Technical Manual - Employer’s requirements - Technical requirements for the design and construction of school and college buildings and outdoor environments - January 2026

Oct 17, 2026

DfE Technical Manual sets out technical performance and functional requirements for designing and constructing school and college buildings and their outdoor environments. It is part of the Employer’s Requirements for the DfE Construction Framework 2025 (CF25), and can be used as a reference for other procurement routes using DfE design and construction standards and guidance. Review is normally at 12-month intervals, with updates at any time at DfE’s discretion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages587

Reading Time24 h 39 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

0 Environmental design

1 Substructure

2 Superstructure

3 Internal finishes

4 Fittings, furniture and equipment (FF&E)

5 Services

6 Technology

7 Work to existing buildings

8 External works

9 Fire safety

Annexes

Annex A Glossary of defined terms

Annex B Standards referred to

Annex C Other publications referred to

Technical Manual Employer’s requirements Technical requirements for the design and construction of school and college buildings and outdoor environments January 2026 Contents List of tables 4 Summary 5 Introduction 7 0 Environmental design 12 0.1 Integrated environmental design 13 1 Substructure 26 1.1 Foundations and substructure 27 1.2 Lowest floor construction 33 2 Superstructure 39 2.1 Structural frames 40 2.2 Upper floors 48 2.3 Roofs 49 2.4 Stairs, ramps and lifts 72 2.5 External walls 83 2.6 External windows and doors 95 2.7 Internal walls and partitions 104 2.8 Internal doors and glazed screens 112 3 Internal finishes 137 3.1 Wall finishes 138 3.2 Floor finishes 150 3.3 Ceiling finishes 164 4 Fittings, furniture and equipment 175 4.1 Fittings, furniture and equipment (FF&E) 176 5 Services 204 5.1 Sanitaryware and ancillaries 205 5.2 Drainage 220 5.3 Water installations 229 5.4 Heat source 237 5.5 Heating and cooling systems 244 5.6 Ventilation systems and thermal comfort 254 5.7 Electrical infrastructure 273 5.8 Daylighting and electrical lighting 292 5.9 Fuel installations 309 5.10 Security and communication systems 314 5.11 BMS, controls and performance monitoring 321 5.12 Internet connectivity 334 6 Technology 338 6.1 Passive networking 339 6.2 Active networking 346 6.3 AV systems and fixed equipment 353 6.4 Building technologies 364 6.5 Telephony 373 7 Work to existing buildings 379 8 External works 380 8.1 Surfaces for play, sport, paths and roads 381 8.2 Topsoil, subsoil and ameliorants 400 8.3 Soft landscape 408 8.4 Boundary treatments, walls and fencing 420 8.5 Play equipment and nature habitats 434 8.6 External furniture 442 8.7 External drainage (nature-based SuDS) 450 8.8 Structures in the landscape 460 9 Fire safety 470 9.1 Fire safety 471 Requirement B1: Means of warning and escape 474 Requirement B2: Internal fire spread (linings) 493 Requirement B3: Internal fire spread (structure) 495 Requirement B4: External fire spread 506 Requirement B5: Access and facilities for the fire service 511 9.2 Fire safety for MMC 514 Annexes 534 Annex A Glossary of defined terms 535 Annex B Standards referred to 551 Annex C Other publications referred to 576 List of tables Table 1: Energy Use Intensity 18 Table 2: Embodied carbon requirements for new buildings 22 Table 3: Carbon reporting requirements 23 Table 4: Onsite flat roof requirements 59 Table 5: Offsite flat roof requirements 60 Table 6: Internal doorset requirements 133 Table 7: Ironmongery requirements 135 Table 8: Wall finish requirements 149 Table 9: Floor finish requirements 162 Table 10: Ceiling finish requirements 173 Table 11: Recommended clearances for science laboratory tablesand fume cupboards 185 Table 12: Recommended clearances for workshop machinery 186 Table 13: Recommended clearances in D&T food rooms 188 Table 14: Recommended clearances in catering kitchens 192 Table 15: Recommended clearances for general classroom tables 194 Table 16: Pipework water velocity requirements 251 Table 17: Operative temperature requirements by space type 253 Table 18: Comfort categories for cold draughts 272 Table 19: Comfort categories for Overheating Risk Assessments 272 Table 20: Cold draught criteria 272 Table 21: PV requirements 280 Table 22: Interior illumination criteria 301 Table 23: Light source criteria 302 Table 24: Exterior illumination criteria 307 Table 25: Pitch sizes 395 Table 26: Artificial grass pitch sizes 397 Table 27: MUGA sizes 398 Table 28: Limitations on travel distance 478 Table 29: Occupant capacity in rooms or areas 479 Table 30: Classification of linings 493 Table 31: Maximum dimensions of building or compartment 496 Table 32: Recommended product selection for fire-stopping gaps 505 Table 33: Permitted unprotected area in small buildings

FAQs

What does the DfE Technical Manual define?

It details technical performance and functional requirements for the design and construction of school and college buildings and outdoor environments.

Who is the guidance intended for?

It is for local authorities, academy trusts, governing bodies, school and college leaders and staff, and technical professionals involved in design, construction, and maintenance.

How and when is the manual reviewed?

It is normally reviewed at 12-month intervals, while DfE may update it at any time.

Oct 17, 2026

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