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OCTOBER 09 - PASSIVENT STACKS UP FOR ‘FLAGSHIP’ COLLEGE REDEVELOPMENT



A £43m regeneration scheme at Derby College is providing leading-edge facilities- through to the natural ventilation....

The Roundhouse campus links revitalised Grade II listed buildings originally built and used for steam engine repairs with purpose-built new buildings to provide a 21st century learning environment in engineering, art & design, catering & hospitality, construction and care . The whole 18,000 m2 of teaching and learning space, spread across three floors, will remain a fresh and airy environment, thanks to the ventilation strategy, developed by Passivent Ltd.

The strategy links the established natural ventilation principle of passive stack, whereby warm air rises, with a state-of-art computer controller which finitely adjust the draught-free ventilation to maintain appropriate temperature and CO2 levels throughout the 28 zones, and incorporates BACNet interface to enable open protocol interface between the ventilation and entire building management system.

Natural ventilation is proven in research to improve student learning. Passivent has supplied 30 Aircool wall mounted internal louvres which draw fresh air in through the building facade. Transfer units in the ceilings ensure the fresh air is effectively drawn through the entire building, causing the warmer, internal, ‘used’ air to rise and be extracted via 18 Airstract terminals on the roof. The Aircools and transfer units have been acoustically treated to ensure only fresh air, not noise, is transferred from one area to another, further optimising student learning.

Attenuation of the Aircools and Airstracts is undertaken via the controller, with the system programmed to operate 24/7, 365 days a year, to optimise variations in internal and external temperature, and providing free night cooling when the building is unoccupied. The resultant ventilation strategy not only ensures compliance with current Building Regulations, but BB101 DCFS requirements.

Passivent natural ventilation systems are proven to reduce energy consumption over air conditioned buildings by up to 50%, yield 15% savings on capital costs and 75% savings on maintenance costs, and eliminate the need for a separate plant room. They can help achieve up to an A rating under the new Energy Performance Certificate.

Natural ventilation is just part of Passivent’s range of eco-friendly solutions for commercial environments, detailed on this site, which include techniques to maximise natural daylight and thus reduce artificial lighting, and which simultaneously have a positive impact on the building’s occupants. Passivent 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 is developing “smart” solutions to promote adoption of natural ventilation. The company has contributed to the BISRIA guide BG2/2005 Wind Driven Natural Ventilation Systems, as well as being a member of the DCFS steering committee on ventilation guidance for schools, Building Bulletin 101.

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