Flakt Woods brings natural ventilation to WWF headquarters
These bespoke rotating wind cowls on the Living Planet Centre of the World Wildlife Fund at Woking are part of the building’s natural-ventilation system to deliver fresh air to 3600 m2 of floor area over two levels. In partnership with Vision Vent, Flakt Woods designed, supplied and installed these cowls.
Built on a brownfield site, this new headquarters for the WWF is designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating.
The wind cowls are positions on the 80 m-long curved timber grid shell, which spans 837.5 m, and rotate on specially designed bearings. To reduce noise intrusion, they are insulated with high-density foam.
Steven Clark, associate partner with Hopkins Architects, explains, ‘The wind cowls were an integral element in the design of the building from the start. Aside from their aesthetic value, we liked this design due to its ability to cope with varying wind conditions to ensure a constant draw of air into the building. Integrating a highly efficient ventilation system is one of the keys to the anticipated achievement of the BREEAM “Outstanding” rating.’
