Leicestershire adopts sustainable approach for new school

To comply with DfES guidelines for ventilation in educational premises and help meet BREEAM environmental standards, a new school in Leicestershire is making use of passive natural ventilation. Bushloe High School is due to open this month (September). It includes 20 classrooms for 800 pupils, with bespoke facilities for ICT, science and textiles, graphics and word-processing. The Passivent ventilation system is designed to provide 8 l/s of air per person. The whole ventilation system is controlled by a building-management system. Each classroom has mechanically operated windows to admit fresh air and exhaust motorised louvres ducting to a Passivent high-capacity terminal on the roof. The BMS regulates temperatures within presets, and each classroom has its own control so the teacher can over-ride and increase ventilation if required. A total of 22 Passivent Airstract terminals provide a high airflow capacity. They work on the principle of warm air rising and the Venturi effect drawing air through the roof-mounted terminals. This ventilation strategy can ventilate twice the building depth that can be achieved with a single-sided strategy. It also provides effective night cooling as the greater difference between internal and external temperatures at night increases convection. The main hall and sports facility have nine Passivent Airscoop terminals. These wind-driven units catch wind from any direction and channel it down through the windward chambers into the building. ‘Used’ air is drawn out through the leeward chambers. They can be used in most buildings one or two storeys high and also provide secure and weatherproof night cooling. Passivent says that naturally ventilated buildings have half the energy consumption of those that are air conditioned.

Related links:

• www.passivent.com