MISSION CRITICAL displacement method is the way we prefer to work making the MEP installation as efficient as possible .”
Watts notes that over the past 15 years the industry has been moving towards natural ventilation and encouraging ways of circulating air where you need it : “ It ’ s an important trend in contemporary design and one that needs to be developed to move away from the inherent disadvantages of simply opening a window for a gust of air ; and complicated and expensive double-skinned facades where the air is blocked by an outer screen and then introduced locally into a cavity between the outer and inner skins . We would rather be working with thinner configurations reducing energy consumption and promoting a more environmental approach than we ’ ve seen utilised on the likes of university campuses . Let ’ s face it , working in a 1980s-built sealed box that ’ s mechanically ventilated is not an enjoyable experience .”
Allied to this , Watts cites an increasing preference with envelope designs for shaded façades that don ’ t allow high levels of daylight for their own sake , enabling energy consumption to be significantly reduced . “ In hotter countries there ’ s been increasing acceptance of these designs with less glass allowing for increased energy efficiency in the way they are mechanically ventilated and in the services of electrical lighting etc .”
Meanwhile , he identifies a challenge in more temperate climates : “ Designers are still very keen on glazed facades which provide an idea of transparency as a design principle . Heavy use of this approach makes a building energy inefficient and difficult to improve upon . The love affair with glazing is still a concern for us ( with office campuses etc ) so we would encourage more opacity in design rather than relying on a view into a space via a flat glass façade .
“ Some architects are looking at modelled , curved concrete and much more opaque wall façades along with the ability of materials like concrete to be exposed internally , which allows for the thermal mass to benefit from night time ventilation keeping the building cooler in the summer months . It ’ s a challenge for designers who are often less engaged with the technical aspects and the
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