Overheating and Approved Document O Assessments
Do you need an Overheating assessment for your project?
Call 0117 944 1388 or email energy@machacoustics.com
Overheating Assessments can be required for either Building Regulations (Approved Document O), Planning Conditions, BREEAM or Code for Sustainable Homes. Our team of building physics consultants carry out detailed analysis of overheating through dynamic simulation modelling for all building types and are able to provide insightful & practical solutions to comply with the your overheating performance targets.
Thermal comfort (overheating) assessments can be done to various different methodologies, with the most common being CIBSE TM52, TM59 and Approved Document O and can be carried out for any development size from single dwellings to multi-million mixed use developments. The assessment assesses the internal temperature of rooms whilst taking into account numerous factors, such as heat from occupants, appliances and from solar gains through the window, but also accounting for heat loss through the building fabric and the ventilation strategy, whether it is a natural, mixed-mode or fully mechanical strategy. This approach results in a robust and thorough assessment of overheating risk to buildings, ensuring that future occupants will have good thermal comfort.
If you have any questions or want some advice on your project please feel free to get in touch with one of our consultants.
Acoustics, Ventilation & Overheating
Acoustic criteria often forms part of the ventilation strategy for overheating, particularly where natural ventilation is used. Sites within city centres, near roads or transport links can have high levels of external noise, where natural ventilation through openable windows may not provide enough noise reduction, thereby resulting in mechanical cooling which brings high cost and carbon use.
MACH’s vast experience in acoustic design will ensure that the overheating ventilation strategy is carefully considered alongside the noise ingress strategy. MACH have a passion for low carbon, naturally ventilated buildings and we will provide holistic solutions to provide low carbon solutions to even the most challenging sites. Our research and development, both in-house and with multiple universities, allows us to provide new and innovative solutions to solving acoustic and natural ventilation challenges.
Future Weather Files & Urban Heat Island Effect
It is common for planning requirements or BREEAM to require overheating analysis over a range of time periods, so to account for climate change and more extreme weather conditions. MACH can assess your project to 2050 & 2080 weather files to understand how your development will function in the future, and will advise on any present day or future solutions to improve overheating mitigation.
Furthermore, the urban heat island effect of larger cities can also have detrimental effects on overheating performance. MACH can carry out TM49 modelling to determine the effect of urban heat island on your development.