Sustainable and Climate Resilient Facilities

Policy

This policy sets out schools’ responsibilities to reduce their environmental impact, apply environmentally sustainable design principles and increase climate resilience when planning new or upgraded facilities or undertaking maintenance.

Summary

• In accordance with the Building Quality Standards Handbook (BQSH), school facilities must be designed by project consultants to promote environmental sustainability and to consider and respond to current and future climate change impacts.
• Schools can reduce the environmental impact of their operations by taking action to reduce their net energy, water consumption and material waste production.
• Schools are required to consider biodiversity when undertaking facilities management.
• Schools are encouraged to consider additional environmentally sustainable design initiatives or climate change adaption strategies on an individual project basis especially when planning, constructing and maintaining facilities. These may include installing renewable energy systems, preferencing the use of natural grass, and certification to environmental rating systems such as the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star rating tool as outlined by this policy.
• Schools are encouraged to consider installing renewable energy solar or wind systems. These systems must be purchased up-front, and schools must comply with the School-funded Capital Projects policy if they wish to install a renewable energy system, including completing the School asset drawing changes checklist (PDF).
• The Installation of solar and wind energy in schools chapter in the Guidance tab sets out the installation requirements for renewable energy systems in schools.
• Installed solar systems must be appropriately insured as per the Insurance for Schools policy.
• For advice on planning a renewable energy project strategies, schools can contact the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) at VSBA.Green.Energy.Programs@education.vic.gov.au

Details

Victoria’s climate is changing due to global warming, and this will impact on schools and their facilities. Victoria is likely to experience a decrease in average rainfall, an increase in heatwaves, an increase in dangerous fire weather and an increased length of bushfire seasons.

Climate change is likely to have various impacts on schools, including:

• increasing hazards relating to physical and psychological health and safety of learners and staff, such as thermal comfort and increasingly hot days
• impacting learning outcomes and productivity (both short and long term)
• lost learning days due to illness or disruption, particularly for those with underlying disabilities/health conditions
• limiting opportunities for physical exercise and outdoor education
• increasing psychological harm due to loss of life in the community, loss of property and natural environment, or increased uncertainty about the future
• damage to assets, buildings and facilities.

For the purpose of this policy, climate change resilience and adaptation measures includes anything that reduces the likelihood of these impacts or assists schools to manage them.

Sustainable facilities can reduce the environmental impact and long-term operating costs of running a school and help to reduce Victoria’s net greenhouse gas emissions. Embedding climate change adaption measures across the facilities lifecycle can lead to greater climate resilience, increased longevity of school facilities and reduced vulnerability.

This policy assists schools to address climate change risks and impacts during:

• facilities design
• facilities maintenance
• facilities management.

Facilities design

School facility designs by project consultants, including facilities upgrades and new facilities, must:

• promote environmental and economic sustainability and contribute to emissions reductions
• consider and respond to current and future climate change impacts to help future-proof the quality of learning environments and especially, the safety and comfort for staff and students
• apply environmentally-sustainable design principles, as required under the BQSH and other relevant policies.

The BQSH includes a range of environmentally sustainable design specifications which schools must comply with. Some of these include:

• natural shade must be used as a major element of shade provision within a school, wherever possible, mixed with other (built) shading solutions
• use of light coloured roof materials must be selected to reduce overheating.

Schools can also consider seeking an assessment or certification to environmental rating systems such as the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star.

The BQSH also contains a number of design specifications which schools can consider implementing at any point in time, depending on the school’s local context and what environmental hazards are expected to cause the greatest impact to increase the climate resiliency of their facilities and mitigate the impact of those hazards.

For example, schools who have identified an increasing risk of extremely hot days as part of their Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning, could consider the following strategies to increase the school’s thermal comfort and sustainability of facilities into the future:

• installing solar and wind energy, which can be incorporated into school design at many school sites
• built shade throughout school sites, given that natural shade can take considerable time to develop
• use of vegetation to reduce the ‘heat island effect’
• incorporating wetlands into school design at any school site as a water-retaining basin for salvage of stormwater and reuse in landscape watering
• wherever possible, installation of natural ventilation should mean that both windows and doors should open to the exterior to enable cross-ventilation of the space
• installing air conditioning. Schools can find information on how to do this in the BQSH (section 5.8.2 Cooling).

The VSBA can assist schools with understanding these requirements and identify appropriate design specifications to increase resilience. Schools can contact the VSBA at vsba@education.vic.gov.au or 1800 896 950.

Facilities maintenance

Well maintained facilities are more resilient to the changing climate. Regular maintenance helps ensure that buildings are structurally sound, weatherproof, and equipped to manage extreme conditions such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and high winds. There are a number of regular maintenance activities schools must complete to maintain their facilities:

• develop and maintain a 5-year School Maintenance Plan to help budget schedule and manage the maintenance of their facilities, as set out in the School Maintenance Plans and Rolling Facilities Evaluation policy
• ensure buildings are well maintained as outlined in the Buildings and Grounds Maintenance and Compliance policy and the Workplace Safety Inspections policy including:
  • regularly conducting maintenance checks on temperature controls (including HVAC systems and ceiling fans) and ensure any faulty equipment and systems are repaired quickly
  • regularly conducting roof inspections and clear gutters to help rainfall to drain more quickly and prevent water damage
  • regularly inspecting and maintaining stormwater drains, grates and channels to help rainfall drain more quickly and prevent water damage
  • regularly inspecting building foundations and structural beams to ensure repairs are done promptly
  • engaging an arborist to conduct routine tree assessments and remove any high-risk trees that may cause damage during storms.

Completing these regular maintenance activities is key to helping reduce the impact or preparing for the impacts of a changing climate. Schools are encouraged to contact the School Maintenance Plan team for further assistance in understanding their routine maintenance activities.

Email: maintenance.plan@education.vic.gov.au
Phone: 03 7022 2212

Facilities management

When undertaking facilities management, schools must consider the impacts on biodiversity. Further information on how to make these considerations can be found in the Biodiversity duty guidance in the Tree and Vegetation Management policy on PAL.

As part of the department’s responsibility to reduce environmental impact and build climate resilience, the department encourages schools to:

• consider the Environmental Sustainability in Schools – infrastructure and facilities chapter and develop their own Environmental Sustainability Plan
• review the case studies available in the Environmental Sustainability in Schools – infrastructure and facilities chapter and consider if any of the actions are applicable when designing or upgrading school facilities
• participate in the Victorian Government‘s Schools Water Efficiency Program (refer to the Resources tab for more information)
• participate in the ResourceSmart Schools initiative (refer to the Resources tab for more information)
• regularly check utility bills to ensure water or energy wastage is not occurring and that waste collection agreements reflect the amount of waste being collected (refer to the Benchmarks for utility usage guidance chapter for more information)
• reduce energy and water consumption by considering more efficient replacements for assets at end of life (refer to the Gas Heater Management policy for further information)
• install renewable energy systems such as solar panels and wind turbines (refer to the Installation of solar and wind energy in schools chapter in the Guidance tab for more information)
• recover energy and water costs incurred by community users of school facilities through joint-use and hire agreements (refer to the Community Use of Schools – Community Joint Use Agreements policy for more information)
• raise awareness amongst school leaders, teachers, students and the community about sustainable design and operation of buildings (refer to the Environmental Sustainability in Schools policy for more information)
• employ sustainable principles in purchasing goods and services and consider environmental impact when assessing value for money
• take a whole-of-life approach to assessing the environmental impacts of goods and services and encourage suppliers to meet high standards of environmental performance and resiliency
• use natural grass rather than synthetic turf where appropriate (refer to the Use of synthetic turf chapter of the Guidance tab for more information
• meet the requirements listed in the use of synthetic turf guidelines if using synthetic turf in small spaces (only where grass is difficult to establish and maintain).

Resources to help schools implement these actions are available in the Resources tab.

Related policies

The following policies contain guidance in relation to managing identified risks or impacts of climate change. Some of these are:

• Buildings and Grounds Maintenance and Compliance – outlines maintenance activities schools must complete to maintain their facilities, and increase their climate resilience
• Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning – provides schools with guidance to develop their Emergency Management Plan. Emergency Management Plans can be used to document site-specific hazards and threats as well as the actions that can be taken to mitigate them, including extreme weather events, or projected climate specific hazards, for example, extremely hot days
• Environmental Sustainability in Schools – provides suggested activities for schools to reduce their environmental impact and apply environmentally-sustainable design principles
• Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) – provides information on school evacuation, temporary closures or modified timetables in emergency circumstances including in extreme weather conditions
• Managing Extreme Heat – provides guidance on how to prepare for periods of extreme heat and school’s obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Shade Sails – provides guidance for how schools can construct and manage shade sails to mitigate the impact of heat or heavy rainfall
• Student Dress Code – outlines that all student dress codes must include health and safety considerations and schools can consider as part of their response to the weather related impacts of a changing climate
• Sun and UV Protection – outlines schools’ responsibilities to consider creating shade, modifying highly reflective surfaces and using appropriate sun protection
• Ventilation and Air Purification – provides guidance on how to ventilate indoor school spaces, maximise the use of outdoor spaces and operate air purifiers to improve indoor air quality and the possible risk of extreme heat

Other related policies:

• Procurement – Schools
• Procuring Low-Value Construction Works or Services
• School-funded Capital Projects
• Tree and Vegetation Management

Relevant legislation

• Climate Action Act 2017 (Vic)
• Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (Vic)