Building Design Using Natural Ventilation & The Effect of Covid

At Varming Consulting Engineers, we are fully conversant with all established and emerging technologies that help make buildings greener. In this blog, we take a look at one particular environmentally friendly design aspect known as natural ventilation.

When it comes to building design, natural ventilation is something that has been used for many years by consulting engineers to provide eco-friendly airflow. Despite being the method of choice in the first part of the 20th century, this passive design method was unfortunately eschewed for many years in favour of powered HVAC systems for cost-efficiency reasons.

The Many Benefits of Natural Ventilation

There are various advantages to using natural ventilation over powered systems, with reduced operation costs, lower construction costs and improved visibility during an emergency. It works by harnessing a natural phenomenon where air hits the side of a building and enters through inlets, with warm air rising and exiting via high-level ventilators.

This difference in height causes air to be drawn through the building, resulting in a cooler environment internally. This kind of system often features electric actuators and controls that can be integrated into a building management system for both fire protection and climate protection purposes.

Covid Giving Rise to More Passive Design

Whilst the need for more sustainable construction methods has caused passive design to resurface in recent years, however, this has accelerated due to the covid pandemic, as the need for well-ventilated working spaces becomes even more important.

This strategy affords occupants greater protection against pathogens, as well as enjoying an appropriate level of control over the climate they work in, while promoting a healthier and more productive working environment.

A Proud History in Sustainable Design

The Varming team of M & E Consulting Engineers, we have years of experience in implementing sustainable technologies in our client projects. Natural ventilation is just one of the many tools available to building services design consultants and if you would like to see examples of our work in this area, you can visit us online at www.varming.ie.

Alternatively, if you would like to speak to us directly about your next construction project, call our friendly experts on 01 4872300 at our Dublin HQ.