Operational Carbon | MVHR Seasonal Heating & Cooling Strategy

1. Solar Shading: During daytime heat peaks, solar shades are closed to block direct sunlight, preventing building overheating. The CLT thermal mass absorbs excess heat, further mitigating overheating.

2. Fresh Air Supply: The mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system operates normally, extracting stale air from areas like bathrooms to remove pollutants, moisture, and harmful chemicals from poorly ventilated rooms.

3. Heat Recovery: Stale air extracted from the building can be used to pre-cool the warm incoming air during summer, providing a supply of fresh and cool air. The system adjusts to provide more cool air in summer for maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature.

4. Distribution: The cooler air generated by the MVHR system can then be distributed to the occupied spaces in the building. This cooler air travels through series of ductworks located in the buildings suspended ceiling and in the void gap in the CLT walls.

5. Night Ventilation: In the evening, opening the solar shading allows cool air into the building. The MVHR system supplies continuous fresh cool air to occupants. As the cool air circulates, it interacts with the thermal mass, which absorbs and slowly releases it, regulating indoor temperature overnight.

1. Solar Shading: In the morning hours, the solar shades are open to allow sunlight to penetrate into the building, providing passive solar heating. The heat is absorbed by the CLT thermal mass to be released in the evening hours.

2. MVHR System: the mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system operates as normal, extracting stale air from areas such as bathrooms. The stale air is extracted to remove pollutants, moisture and harmful chemicals from the rooms that are not well ventilated.

3. Heat Recovery The MVHR system uses heat from the extracted stale air to warm the incoming fresh air entering through the roof inlet. This heat recovery process is facilitated by a MVHR unit with a heat exchanger.

4. Warm Air Distribution The MVHR unit warms the fresh air by utilising heat from the interior stale air. This warm air is then distributed to occupied spaces through ductwork in the suspended ceiling and CLT walls.

5. Thermal Mass: as outdoor temperatures begin to decline in the evening, the thermal mass CLT starts to release the heat is absorbed during the day, maintaining a constant comfortable indoor temperature whilst simultaneously eliminating mechanical HVAC systems.