Monodraught helps achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’
Helping to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for Diploma Examplar projects in East Sussex is a special natural-ventilation strategy created by Monodraught. It is based on Windcatcher X-Air natural-ventilation system, the new Ventsair wall vents with motorised low-leakage volume-control dampers and an iNVent control system to regulate temperature and CO2 levels in two zones.
The recently completed Diploma Excellent Programme consists of four buildings — one each at Crowborough, Battle, Haywards Heath and Ringmer Academy near Lewes.
Paul Jacob of ECE Architecture, which designed all four buildings, explained, ‘As a practice we often specify Monodraught because we have confidence in its tried-and-test range of core products. Proprietary software and Monodraught’s project team provided the data to help our consultant Gifford produce computer modelling to profile the buildings against occupancy, temperature and CO2 levels.’
The rammed-earth construction of these buildings uses excavated soil as the main material for the walls of the building. It provides thermal mass to achieve a consistent ambient temperature throughout the year, reducing the heating requirement.
The Monodraught natural-ventilation strategy provides an optimum learning environment for the flexible open spaces of the 110 m2 Outreach Centres.
Each centre is served by one of the latest Windcatcher X-Air natural-ventilation systems, five Ventsair wall vents with motorised low-leakage volume-control dampers and an iNVent control system. The ventilation strategy plays an important role in controlling humidity as the underfloor heating systems are linked to the natural-ventilation control system.
Additional automatic louvres that are integral to the windows in each building are also controlled by temperature and CO2 sensors in parallel with the iNVent control system to create a very simple system that enables pressure to be released via roof-mounted Windcatcher X-Air systems when the louvres are opened.
Each centre also has two Monodraught Sunpipe systems.
