A systemic model for a building performance and condition evaluation for primary schools

The problematical situation at the centre of this research is the absence of consideration given to building performance issues in the asset management and building maintenance management of primary schools in the UK. The asset management methods currently used for the building maintenance and improvement of primary schools have remained unchanged for a great many years and this study focuses upon how well the conventional methods of asset management serve the building occupiers. It considers how asset management could be impacted upon by applying techniques that have emerged in recent years from Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) and Building Performance Evaluation (BPE). Research carried out on the impact of classroom internal environments strongly suggests that good environmental conditions significantly improve the attention levels of the children being taught in them often resulting in improved activity and productivity levels. The literature review also suggests that building owners and occupiers are making higher demands from their buildings to meet their requirements for better internal environments and improved environmental performance. From a study of a large, UK Local Authority a conceptual model was developed using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) taking account of a number of perspectives and suggesting a possible process for considering condition and performance issues together. This process follows the format of the POE in assessing energy performance, environmental performance and occupier feedback but is supplemented by a building condition appraisal. The combined process was then assessed using an integrative framework applying the assessment criteria of SSM to compare the proposal with the conventional approach. The findings of this study suggest that the Head Teachers of primary schools were very interested in looking at building performance alongside other asset management objectives. In many cases when Head Teachers were made aware of the consequences of achieving good environmental performance they wanted to check the air quality in the teaching areas. They were also interested in using other techniques to identify and act upon any deficiencies with energy and environmental performance and with issues collected from an occupier questionnaire. There was a strong desire to ensure that building performance is assessed and those issues which are seen to be supporting the learning activity within the school given a suitable priority. It is therefore assumed that a building performance and condition evaluation (BPCE) could be adopted in some form to improve the present situation.