Performance Requirements
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  Schools

  
  Part E          
  Section E4 of the 2003 Approved Document E deals specifically with new school buildings. It refers to the Building Bulletin 93 which sets out the performance requirements for the acoustics of new school buildings.

   Table 5 below is an extract of strictest case requirements from tables 1.1 and 1.2 of BB93 for walls. Table 6 below gives requirements for sound insulation in floors from BB93 table 1.4. For further details please refer to BB93 or call the Xella technical hotline.  

 

  
             
Table 5: Performance requirement for airbourne sound insulation between rooms (DnT(Tmf,max),W)
 
Nursery play room
Nursery quiet room
Primary / secondary classroom
Open plan teaching / resource area
55
55
40
55
45
45
50
45
45
40
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
Music classroom
Music performance room /
recording studio
Lecture room (fewer than 50)
Lecture room (more than 50)
55
55
55
55
60
45
55
55
55
45
45
45
55
45
50
50
55
 
 
 
60
60
 
 
55
55
45 
 
60
60
50
50 
   
Library
Science laboratory
Drama studio
Metalwork / woodwork room
55
40
45
45
50
45
45
40
55
55
55
50
55
55
55
50
55
55
45
50
55
55
45
50
60
60
55
55
55
55
55
55
45
45
40
55
50
55
55
50
55
50
 
Assembly hall
Gymnasium
Dining room
Offices / toilets / corridors
55
55
55
50
55
55
55
50
55
55
55
50
55
55
55
50
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
55
50
55
55
55
50
55
50
55
50
55
50
55
50
55
50
55
55
50
55
50
45
55
50
50
50

Table 6: Performance standards for impact sound insulation of floors -
maximum weighted BB93 standardised impact sound pressure level L’nT(Tmf,max),w
Type of Room (receiving room)
Maximum weighted BB93 standardised impact sound level L’nT(Tmf,max),w (dB)
Nursery play room
Nursery quiet room
Primary / secondary classroom
Open plan teaching / resource area
65
60
60
60
Music classroom
Music performance room / recording studio
Lecture room (fewer than 50)
Lecture room (more than 50)
55
55
60
55
Library
Science laboratory
Drama studio
Design and technology CADCAM area
60
65
55
65
Assembly hall
Gymnasium
Dining room
Offfices / toilets / corridors
60
65
65
65

*Part E of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2000 (as amended by SI 2002/ 2871) to schools applies to teaching and learning spaces and is not intended to cover administration and ancillary spaces. For these areas the performance standards are for guidance only.

These notes should be read in conjun ction with all relevant notes from BB 93.
             
  Fire Performance          
  Approved Document B of the Building Regulations (Part B) provides tables of the requirements for performance of materials and structures in fire, and particularly sets requirements for minimum periods of fire resistance for Assembly and Recreation buildings which includes schools. The designer must therefore select wall and floor solutions which meet the requirements of both Part E and Part B.   Table 7 below is an extract from table A2 of Part B and deals with minimum periods of fire resistance for general elements of a school structure.
Table 8 below is an extract from table A1 of Part B and deals with firefighting shafts (stairs, lifts, lobbies etc). Please refer to Part B or call the Xella technical hotline for further details.		      
             
Table 7:
Minimum periods of fire resistance
Purpose group of building Minimum periods (minutes) for elements of structure in a :  
  Basement storey ($) including floor over
 Ground or upper storey  
  Depth (m) of a lowest basement Height (m) of top floor above ground, in a building or separated part of a building
 
more than 10
not more than 10
not more than 5
not more than 18
not more than 30
more than 30
Assembly and
recreation
(including schools)		            
Not sprinklered

Sprinklered
90

60
60

60
60

30*
60

60
90

60
not permitted

120#

Single storey buildings are subject to the periods under the heading ‘not more than 5’. If they have basements, the basement storeys are subject to the period appropriate to their depth.

$ The floor over a basement (or if there is more than 1 basement, the floor over the topmost basement) should meet the provisions for the ground and upper storeys if that period is higher.
* Increased to a minimum of 60 minutes for compartment wall separating buildings.
# Reduced to 90 minutes for elements not forming part of the structure frame.

Table 8:
Specific provisions of test for fire resistance of elements of structure etc
Part of building Minimum provisions when tested to the relevant part of BS 476(1) (minutes)
 
more than 10
not more than 10
not more than 5
not more than 18
Firefighting shafts        
a. construction separating firefighting
shaft from rest of building;

120

 

120

 
120

 
from side remote
from shaft

60

 
60
60
from shaft side
b. construction separating firefighting stair, firefighting liftshaft and firefighting lobby
60
60
60
each side separately