The 'Specifier' feature, Get with IT, in the latest issue of Building magazine says architects and designers have yet to switch on to the bigger picture when it comes to IT for schools built under the Buildings Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.
For large secondary schools, there may be hundreds of PCs, server rooms, power and data sockets and wireless access points, etc. Managing the resulting power and heat loads becomes a major challenge, but one solution the article recommends is to adopt a thin-client solution.
By using stripped-down desktop units that are served with data from a remote, off-site server, the M&E contractor can reduce the power across the school and also the cooling requirements. It also results in increased classroom flexibility and fewer and smaller server rooms. Using this approach, it has been possible to design schools that need only one server room, and may even eradicate the hub rooms often needed at intervals along a data cable network.
However, the key message, as with many things in construction, is "you can only do this if you get the ICT people on board at the early stage." In other words, it's about collaboration and it's about early involvement.
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