A stunning new Visitor Centre for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust’s headquarters in Trinity, Jersey has won an important architectural award as ‘Jersey’s Best Innovative and/or Sustainable Design of 2011’. The judging panel of Jersey’s Architecture Awards praised the building for the range of innovative features employed to make the building as ‘green’ as possible.
An important element of the overall sustainability objective is the mixed-mode heating, ventilating and environmental control system developed for the facility, which included a Monodraught natural ventilation and natural daylight strategy. As Peter Cadiou of M&E consultant Jersey Energy explains: “The Trust felt that it was important, as part of the overall environmental philosophy, to provide visitors with a strong visual identity for the building to reflect the Trust’s environmental integrity. We believe the combination of five active Monodraught Windcatcher natural ventilation systems, eight Sunpipe natural daylight systems and two Suncatchers, which combine the best of both technologies, achieve this admirably by providing a strong environmental signature for the finished building.”
The Windcatchers – three active systems are fitted in the main retail area, one in the main entrance and another in the café – are linked to a Monodraught iNVent ventilation control system to achieve a flow of natural fresh air that works with window louvres to optimise environmental conditions for visitors throughout the building during warm spring/summer months and peak operational periods, with a very low energy footprint. In winter/autumn months the system will automatically switch to mixed-mode operation, using air-source heat pumps to introduce heat into the spaces while the Windcatchers continue to provide natural ventilation to maintain an ideal visitor environment. In addition, two Windcatchers are also connected to the internal building’s AHUs.
The Windcatchers and Suncatchers therefore play a vital role in the overall HVAC strategy for the building, an important objective of which was to retain the energy and environmental footprint of the original building, which was less than half the size of the new building!
Says Peter Cadiou: “The sophisticated control system ensures that whenever possible natural lighting and ventilation will be used; and overall there is a large degree of autonomy built into the ventilation strategy with simple staff interfaces to make the system easy to operate.” He adds that during its first twelve months of operation the strategy has worked extremely well and the Trust is very pleased with the results the Monodraught system is achieving. Staff are also quickly learning how to adjust operating procedures to maximise the many benefits of a brand-new building that adapts itself to changing environmental conditions and occupancy patterns.
The largest single space in the building is the main retail area, which benefits from eight large Monodraught Sunpipe natural daylight systems. Besides being extremely effective and providing year-round, energy-free light during daylight hours, they also create huge visual impact within the space on bright sunny days. The two Suncatchers are fitted in a management office and within a general area that would both, traditionally, be fitted with mechanical ventilation.
As well as the natural ventilation and daylight systems, two of Monodraught’s roof-mounted Ventsair exhaust systems are connected to the centre’s air handling plant to balance the visitor environment when the natural ventilation systems are in passive mode.
Commenting for Monodraught, a spokesperson says it is rewarding to be associated with a development that has such exceptional sustainability credentials. He adds: “We also like to think that the combination of natural ventilation and natural daylight helped the Centre achieve runner-up in the ’People’s Choice Category’ for the public’s favourite building of the year.”
Windcatcher, Sunpipe and Suncatcher are registered trademarks owned by Monodraught Limited.
Editors Note: Designed by Ray Hole Architects in association with local architectural firm Axis Mason, the Visitor Centre is the main gateway for more than 150,000 visitors to Jersey’s iconic wildlife park each year.
