Feature


It’s Elementary


The first fundamental of effective natural ventilation is understanding how it works and the design processes behind it.


Both manual and automatic windows have benefits and disadvantages, and one may be more appropriate depending on the building, its spaces, usage and occupants.


The physical layout of your building presents a different range of approaches to consider: single-sided or cross ventilation for smaller buildings, and single zone stack, multizone atrium drive ventilation or multizone solar chimney for larger.


We recommend consulting built-environment and ventilation specialists to help optimise your building’s ability to accommodate as much natural airflow as possible, based on its size and layout.


In Control


With a sound understanding of design processes, assisted by an experienced professional, the next pillar is good control strategies. These will help achieve optimum performance and air quality, which are the real benefits of automating your windows, virtually unachievable with only manual operation.


There are three essential ventilation strategies to be considered: • Purge ventilation: Opening windows before


occupants arrive allows you to flush out stale air and prepare spaces without the risk of discomfort. • Preemptive ventilation: Carefully controlling


ventilation in response to sensor readings before room conditions begin to fail, taking prevailing weather conditions and ventilation requirements into consideration. • Night cooling: Optimising comfort in the summer


by releasing excess heat through windows. 1


Tech Talk


Even a great design with a well-thought-out strategy can fall flat without supporting technology. This last piece of the puzzle will ensure the quiet, intuitive and cost-effective delivery of your natural ventilation.


So don’t stumble on this last hurdle by using restrictive


low-tech systems when there are ample sophisticated smart options available, and not necessarily at much greater cost.


A system comprising lower quality actuators is likely to


function at a fixed speed and operate noisily. The windows open once room conditions have failed, opening quickly to bring in lots of fresh air at once before closing again. This can cause unstable and uncomfortable conditions as well as reducing actuator life. The optimum solution is to seek to achieve the ideal balance between ventilation supply and demand, opening in smaller increments to adjust and hit the right air quality-comfort-energy mix for as much time as possible.


An identical design, using the best technology, enables


your windows and BMS to communicate with one another. In this situation, the BMS can tell the windows to open quietly to specific positions for background automation while minimising disruption, and more quickly if it’s raining or as an emergency function.


Using appropriate technology, you can use feedback


from sensors and the BMS to help optimise set points for temperature and air quality based on what occupants find most comfortable. This is key: if you can’t monitor it, you can’t manage it.


With a good understanding of the fundamentals of natural ventilation, you can now breathe a little easier as you prepare for the return to the office.


: Office for National Statistics. Business and individual attitudes towards the future of homeworking, UK: April to May 2021.


fmuk 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44