For natural ventilation, Clause G4 states that the sum of all openings to the outside must be equal to or greater than 5% of the floor area of that room. Openings include all windows and doors as long as they can be opened. It does not matter how much they can be opened by or if they will ever be opened, only that they can be opened. All kitchens, bathrooms, toilets and laundries must be ventilated by mechanical extract, and the door to that space must have a 20mm gap between the floor and the bottom of the door. The extract must be continuous if the nearest opening to the outside is within 10 metres and intermittent is within 6 metres. It, however, cannot be more than 10 metres away. Mechanical engineers always design mechanical ventilation systems to achieve a min. air change rate as defined by the New Zealand Standard of 4303:1990. This standard only refers to education classrooms at eight air changes per hour. The New Zealand Building Code requirements must be complied with to obtain a building consent and, ultimately, a Certificate of Code of Compliance that is required before any public building can be opened. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION LICENSING CRITERIA The only ECE-specific natural ventilation licensing criteria or guidance can be found in “PF12 Lighting, ventilation heating and acoustic materials” of the Licensing Criteria for Centre-based ECE Services 2008. This requires “Ventilation (natural or mechanical) that allows fresh air to circulate (particularly in sanitary and sleep areas).” THEN COVID-19 CAME ALONG In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and following on from the Indoor Environment Quality research I completed in 2019, which continuously monitored the carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature and humidity levels in five ECEs within Auckland spread (Smith, 2019), MoE undertook targeted ventilation studies across schools and ECEs. One of these studies continuously monitored the carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature and humidity levels in five ECEs spread across the country (Ministry of Education, 2022). The data collected during this study evaluated the performance of naturally ventilated to inform proactive ventilation management and improvement guidelines. These guidelines were released in March 2023 and are now recommended by MoE for all Early Learning Services. MOE VENTILATION RECOMMENDATIONS FROM MARCH 2023 In summary: ● The MoE encourages all centres to have an all-year-round ventilation strategy considering the seasons and outdoor conditions. ● For those with natural ventilation, the MoE recommends as part of what you do every day: � “Opening all windows and doors, partially or fully as conditions allow, whenever you can. � Do not wait for a space to get stuffy before opening windows and doors. � Opening lots of windows by a little, rather than a few windows by a lot, to avoid uncomfortable draughts. � Opening windows prior to or as soon as people arrive in the space and increase the through the day when the room is vacated. � Where possible, open multiple external windows and doors on the opposite sides of a room to enable a crossflow of air. � For spaces with only external windows and doors on one side of the building, consider opening doors that connect the space to internal corridors to assist with airflow. If doing this, the adjoining space should be well-ventilated and have its external windows open. � Taking regular refresh breaks to flush the space with fresh air by opening all doors and windows for 5 to 10 mins. � Ensuring teachers and staff know how to open windows in all spaces throughout the early learning service and regularly check to ensure windows are not temporarily blocked by classroom furniture, children’s MoE, “Opening all windows and doors, partially or fully as conditions allow, whenever you can.” (Manawa Children’s Village, Wallaceville. Photography Alastair McKenzie) June 2023 { 33 }
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=