Ventilation System for Krakatoa
Dearest gig-goers, tiki addicts, and dive bar aficionados!
We miss you and can’t wait to see you all again.
As you may recall, Krakatoa was the first business in the city (perhaps even the country) to go into lockdown on the 12th March. We did that in order to protect our customers and ourselves, a full 8 days before the government ordered it, and with zero financial support on the horizon at that time. We’ve stayed closed ever since because we didn’t feel that it was safe for Krakatoa to reopen.
We’ve spent the past 5 months studying the SAGE reports, and it’s obvious that Covid-19 is going to be around for a long time. Ventilation is key to the safety of indoor spaces, and the government’s advisors are recommending a minimum of 8-10 litres of air change per occupant per second. It’s also critical that ventilation is evenly distributed and operating at low pressure, so that it doesn’t drag the virus around the room. Another useful measure is UVC sterilisation which can kill any virus present in the air.
Unfortunately the scientific recommendations around air quality were not mandated, and our hesitancy in reopening has been borne out by recent events. There were few if any mass transmissions from outdoor gatherings, but things escalated dramatically as soon as significant numbers of people started to gather indoors, even with stringent social distancing and hygiene methods in place.
Ideally we’d like to be changing the air in Krakatoa 15-30x per hour, in order to mitigate any build up of virus, whilst sterilising it at a similar flow rate. We’d also like to distribute the flow across as many air intakes/extracts as possible. With all this in mind we’ve specified a system that can flow up to 8,200 litres of air per second via 30 pairs of fresh air intakes/extracts. That would see the air in Krakatoa being changed at 20x the typical human respiration rate, even were the venue operating at full capacity, and with a maximum of 6 people per pair of vents. Those most at risk - our bartenders, engineers, DJs, and performers - would pretty much have their own dedicated fresh air supply. 
Beyond that we’ve also specified a second system, running in parallel, to sterilise the air with UVC radiation at a rate of 6x per hour, and these units would be targeted at areas where the air circulates less freely, such as under the fixed seating.
These measures are expensive; a lot of ductwork and a pair of enormous heat recovery units are required. Fortunately some of us are qualified to execute this work in-house, and will undertake to do so on a voluntary basis, minimising the installation and commissioning costs.
In order to open safely as a bar, we need £30K for ducting and a heat exchanger. If we can raise a further £10K for a second heat exchanger then gigs would become feasible (if permitted). If we can raise a further £20K beyond that then we could also fit the full complement of UVC units making the atmosphere of Krakatoa as safe as is practical... perhaps no riskier than visiting a beer garden. Many of you will have experienced firsthand the results we’ve achieved with our sound system, our sound proofing, and our live recordings, and the same care and attention has gone into the design of this project.
Provided we can get all this installed prior to November then we are able to contribute £10K of our own money, which had been set aside to cover our payroll through until the end of the year. So right now we need to raise £20K in order to reopen as a bar, a further £10K to make gigs feasible, and anything raised beyond that would go towards installing UVC units. There’s a 30 day lead time on some of the equipment, so we have to move quickly; it’s now or never.
These aren’t just short-term measures, this equipment would supplant our ageing and notoriously unreliable air con system, and also provide long-term protection against airborne pathogens, making Krakatoa a far healthier and less stuffy venue for all concerned. It shouldn’t even be possible to smell a fart after this gear’s been hooked up.
This is the first time we’ve ever actively sought donations. Previously we’ve funded sound systems, soundproofing, aircon, refrigeration, a new roof, and a couple of major refurbs ourselves. The coronavirus crises arrived suddenly with very little warning, and being closed we’re unable to accrue the funds we need to purchase this equipment via trading.
Krakatoa is a run by a local worker cooperative, non-profit, for the benefit of the local grassroots music scene. Nine of our members are unpaid volunteers. This donation will go towards the fabric of the venue, and because we own the building outright there’s no chance of losing that investment to a landlord.
We haven’t asked you to crowdfund our payroll, in fact we’re prepared to use what’s left of our payroll to fund this. This ask is entirely about bringing a much loved cultural asset back into use, so that future generations can continue to enjoy and benefit from it. Sadly none of the government funding due to arrive before November is aimed at making capital improvements. However a successful crowdfunding exercise will demonstrate public support for Krakatoa, making it easier for us to access other funding from Creative Scotland going forward.
This is make or break for us. So... if you played your first gig here; met your life partner here; got laid in cubicle 4; threw up in our urinal; were nursed back to health and perhaps even driven home; snuck in for free; ripped us off with the old “but it was a twenty” gag; got away with fake ID; stole a glass, an ashtray, or a sign from the toilets; scratched your name into one of our fixtures; drew a dick in the toilets with marker pen; blagged a discount you weren’t entitled to; accidentally took some of our backline home; or simply had the neon drenched time of your life, in the dark and on the cheap... then here’s a chance to even the score in our favour, so that the kids of tomorrow will have the opportunity to do the exact same shit :)
