Windcatchers are top performers in new theatre
When Norman Bragg of internally renowned theatre architects RWHL was introduced to Monodraught Windcatchers he was quick to specify them to provide natural ventilation for the new Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury, which is expected to attract up to 300 000 visitors a year. Norman Bragg has worked in the Middle East, where for centuries natural ventilation has been provided by iconic wind towers.
The 13 Windcatcher natural-ventilation systems are installed in the main foyer and stairs area, the function suite foyer, the gallery, an office and a meeting room. They are controlled in 10 zones by a Monodraught iNVent system.
Norman Bragg says, ‘When the M&E contractor Whitby Bird suggested Monodraught Windcatchers — the modern interpretation of the wind towers — we were very easily persuaded, and I though it was exactly the right way to go. In the Waterside Theatre the foyer roof circumvents the building’s two auditoria, providing an ideal opportunity to install the 13 Windcatcher natural-ventilation systems.’
‘They work well within the design of the building and, both internally and externally, form part of the architecture of the theatre itself. Functionally, they also work in the 3-storey foyers, and for me it is very satisfying to have been able to use them where possible in the public areas.’
