We all know exactly what air pollution is and the damaging effects this has on our bodies, but are we aware on the impact it has on little lungs? Annually the conditions in Chiang Mai with increasing traffic and seasonal burning across Thailand this results in awful air pollution.
At Panyaden, we are acutely aware that education is not simply about delivering a curriculum for students to absorb. It is about creating the best possible environment for their health, growth as well as learning. It is about the school as an institution setting an example for our students to learn from and use as the inspiration for future innovation.
Given the seasonal conditions of air pollution that Chiang Mai is faced with, which can be very risky for young people and be detrimental to their health in the long-term, Panyaden was keenly interested in finding long-term, sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions that met with the ethos of the school. The Panyaden Fresh Air System, specially designed for the needs of the school and in consideration of the local environment, uses less energy than air conditioners and air purifiers, ensures a consistent supply of fresh, oxygenated air, reduce CO2 levels in the classrooms and relies on underground pipes and air flow for lowering the temperature naturally.
The Panyaden Fresh Air System is a pre-cool and purified air system using sustainable environmental engineering, the first of its kind in this region, initiated by Prof. Erich Erber in 2019, with the ambition to create a haze-free classroom condition for the well-being of all Panyaden students and staff members.
The Panyaden Fresh Air System was successfully installed and has been operating in the school’s secondary campus buildings since August 2020 to pre-cool and purify the indoor air, bringing the Air Quality Index (AQI) value down to green level ( AQI 0-50 = Green), even when outside AQI is above 200. The Fresh Air System effectively provides a constant supply of fresh air, as the CO2 index inside the rooms remained much lower compared to standard air-conditioned rooms. The benefits of this system makes classrooms at Panyaden a safe environment for our students.
The innovative Panyaden Fresh Air System was initiated to improve quality of life at school for our community members, especially during the few months of smoke season in Northern Thailand. The system provides a zero haze and PM2.5 free (polluting particles in the atmosphere) classroom environment to our students. While normal air purifiers help to reduce PM 2.5, the level of carbon dioxide in a sealed room can rise rapidly, leading to headaches, drowsiness, and reduced learning capacities. This innovative air system supplies cool, fresh and clean air inside the rooms while minimising our carbon footprint. The system also creates positive pressure inside the room. This means that outside air does not enter the room and air inside the room (carrying CO2 or sometimes with contaminants or viruses) can flow out when the door is open. Thus, we can ensure that our classroom is safe for our students’ health. It is a true life improvement, using a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy alternative to standard air conditioners and air purifiers. Panyaden is proud to be the first school in this region to use this innovative Fresh Air System in all classrooms on the campus.
The Benefits of the Panyaden Fresh Air System
The are several benefits to using the Panyaden Fresh Air System instead of the standard air conditioners and air purifiers:
- Cooler air inside the classroom during the hot season. The indoor temperature remains at a comfortable level of 27-28 degree Celsius.
- Cleaner air inside the classroom, with a much lower rate in CO2 and PM2.5. This means there is more oxygen supply and less polluting particles in the atmosphere, which can boost the performance of the students.
- 30% less energy consumption compared to standard air conditioners, thus providing a more environmentally friendly solution.
- The air pressure inside classrooms equipped with the Fresh Air System remains higher than the outside air (making it a positive pressure room). This means when a door or window is opened, the inside air would be pushed out of the classroom, and unfiltered air would not be able to enter the room.
- The Panyaden Fresh Air System will be a Learning Center, the first of its kind in Asia, for Panyaden students and the public to learn how to use environmental science to innovate sustainable engineering systems.
How the Panyaden Fresh Sir System Works
The Panyaden Fresh Air System saves energy by using a thermal exchange process, using cooler temperatures underground. The steps this system follows are:
- Outside air with ambient temperature is pumped into an underground pipe system using a powerful fan.
- The air then is cleaned using an active charcoal hepa filter which removes germs, smell and PM2.5 from the air.
- The air is pre-cooled using an earth cooling system consisting of 10 fifteen meter long pipes underground, then filtered again before supplying to the classroom. The volume of the air required to provide enough cool, fresh and clean air inside the classroom is calculated based on the thermal difference between the classroom and the earth cooling system, and the total number of people in the building.
- The fresh-air-supply creates positive pressure (5 pascal) in the rooms, reducing CO2 and PM2.5 levels, and increasing oxygen supply.
- The classroom buildings use a VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) to maintain a good cold air distribution in the rooms, which is the best air conditioning system available in the current market.
PANYADEN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL offers the British Curriculum and the IBDP Internatinal Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
We can be contacted via e-mail [email protected]
or call +66 (0) 80-078-5115 / +66 (53) 441-460
218, 218/1 MOO 2, T. NAMPRAE, A. HANG DONG DISTRICT,
CHIANG MAI 50230, THAILAND
