Hurstpierpoint College

P3R Engineers designed a natural cooling and heating system, with an underground labyrinth and roof-mounted ventilation, to save energy for the award-winning new Bury Theatre at Hurstpierpoint College. The college needed to construct a new performing arts centre for its 700 day and boarding school pupils, which was sustainable and energy efficient.

To provide natural heating and cooling during performances, P3R Engineers designed a system to efficiently exchange heat between the building, the surrounding air and the ground. A labyrinth of fresh air pathways was designed, to extract heat from the building during the summer into the large thermal mass of the ground beneath. Air remains in the labyrinth overnight and is then released to cool the building during the day, or to provide heat in winter. Specially designed ‘hats’ at the top of the auditorium mix fresh air with circulating air, negating the need for expensive air handling equipment.

P3R have created the optimal passive ventilation, heating and cooling system for this heavily occupied theatre, allowing temperature, ventilation and CO2 levels to be carefully controlled by the Building Management System.