The Department for Education’s (DfE) new Construction Framework 25 (CF25) has a renewed focus on delivering energy efficient, low carbon, fabric-first educational facilities. Paul Knifton, Strategic Accounts Director at multi-disciplinary consultancy Pick Everard, explores how designing for Net Zero today will translate into wellbeing benefits for future users and the environment.
Covering new build and refurbishment projects, CF25 puts schools front and centre of the drive to Net Zero. But the truth of the matter is that education has long had the upper hand when it comes to designing and constructing modern, sustainable and compliant buildings.
Architects working in the education sector are hardwired to maximise the energy efficiency of any type of school development. Most have been exceeding minimum standards for some time. The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard launches this year, but a pilot version has been running since 2024. CF25 builds on this technical standard, demanding resilience to climate change and a whole-life carbon approach. The new framework will not so much mark a turning point as a convergence point - where those schools most in need of investment will be prioritised under the school rebuilding programme, while the new regulatory landscape pushes up the achievements of the lowest construction industry performers.
What we have learned under previous education construction frameworks is that a standardised approach to design and build does work. There has been a focus on delivery through modern methods of construction (MMC) with modularised sections offering the opportunity for fast, sustainable and flexible expansion in building capacity. School developments in Wixams, Bedfordshire, are a fantastic example of this, with energy performance being central to projects including a new build primary school and a secondary school expansion. The buildings meet net zero carbon in operation standards, featuring exceptional energy efficiency measures such as airtight facades, photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps, all working together to support the local authority’s sustainability commitments and the schools’ long-term operational goals.
But narrowing the gap between school conditions and sustainability benchmarks is the very least we should expect from CF25. The new framework raises possibilities as well as standards. The very best construction partners are already highly proficient in green infrastructure, designing for a rise in average global temperatures for buildings that adapt to the risks of climate change. What we can now look forward to are technically excellent, high-functioning buildings delivered with a huge dose of creativity.
Building better together with the communities our schools serve, CF25 brings the potential for investment in design features and technology that care for the wellbeing of students as well as the environment. This includes creating spaces that enable nature-based learning connecting pupils with natural environments and biodiverse school grounds.
We are looking forward to flexible spaces that foster achievements across diverse ability levels, to outdoor classrooms, corridors without the pinch points and comfortable, welcoming environments that inspire young people to see success as something to celebrate.
CF25 is not a new framework. It’s essentially a mark of evolution giving the chance for architecture and design teams to thrive by taking its tick boxes and adding benefit and value.
