Air Treatment and Distribution Systems
The ventilation of buildings is of critical importance to maintain appropriate air quality for occupants. Poorly ventilated buildings can result in lower productivity by staff, occupant discomfort and even poor health as a result of excessive internal temperatures or inadequate removal or dilution of pollutants from occupied spaces. In addition to these important factors, ventilation of buildings is often critical to the protection of the building fabric, finished surfaces, furniture and fittings from the effects of moisture or condensation.
Within the UK, minimum ventilation standards for all building types are laid down within the relevant Building Regulations, with further recommendations for specific building applications being provided by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). With the ever increasing pressure on the construction industry to reduce the air permeability/infiltration rates of new buildings in a drive to reduce energy usage, ensuring the provision of appropriate ventilation rates within building spaces has become progressively more important.
The ventilation strategy for a building can include mechanical ventilation systems, natural ventilation via openable windows or other terminal devices, or a combination of both. The choice of ventilation strategy is dependent on a number of factors including:
- Building Location and orientation
- Local pollution levels
- Building form (depth and therefore distance from openable windows)
- Infiltration rates
- Shading
- Choice of window or other natural ventilation terminal device
- Glazing choice and associated solar heat gain transmission
- Building Thermal mass
Callidus Design can provide design and specification services for new ventilation systems, modifications and extensions, condition surveys, refurbishment and troubleshooting.