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JANUARY 10 - PASSIVENT HELPS MAINTAIN CALM WITHIN SCHOOL BEYOND BB93 REQUIREMENTS

A simple addition to the specification of Passivent natural ventilation in new schools can help ensure the project both achieves funding and Regulatory compliance on completion.

Now, acoustic testing will be a requirement for funding under the Building Schools for the Future programme, with only designs graded as ‘very good’ or ‘pass’ being able to proceed through procurement and into construction. Passivent, the UK’s leading supplier of natural ventilation solutions for commercial and public sector environments, points out simple inclusion of acoustic attenuation in the specification of both its Aircool and Airscoop units will more than meet the grade.

Natural ventilation is the preferred means of airing a school under Building Bulletin 101. Building Bulletin 93, which relates to the acoustic performance in school buildings, sets an upper limit of 30dB ambient noise level in areas such as performance rooms or classrooms for hearing impaired students, through to 45dB in dining rooms and student circulation spaces.

Passivent’s Aircool window and wall ventilators specified with acoustic treatment, can provide attenuation up to 30dB in zones such as classrooms and studios, whilst acoustically-treated Airscoop roof mounted ventilation terminals, for large spaces such as sports halls and dining areas, can reduce noise by 32dB.

Passivent Aircool ventilators are installed in the building façade to provide controlled fresh air intake. Using just 1W of electricity to modulate the ventilation louvres, the Aircool units can 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 minimizing 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 company’s Airscoop is a roof mounted terminal divided diagonally into four chambers. Wind from any direction is channeled down through the windward chambers into the building, which exhausts warm, “used” air out through the leeward chambers.

Both systems have no fans, further minimizing disturbance, and have few moving parts requiring maintenance or replacement, enhancing lifetime costs. Passivent’s natural ventilation is proven to reduce capital costs by 15%, and operating costs by 40%, over conventional mechanical ventilation. It is also proven to reduce incidence of “sick building syndrome”.

City & Islington College in the heart of London is just one establishment already appreciating the benefits of Passivent’s acoustically attenuated ventilation. A double bank of acoustic chevrons in each of the 27 Aircool units in the building façade fronting busy Camden Road provides supplementary external noise attenuation to 30dB ensuring students have a quiet but fresh, draught-free internal environment in which to work. The thermostatically controlled Aircool units open automatically to draw replacement, fresh air into the building achieving penetration depths of five times the floor-to-ceiling height. Daytime heat build-up is also automatically dissipated via the night cooling facility.

Passivent is a founder member of the NatVent EC-UK 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 BSRIA guide BG2/2005 Wind Driven Natural Ventilation Systems, as well as being a member of the DCSF steering committee on ventilation guidance for schools, Building Bulletin 101.

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