Helping create the ideal learning and working environment for creative talent

Manchester Metropolitan University’s new £35m SoDA (School of Digital Arts) Building aims to create an ideal learning venue for digital creatives. Gilberts Blackpool is helping deliver the most appropriate environment within.

Built by Kier Construction with M&E services provided by Dodd Group, the four-storey centre provides production studios, digital innovation laboratories, editing suites, music and sound studios, which prompted complex ventilation criteria.

In designing the ventilation strategy for the facility that is fully air-conditioned via air source heat pump technology, Dodd Group had to balance attenuation of noise to varying levels as low as 20dBa, minimisation of heat loadings from the array of computer equipment within, whilst creating compliant supply and extract of air without hot or cold spots in spaces varying from single person offices through the café, toilet and changing facilities to seminar rooms.

Gilberts worked closely with Dodd Group throughout the process, beginning at the design stage to support with technical considerations.

To achieve the necessary reduction in background ventilation noise levels, Gilberts proposed using larger diffusers than would normally be used to achieve ventilation within the given spaces.

Gilberts’ GHV double deflection grilles and GSF omni-directional circular swirl diffusers supply air throughout the building. Both GSFR standard swirls and GSFA premium swirls, in matt black or pure white finishes, were utilised to provide alternative visual appearances to compliment the interior design. With their horizontal distribution of supply air they achieve higher air change rates than conventional diffusers, thereby helping moderate heat gain.

Additional GSFRs plus GECA eggcrate grilles extract the used air on all levels.

Gilberts’ SX and GX air valves supply and extract air from the toilet, shower and changing facilities on each floor., and the Changing Places accessible toilet

The combination of Gilberts’ diffusers ensures correct indoor air quality for the 1000 students annually that Manchester Metropolitan University predict will graduate from SODA.

“Sustainability was central to the M&E services, including air source heat pumps, LED lighting, and photovoltaic panels. Gilberts’ location in the North West- the same region as SODA- added synergy to the sustainable message,” explained Dodd Group Project Manager Will Tatterton. “Gilberts offers unrivalled technical support and has the manufacturing expertise to be efficiently able to create specials for particular project requirements. The company was invaluable in its assistance, supporting us in delivery of this high quality installation.”

The Manchester Metropolitan University SODA Building is one of numerous higher education facilities which benefit from Gilberts’ grilles and diffusers, including University of Liverpool’s Regius Chair chemistry laboratory and Rotblat lecture theatre, and the Harper & Keele Veterinary School.

Gilberts is recognised as the UK’s leading independent air movement specialist, offering grilles, louvres, and diffusers for natural, hybrid and mechanical ventilation. Founded 60 years ago and still family-owned and directed, Gilberts Blackpool is unique in its ability to develop components, be it ‘mainstream’ or bespoke- entirely in-house, from initial design through tooling, production, testing and supply, at its 8825m² manufacturing facility.

Its state of the art test centre, designed and built in-house, is one of the most technically advanced in the country.

GILBERTS BLACKPOOL WEBSITE

Natural and hybrid ventilation solutions manufacturer Passivent has launched a brand-new website. With almost 40 years’ experience, Passivent provides a comprehensive range of sustainable and energy efficient ventilation systems to help improve air quality, boost natural daylight and remove moisture.

Working with specifiers on a range of projects across the education, general commercial, healthcare and leisure sectors, Passivent has designed its new website to support the specification process and help clients identify the most appropriate ventilation solution for their projects.

The new website features an easy-to-use search function so clients can find specific products such as roof ventilation terminals and window and wall ventilators, or identify solutions for a range of ventilation strategies.

From schools and nurseries to retail and leisure outlets, Passivent’s extensive product range provides effective solutions tailored to fit multiple sectors. The new website is packed with sector-specific information as well as a host of completed projects offering best practice examples across different building types.

The website has been designed to support Passivent’s in-house technical capabilities and provide potential clients with a wealth of information and resources including design support, commissioning and servicing and more – creating a one stop destination for every stage of a project.

To find out more please visit www.passivent.com.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw many schools closing their doors for extended periods, causing real disruption to children’s education and an underlying fear of contagion for families and the wider community. Michelle Jensen, Superintendent at the Deerfield Community School District, Wisconsin, USA, talks about opening her school after lockdown. She explains why she decided to install a Thermo Scientific™ AerosolSense™ Sampler as an ‘early warning system’, helping to keep students safe by identifying airborne virus particles possibly before symptoms appeared.

Deerfield Community School District is a small community comprising one elementary and one high school, with a combined total of approximately 735 students.

As the superintendent, Michelle oversees all the educational programmes, facilities and daily operations of the district – from early childhood through to the twelfth grade – and, more recently, including the management of COVID-19 infection.

Michelle explained: “During the pandemic, I participated in a routine county meeting in which Professors Shelby and David O’Connor from the University of Wisconsin presented their research on SARS-CoV-2 using the Thermo Scientific AerosolSense Sampler coupled with PCR testing. They wanted to find schools that would participate in a project using this device, so I leapt at the opportunity. This air sampler is designed to deliver timely and highly reliable insight into in-air pathogen presence, allowing communities to confidently monitor air quality and maintain the overall health of public buildings.”

Educating students in real-time – hypotheses to results

AerosolSense Samplers were placed in high traffic areas – in a stairwell of the elementary school and in the high school hallway.

Michelle took the opportunity to involve the children themselves in the whole project from the start as the samplers were easy to implement and use, and involved simple workflows that were not as tasking as some might think. “Engaging children in science is a fantastic thing to be able to do, so I asked high school students and a sixth-grade class in the elementary school to sign up as volunteers to get involved. The pupils were excited and generous with their time, making a stop on their way to lessons in the morning and ensuring that the cartridge was taken out at the end of the day. They also had a call with one of the scientists from Thermo Fisher Scientific, who went into great detail, describing how the highly sensitive machine works and how air particle information is collected.”

Clear communication of these activities and the results obtained from the samplers was key, not just to pupils, but also to individuals in the wider community, as it made it easier for them to accept and adapt to any school-related changes that might be enforced. Michelle added: “The families of the students have been extremely happy, both with the extra surveillance, and with the children actively participating in the science in which we live. At the outset, we were testing twice a week and being completely transparent about the findings with the staff, students and their families, also reporting the results at the board meeting every two weeks. We had negatives for a very long time but, when the Omicron variant began to become prevalent in late December 2021 to early February, there was a surge in positive cases, even in a fully masked environment. More recently, I’ve been happy to see that we’ve been getting negative cartridges.”

Infection control and awareness

“Overall, we found that getting data from the AerosolSense Samplers allowed us to effectively inform pupils and their families – some of whom may be vulnerable – when someone in the community was testing positive, so that the appropriate precautions could be taken. Our student tracker was closely monitored to identify any symptomatic individuals if we had positive cartridges, and parents calling in sick children were strongly encouraged to get tested, whether by PCR or rapid test, as this was a clear indication of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the air. The AerosolSense Samplers provided close to real-time validation of the presence of SARS-CoV-2, which the school nurse found helpful when monitoring the illness tracker and talking with families.”

Ultimately, AerosolSense Samplers can identify high risk areas where there is higher transmission and, by doing so, it is possible that only individuals who were in the affected location need to be tested. This could help to reduce testing costs and, rather than shutting down the whole school, only those who have tested positive for COVID-19 can be sent home, lowering the risk of transmission.
The future of air sampling innovations

As we now hopefully emerge from the pandemic, much of the population is fully vaccinated, and it is no longer mandatory to routinely test. However, with the threat of new variants on the horizon, as well as other debilitating infections that can cause mayhem in vulnerable communities, an early warning surveillance that flags new outbreaks would be very valuable, and the experiences of Deerfield show just how easy this is to implement.

Michelle concluded: “Being involved in this project has given us a massive opportunity, and I am curious to see how communities like ours will be able to use this technology to monitor their environments in the future, whether for detecting new emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 or for a broader array of respiratory illnesses.”

www.thermofisher.com/aps

For a natural or hybrid ventilation solution in schools and other educational facilities Passivent can provide design expertise and technical support acquired over 38 years of business. Its products are designed to improve indoor air quality, thermal comfort and occupant wellbeing. Some of our products also attenuate noise.

Passivent’s Aircool® range of wall and window ventilators are virtually silent in operation and provide controlled air intake and extract in natural (and mechanical) ventilation systems, with superior thermal performance when closed. They are also available as thermal and acoustic variants which temper incoming cool air or attenuate noise.

A hybrid mixing variant of the Aircool® – the Hybrid Plus2 Aircool® – can be used in classrooms, as part of a single-sided ventilation strategy. Meeting the requirements of Building Bulletin 93 (Acoustic design) and Building Bulletin 101 (Ventilation and IAQ) it has different operational modes, dependent on the internal and external environment, and sensors which respond automatically to increases in temperature and CO2.  A boost function also maximises fresh air supply. This quiet, energy-efficient system is controlled by the Passivent iC8000 controller allowing for up to 40 individual zones to be managed.

Passivent’s SoundScoop® – an acoustic ‘room to room’ air transfer unit – can be used between internal spaces of a building to attenuate noise and enable crossflow ventilation. These patented units work well in conjunction with Passivent’s standard, thermal and acoustic Aircools providing sound reduction between noisy and quiet areas, and also providing speech privacy.

Passivent’s range of roof ventilation terminals, such as the Airscoop® and Airstract®, are ideal for larger spaces such as sports halls and atriums. They offer Class A 100% certified rain rejection (to BS EN 13030:2001) so that a building can be fully ventilated regardless of weather conditions. Available in a range of designs and sizes to suit a building’s aesthetics and ventilation requirements, they can also be colour-matched to any RAL or BS colour.  With excellent thermal and airtightness performance when closed Passivent’s terminals can also be controlled by Passivent’s iC8000 controller.

For support with your ventilation project contact Passivent on projects@passivent.com

or visit the website below

www.passivent.com

Good air quality in school buildings is particularly important for children’s wellbeing.  It is known that proper ventilation is beneficial in ensuring airborne viral loads are effectively extracted, thus mitigating the risks from pollutants and pathogens, including Covid-19.  Air Vent Technology’s Infinity® range of heat recovery units is particularly suited for school installation.   Buildings are economically and efficiently ventilated, heat loss during the winter months is kept to a minimum, and they are complete with face and bypass for summer ventilation.  These low-profile units are available in 10 standard sizes with airflow up to 4.33 m³ /sec.  Options are side, or bottom access, stacked arrangement, internal or external installation and with EHB or LPHW heater batteries.  Additionally, AVT can custom design and build a suitable unit should that be required with AVT‘s Site Engineering Services offering a full installation package.   AVT’s extensive range of ventilation products include energy efficient, custom built air handling units with or without heat recovery, cabinet and twin fans, high temperature fans and emergency smoke extract units.

Tel:  +44(0)1264 356415

Email:  Sales@airventtechnology.co.uk

Web: www.airventtechnology.co.uk