Published quarterly, the Powered by SpecifileTM series of publications focus on specific design sectors of industry from a product perspective. This publication covers the Educational sector and focuses on products needed to design, upgrade and maintain all educational facilities – ranging all the way from early childhood education facilities to university and college buildings.
There’s no doubt that education is one of the most pressing concerns South Africa currently faces, and spending in this sector is made up of government spending; private sector development and the growing number of private school groups in South Africa; as well as refurbishment and development by quintile 4 and 5 schools.
From a government point of view, an Education Infrastructure Grant of R31.7-billion to build new schools, upgrade and maintain existing infrastructure and provide school furniture will be allocated in this financial year. Most independent school groups also have plans to add to the number of schools they currently own over the next three years. And, of course, maintenance and improvement is always ongoing.
This book is published in the belief that all of this will come to fruition, that substantial investment will take place in the education sector in the next few years and that educators will realise how important a well designed classroom and school is for the learner.
As the infographic supplied by the World Green Building Council shows, indoor air quality and ventilation; noise and acoustics; daylighting and lighting; and thermal comfort all play an important role in the performance of learners. WGBC hopes this will create a fresh wave of engagement around the impact and importance of buildings in the learning environment and how they can shape comfort levels, personal well-being and educational performance to enhance the prosperity of this generation and future generations to come. Saint-Gobain Gyproc expands on this further in an interesting article on how school buildings affect productivity and health.
There’s a wide array of products out there that contribute to healthier, greener and more functional educational facilities. We hope you find this issue of Educational Facility Design useful. And don’t forget that you can find detailed product information on the Specifile website: www.specifile.co.za
