Polypipe Building Services calls for proactive water management renewal to support resilience across the education estate

The strategy sets out a 10-year plan to move away from reactive “patch and mend” maintenance towards more strategic renewal of ageing infrastructure. According to Polypipe, achieving that ambition will depend on both investment and wider adoption of modern materials and installation methods across water supply and drainage systems.

Across the education estate, a significant proportion of water management infrastructure dates back to the post-war construction boom. Many schools still rely on cast iron soil and waste stacks and conventional metal pipework that are now reaching the end of their service life. As the Government accelerates refurbishment, decarbonisation and plant room upgrades, including the transition towards heat pump-led systems, there is an opportunity to rethink how water supply and drainage systems are specified. A move towards modern materials and offsite installation methods supports improved long-term performance and minimal classroom disruption. 

“Water supply and drainage systems play an important role in building performance, but they are often overlooked during refurbishment projects,” said Gavin Robinson, National Business Development Manager at Polypipe Building Services. “The Education Estates Strategy rightly recognises the need for long-term thinking, but this determination is currently undermined by slow adoption rates of modern methods of construction across water management infrastructure.” 

Modern plastic pipe and drainage systems provide a lightweight, corrosion-resistant alternative to traditional materials. When combined with offsite prefabrication, pipework assemblies, drainage stacks and plant room modules can be manufactured in controlled conditions and installed quickly, allowing works to be completed with minimal disruption and helping schools remain operational throughout refurbishment. 

Rather than relying solely on full stack replacements or conventional loose-component plant room installations, planned phased renewal enables water supply and drainage upgrades to be delivered in manageable sections, as part of wider refurbishment works. This reduces risk, improves reliability and supports longer-term estate planning. 

“As the Government prioritises proactive estate management and lower-carbon building services, upgrading hidden infrastructure like water supply and drainage should form part of wider retrofit projects,” added Gavin. “By investing in modern, prefabricated systems, education estates can reduce disruption, support decarbonisation objectives and protect refurbishment budgets while ensuring schools remain safe, operational and fit for the future.”