset up with targets to put 35% of schools through a major remodellingexercise, with a further 15% receivinga lighter refresh, comprising repairsand maintenance, decorationsand new loose furniture. Given theaverage age of the school buildingstock (70% are over 25 years old),a longstanding maintenance ‘timebomb’, and widespread evidence thatpoor building environments negativelyaffect educational outcomes, therefurbishment programme could easilyend up being focused on just solving thebricks and mortar problems. However,refurbishment projects can be centralin driving through educational reform,and there are an increasing number of striking examples of how very effectivelearning and true value for money isbeing delivered in refurbished rather than purpose-built space.There are many other challengesassociated with refurbishment. Given theIn the context of a new austerity in publicspending, refurbishment work of some

kind will comprise a signiﬁcant part of

the new coalition Government’s buildingprogramme. The BCSE proposes thatreinventing existing school buildings canhelp enhance learning outcomes andcan create environments that are bothcomfortable and inspirational.This booklet looks at the opportunitiesthat refurbishing existing buildings canoffer, breaking the term refurbishmentinto what we are calling ‘the new 3Rs’.

Refresh

which looks at the valuablecontribution that good interior designand high quality furniture can make.

Refurbishment

which includes moremajor upgrading of the building fabricand services as well as remodelling of internal spaces, whilst

Reuse

considersnew functions for redundant buildings,whether it is breathing new life into oldschool buildings or converting existing

ofﬁces or retail units into new sch

ools.As part of the Government’s drive toreduce levels of public spending, agreater focus on making best use of new and existing assets is likely to bean important theme for cash-strappedpublic bodies. As experience of theimplementation of new educationalmodels, such as personalised andindependent learning, matures in theUK, capital spending is also more likelyto be focused on creating the setting for achieving high standards, rather than aphysical upgrade of the schools estate.The BCSE already plays a major partin contributing to the debate about howthoughtful refurbishment can enhanceteaching and refurbishment. The Great

The purpose of this booklet