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 THE DEPARTMENT for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has issued a new design specification for sprinklers in schools. SSLD 8 – one of a series of guidance notes covering building systems for schools – sets out the performance standards for sprinkler systems in schools and shows, through some design examples, how they might be delivered.
It follows the introduction last year of a new policy under which DCSF now expects most new state-funded secondary schools in England to be fitted with sprinkler systems.
According to DCSF, ‘the aim is to disseminate best practice and avoid “reinventing the wheel” every time a school is designed, so that consistently high-quality environments can be delivered, offering best whole-life value for money.’
As such, the best practice guide outlines ‘special considerations’ – from sprinkler protection in atria and voids, to the use of plastic pipe and connectors – and features design examples of sprinklers in, for example, classrooms, corridors, roof spaces and sports halls.
DCSF says that school building clients, their professional advisers, contractors and their supply chains should use the guidance to inform their decisions at the early stages of a project’s development – whether new build, extension or refurbishment.
Intended for use alongside BB 100: Design for fire safety in schools, the Government says the specification will become the standard in Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme documentation, although it adds that alternative solutions not covered in the guide can also be used.
Standard Specifications, Layouts and Dimensions (SSLD) 8: Sprinklers in Schools is available from: www.teachernet.gov.uk/
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