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Human Kinetics, the book distribution company,
in 1996 converted for their office use an
existing vacant Lower Mitcham church
originally built in the 1870's.
With occupation, staff assessment of comfort
highlighted that the stone building was:
- cold in winter through warmth rapidly leaking
out through the stone walls
- prone to heat accumulation inside in summer
through gradual solar heat absorption by the stone walls,
and limited in-built ventilation paths inside the building
and to the outside.
A retro-fit scheme was subsequently developed which:-
- re-opened the existing cornice line ceiling vents
- installed roof ridge ventilators
- grew rising climbing plants on a trellis on the
sunward north facing stone wall to act as part
insulation from direct solar gain
- installed a pergola with climbing vegetation and
water spray in the southern shade side courtyard
- installed full height louvres in the church slit windows
facing the shade side courtyard
- installed up and downthrust ceiling fans in the interior
The result is summer cooling with modest energy use.
This is achieved through pre-cooled air being created in
the courtyard.
The shade space holds air at less than ambient temperature,
the water spray humidifies the air, and this is drawn
into the church space by downflow in the height between
vine pergola covering and building floor level.
This air is downthrust inside the building to
people level by the fans.
Cross ventilation occurs through warm air extract
through the ventilated ceiling and roof.
Ceiling fans also operate in winter.
The winter heating is enhanced by gas fired heating,
circulated by the spatially offset and mutually
reversed direction rotating fans.
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Pergola cooling
