One Angel Square in Northampton is based on passive design best practices
One Angel Square is the new home to Northamptonshire County Council, housing up to 2,000 employees and contractors who serve the local community. With four floors surrounding a central, open atrium, the building design is focused on passive design best practices.
Visit a reference projectSolution
Natural ventilation , Hybrid Ventilation
Location
Northampton, Great Britain
Sector
Commercial Buildings
Project Type
New build
Project partners
BDPThe result of adopting this clear and simple focus is a building that operates with a high level of efficiency and comfort. This is, perhaps, the reason why the building won Project of the Year in the Commercial/Industrial Category at the 2019 CIBSE Building Performance Awards.
The facades have louvred panels which conceal automated fresh air ventilators. There are 61 ventilation zones in total which are controlled by the WindowMaster NV Advance® system. Approximately (250) WMX 826 window actuators operate unglazed vents in the building.
Intelligent control of mixed mode ventilation
In addition to controlling the windows, NV Advance® also coordinates with the BMS in a mixed mode ventilation solution. That means the window opening protocols are disabled when the temperatures rise above 21°C. At that point, mechanical ventilation takes over for cooling in the form of highly efficient AHUs from VAV boxes which are concealed beneath the raised floors in the offices. Despite these protocols, building occupants can open the windows via manual override switches. In other words, the building offers intuitive ventilation based on interior and exterior conditions without dismissing the individual needs of its users.
