Integrated Solution – Double Skin Facade and Diffuse Ceiling Ventilation for School Re-novation (I-DIFFER)

The renovation wave is about to reach public schools and institutions. These buildings are not only challenged in terms of energy efficiency but also by insufficient indoor environment, as for example low air quality, poor acoustic conditions, too hot or too cold class-rooms, etc. I-DIFFER project aimes to demonstrate a renovation solution that requires minimum interference with the building interior during the installation, but offers an improved overall indoor environment (air quality, thermal, acoustic, and visual comfort).

The I-DIFFER solution integrates two well-known technologies: Diffuse-Ceiling Ventilation (DCV) and Double-Skin Façade. Double-Skin Façade offers a reduction of the heat losses from the building in the cold seasons, protects the solar shading system and it allows more flexibility with regards to the building architecture. Diffuse-Ceiling Ventilation ensures draught-free ventilation, combined with burglary-safe night cooling to reduce the overheating risks in the warmer seasons. The solution is targeting buildings with significant needs for improvement of the overall indoor environment and the building envelope in Nordic and other European markets with mild winter conditions. The project is led by BUILD, Aalborg University, where a full-scale façade laboratory will be used for preliminary testing and optimization of I-DIFFER solution. This solution will be demonstrated in a public institution-building at Aarhus Municipality.