About Us
Breathing Buildings was formed as a spin out company from the University of Cambridge in 2006, following the discovery and development of the proprietary low energy e-stack mixing ventilation system as part of a major research programme at the BP Institute, through the Cambridge-MIT Institute, with funding from BP plc. The technology was filed for patent by the University of Cambridge, and Breathing Buildings has exclusive rights to the technology.
Breathing Buildings was set up to develop and commercialise this low energy ventilation system. During 2006-07 prototypes of the system were developed and tested in the Breathing Buildings laboratories, with a team of highly qualified ventilation experts. The value and potential of the innovation has been recognised by several awards for innovation. Furthermore, since the e-stack system was commercially introduced in 2007, the success of the product and associated consultancy has been recognised by industry via an increasing number of awards.
Already e-stack systems are operating in over 20 different schools in the UK, and there is a substantial pipeline of new school projects for which Breathing Buildings is actively engaged in supplying e-stack systems.
Meet the team
Dr Shaun Fitzgerald - Co-Founder and Managing Director
Shaun is co founder of Managing Director of Breathing Buildings. He completed his PhD in Geothermal Reservoirs at Cambridge University before moving to Stanford University, CA and later spending five years at Bain & Company. He returned to Cambridge carrying out research into natural ventilation at the BP Institute before turning his hand to energy reduction using his expertise in natural ventilation to found Breathing Buildings in 2006.
Professor Andy Woods - Co-Founder and Technology Director
Andy founded Breathing Buildings with Shaun and is responsible for our technical development. Andy is head of the BP Institute in the University of Cambridge, and a Professorial Fellow at St John's College. He combines his work at Breathing Buildings with his ongoing research programme at the BP Institute on natural ventilation and related topics of thermal mass, heat pumps and phase change materials in buildings. Amongst other work, Andy has published over 30 peer-reviewed research articles in international journals on the fluid mechanics of natural ventilation.
Raymond Edwards - Chairman
After a career in a number of quoted companies, Raymond has spent the last 12 years chairing the boards of a number of management owned businesses. Most recently he was Chairman of Nuaire Ltd., a leading manufacturer and distributor of fans and mechanical ventilation solutions. He has chaired the Board at Breathing Buildings since July 2009
David Wilkinson - Finance & Operations Director
David joined Breathing Buildings in September 2009 having completed his MBA at Cambridge University's Judge Institute. David qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young before working for WPP in London and New York. Breathing Buildings is a return to David's roots having studied Engineering at Durham as an undergraduate.