A natural ventilation strategy designed, developed and supplied by
Passivent Ltd, is continuing to help Tesco achieve a zero carbon
footprint and BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating in its new eco stores.
The latest ‘green’ superstore to open its doors and be aired by
Passivent is at Berwick on Tweed- Tesco Tweedmouth- where just six
Passivent Airscoop ventilation stacks, controlled by the company’s
innovative iC7000 controller, ensure the general shopping areas
maintain a fresh ambience with minimal heat loss.
The controller monitors internal and external air temperature and
humidity, adjusting ventilation rates through the Airscoops as
required, switching only to mechanical air handling when variance is
significant, to keep the internal atmosphere in the store within
ideal presets for the retail grocery environment, and with minimum
energy consumption. Each Airscoop acts as a ‘chimney’, harnessing
natural air movement principles of convection and the venturi effect
to both draw fresh air into the building without draughts and
exhaust the ‘used’ internal air. The only energy the Airscoops use
is to attenuate the ventilation louvres to regulate air flow.
To further reduce the store’s carbon footprint, two 350mm diameter
Passivent Sunscoop tubular rooflights have been fitted to optimize
natural daylight into staff training rooms that have no external
windows, thus minimizing use of electric light therein. The
combination of Passivent ventilation and natural daylighting are
helping the store achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’.
Passivent’s Huw Poppy, who worked with Tesco and architects Smith
Smalley to develop the ventilation for the store, explained, “The
nature of a supermarket’s internal air is complex, balancing the
cold air and humidity levels of fridges and freezers whilst
maintaining a pleasant temperature for shoppers. Tesco has used
natural ventilation for a while, but we are able to bring added
value, with our ability to deliver what we promised, and provide the
means of not only controlling the ventilation and internal
atmosphere but to monitor and analyze its performance. We also have
the capability to alter the core product design to suit the
individual store : Tweedmouth, for example, uses one of several
different lids to ensure to the Airscoops blend in with the store’s
overall design aesthetics.”
Airscoops and Sunscoops are just part of Passivent’s comprehensive
range of sustainable building solutions, which encompasses natural
ventilation, daylighting and solar control. The company, part of the
Building Product Design Group, is a founder member of the NatVent
EC/EU-funded project co-ordinated by the Building Research
Establishment to develop practical natural ventilation solutions for
the commercial sector, and has contributed to the BSRIA guide
BG2/2005 Wind Driven Natural Ventilation Systems, as well as being
members of the DCSF steering committee on ventilation guidance for
schools, Building Bulletin 101.
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