Healthy buildings for healthy pursuits
Dynamic Insulation
Client: sportscotland, Sport England, DETR
McLaren was the first major building in the UK to use dynamic insulation, and the first in the world to use the technique in a swimming pool. It formed part of a sportscotland initiative to develop "healthy buildings, for healthy pursuits". The 20m swimming pool, squash courts, bowls hall and sports hall each has air introduced from pressurised ceiling voids through a dynamic insulation layer.
Dynamic insulation is an approach to ventilating buildings that emerged from an interest in developing the fabric of buildings rather than mechanical systems. Air is drawn into a building through its insulation. Heat usually lost by conduction to outside is exchanged with air drawn through the insulation, which acts as a counter-flow heat exchanger. Initial work under the title pore-ventilation was undertaken for Sportscotland and produced as two reports.
A full report assesses the environmental performance of the dynamic installation and other system elements over the two-year period. It has been summarised as a guidance note that covers the theory of dynamic insulation, information on its practical application from its origins to current designs, the scope of the monitoring, principal conclusions and a bibliography of useful reading material.
Gaia have gone on use the technique in low allergy houses and to advise other practices on the use of the technique.