The updated BB101 guidelines follow the framework developed by Montazami, 5 by considering four different aspects of ventilation and thermal comfort. Ambient noise can be also be a problem when using only natural ventilation – for example, opening the windows can make classrooms excessively noisy, as traffic volumes have increased significantly since many schools were built. Many older school buildings struggle with internal heat gains from additional equipment – such as IT resources – introduced since the building was constructed.

The implementation of low-energy solutions has a positive effect on energy bills – and, therefore, on school budgets – and so is particularly attractive. The guidelines address issues around global warming and the need to reduce carbon emissions while offering enjoyable, healthy and productive school environments. This report includes both a detailed presentation of Sinphonie’s results, focusing on indoor air quality (IAQ) challenges in Greater London and ‘best practice’ evidence presented in CIBSE TM57 Integrated school design. In 2018, the Mayor of London commissioned a report on indoor air quality 2 to review existing evidence and investigate the level of indoor air pollution in London’s schools.

A key part of the project output is the Guidelines for healthy environments within European schools. Sinphonie has provided standardised methodologies and tools for better characterising schools’ indoor environments and assessing the health risks to schoolchildren and staff. The European Parliament-funded Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe (Sinphonie) project was the first Europe-wide pilot project to monitor the school environment and children’s health in parallel across 23 European countries. Different publications that influenced the BB101 revision

Cibse ventilation guide