Vent-Axia, a leader in low carbon ventilation, supplied and installed its Lo-Carbon Sentinel Kinetic Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) in the BREEAM Award winning student accommodation, The Green at the University of Bradford. Winning the Multi-Residential category at the BREEAM Awards 2012, The Green has achieved an ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM rating.
The Green forms part of the University of Bradford’s strategy to create a leading sustainable campus. The £40m ground-breaking eco-friendly student village consists of 1,026 bedrooms across four-storey townhouses and six and seven storey apartments. The blocks of 12-room townhouses include a shared kitchen and dining area at ground level. There are also 101 apartments with ensuite bathrooms.
The development was designed by GWP Architecture with JCP Consulting engineers completing the building services design including the renewable energy strategy and funded by Listerhills SSV Limited, a joint venture by Welbeck Land Limited and the Hayaat Group, with additional funding by the University. On behalf of the joint venture, the project has been managed by Mi7 Developments. Constructed by GB Building Solutions in partnership with Balfour Beatty Engineering Services, with strategic consultancy from the BREEAM assessors provided by GWP Project Services. Vent-Axia was supply and install contractor for the Sentinel Kinetic Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery systems installed.
Designed to incorporate a range of features to enable students to live sustainably, The Green acts as an exemplum for sustainable developments illustrating high levels of insulation, energy efficient services and renewable energy sources. Constructed using a prefabricated panelised timber frame system, the insulation used provides an efficient envelope. Efficient construction techniques ensured the buildings’ air leakage rates were minimal, significantly reducing the buildings’ base energy loads. Vent Axia’s Sentinel Kinetic MVHR systems were installed to circulate fresh, filtered air around the buildings to provide the required ventilation to comply with Building Regulations, with extract from the shower/toilet areas offering 80% recovery of the buildings’ heat, further reducing the buildings’ base energy loads.
“A major factor in ensuring an energy efficient building was to ensure that all passive design solutions were exhausted and implemented into the scheme. An extensive thermal modelling analysis was carried out to realize the benefit of passive design solutions. After the implementation of passive design solutions, attention was then turned to the selection of energy efficient systems. Renewable energy systems included CHP and Solar Thermal panels to preheat the hot water, whilst ventilation was provided by the highly efficient Vent-Axia MVHR systems. The resulting effect of incorporating passive design solutions and highly efficient building services allowed exceptional EPC ratings to be achieved which was a major factor in achieving a BREEAM outstanding rating.” explained Simon Jackson, Partner, Jackson Coulson Partnership.
Manufactured in the UK, the flexible Sentinel Kinetic MVHR range offers a whole house heat recovery system combining supply and extract ventilation in one unit. Warm, moist air is extracted from ‘wet’ rooms through ducting and passed through the heat exchanger before being exhausted outside. Fresh incoming air is preheated via the integral heat exchanger which recovers up to 92% of heat energy that would otherwise be wasted. The unit’s energy saving Vent-Axia DC motors further improve efficiency and carbon reductions.
The Sentinel Kinetic range is part of the Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon™ collection of energy saving ventilation solutions. The aim of the Lo-Carbon™ initiative is to offer the latest low carbon ventilation technology to reduce building energy consumption and carbon emissions. For further information on all products and services offered by Vent-Axia telephone 0844 856 0590 or visit www.vent-axia.com.