Aedas R&D

As part of the Technology Strategy Board’s Building Performance Evaluation programme, Aedas R&D have been commissioned to assess three academies post completion for both energy and functional performance. The aim of the study is to compare the as-designed and as-built building with operation, identify the differences imposed by occupant behaviour, management practices, maintenance issues, and to investigate to what extent these design, construction, and operation choices affected, aided or abetted efficiency. Lessons learned in this project will provide helpful ammunition for the other two buildings and future academies designed. The detailed evaluation of these three buildings is being developed hand in hand with other Aedas research projects such as CarbonBuzz.

Case Study A
Located in Hackney and built through a Design and Build procurement route, Petchey Academy had been operational for three years prior to the study. The academy comprises of two teaching blocks embracing a central atrium and performance block. The building has a light-weight external envelope. As a result of noise concerns the building has full mechanical ventilation with a small area of openable windows. It has a relatively low level of sub-metering with a number of high consumption end uses such as training kitchens, DT equipment, flood and stage lighting. Lighting systems are linked to occupancy sensors but zones in corridors are large leaving many areas fully lit.