Meadway Special Educational Needs School

2
min read time
2015-02-16 06:52:00


The project developers wanted the Meadway SEN School to be a showcase for the UK Government vision for sustainable construction. The low temperatures needed by underfloor systems result in real efficiency, reducing energy consumption by at least 30%. This sustainable solution was also crucial in helping the building achieve a BREEAM excellent rating. Wavin’s UK surface heating and cooling specialist subsidiary Warmafloor provided the solution.

Warmafloor combined geothermal ground-source heat pumps, recently endorsed by the Environment Agency, with its underfloor heating and cooling systems. Heat pumps provide water at the 45°C required for under-floor heating rather than the 70–80°C needed for radiators. During warm weather, cooling is provided by the same under-floor circuit manifolds.

Intelligent control makes it easy to adjust the temperature for maximum comfort. This is especially important in a school: children can’t concentrate in overheated classrooms.
We wanted as many cutting edge sustainable initiatives as possible.
Derrick Pope , Director of Pope Consulting
Underfloor heating also eliminates the need for radiators – allowing maximum use of the floor space and removing sharp edges too. The solution is also healthier: by reducing convection currents there are fewer disturbances of dust mites, fibres and other microbiological contaminants. This provides purer air quality for students and teachers.

Derrick Pope, Director of Pope Consulting, who specified Warmafloor on this project, explains the choice, “We wanted as many cutting edge sustainable initiatives as possible.  We aimed for a BREEAM excellent rating and the Warmafloor heating and cooling systems on the ground, first and second floors helped us achieve this goal.”

Mike Lamb, Managing Director of Warmafloor said, “For us, sustainable development means a reduction in CO2 emissions, more efficient use of resources and increased consideration for people’s wellbeing:  for Meadway School we delivered exactly that.”


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