BRE IP2/16 PDF

Introduction

Passively maintaining or controlling environmental conditions in buildings is highly effective as a low energy and low impact method of maintaining specified conditions and user comfort in buildings. This Information Paper describes how to specify and maintain energy-efficient heating and lighting systems in warehouses.

The MATIN Project (Innovative Warehouse Design for the Efficient Maturation of Scotch Whisky, www.brematin.co.uk), supported by the Scotch Whisky Research Institute (SWRI), BRE and Innovate UK, monitored the environmental conditions in two whisky storage warehouses (Figure 1), produced a model of the variables affecting these conditions and developed a refurbishment tool. The purpose of the project was to show the connections between the management of a warehouse and the environmental conditions within it. The information in this Information Paper is about this specific type of warehouse which will be relevant to a wider audience of construction clients, including those building other types of warehouse storage, and to the retail and distribution sectors (representing an estimated 110 000 buildings in the UK).