Ventilation shaft

For the device used in manufacturing processes, see airshaft.

Chipping Sodbury Tunnel ventilation shaft

Swan St. ventilation shaft on the Burnley Tunnel

Ventilation shafts of the Velser tunnel, the Netherlands

In subterranean civil engineering, ventilation shafts, also known as airshafts or vent shafts, are vertical passages used in mines and tunnels to move fresh air underground, and to remove stale air.

In architecture, an airshaft is a small, vertical space within a tall building which permits ventilation of the building's interior spaces to the outside. The floorplan of a building with an airshaft is often described as a "square donut" shape. Alternatively, an airshaft may be formed between two adjacent buildings. Windows on the interior side of the donut allow air from the building to be exhausted into the shaft, and, depending on the height and width of the shaft, may also allow extra sunlight inside.

See also

• Ventilation (architecture)
• Ventilation (tunnel)
• Underground mine ventilation
• Courtyard
• Lightwell
• Skylight
• Atrium (architecture)

External links

• Design and construction of a surface air cooling and refrigeration installation at a South African mine, a paper presented at the North American Mine Ventilation Symposium 2008