Environmental ventilation is an incredibly important element of any building. It uses the natural, external airflow through a building to make the internal climate healthier. When appropriate environmental control is implemented, the benefits include better air quality, reduced CO2 emissions, and lower overhead costs. However, it’s not all sunshine and roses. This presents some issues that must be addressed.
Residential buildings often use centralized heating systems, boilers, and hot water pipes. This can, in turn, increase the heat within common circulation areas, causing a build-up. The impact of overheating is even more noticeable now due to superior building insulation, the urban heat island effect, and increasing amounts of glazing in residential buildings. But what if we told you that there was a nifty solution?
The grave effects of overheating
We are used to mild temperatures, and we tend to incorporate heating rather than cooling into building design
While we all hate feeling uncomfortable, heat build-up in a building can have far worse effects. A 2017 study, published in the Building Research & Information journal, found that excess heat could be detrimental to the quality of sleep of residents, and even lead to premature mortality, especially among more vulnerable members of society.
In the UK, this problem is severe. We are used to mild temperatures, and we tend to incorporate heating rather than cooling into building design. However, as climate change progresses, there’s been an increase in extreme conditions such as numerous heatwaves.
Addressing the problem of overheating
According to the Met Office, the average length of warm spells has more than doubled in recent years, increasing from 5.3 days in 1961-1990 to over 13 days in the decade 2008-2017, while Scotland and Northern Ireland experienced one of the hottest summers on record in 2021.
Air conditioning is becoming more prevalent, however, it is still not as ubiquitous as other, warmer countries, and we are less likely to see it become a staple in residential buildings here. For this reason, new constructions must take into account the problem of overheating and provide a solution beyond AC.
How can mechanical corridor ventilation help?
This is where smoke ventilation comes in. Another crucial ventilation system that exists in most residential buildings, removes smoke in the event of a fire.
A good smoke ventilation system ensures that dwellers are protected for as long as possible from the harmful effects of smoke and can evacuate safely. There are several ways to do this, but for multi-story buildings, mechanical smoke extract systems are usually preferred and compliant.
