Nuaire’s XBC range of
award-winning Heat Recovery Units have been installed into the new Eastern High
School in Cardiff to deliver high standards of wellbeing for its 1200 students
and staff.
The new school
consists of 59 classrooms, open teaching spaces, dining areas, a gym and an
activity studio. Over £26 million has been invested into the project, which is
designed to be a modernised and more stimulating space in which to teach and
learn.
A high level of
wellbeing has been designed into the building, including a focus on indoor air
quality as a means of improving student’s ability to concentrate, as well as
the standard at which teachers can perform.
A major objective
throughout all stages of the project was ensuring a high level of energy
efficiency; the school intends on having the lowest possible carbon footprint
possible. Graham Carr of McCann & Partners, the consultancy managing the
project, explained: “The school utilises a ‘traffic light’ type natural
ventilation system with enhanced single sided ventilation in classrooms. Where
natural ventilation could not be provided, mechanical ventilation with heat
recovery was specified using Nuaire XBC units.”
To meet strict SFP
energy requirements, a non- standard, larger sized XBC unit was specified for
the project. McCann & Partners was able to make use of Nuaire’s BIM Level 2
library and collection of Revit families to accurately alter designs and devise
a solution to the site’s space restrictions. From this, McCann &
Partners coordinated with other building services to ensure the heat recovery
system would be the right size and layout for the space available on site.
Nuaire’s XBC units,
and its various other fan units, were fitted with Ecosmart Classic Control.
This allowed CMB Engineering, responsible for all M&E work, to commission
each fan separately, reducing overall power consumption, and allowing for
various plug-and-play Ecosmart controls and sensors to be installed. Tony
Williamson, Operations Manager at Eastern High School commented: “The new XBC
range of units has one of the best heat exchangers in the industry, with
efficiencies of up to 96%. This will aid the school massively in minimising its
carbon footprint and achieving a committed standard of energy efficiency.”
Eastern High School
has achieved an Energy Performance Certificate Grade ‘A’ and BREEAM 2014 rating
of ‘Excellent’ for its ability to achieve an ambitious level of
energy-efficiency. Tony Williamson has stated: “The air quality in the new
campus is far superior to what they had in the old school.”
Nuaire provides a full
range of energy-efficient domestic, commercial and renewable ventilation
solutions. UK based with over 500 employees worldwide, Nuaire has been at the
forefront of the ventilation industry since 1966.
