Performance of hospital spaces in summer: a case study of a ‘Nucleus’-type hospital in the UK Midlands

Nucleus-type Hospital in Glenfield comprises connected cruciform blocks with numerous small courtyards between. The hospital has mechanical ventilation and perimeter heating. The wards have a hybrid ventilation strategy with a low rate of mechanical ventilation. Ventilation through windows is the main source of summer time cooling. This paper investigates the summer time performance of spaces that are mechanically ventilated but passively cooled. The paper presents the measured indoor temperatures in selected hospital spaces and compares them with thermal comfort criteria. Finally, future summer conditions for the ward space are predicted using a calibrated multi zone dynamic thermal model. During June to September 2010, the maximum indoor temperatures in the case study spaces varied between 27.3 ºC and 29.3 ºC. The nurse station was found to be the hottest area. During this period the performance of most of the monitored spaces was reasonably within the thermal comfort threshold as defined by HTM03-01. The simulation results demonstrate that light-touch low carbon interventions could produce comfortable conditions in bedrooms into the 2050s in UK Midlands.