WHAT’S NEW?
SMART SCREENS RESOLVE COVID-19 VENTILATION ISSUE AT
NHS HOSPITAL Lightweight screens from Smartlouvre have proved invaluable for patients and staff at an NHS hospital in Hampshire during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to reduce heat; improve air quality and remove the need for germ- circulating ventilation systems.
MicroLouvre, manufactured by Smartlouvre, are lightweight screens that easily attach to the outside of any windows, and have exceptional solar shading, natural ventilation and daylighting capabilities. Laboratory tests and previous case studies have proven that MicroLouvre can save up to 68% in air conditioning usage.
The fact that coronavirus is transmissible by airborne particles means it has been recommended that hospitals, care homes, schools and public buildings find ways to naturally ventilate and reduce temperatures inside the building. In high-rise buildings, such as hospitals, temperatures on wards can reach staggering heights of above 30°C.
In April 2020, Smartlouvre was commissioned to install MicroLouvre screens on the Microbiology laboratory at an NHS Hospital in Hampshire on a trial-run basis. The installer, Tim Powell, was met with initial resistance from the laboratory technicians who were concerned that they wouldn’t be able to use their mobile air conditioning units which hang out of the windows. Upon hearing about the MicroLouvres, a Ward Sister requested that the facilities manager provide them for her ward, aſter receiving continuous complaints from staff and patients that the living and working conditions were unbearably hot. Despite questions over budget, MicroLouvre screens had been installed for the laboratory and the entire ward by June 2020. The vast improvement was soon noticed, and the hospital no longer needed 40 mobile air conditioning
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units, nor were they required in the laboratory, and the windows could easily be opened for natural ventilation.
In 2015, Smartlouvre bought the rights to produce MicroLouvre, previously known as Koolshade, which has been installed on properties worldwide for more than 60 years. Due to the louvres being woven from corrosion-resistant, non- combustible, 90% copper alloys, MicroLouvre is able to stand the test of time. The product is 100% recyclable and drastically reduces the need for artificial cooling systems.
In 2020, Smartlouvre teamed up with simulation soſtware company Simscale. Using a simulation of the exact metrics of the product, they were able to calculate and prove the efficiency of MicroLouvre for today’s building modelling, previously only determined from practical use. Imputing a face-on open area of 67%, which increases to a phenomenal 80% at the 17° louvre angle, and a weight of only 1.1kg/m2
,
the pressure drop measured for 220mm x 220mm was only 40Pa, a discharge coefficient equivalent to a 400mm x 400mm square top hung window tilted outward 45 degrees, nearly 3.5 times bigger. The simulation also showed that air passing through the angled louvres created an upward laminar airflow, inducing a current of air that moves across the ceiling and more effectively distributes clean air through the room.
Based on the above simulations, Smartlouvre and Simscale were able to prove that the product passes the threshold for multiple accreditations under the world’s leading sustainability assessment method, BREEAM, including HEA4 Credit for thermal comfort and reducing overheating risk, and ENE1 Energy Credit for reducing cooling demand leading to lower electricity use and carbon emissions. It also surpasses the GLA overheating criteria to reduce high risk of solar gains and thermal comfort issues on glass buildings, LEEC EA Energy Credit to reduce demand, use free energy, and increase efficiency, as well as the Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) for Ventilation Effectiveness, Thermal Comfort, and Daylight and Views.
For more information or to book your free sample, visit
https://www.smartlouvre.comor call on +44 239 245 6333.
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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