http://bit.ly/BWNewsUpdatesNecessity is the mother of invention.
Heating systems will battle to heat buildings in the cool mornings, as the heat escapes out of open windows..Unless we think carefully about our heating controls, heating bills could well go through the roof..
But building occupiers will also need to balance the need to open the windows with safety security concerns, especially when there are periods of low or no occupancy.People on ground floors in largely empty offices may feel particularly vulnerable to intruders, for example.And open windows or doors may pose a health and safety risk if there’s a chance people will walk into them.. There’s an equally complicated scenario for mechanically ventilated buildings.
With heat recovery devices switched off and air flows turned up to the maximum, buildings will struggle to warm up in the early morning.Once a building is up to temperature it may well overheat as the ‘coolth’ normally recovered from an office is being thrown away.
In summer, this means chillers will be operating at maximum capacity (often less efficient), and they may not be able to deliver the total cooling required.. To make the problem worse still, it’s recommended that recirculating cooling systems (fan coil units or passive chilled beams) are switched off in rooms that have limited fresh air, to limit the movement of airborne particles.
This would mean no comfort cooling in spaces such as offices in peak summer.I remember vividly reading about a workshop, just behind the Methodist Church, which during the Second World War was used to make components for the eponymous Spitfire.
Just a small reminder of the scale and organisation required to help us defeat what seemed an unbeatable enemy.The ingenuity, the leadership, the ambition, the delivery..
In our Design to Value approach, we have found that it is not enough to come up with a great conceptual design which in principle delivers great value.Without the maintenance of the energy and ambition which delivered the design, the value can simply be frittered away.