Projects - Concepts

Below are a few of Peter Humphrey Associates concept projects.

The Atrium Art Gallery is a mid-terrace replacement concept building designed as part of a project at De Montfort University, Leicester. The gallery has been designed with buildability and the integration of technologies in mind; it focuses on the utilisation of natural light, ventilation and forms of integrated sustainable energy generation.

The gallery utilises natural light to display the artwork with a combination of external adjustable sun shades to protect the artwork from glare and sun damage. The gallery has been carefully designed and a full daylight analysis has been carried out on each zone to ensure adequate levels are natural light are provided within the building in accordance with the relevant British Standard, whilst at the same time ensuring that the building doesn’t overheat during peak temperatures within summer months.

The external adjustable solar shading designed to control the amounts of natural light entering the building, also double as photovoltaic cells collecting solar energy, and along with the additional photovoltaic cells on the roof generate approximately 31,380kwh/year, contributing to approximately 30% of the building’s electric load and saving around 12.9 tonnes of CO² each year.

The gallery has also been designed to incorporate a full integrated natural ventilation system, using a combination of cross and stack ventilation to provide adequate air changes during summer and passive cooling, eliminating the need for air conditioning. A thermal analysis has been carried out on the building to ensure each zone stays within a comfortable thermal parameter for human comfort.