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Ministry of Education New Zealand

About the requirements

The Designing Quality Learning Spaces (DQLS) series provides the requirements for the main internal environmental quality factors:

  • acoustics
  • lighting and visual comfort
  • indoor air quality and thermal comfort.

The DQLS documents have been developed to provide technical requirements that assist architects, designers and engineers in creating quality learning environments that are fit for purpose.

The DQLS requirements apply to:

  • all ‘new-build’ structures including extensions
  • prefabricated and new contracts for modular buildings
  • refurbishments of existing school buildings, including significant alterations.

A design team must ensure that any new learning space design complies with the DQLS requirements and upgrades should meet the requirements as near as practical.

Complying with the DQLS Requirements is mandatory.

Download the DQLS Requirements

Ensure you are using the latest version of the document by directly downloading the document from the link below.

Acoustics

pdf thumbnailAcoustics (V3.1 2020)
DownloadPDF6.6MB
pdf thumbnailDQLS Overview – Acoustics
DownloadPDF616KB

Lighting and visual comfort

pdf thumbnailLighting and Visual Comfort (V2.1 2020)
DownloadPDF9MB
pdf thumbnailDQLS Overview – Lighting and Visual Comfort (2020)
DownloadPDF2MB
pdf thumbnailDQLS Lighting and Visual Comfort addendum
DownloadPDF3.8MB

Indoor air quality and thermal comfort

pdf thumbnailIndoor air quality and thermal comfort (V.2.0 2022)
DownloadPDF4.7MB
pdf thumbnailDQLS overview – Indoor air quality and thermal comfort (V.2.0)
DownloadPDF884KB
pdf thumbnailWindow replacement requirements in existing buildings
DownloadPDF514KB

Reports

A design team must use this report to show compliance with the DQLS mandatory requirements.

docx thumbnailInternal Environmental Quality (IEQ) Design Report
DownloadDOCX2.2MB
docx thumbnailInternal Environmental Quality (IEQ) Design Report example
DownloadDOCX3MB

A design team must use this calculator to provide supporting calculations for simple building forms.

xlsx thumbnailDaylight calculator tool
DownloadXLSX2.3MB

A design team must use this calculator to provide supporting calculations for indoor air quality and thermal comfort.

xlsx thumbnailLCCA heating and cooling calculator tool
DownloadXLSX985KB

This document provides more information about the DQLS standards.

pdf thumbnailDesigning Quality Learning Spaces FAQs
DownloadPDF186KB

Amendments

The following amendments apply to the DQLS.

pdf thumbnailDQLS Amendment Electric Lighting – 3 April 2024
DownloadPDF142KB
pdf thumbnailDQLS Acoustics Amendment Summary - 31 May 2024
DownloadPDF535KB

Feedback and future amendments

The Ministry is constantly seeking to improve the content and usability of its documents.

If anything in this document requires clarification or if you would like to provide feedback, contact us.

Email: [email protected]

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  • Education professionals