Dave Harding of Gilberts Blackpool looks at the raised profile of ventilation systems, which is leading to a better appreciation by architects of their importance.
It’s refreshing to see how the means of heating and cooling a space are now being considered an integral part of the design aesthetic. No longer integrated into the background as far as possible, but proclaiming its existence loud and proud.
Ventilation is, after all, an invisible yet fundamental element of the building design, be it new build or refurbishment. It makes a building that works well for its intended purpose, one where occupants enjoy spending time.
The commercial reality is that it can make or break a business, for example poorly ventilated offices impact staff morale and performance and therefore profitability while inadequate ventilation in a leisure venue means odours and a drop in visitor numbers and spend.
As architects, you have to include it. So make it work for you!
The detail of the aesthetics comes down to talking – communicating with building services consultants and manufacturers. You’d be surprised at what design features can be incorporated to enhance your design concept, whether it be to conceal the ventilation or make it stand out.
For example, we’ve helped specifiers conceal air supply and extract within wooden panelling, disguised it as corporate branding and helped it stand out both internally and externally by coating it in a primary colour or designing a bespoke face plate that features the company name. None of these would have been possible without that initial conversation.
However, before you reach that level of detail, you have to determine the strategy.
Pushed by the demand for sustainable strategies, there is a rise in natural ventilation, using planned air paths through the building with air being drawn in and exhausted through the facade- usually through vents in the windows or ventilation louvres. Changing the profile or size of the louvre, or making it a different colour, can have a surprising effect on the external aesthetic without detriment to the performance.
However, it’s not always possible to choose the greenest of all ventilation strategies, resulting in a growth in decentralised mechanical ventilation, whereby the air movement – the heating and cooling – is targeted to where it is needed, rather than the traditional ‘whole building’ approach. It’s a technique that is growing in popularity, as so many of today’s projects are refurbishment not new-build, meaning we have to work with what is there. But it poses a challenge to re-purpose and achieve the higher regulatory levels of ventilation and air quality required today compared with yesteryear, and to do so sustainably.
With careful selection of the air delivery units (ADUs – the grilles and diffusers) – it really can be exact. Depending on your choice, some diffusers deliver their air via a number of individual nozzles within the face plate, each of which can be individually directed. How’s that for pinpoint precision and no wastage?
Whichever ADU is chosen, it can enhance the design aesthetic, whether chosen to blend into the building fabric (ceiling, wall), or be a stand-out feature.
Swirl diffusers can now feature bespoke fascia plates, to the extent you could include corporate branding or logos therein. Coanda plates (needed for exposed ceiling applications to optimise the omnidirectional air distribution) can similarly be a bespoke design: you can even back light them!
You are not restricted to RAL colours: it is possible to add effects such as metallics and woodgrain. The same personalisation can be extended to grille face plates too, printed or coated to reflect the corporate identity.Linear grilles and diffusers offer huge design potential.
Varying the width of the slot can make it look like the diffuser is floating. And while its name may imply a straight line there’s no reason why you have to stick to that. Going for a curve can cost-effectively add a dramatic effect to the interior, a wow factor, highlighting an architectural feature.
A little thought as to the positioning and discharge direction of linear diffusers can also positively influence the ambience: CBRE used this strategic approach in its Liverpool offices, with slots discharging vertically by large glazed areas to maintain a clear view across the city; above the internal glazing and office entrance, the same model of diffusers have been set to horizontal airflow to eliminate any adverse draughts nor temperature change differential as people come and go.
As I said earlier, it’s only by talking, bouncing ideas around, that you can begin to fully appreciate just what is possible, how elements that you may have viewed as a necessity but not a contributor to your design can make a significant difference to its success.
Dave Harding is sales & marketing director at Gilberts Blackpool