Tarmac playgrounds and windows that don’t open: why hot spells turn our schools into heat traps | Harry Paticas

Schools are struggling to cope with soaring summer temperatures due to outdated design features and a lack of climate adaptation, with one Hertfordshire school recording over 40C this week. Architect Harry Paticas highlights that many modern schools incorporate excessive glass without adequate shading or ventilation, exacerbating heat buildup. This design trend, partly influenced by a post-NHS focus on natural light in the 1950s, is compounded by safety restrictors on windows that limit opening. Furthermore, glass atriums, a common feature of schools built during the early 2000s Building Schools for the Future programme, now function like "Kew hothouses," trapping heat. These issues necessitate urgent retrofitting to make educational facilities more resilient to a changing climate. The article, written by Harry Paticas, founder of Retrofit Action for Tomorrow, emphasizes the need for significant upgrades to address these environmental challenges within school buildings.