SB 4156 32pp WEB

Heating, Ventilation & Energy Efficiency
Design Vs Reality By Roy Jones, Technical Director, Gilberts Blackpool.
With any building project, new
build or construction, we all have
a preconceived idea about how it
will look, what it will deliver and its
expected performance. The reality is often
far different…
A whole raft of factors will influence the
design such as cost, practicality,
architectural design, functionality, guidance
documents and Standards to name but a
few. There is also the one factor no-one can
fully evaluate in advance: human nature.
With the current drive towards sustainability,
a building should be airtight to improve
energy performance. The problem with that
is that we have to let fresh air in, to avoid
such things as damp and that most
important consideration - to allow the
occupants to breathe.
So we develop a carefully calculated
ventilation scheme. The building opens and
a room feels a little bit warm, so instead of
consulting the controls and seeing if the
heating system is operating correctly, the
occupant simply opens a window without
understanding the actual ventilation design.
This then can lead to the carefully planned
strategy going literally out of the window.
Therefore, design versus reality needs to be
applied at the very beginning and closely
monitored, including post occupation.
If cost was no object, almost anything is
achievable. In the real world, that is not the
case.
A fundamental consideration is the
compatibility of the individual components
into the whole. The products may all
achieve particular performance criteria
individually, but what about when they are
integrated with other elements? Will that
impact on the performance and will these
be able to be used
correctly and
understood by the
occupant?
It is part of the
ethos behind the
development of the
soft landing
strategy: aligning
the interests of
those who design
and construct with
the interests of
those who use and
manage it.
...A whole raft of
factors will influence
the design such as
cost, practicality,
architectural design,
functionality,
guidance documents
and Standards to
name but a few...
Soft landings help ensure the reality is as
close to design as possible. The design and
the delivery team re-visit the project to
check that the intent of the design is in
place. This also ensures the occupants of
the buildings are using the building
correctly and are aware of the design and
actual expectation from it.
BSRIA has launched a new version in recent
months - Soft Landings Framework
BG54/2018 Soft Landings Framework 2018-
6 phases for better buildings. This latest
edition encourages increased collaboration
to allow a better delivery of buildings.
There are many factors to review but the
principle remains the same. Is the building
which has been handed over, performing as
per the design, and is it working for the
occupants? Is it useable and fit for purpose?
These checks after initial occupation are
vital, to ensure that the building users are
aware of how to best operate the systems
and controls, to best benefit themselves and
meet the designed concept for performance
(including energy use) and levels of comfort
required for the activities within the
building. There is usually some change of
use from the original design intent, where
adjustments will need to be made to
provide the correct levels of performance.
Design and reality will always be difficult to
match 100%. However, the soft landings
approach - of engagement with the
occupants, prior to and post occupation -
will give a major benefit to ensure the
building designed by the engineer, is utilised
and used in the correct manner and as close
to the design that was detailed. This will
therefore enhance the occupiers experience
and understanding and provide the best
platform to complete the project with what
we should all strive for “happy customers”.
www.gilbertsblackpool.com
Winter 2019 4156 11