Gilberts helps to breathe new life into Ulster University
Natural ventilation for one of the first, and most important, buildings to be completed in the new £250 million University of Ulster Campus has natural ventilation provided by Gilberts. The 9-storey Faculty of Art, Design & the Built Environment is split into a 6-storey structure with an articulated upper level. The natural ventilation is delivered by Gilberts’ Mistrale louvres to a bespoke design with VN75 air-inlet dampers incorporated into the aluminium-clad facade.
The louvres ensure a controlled internal environment in the sky walkway, main communal area, classrooms and lecture theatre. The were installed by McLaughlin & Harvey to lead-architects Fielden Clegg Bradley Studio’s design and specification.
The 650 x 800 mm Mistrale high- and low-level dampers are integrated into the building-management system, with manual opening at low level and automatic at high level. Acoustic modulation addresses potential noise ingress from adjacent streets.
Fresh air into the zones is maintained at 10 l/s per person, temperature at 23°C and CO2 at 800 ppm to CIBSE requirements/design parameters of -3 K up to 25°C. Optimised night cooling will operate between May and September to utilise the high thermal mass of the building.
