Vent-Axia shortlisted in Building Awards 2018 with Floating Home Project

Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has announced its Floating Home project has been shortlisted in the Building Awards 2018.

The project, which utilised the revolutionary Lo-Carbon Sentinel Kinetic BH Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), is a finalist in the ‘Small Project of Year (up to £5m)’ category of the awards.

The Building Awards are the industry’s longest running and most prestigious recognition of excellence, celebrating achievements across all aspects of building.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 6 November at the five star Grosvenor House Hotel in London, where more than 1,300 guests will attend for a night of networking, recognition and celebration at this significant gathering for the UK construction sector.

Vent-Axia’s Sentinel Kinetic BH MVHR unit is providing energy efficient and effective ventilation to the innovative and exciting ‘Floating Home’ project, which is situated on a residential mooring near Chichester Marina in West Sussex.

Inspired by canal living and designed by Baca Architects, the ‘Chichester’ prototype model was built by Floating Homes Limited and is not a houseboat but a house that floats.

Given the close proximity to water, there was potential for more humidity than a land-based home, as well as the potential for reflections of the sun to enhance solar gain.

Both these factors were considerations when specifying the Sentinel Kinetic BH MHVR unit, which tackles both these issues, thanks to an integral humidity sensor and summer bypass.

Mark Junak, Director of Floating Homes Ltd., commented: “We are thrilled that our project, which is also my home, has been recognised at these important industry awards.

“There were additional challenges in designing a floating home such as the higher humidity levels created from living on the water, we are therefore delighted with Vent-Axia’s MVHR unit which tackles this issue providing us with great indoor air quality. The project is a beautiful, sustainable and low impact home in a wonderful location.”

Ian Mitchell, Product Marketing Manager – New Build Residential at Vent-Axia, added: “The Floating Home truly stands out – there is nothing else like it. We are delighted that the project has been shortlisted in The Building Awards.

“Mechanical ventilation was an essential part of the build due to the very low permeability of the home’s envelope. The Sentinel Kinetic MVHR fits the home’s eco credentials perfectly and provides good comfort levels throughout the year.”

The pioneering Sentinel Kinetic BH MVHR Unit is designed specifically for new build and low-permeability properties. A whole-house, multi-room ducted solution, this MVHR system combines supply and extract ventilation in one unit.

Warm, moist air is extracted from ‘wet’ rooms through ducting and passed through the heat exchanger before being exhausted to the outside. Fresh incoming air is filtered and then preheated via the integral heat exchanger which recovers an average of 90% of the heat energy that would otherwise be wasted.

With comfort key for occupants the system also features a ‘summer bypass’, for passive cooling when conditions allow and an integral humidity sensor for intelligent air quality control, both which were vital in the Floating Home.

Built Environment Technology Ltd designed and commissioned the ventilation system for the project. Richard Porteous, Senior Projects Manager, explained: “It is great news the Floating Home project has been shortlisted in such a prestigious awards scheme.

“Due to the very low permeability of the home’s envelope mechanical ventilation was essential. The Sentinel Kinetic BH MVHR Unit had the right eco-credentials for the project, plus it is very compact and features an integral humidity sensor and summer bypass, which were important for the Floating Home.”

Recognised in SAP PCDB, this lightweight and very compact MVHR unit is simple to install with a horizontal duct option for space-saving installations.

It can be mounted vertically in a roof space or on a suitable wall and it has been specifically manufactured to fit in a standard 600m kitchen cabinet, if necessary.

Ducting can be attached to the unit horizontally, vertically or both and, with left and right-handed versions available, the installation options are almost limitless.

An integrated digital controller provides simple and accurate commissioning as well as important end-user information such as filter-maintenance reminders and the summer bypass trigger temperature.

If the unit is not immediately accessible, a remotely-wired version of the digital controller can also be positioned anywhere within 15m of the Unit, for easy viewing.

The integral humidity sensor increases airflow in proportion to relative humidity levels, thus saving energy and ensuring that air quality is consistently high and the Sentinel Kinetic BH MVHR unit can also interact with a number of external sensors, including PIR movement, CO2 and ambient temperature.