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Tate's
Building Technology Platform® provides energy
cost savings through the effective utilization
of thermal displacement. Save 20% of your HVAC
energy cost using underfloor air. How? Significant
fan energy savings, more hours of economizer
operation, and reduced outside air option due
to better ventilation effectiveness.
Sustainable
Design Project Making Strides Against Global Warming, Interiors & Sources,
January 2008
Responsible for nearly half the world's greenhouse gas emissions—20
percent more than transportation—the building industry is the primary contributor
to global warming. To address this issue, the national design community has called
for an immediate 50 percent energy reduction in all new buildings—and the
call-to-action is working....One of the most innovative solutions is the hybrid
HVAC system that includes both operable windows for natural ventilation and a
raised floor system that can selectively deliver heated or cooled air. |
Building Green Just Makes Economic Sense,
Ottawa Business Journal, December 2007
The TELUS building is expected to be awarded silver status
under the LEED system. Mr.
Chmiel says in his written introduction to the building that it "incorporates
several innovative strategies to conserve energy and resources." And he
continues: "Throughout the building, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning
distribution is provided under an 18-inch raised floor system. Conditioned air
is supplied closer to where occupants sit and stand, rather than the traditional
method of pushing the air from the ceiling down." |
New
Green Building , seacoastonline,
November 2007
A wonderful green building
has gone up in Saco: the Saco & Biddeford
Savings Institution Operations Center.
The U.S. Green Building Council has just
given the Center a Silver Rating under
their Leadership in Energy and Environment
Design (LEED) rating system....Energy-efficient
lighting, high-performance window glazing
and an under-floor air system to achieve
a 42 percent savings over traditional
methods. |
Comfort,
Sustainability & Energy Savings
Using Moving Air ,
November 2007
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. |
HVAC
System Saves State Government $90,000
Annually, September 2007
To
cut daytime energy use at the Lewis
and Clark Building in Jefferson City,
Missouri, the system generates chilled
water at night and stores it in a
cistern under the building for use
during the day. The air handlers
are part of an under-floor air distribution
system that produces a floor-to-ceiling
airflow that results in relatively
uniform air temperatures in the space
where people actually work — from
the floor to a height of about six
feet....The building saves about
$90,000 in annual energy use compared
to conventional buildings of similar
size. |
Aging
Like A Fine Wine, Eco-Structure, March 2007
Marking
a major milestone in California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s
Green Building Initiative (www.green.ca.gov),
the California Department of Education Building
has become the first pre-existing, state-owned
U.S. office building to achieve USGBC’s
LEED Platinum rating for Existing Buildings
after already having been certified LEED
Gold for New Construction in 2003....An underfloor
air-distribution system reduces overhead
ductwork and improves airflow delivering
cool air at a higher temperature and lower
velocity cooling to the level around the
workers...In addition to energy savings,
the building's indoor environmental quality
for employees and visitors has been improved
through the use of efficient ventilation
and air distribution. |
Variable-Speed
Underfloor Air Terminals Provide Perimeter-Zone
Heating, Cooling, HPAC Engineering, Feb. 2007
Critchfield
Mechanical Inc., a Menlo Park, Calif.-based
HVAC engineering firm, needed a cost-effective
and energyefficient ventilation solution
to accommodate changing heating and cooling
demands of the perimeter zone in the underfloor-air-distribution
system of the Capitol Area East End Complex,
a new office building commissioned for the
State of California's Department of General
Services.
Mark Vranicar, PE, of Critchfield Mechanical
determined that the most cost-effective way
to heat and cool the perimeter areas would
be with energy efficient variable-speed Series
13 Underfloor Fan Terminals (UFTs). |
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. |
HP's
data center consolidation provides management
insights, SearchDataCenter.com, August 2006
Hewlett-Packard
Co. (HP)
has a
vision
for the
data
center
of the
future,
and it
is using
its own
massive
data
center
consolidation
project
as the
proving
ground
for its
ideas.....Despite
the smaller
footprint
and higher
server
density
for its
new facilities,
HP plans
to stick
with
basic
raised
floor
air cooling.
According
to Sharad
Singhal,
distinguished
technologist
at HP,
delivering
air flow
properly
will
prevent
HP from
having
to go
with
high-density
cooling
technologies. |
Building
Green Always Made Sense....Now Its
Beginning To Pay Off;
San Francisco Chronicle, September
11, 2005
"Hobstetter points
to the KMD-designed and recently completed
San Luis Obispo County Government Center,
which, he says, is 35 percent more efficient
than a conventional building. The center has
a raised floor design, similar to a computer
room, that allows the concrete floors and
ceilings to cool off at night, then keep the
interior cooler during the day. "This
type of design uses the climate, similar to
San Francisco's, for thermal comfort,"
Hobstetter said. "It reduces the need
for air conditioning by half each day." |
| Underfloor
Air Distribution & Access
Floors, Energy Design Resources,
Design Brief
"Underfloor
air distribution systems can be very
energy-efficient, even at increased flow
rates. Although underfloor systems generally
operate at higher flow rates than conventional
overhead systems, they typically consume
less energy than a conventional overhead
system due to a number of factors." |
| Lewis
& Clarke to Dedicate Another Green
Building, April 2005, The Business Journal,
Article
"Howard Hall
is expected to consume 40 percent less
energy than a typical building of the
same size, thanks in large part to raised-floor
displacement ventilation and night cooling
systems." |
Forest
Hills Fine Arts Center, November 2004, DCD
Magazine, Case Study
"Filled
with natural light and alive with creative
energy, the Forest Hills Public Schools Fine
Arts Center provides a stimulating background
for art, drama, dance and music..... The
theatre is exceptionally quiet, due in part
to a uniquely designed, highly efficient
HVAC system. Instead of pushing air from
the ceiling down 50 feet to the seats, heated
and cooled air flows through the plenum to
diffusers under the auditorium seats. The
result is significant energy savings, a more
comfortable environment, and a major reduction
in HVAC system noise." |
New
Construction Awards 2004: A New Dimension
- Private/Corporate Winner: ABN AMRO Plaza,
Jana J. Madsen, October 2004, Buildings Magazine,
Article
"The
ABN AMRO Plaza is only the second building
to be built in Chicago with an underfloor
plenum air distribution system. By taking
advantage of the natural convection process
(providing fresh air through floor diffusers
and drawing out return air through ceiling
diffusers), the system requires less energy." |
Airway
Systems, Joseph Halza, August 2004, Buildings
Magazine, Article
"Early
air-conditioning systems utilized air-distribution
systems with constant volume and variable
temperature to control space temperature.
In the 1970s, variable-air volume (VAV) revolutionized
how commercial buildings were air-conditioned......Now,
another revolution is under way: ductless
VAV systems. By eliminating ducts while augmenting
the benefits of VAV, these systems have the
potential to further improve comfort and
reduce energy costs." |
Energy
Efficiency Generated Beneath the Floorboards,
Steve Hritz, July 2004, Denver Business Journal,
Article
"Underfloor
conditioned air is brought directly into
the space at floor level.The used, warmer
air rises naturally -- along with contaminants
-- where it is deposited via ceiling vents.
This natural floor-to-ceiling flow of air
is not only cleaner, but cheaper. In our
particular climate, this can reduce air-conditioning
energy consumption by as much as 60 percent." |
A
Breath of Fresh Air from Below,
Albert Warson, September 2003,
Globe & Mail, Article
"Dermot
J. Sweeny Architects Inc. of
Toronto incorporated UFAD in
its design for the Microsoft
head office, as well as for 180
Duncan Mill Rd., a multitenant
office building in Toronto, and for a Southern
Graphics Systems Inc. building in Brampton,
Ont. The latter two were conversions of older
buildings.....Dermot Sweeny, an apostle of
raised-floor design, says the main benefits
of UFAD are energy savings, significant reductions
in operation costs, better air quality and
instant access to voice and power-data cabling." |
Energy
Efficiency=Productivity, July 2003, Buildings
Magazine, Article
"Jeffrey Hines,
president, Hines Interests LLC, Houston: Today,
our focus is more on the guts of the building.
Not that we don’t still like great architecture,
but in terms of where we’re trying
to be cutting edge, [we are] more internally
focused on building systems, the amount of
natural light that comes into a space, whether
we use raised flooring, and whether we allow
individual people at workstations to be able
to control their own environment. It certainly
is these types of things that affect energy
cost." |
Walking
On Air, Joseph Halza, July 2003, Today's Facility
Manager, Article
"Today,
UFADS are only being specified in approximately
10% of new construction projects. However,
users are finding that these systems can
deliver clean, conditioned air while affording
flexibility to facility managers and energy
savings to building owners. Compared to overhead
air distribution systems, UFADS save energy
because they can deliver slightly warmer
air at lower static pressure." |
| Raised
Floor Ventilation Gains Footing, Alex,
Frangos, July 2003, Wall Street Journal,
Article
"Raise the
floor. That's what building designers
are doing....The air system also is cheaper
to operate. Because the air enters the
office closer to the occupants, it doesn't
need to be as cool and is delivered at
around 65 degrees. Ceiling systems have
to cool hot air at the top of the room
before it gets to occupants below. Ceiling
systems pump air at around 55 degrees.
That requires more robust refrigeration
and heating equipment as well as stronger
fans. Because raised floors are more
energy-efficient, environmentally conscious
designers have adopted raised floor as
their preferred air-delivery system." |
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