Templeman Library Refurbishment and Extension, University of Kent
The Templeman Library is at the heart of the University of Kent campus. The development project included a refurbishment of the existing library as well as a new wing to better cater for student needs.
Max Fordham provided M&E, Acoustics, Lighting and Sustainability services.
The existing library was extensively upgraded with replacement of all the existing plant and services. The library's essential uses required it to remain open for the University’s 15,000 students throughout construction.
We designed a mixed mode heating and ventilation strategy for the extension. In summer, floor voids and atria in the building allow for stack-effect natural ventilation and night cooling. Fresh air is provided by automatically controlled perimeter windows and rooflights, connected by a full height atrium between the old and new buildings. Exposed concrete soffits for thermal mass are supplemented by embedded pipes in the concrete which circulate cooled water. In winter, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery supplies air via the floor voids, while heating (from the campus wide district heating network) is largely delivered by the embedded pipes in the soffits.