LOCATION: Dorset
PRODUCTS: A Series
During the past year, we became engaged in the design a low
energy ventilation system for a new two storey classroom building
at Port Regis School, Dorset in which 14 classrooms were to be
built around a central atrium space. The challenge was to design
and supply a low energy ventilation system which integrates the
atrium with the class-rooms, while maintaining acoustic isolation
of the individual classrooms. With increasing concern over energy
efficiency in buildings, we developed an innovative design for the
ventilation which enables:
- natural upflow displacement ventilation in summer conditions
with air entering through classroom windows and air venting from
the top of the atrium; this maximises the buoyancy head available
to drive the flow and flush out the heat from the building in hot
conditions (see figure below)
- mixing ventilation through the top of the atrium in winter
conditions so that cold air entering the atrium at high level is
preheated by natural convective mixing with the warm high level
atrium air. This avoids cold draughts forming in the atrium, while
keeping the atrium air fresh (see figure below)
- exchange ventilation between the classrooms and the atrium in
winter conditions so that the heat generated in the classrooms is
transferred to the atrium. This tempers the atrium air in the
winter; as a result, the supply air for the classrooms, which is
drawn from the atrium, is also pre-heated simply by recycling the
heat generated in the building (see figure below).
The system has now been installed and commissioned in the new
building, and some photographs of the building are shown below.
Initial data from the building suggests that the system is
operating very effectively.