In gyms, indoor courts, and multi-use sports halls, creating a comfortable environment isn’t as simple as lowering the temperature. While traditional air conditioning is often the default, it’s not always the right fit particularly when it comes to performance, energy efficiency, and how people feel in the space.
To deliver true comfort in high-activity environments, we need to shift the conversation from ‘how cool is the room’ to ‘how well does the environment support the people using it?’
Comfort is a perception shaped by how effectively the body can lose heat, not just what the thermostat says.
Thermal comfort isn’t about chasing lower temperatures. It’s about enabling the body to release heat efficiently.
We lose heat in three main ways:
• Radiation – to cooler surfaces
• Convection – carried away by moving air
• Evaporation – through sweat when other methods aren’t enough
In high-activity spaces, convection and evaporation do the heavy lifting. That’s why air movement matters more than air temperature it supports how the body cools down.
A well-ventilated space can feel 3–4°C cooler to someone exercising than the number on the thermostat would suggest.
Why Air Movement Matters More Than Set Point
Traditional air conditioning often aims to reduce temperature to fixed levels, but in fitness suites and sports halls, that can lead to:
• Excessive energy use
• Over-drying of the air (especially below 50% RH)
• Discomfort for active users who need air movement, not just cool air
Designing the environment to maximise airflow, so heat is carried away and sweat can evaporate, improving comfort while using less energy.
Direct Evaporative Cooling: A Fixed, High-Performance Solution
Direct Evaporative cooling systems like Breezair are well suited to high-activity environments:
- They supply 100% filtered outdoor air
- They promote natural evaporation and continuous airflow
- They use up to 80% less energy than traditional cooling methods
Portable Evaporative Cooling: Flexible Comfort with Enerbreeze
For facilities that need flexible, targeted cooling, such as modular gym spaces, temporary courts, or zones not suited to permanent installation – Enerbreeze portable evaporative coolers offer a simple cooling solution.
These mobile units use evaporative cooling technology to provide a noticeable drop in temperature by increasing airflow and promoting natural heat loss through evaporation.
Easy to reposition and operate, Enerbreeze gives facility managers a low-commitment way to improve comfort in high-activity spaces, particularly during warmer months.
HVLS Fans: Reinforcing Comfort Through Gentle, Expansive Air Movement
In high-ceiling spaces, High-Volume, Low-Speed (HVLS) fans, such as those from Hunter fans, complement ventilation and evaporative cooling systems. Particularly suitable for large open spaces. These fans utilise low energy motors so are very cost effective to operate and require minimal maintenance requirements
These large-diameter fans move air slowly but effectively, helping to:
• Create a cooling sensation of up to 5°C at floor level
• Reduce humidity build-up
• Improve comfort across varied zones
• Lower winter heating costs by redistributing warm air trapped at ceiling height
HVLS systems maintain a stable environment, enhancing the body’s ability to lose heat through convection and evaporation. Combined with good ventilation design, they help stabilise indoor conditions year-round, making the space feel cooler without increasing energy load.
Hybrid Ventilation: Intelligent Extraction for High-Occupancy Comfort
In large, high-use environments like sports halls and fitness centres, heat builds quickly during peak periods. While evaporative cooling and HVLS fans support air movement and comfort, effective extraction is essential.
Hybrid ventilation systems, such as EcoPower, automatically boost natural ventilation when required. They:
• Prevent heat build-up during busy periods
• Improve air change rates on demand
• Deliver energy-efficient environmental control year-round
They also lend themselves well to night purge strategies, using cooler external air during unoccupied periods to lower the temperature of the building fabric, ready for the next day. This approach helps pre-condition the space naturally and reduce the cooling load during operational hours.
By combining passive ventilation with intelligent extraction, these systems provide precise airflow control ensuring warm, stale air is removed efficiently and comfort is maintained throughout.
Design Considerations That Drive Performance
From indoor courts to large gymnasiums, thoughtful design is key. Crucially, air should flow at player level and be extracted high up on the opposite wall to maintain full circulation.
A Smarter Approach to Comfort
Recreational spaces don’t need to chase the cold, they need to create environments where people can move, perform, and breathe comfortably. That means designing for thermal comfort, not just temperature.
At CPA Engineered Solutions, we help clients create indoor environments that are energy-efficient, user-focused, and engineered around how people actually experience the space.
Rethinking comfort isn’t just good practice – it’s good engineering.
Engineered for today. Trusted for tomorrow.
