Keble College, Oxford University
A new college building comprising a 220 seat theatre, seminar rooms, dining room and student accommodation.
The building has an innovative chilled slab system cooling system. This consists of plastic pipes spaced at regular intervals cast into the concrete slabs. The mass of the exposed concrete soffit can absorb large amounts of thermal energy and either absorb or radiate heat to rooms to maintain thermal stability.
Additional cooling to the theatre is provided via a displacement ventilation system when necessary.
The building cooling systems also incorporate earth-coupling; utilising the stable temperatures of the ground to provide cooling in summer and heating in winter. The temperature of the ground in summer might be around 12°C and can therefore provide a good cooling source in summer.
Heat exchange with the ground is achieved at Keble College through the installation of water pipes within the pile foundations, allowing water to circulate and lose heat into the ground.
