26
feature
heating, ventilation & damp proofing
the importance of breathing
Dave Harding, Sales & Marketing Director at Gilberts Blackpool, looks at why heating,
Latest data reveals that respiratory problems have now overtaken mental health conditions as one of the top five most common reasons for sickness absence from work1. It shows, that despite all the changes to the way we design and build the ventilation within buildings, we’re still not always getting it right. It matters not just for the occupants, but the building too.
Poor ventilation causes damp, which, left unaddressed, can have dire consequences on the health of the building fabric, potentially making it structurally unsafe. As our climate changes, with wetter winters and warmer summers, we need to similarly address the techniques we use to ensure the building and its occupants are as healthy as they can be – all whilst cutting the amount of energy used. Further complicating the issue is that all our calculations tend
to be based around a hypothesis, not the reality, where people come in and out of the building, leave doors ajar, open windows, undertake sporting activity, cook et al: all activities which affect the indoor air quality (IAQ) but are beyond our control. Open a door or window and you’re letting more moisture in if it’s raining, more airborne pollutants if it’s windy and potentially
more heat if it’s a nice summer’s day. It can be a tricky balancing act, so how to get it right? Ideally, stop people coming in and out, opening windows but that’s not practical. What can you do? The type and positioning of the air supply and extract units – louvres, grilles and diffusers aka air delivery units (ADUs) – is often not given due consideration yet is crucial. Advances in technology mean they can, more than ever, play a vital role in creating and maintaining the ideal IAQ to avoid excessive heat gain, cold spots, draughts and damp. Slot diffusers set into the ceiling in front of windows help balance
the temperature differential between the warmed internal space and the colder outside air hitting the window. This simple design feature creates an invisible curtain, instantly reduces incidence of condensation and helps maintain the required presets for the interior.
Whilst this is an accepted principle among building services
consultants, what is not widely appreciated is that the same principle can be applied to the main entrance, especially if that entrance opens into an atrium. Nor do the slots have to be fitted
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