DESIGNING AND COMMISSIONING SCHOOLS TO MEET BUILDING BULLETIN 93: 2014 REQUIREMENTS

DESIGNING AND COMMISSIONING SCHOOLS TO MEET
BUILDING BULLETIN 93: 2014 REQUIREMENTS
J Harvie-Clark Apex Acoustics Ltd. Gateshead, UK
Adam Cooke Apex Acoustics Ltd. Gateshead. UK
Beth Paxton Apex Acoustics Ltd; Gateshead. UK
Felix Larrieu Apex Acoustics Ltd, Gateshead. UK
1 ABSTRACT
Building Bulletin 93 was revised in December 2014. and became referenced in Building Regulations
with the revision to Approved Document E in April'2015. Some of the rst schools designed to the
revised performance criteria have now been built and commissioned. This paper discusses design
and commissioning issues encountered in meeting the new criteria
Some of the most signicant changes from the previous requirements concern the assessment of
noise with ventilation provision. This paper reviews the classication of the ventilation system.
assessment of manufacturer's claims for the noise levels emitted from their ventilation units, and
noise levels measured in classrooms from a wide range of purpose-designed ventilation units.
Issues with acoustic commissioning of ventilation units that do not have a set point at the design
criterion are discussed.
While there have been only small changes to the reverberation time criteria, the standard design of
schools that comply with the Education Funding Agency's new criteria for thermal comfort generally
adopt exposed concrete softs. The potential to accurately calculate reverberation times based on
formulae or modelling is discussed. The variation in measured values in classrooms using exposed
concrete soits. various types of suspended rafts. and wall panels is described