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Tate’s
Building Technology Platform® provides an underfloor
air solution that offers each employee individual
control over his/her environment. The air diffusers
dispersed throughout the floor can be opened and
closed by the individual; thereby creating an individual
comfort zone.
Designing
Light and Aire,
Newsweek, March 2008
What makes
the Bank
of America Tower sustainable?
It will save about half
the energy that most buildings
its size would use. But the real
story is in terms of health, productivity and
light—what we like to call "biophilia," a
term coined by E. O. Wilson. People feel better
when they feel connected to nature. So we've
created naturally lit environments, and fresh
air of as high a quality as possible, with underfloor
air-delivery systems so people can control the
air at their workstations. |
Arquitectonica
Takes a Fresh Approach to New Headquarters
for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Architect
Magazine, November 2007
Charged by the publisher
of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the
city's main news organization, to design a building
that celebrates the region's mid-century modern
heritage, Miami-based Arquitectonica translated
1950s precedents into state-of-the-art, 21st-century
editorial offices and broadcasting studios....A
raised floor throughout the building houses all
of the cabling and power, plus serves as a pressurized
air-filled cavity for the HVAC system. .... Air
quality is improved because the return air is
located at the ceiling, so rising air doesn't
mix with the supply air. Employees at each workstation
have a register in the floor to control the amount
of air coming into their spaces. “We were
trying to make the building efficient and comfortable
for the occupants,” Jurado says. |
Comfort,
Sustainability & Energy Savings
Using Moving Air , November 2007  582
KB
This paper will
show a very effective way to make
a building more economical, ergonomic
and sustainable by the use of moving
air to provide comfort cooling.
ASHRAE Standard 55 provides for doing
so, provided the air is under direct
personal control of the occupant.
It is known as Task/Ambient Conditioning,
or TAC. The principal has been used
effectively in automobiles and airplanes
for many years. The following will
show that not only will this save
a substantial amount of energy, but
it will also allow individuals to
control their environment and select
the perceived temperature to meet
their varying needs. This will virtually
eliminate the number one complaint
in most offices. By combining the
TAC system with Displacement Ventilation,
additional energy can be saved and
the indoor air quality (IAQ) maximized. |
| Good
Sense: Underfloor air
distribution is gaining popularity
in today's built environment,
Consulting-Specifying Engineer,
January 2007
While
raised floors are not a new
concept, the move to the
digital environment is making
UFAD an increasingly popular
concept. Unlike data centers
that use raised floors as
high as 3 ft., UFAD raised
floors range from 10 in.
to 18 in. The raised-floor
plenum also is used for power
and data cabling. Buildings
implementing UFAD are gaining
in popularity for a number
of reasons: |
| 1.
Interior comfort in buildings is higher
than buildings with conventional overhead
cooling.
2. Cost for interior reconfigurations
is much lower than non-UFAD buildings.
3. Air devices, as well as power
and data floor boxes, can be easily moved
to accommodate new furniture modifications.
4 . The effectiveness of the ventilation
system is better as the supply air is
introduced at the floor and returned
at the ceiling, more effectively removing
contaminants from the space. |
Green
& Profitable, betterbricks.com, 2006
Gary Christensen is
the owner of Christensen Corporation, a commercial
development firm located in Boise, Idaho.
He’s also one of a handful of developers
in the Northwest who’s focusing on high
performance, sustainable projects. Gary has
successfully figured out how “green”
can mean both sustainable and profitable.
His high standards—for design, for materials
and for building performance—are well-known
among his colleagues. |
Current
Knowledge of Under Floor Air Distribution,
www.BetterBricks.com
In response to the growing
interest in underfloor air systems, BetterBricks
made contact with one of the leading experts
in the field, Fred S. Bauman, P.E. Fred is
a research specialist with the Center for
the Built Environment (CBE) at the University
of California, Berkeley, where he received
his M.S. in mechanical engineering. He currently
leads CBE's research program on underfloor
air distribution and task/ambient conditioning
systems, having conducted research in this
area since 1987. |
|
High
Performance Buildings Deliver Increased
Comfort, www.Seattle.gov, July 2006
The June 5, 2000
cover of Business Week featured an article
entitled IS YOUR OFFICE KILLING YOU?
The dangers of sick buildings, which
detailed both the health and liability
risks of unhealthy buildings. Far too
infrequently the media reports multi-million
dollar court judgements for cases resulting
from unhealthy working conditions. Many
more are settled our of court. 95% of
complaints referred to CIGNA are SBS
related - about comfort rather than illness
-- 5% of complaints are building-related
illnesses more likely to generate a valid
workers' compensation claim. |
| Energy
Efficiency Generated Beneath the Floorboards,
Steve Hritz, July 2004, Denver Business
Journal, Article
“With underfloor
systems, conditioned air is delivered
from an air handling unit and dispersed
directly into the space below the floor
where it flows into supply outlets or
vents located throughout the space. This
feature offers individual office occupants
control over the temperature conditions
in their immediate environment. A similar
"individual zone" option is
available with conventional HVAC systems,
but not at all practical because of the
high cost and lack of installation space
required.” |
| The
Tenant/Workplace Equation, Buildings Magazine,
Regina Raiford Babcock, January 2003
“In addition
to worker performance issues, the panel
of experts stated that issues of worker
satisfaction are also becoming business
drivers. For example, underfloor air
delivery and power systems were noted
as optimal candidates for projects, not
just because of their power efficiency
and return on investment, but also because
the system had significantly fewer complaints.” |
| Underfloor
Air Distribution & Access
Floors, Energy Design Resources,
Design Brief 297
KB
Improved comfort
can be achieved when the occupants themselves
take advantage of the local
control features available
with an underfloor system.
Uncomfortable draft and
temperature inconsistencies
are two of the most common
sources of occupant complaints.
With the diffusers at floor
level, the occupants can
easily redirect or modulate
the airflow into their own
space and to their own liking,
a benefit that is inconceivable
with the conventional overhead
system. |
| New
Construction Awards 2004: Eureka! Public/Government
Honorable Mention: Capitol Area East End
Complex, Jana Madsen, October 2004, Buildings
Magazine, Article
"An underfloor
air distribution system was specified
for its ability to eliminate overhead
ductwork, improve airflow, and deliver
air at a lower temperature and lower
pressure. As an added benefit, occupants
can control the amount of air they receive
by adjusting an individual floor diffuser." |
| The
Capital's Crown Jewel, December
2003, McGraw Hill Construction,
Case Study
"Located
at the easterly terminus of Capitol
Park, the project is a multi-block,
mixed-use office development
that consolidates three major
departments of state government.....
It makes use of abundant natural lighting
and even allows employees to control
their own environment by adjusting a
unique under-floor air distribution
system, says Mike Meredith, project
director, California Department of General
Services." |
| A
Breath of Fresh Air from
Below, Albert Warson, September
2003, Globe & Mail,
Article
"At some new
office buildings across Canada, employees
will literally be walking on air, thanks
to an under-floor air distribution (UFAD)
system. Basically, it's a cavity under
modular carpet tiles that blows out warm,
cool and recirculated air through individually
controlled louvres in the floor at each
work-station." |
| Walking
On Air, Joseph Halza, July 2003,
Today's Facility Manager, Article
"The application
possibilities of UFADS continue to grow.
Where plans for raised flooring are in
place to address wire management and
flexibility, the addition of a UFADS
may enable facility managers to address
the needs of constantly changing work
environments easily and economically.
Clearly, occupant comfort and improved
IAQ will bring additional long term benefits
for managers, owners, and everyone else
involved in the facility."
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| Raised
Floor Ventilation Gains Footing, Alex
Frangos, July 2003, Wall Street Journal,
Article
"Raise the
floor.That's what building designers are
doing these days to give the constantly
complaining, overheated and shivering
office masses control over personal climates......But
it's not just chilled workers and the
public sector who see advantages. Developers
are installing raised floor air as a way
to attract tenants. MC Lioness Realty
Group, a developer and office manager
in the Kansas City area with 12 million
square feet of office space, says its
buildings with raised-floor air generate
fewer complaints. The company says it
receives 12 "hot and cold" calls
a month at a 90,000-square-foot facility
with ceiling air. A comparable building
with raised-floor air puts out two calls
a month." |
| Driving
Green at American Honda,
July 2003, Buildings Magazine,
Article
Office occupants
can make adjustments for personal comfort
because external vents and
raised access flooring draw
air from outside, filter
it, and adjust it to the
proper temperature.
|
| 10
Trends Affecting The Corporate
Environment, Jeff Waters, December
2000, Facilities Design & Management,
Article 42
KB
"Adding air
distribution under the floor and incorporating
damper controls at each office or workstation
will not only simplify changes, it also
will allow each individual to control
temperature and air flow." |
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