WindowMaster provides alternative natural-ventilation solution for Bristol academy
Natural cooling and ventilation-control systems are being installed in a new skills academy in Bristol by WindowMaster. The £30 million South Bristol Academy is part of the first phase of the Hengrove Park regeneration project, which also includes a leisure centre and new hospital. A feature of the building is full-height glazing to the entrance supported by vertical tubular steel trusses, allowing natural light to flood the atrium.
The original design used high-level windows and louvres, with heaters to temper outside air entering the space. The final design removed the louvre element to reduce costs, while still allowing the building to perform as M&E Consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff required.
To prove that the building would work using opening windows, WindowMaster carried out a substantial analysis to ensure that natural ventilation will achieve comfortable teaching conditions and meet strict design criteria set by the college. The final design includes 182 actuators controlling windows in 26 zones.
Carl Sutterby of WindowMaster explains, ‘Using windows at high level means that the incoming cooler air will mix with the warm air at high level, removing the need to preheat it and making the scheme more cost effective to install, maintain and run.’
Concrete is used internally to form a curved frontage. Its thermal mass will reduce heating and cooling loads and aid natural ventilation.
Natural ventilation is provided by precisely controlling operable windows, cross ventilation and the stack systems. A computerised control system opens and closes windows, using date from a weather station, which monitors external conditions — including wind direction and speed, temperature and rain fall. Changes in wind pressure on the facade are also modelled.
The system can be retrofitted on many existing windows, as well as new buildings.
