Scooping Optimisation of Natural Resources

Published by Angela May for Glidevale Ltd in Local Government and also in Education

Tower Hamlets Council is leading the way in using innovative natural resources in education….

 The Council is implementing its Primary Capital Programme (PCP) and aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 10%, .Applying state-of-art systems to achieve this, the council has installed Glidevale’s Sunscoop iPSV combined tubular rooflight and natural ventilation system.

 At Bygrove Primary School, a full refurbishment scheme incorporates replacing old flat roofs dating from Victorian times to the 1960s with new pitched roofs, to reduce long-term maintenance issues. The flat roofs had conventional dome rooflights, so a solution needed to be found to ensure levels of natural light in the learning areas below were maintained and enhanced. The solution, developed in conjunction with Glidevale and main contractor Breyer Group, incorporates 12 x Sunscoop tubular rooflights in the new roofs over the circulation areas, and a further 7 x Sunscoop iPSV in the roofs over the school toilets.

 Explained Tower Hamlets’ Simon Hamilton, “We needed to ensure good levels of natural daylight and had to develop a strategy to ensure the daylight and ventilation was appropriate in the toilets. Sunscoop gave us an efficient way of meeting both objectives, being easy to install and, with the iPSV versions, ensuring ventilation was provided with the added benefit of it requiring no electrical connections to be installed and it using no electricity or human input  to function!”

 The standard Sunscoop uses a roof-mounted glazed dome which reflects daylight down a highly reflective tube through the roofspace/ceiling into the room below. The inclusion of electric attenuators allows the light to be shut out if necessary. Research by the SILSOE Institute shows even the smallest 250mm dia Sunscoop yields up to four times more light than a standard single 60W bulb (13watt incandescent lamp). Sunscoop is also recognised by BREEAM as a positive contributor towards credits in reducing energy consumption.

 The Sunscoop iPSV combines the natural light with natural ventilation: innovative ‘ intelligent’ nylon bands within the ceiling diffuser react to changes in humidity in the room, and, harnessing natural air movement and bouyancy principles, regulate air flow out through separate ducting adjacent to the Sunscoop tubing.

 As the ‘passive stack’ ventilation operates only as humidity increases, there is no unnecessary ventilation and heat loss. Constant condensation control is ensured, minimising risk of damp and mould harming both the building fabric and occupant health. Tests by the Building Research Establishment have shown the ventilation system gives a 15-40% saving in ventilation heat loss. Sunscoop iPSV has no mechanical elements to go wrong or require maintenance, and functions without any occupier input. It is also completely silent in operation with no noisy fans, yet provides ventilation in accordance with Approved Document F.

 Sunscoop and Sunscoop iPSV are just part of Glidevale’s range of roofing ventilation solutions. Glidevale is part of the Building Product Design Group, which specialises in developing innovative yet practical products in line with changing requirements.