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SERIES 23 / Module 07 Cooling Buildings


The Frederick Lanchester Library at Coventry University is a deep-plan naturally ventilated building


building in Europe. Using lightwells and perimeter stacks to supply and exhaust air, it is ventilated by natural means despite its deep-plan form and sealed façade. The building benefits from an exposed thermal mass and a night ventilation strategy. ● Thermal mass: Where the


building’s thermal mass is used to even out variations in internal and external conditions, absorbing heat as temperatures rise and releasing it as they fall. The use of chilled water to cool the building fabric is sometimes described as ‘active thermal mass’. ● Evaporative cooling: These


Cooling Buildings Adetunji Lawal, head of energy & carbon, Wates Group T


he requirement for cooling in buildings is rising across many countries partly in response to global warming and urban


density. Under a business-as-usual (BAU) projection, the global installed capacity of cooling equipment is envisaged to almost triple by 2050 to 58 TW¹. This rise is largely to provide cooling and refrigeration. It may also be necessary to


provide comfort cooling where there are significant thermal gains from occupants, lighting, equipment, and industrial processes. A recent heatwave in the UK showed power demand rises by 350MW for each degree the average temperature rises above 20°C (Staffell, 2018). This makes a compelling case for greater awareness of space cooling technologies and efficiency opportunities. The cooling of buildings can be


achieved by Passive approaches, often referred to as natural cooling, or by Active cooling using generated energy. Active cooling is often delivered by mechanical air conditioning systems incorporating humidity and air quality control; however their energy consumption remains a concern. During a building’s design phase, one


For details on how to obtain your Energy Institute CPD Certificate, see ENTRY FORM and details on page 22


should assess its cooling requirements and prioritise low-energy or passive systems; otherwise, the need for active cooling could become significant, and opportunities for retrofitting may be limited.


Passive cooling strategies include: ● Natural ventilation: This involves removing warm internal air and replacing it with cooler external air via windows, doors, and chimneys. Some schemes use stack ventilation, in which warm, stale air rises and exits through high-level openings, drawing in cooler, fresh air at lower levels, often assisted by wind pressure (Venturi effect). An example is the Frederick Lanchester Library at Coventry University, which has almost 10,000 m² of floor area across four floors. At the time of its opening in 2000, it was the largest deep-plan naturally ventilated


systems can range from basic to advanced, depending on their complexity. Simple systems include misting fans or the spraying of water over a building’s roof, whereas packaged units that draw hot, dry air through a continuously dampened pad to supply cool air are considered more complex. Indirect evaporative cooling can


be provided by the incorporation of heat exchangers, cooling towers, or by spraying water over the cooling coils of conventional chiller units. Evaporative cooling is best suited to hot, dry climates. ● Earth-to-air heat exchangers (Earth Tubes): Typically employed in large buildings such as warehouses or supermarkets, these systems draw air through underground tubes buried to a depth of 3m to take advantage of the constant ground temperature. This provides low-energy natural cooling with minimal mechanical input, and the


Global installed capacity of cooling equipment is predicted to almost triple by 2050 Produced in Association with


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