Windowmaster develops natural ventilation system

WindowMaster has designed and installed a natural ventilation control system at the pioneering Hadley Learning Community in Telford.

WindowMaster, Europe's largest provider of natural ventilation and smoke detection solutions, has designed and installed a natural ventilation control system at the pioneering Hadley Learning Community (HLC) in Telford.

WindowMaster supplied over 600 motors for the windows, as well as temperature sensors and manual override switches in rooms - all of which are linked to a central control system.

The system was developed to exploit the high thermal mass created by the building's structure to ventilate rooms naturally and maintain a comfortable, fresh internal environment.

The GBP65 million HLC is the first of its kind in the UK to bring together primary, secondary and special needs school facilities and additional services for the wider community.

The 30,000 m building is a complex design, combining single- and two-storey spaces which radiate from a central open space hub.

The HLC meets the latest government guidelines on ventilation in schools.

During the summer months the natural ventilation system automatically flushes the building with air from outside to cool rooms so they are fresh for pupils in the morning.

This also minimises heat gains during the day so a comfortable climate can be maintained.

An external weather station fitted to the outside of the HLC monitors the external conditions around buildings, including wind direction and speed, temperature and rain fall.

Changes in wind pressure on the facades are also modelled.

These parameters are programmed into the computer control system where they are analysed along with readings taken from the weather station and sensors fitted internally.

Windows around a building are then precisely controlled and positioned to keep air quality within rooms fresh and the temperature constant.

Engineering consultant Faber Maunsell , selected WindowMaster to develop the system.

Will Pitt, principal design engineer at the company, said: "We needed to comply with the latest government guidance on ventilation in schools as well as meet specific environmental criteria.

"We chose WindowMaster because of the company's reputation and experience in developing natural ventilation systems for big, complex buildings." The system is built on WindowMaster's NV Advance window automation platform.

It is the only system in Europe that intelligently monitors windows to prevent entrapment as an integrated function of the motor and control system.

It can provide almost failsafe security against the possibility of injury while windows are closing.

If an object, or hands or fingers, becomes trapped in a window and prevents it from closing, the amount of current drawn by the motor instantly increases.

This is detected by the microprocessor which immediately reverses the motor to release the window, therefore preventing the possibility of serious injury.

The system can be retrofitted on many existing windows as well as being installed on new buildings.

It can operate on a broad range of window types, including top and bottom opening, sliding and parallel opening.

The system can also be used on windows for heat and smoke ventilation.

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