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Ventilation Solutions for Condominium Complexes: prioAIR fans
Reading time: 5 minutes
Comfort
While it may not be the most glamorous part of any construction project, ventilation is central to the health and well-being of the occupants. On average, indoor air is 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air. Polluted air can cause symptoms similar to those from colds or other viral diseases. To reduce the impact of polluted indoor air on inhabitants, proper indoor ventilation is utilized to remove harmful pollutants effectively and efficiently.
This article will explore two scenarios in which inline fans play a part in a successful, healthy system implementation.
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1452 Broadway
Located in San Francisco, CA, and less than ten miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, 1452 Broadway is a three-floor luxury condominium building. With one-, two-, and three-bedroom units as well as a top-floor penthouse, the building was designed with a state-of-the-art HVAC system featuring acoustically engineered solutions to damper sound and enhance room acoustics.
The designers at MAK Studios behind the 1452 Broadway condominiums found ventilation would be a challenge once the building was constructed.
One important room - the compost collection room - would especially need an effective solution to ventilate odors out. The room has a large exit door and houses an open trash chute coming down from the upper floors of the building. With a tightly insulated envelope, this setup would send odors straight back up to residents. The designers knew back-drafting would be a problem, and needed equipment to create negative pressure in the room
To solve this issue, the compost collection room was equipped with an inline prioAIR fan to create the negative pressure environment desired and to ensure odors from the room stayed in the room. In addition, prioAIR fans were installed throughout the building to introduce fresh air into the HVAC system and to boost the air in the corridors. The top-level penthouse suites received their own set of supply- and exhaust-air prioAIR fans.
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As an added bonus, maintenance personnel will have more control of their ventilation inputs from the built-in speed controller that comes standard with the prioAIR fans; this allows the maintenance team to ensure exact airflow needs are met.
We spoke to the product manager of Fantech's prioAIR inline fan product line, Ivan Daza, to receive his thoughts on the overall design.
prioAIR fans are a fantastic choice for low-to-medium pressure applications to achieve high cfm/W and minimize running costs. In terms of efficacy and versatility, these fans are one-of-a-kind. The plastic housing is resin-corrosion resistant; an ideal housing to withstand the elements of the San Francisco air”, said Ivan. “What stands out most to me is the prioAIR fan in the compost collection room. I have not heard of this type of application before, but the warm climate and stricter California codes could be why. A negative pressure environment may also have been desired to block odors from back-drafting up into the corridors.
Applications for prioAIR inline fans can vary greatly.
For units looking to achieve LEED certification status for example, highly efficient inline fans could mean the difference between gaining LEED certification status or not. Check out another real-world example of Fantech's prioAIR fans for which this innovative inline fan helped a prestigious company achieve LEED Gold certification.
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The Stantec Tower
The Stantec Tower, located in the downtown core of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is a 66-floor LEED Gold Certified skyscraper offering dual commercial and residential uses. The first 29 floors of the tower house the headquarters for Stantec’s 1,500 employees while the remaining floors offer luxury condominiums, aptly named Sky Residences.
The Sky Residences overlook the North Saskatchewan River which sits just a few city blocks away and sits at the center of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.
As the tallest building in Western Canada, the Stantec Tower needed dependable equipment to meet design airflows.
These fans are one-of-a-kind.
Product Manager
Two prioAIR fans were installed in each business suite, bathroom, and kitchen to ensure proper ventilation, and the fans are regulable by a speed controller. This prioAIR solution works in conjunction with constant airflow regulators and control damper boxes to ensure the design flows are never exceeded despite the strong winter stack effect in the building. Ivan Daza commented on the project and stated,
Regarding the Stantec Tower project, Stantec's decision to use the prioAIR 6 fans—with an average cfm/W of 6.9—most likely indicates that they valued the high flow and efficiency the prioAIR fans provided".
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In both of these scenarios, prioAIR inline fans will help to enhance the airflow within the building, ensuring the employees of Stantec and the residents of 1452 Broadway and Sky Residences have a healthy environment in which to live and work.
Read more on Fantech 5 Case Studies.
Want to know more about other projects using our products? Go visit the Fantech 5 Case Studies Page.
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