New Swindon library is an exemplar of natural ventilation
Contributing to the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ score of 72% of Swindon Borough Council’s new Central Library is a Passivent natural-ventilation system. Designed by architects Nic Newland and Tony Currivan of Swindon Borough Council, the £10 million 4-storey redevelopment of the existing library was built by Willmott Dixon, with Roberts & Prowse as M&E subcontractor.
Strategically located Passivent Aircool window inlets draw fresh air from the courtyard into the building without noise from surrounding roads. A total of 23 window Aircool units, five wall Aircool units, eight Aircool internal louvres and roof units provide the ventilation for this 3-storey 2000 m2 building.
To help maintain a comfortable internal temperature and air quality throughout the year, Passivent also supplied 10 window actuators to open and close top opening windows on the second and third floors.
The entire system is managed through Passivent’s multi-zone iC central controller which operates on internal and temperature and internal CO2 levels.
Ken Coates, associate director with the project’s building-services design consultants NDC 2000, explains, ‘Apart from the need to obtain an “Excellent” BREEAM rating, great emphasis was placed in the heating and ventilating systems arranged to afford maximum flexibility of use while meeting energy targets.’
Tony Currivan, project architect, adds, ‘Passivent was chosen by Roberts & Prowse for its ability to deliver a sustainable solution cost effectively and on time.’
