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Well-being in buildings
State-of-the-art ventilation leads to WELLv2 status
Ventilation from Gilberts Blackpool has helped the Lennox Building become the first in Ireland to achieve WELL v2
“The scheme was designed to achieve WELL v2 certification, the first building of its kind in Ireland. Air quality is one of the 10 fundamental elements of the certification, so we had to get the specification right. However, the open plan format, and the fact that there are no ceilings installed in any part of the building, provided design challenges.”
T
he Dublin office block was pre-let to shared workspace provider Iconic Offices before it was even completed in mid 2019. Now, the fit
out has been completed; building services specialist Keane Environmental recommended ventilation grilles from Gilberts Blackpool to provide quality fresh air with thermal comfort throughout the three- storey premises. Some 125 no GSFE circular fixed swirl diffusers with 800mm coanda plates have been fitted to exposed ductwork throughout the ground floor reception and restaurant, plus the office spaces and meeting rooms above, totalling 27000 ft2. “The scheme was designed to achieve WELL v2
certification, the first building of its kind in Ireland. Air quality is one of the 10 fundamental elements of the certification, so we had to get the specification right. However, the open plan format, and the fact that there are no ceilings installed in any part of the building, provided design challenges,” explained Keane Environmental’s Ryan Caldwell. “Gilberts’ GSFE and coanda delivered both the performance and aesthetic qualities required. The perforated
face of the grille adds to its visual appearance, and the coanda provides a pleasant, fresh internal environment by eliminating ‘cold dumping’- an inherent problem in spaces with no ceilings.” Gilberts’ GSF diffusers feature a copyrighted
circular pattern of radial vanes to optimise omni- directional discharge airflow horizontally. The vane configuration in Gilberts’ diffusers enables delivery of high air change rates compared to conventional diffusers, with rapid entrainment and intermixing. The design also compliments the ductwork aesthetics- further enhanced when the round housing frame is chosen, as per the E version selected by Keane Environmental. Gilberts has been highly innovative in developing solutions for ensuring appropriately- distributed ventilation in buildings without ceilings; the company has undertaken significant research and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modelling to ascertain the optimum size for coanda plates combined with swirl diffusers. Gilberts’ technical director Roy Jones, elaborates: “Leaving the ceiling void uncovered helps create
a more open ambience. However, it also means the whole design and aesthetics of the building services play more of a role. A ceiling provides a surface along which air can flow- the coanda effect. When there is no ceiling, adding a coanda plate gives the air something to follow and overcomes that almost instant drop of cooler air. It also helps increase the airflow volume. The coanda more than doubles the airflow throw, and thus improves the fresh air dispersal and mixing into the space below.”
Gilberts’ GSF swirl diffusers are just part of the
company’s range of grilles, louvres and diffusers for natural and mechanical ventilation. Founded 55 years ago, Gilberts Blackpool is Britain’s one of the leading independent air movement specialists. The company is able to develop components, be it ‘mainstream’ or bespoke, entirely in-house, from initial design through tooling, production, testing and supply, at its 95,000 ft2 manufacturing facility. Its state of the art test centre, designed and built in-house, is considered to be among the most technically advanced in the country.
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