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SEPTEMBER 07 - NATURAL RESOURCES IN EDUCATION


A reputation for a contemporary approach to education, creating a stimulating environment in which pupils learn through their own experience has been fulfilled in an innovative new school building in Kent.

Consultants Brodie Plant Goddard have realized the brief given by St Lawrence College, Ramsgate for a new Middle School by using contemporary philosophies, techniques and materials- including Passivent natural ventilation- to provide an 2,200m2 eco-friendly, light and airy building connecting three units.

The three storey dormitory block, single storey classroom block and single storey hobbies block are grouped round a central atrium roofed in a triple layer of EFTE, aiming to represent the College’s coastal location and to foster a sense of community. The educational spaces are all aired using Passivent Aircool ventilators to ensure an adequate, draught-free inflow of fresh air: natural ventilation is proven to reduce energy consumption and the incidence of ‘sick building syndrome’.

The specification for each of the six prep classroom spaces and the atrium area was for a minimum three air changes/hour. Passivent’s solution was to design a system based round 26 of its Aircool wall ventilator units, complemented by acoustic baffles and fire dampers to act as transfer grilles into the atrium. The Aircools were colour-matched to RAL colours specified by architect Roger Mahoney.

The Aircool units draw in fresh air, with boost high level fan-assisted vents at each end of the top level walkway at the back of the atrium exhausting the internal, ‘used’ air through the façade.

Aircool ventilators are installed in the building façade to provide controlled fresh air intake or extract as part of a natural ventilation system, or in conjunction with mechanical cooling systems where they can reduce the need for daytime cooling and air conditioning. Using just 1watt of electricity to attenuate the ventilation louvres (when moving), the Aircool units can be minutely adjusted to control airflow requirements taking into account the weather outside- the speed and direction of wind, rain, temperature, and the location of the units within the building façade, to ensure a gentle flow of fresh air into the building without draughts.

Thermally broken and insulated, the units are as thermally efficient when closed as a standard double gazed window, thanks to a controllable damper that combines a unique profile with highly reflective strip inserts. The strips reduce the emissivity of the air space within the louvre reducing its U-value and ensuring internal heat is reflected back into the building rather than letting it escape through the ventilator to the outside.

Wayne Aston, Technical Manager -Passivent Commercial, elaborates, “Natural ventilation is ideal for building such as schools, because of the public sector demand for low energy, sustainable solutions and its ability to function effectively without human input once the initial controls have been set up. It is also extremely cost-effective: initial capital costs are reduced typically by 15%, and operating costs can be cut by up to 40%.”

Roger Mahoney adds, “Natural ventilation was chosen as the environmentally friendly option, reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. It is one of several ‘green’ choices we used, including a sedum roof on the classroom areas, and rainwater recycling.”

Passivent is part of the Building Product Design Group and is the UK’s leading designer and supplier of natural ventilation systems for both domestic and commercial applications. The company is a founder member of the NatVent EC-EU-funded project co-ordinated by the Building Research establishment to develop practical natural ventilation solutions for the commercial sector, and has also contributed to the BISRIA Guide BG2/2005 Wind Driven Natural Ventilation Systems, as well as being a member of the DfES steering committee on natural ventilation guidance for schools, Building Bulletin 101.

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