New windows for the Kaulbach School in Bad Arolsen

Even before the Corona pandemic, it was important to exchange the indoor air in classrooms every now and then by allowing fresh air to flow in from outside through open windows and replace the stale air of a school lesson. During the pandemic, this principle has now taken on even greater importance: ventilation is the be-all and end-all when it comes to removing pathogens from indoor air. Virologists and aerosol scientists agree on this. But what can be done when a school has such unwieldy, heavy window sashes that the ventilation ideal can only be implemented with great difficulty?

The district of Waldeck-Frankenberg with its building management service shows how it solves the problem at the Kaulbach School in Bad Arolsen: by replacing all 380 window and door elements in the classrooms, corridors and entrances. The school authorities are spending 1.1 million euros to provide the pupils with optimised protection in the Corona pandemic.

"Every cent of this is well spent, because after all, a large part of this is about the health of the children and young people who attend classes at the Kaulbach School," emphasises District Administrator Dr Reinhard Kubat. And thankfully, the state of Hesse also provides an allocation for Corona protection measures at schools, which can be used to co-finance the services at the Kaulbach School.

The reason for the complete replacement of the window and door elements in the individual buildings of the Kaulbach School was their increasing susceptibility to repair. In addition, the ventilation sashes were difficult to handle anyway, as they were heavy and oversized and protruded far into the classrooms. "The window elements are already so old, there are no spare parts for them at all," said the district administrator. When they had to be repaired, it was only possible in a temporary way; however, often there was nothing else to do than to take the windows out of use - that is, they could no longer be opened, an untenable state of affairs especially during the pandemic with its need for ventilation.

This year and next year, the Kaulbach School will receive triple-glazed windows with much smaller opening sashes. Even when these windows are completely open, they do not intrude into the classrooms. Air exchange and a sufficient supply of fresh air are thus once again guaranteed without restriction. All 380 elements are to be replaced by autumn 2022, incidentally during ongoing school operations, for which District Administrator Dr Kubat expressed great praise to Deputy Headmistress Sandra Riebeling.

"The Kaulbach School has a very good organisational plan that makes it possible for the work to be carried out continuously and not just during the holidays. For example, disruption to the school timetable is avoided by the uncomplicated transfer of lessons to another room, while the original classroom receives new windows. A welcome side effect of the triple glazing of the window elements is also an improvement in the energy efficiency of the building envelope. About 13 per cent less energy is required thanks to the completely replaced window and door elements, the district administrator concluded.