WINDOWMASTER PUTS NATURAL VENTILATION AT THE HUB
19th June 2012

WindowMaster (www.windowmaster.co.uk) has supplied natural ventilation control systems for the recently opened Kingswood Locality Hub in South Gloucestershire as part of an investment of almost £9 million in the project.

Housing a number of children’s and young people’s frontline community facilities – including educational welfare, social care and family support services – the timber frame building is designed to meet the council’s stringent carbon reduction policy. As a result, it stores more than 323 tonnes of CO2 within its structure. The building features low and zero carbon technologies including low energy lighting, a combined heat and power plant, photovoltaic cells allied to the Feed in Tariff and low energy natural ventilation.

Kingswood Locality Hub was built by Wates (www.wates.co.uk) and designed by Bristol architects Alec French (www.alecfrench.co.uk). The M & E consultants on the project were Parsons Brinkerhoff (www.pbworld.co.uk).

WindowMaster was selected because it was able to provide a model for an innovative and cost-effective natural ventilation solution that worked according to the brief.

Working with building services engineers NG Bailey (www.ngbailey.co.uk) WindowMaster designed and supplied a scheme controlling 100 actuators on opening windows in 31 zones, louvres on the facades and chimneys in two areas.

WindowMaster regional sales manager Carl Sutterby said: “The system we supplied for the Kingsway Locality Hub is based on the NV Advance™ system. It is designed to interface with the building management system (BMS) to support a night cooling strategy as well as provide ventilation during the day.

“Maximising the use of natural ventilation through openeable windows, cross ventilation and the stack system also aids in reducing the energy consumption of the building and reduces CO2 emissions.”

The natural ventilation system can be retrofitted on many existing windows as well as being installed on new buildings. It can operate on a broad range of window types, including top and bottom opening, sliding and parallel opening. The system can also be used on windows for heat and smoke ventilation.