Eco-friendly systems that help to reduce a building’s energy costs, at the same time as they maximise occupier comfort, will debut with Armstrong Ceilings at Ecobuild 2012.
CoolZone tiles, which feature Phase Change Material (PCM) that absorbs heat to delay the requirement for air conditioning, will showcase on Armstrong Ceilings’ stand (N1120) that will itself help to demonstrate how the system works.
The results of a trial currently underway in the [overheating] meeting room of an office in London are also due to be revealed at the show (March 20-22).
Armstrong will also present a ‘Ceilings and the Environment’ RIBA-assessed CPD at the RIBA Village stand on March 20th at 2.15pm and March 21st at 3.30pm.
CoolZone incorporates BASF Micronal phase change material into Armstrong’s plain metal ceiling tiles. This material – microscopic polymer capsules containing a wax storage medium – is embedded in gypsum and then encased in the metal tile.
On heating during the day and cooling at night, the wax melts and solidifies. In this way the internal temperature is regulated, ensuring a stable and comfortable environment in which to work, whether it is commercial, retail, healthcare or educational buildings.
Armstrong CoolZone improves thermal comfort and contributes to the intelligent energy management and commercial success of a building in a number of ways:
- It reduces or eliminates the need for air conditioning – in tests, the CoolZone tiles delayed the onset of air conditioning by approximately four to five hours in an average office. Not only can this save around 40% of the HVAC energy costs and reduce peaks in demand for air conditioning but it can also help to improve the thermal comfort for the occupants.
- It is a passive solution requiring no energy that is easy to incorporate into existing buildings and is therefore ideal for renovation and refurbishment.
- It is a flexible solution that can be moved within rooms to deal with areas of high heat load, from room to room, and can even be switched from building to building.
To reflect the features and benefits of phase change material, Armstrong’s stand at Ecobuild will feature warm (red) and cool (blue) zones and help to demonstrate phase change technology using mediums such as cooling/heating panels and thermal imaging.
Technical assistance will be provided by Armstrong Atelier and representatives from BASF who developed the Micronal phase change material.
The launch of Armstrong’s CoolZone system is the latest development in the company’s portfolio of solutions that are sustainable, such as recycling programmes for waste management, and that maximise end user comfort, such as the new-generation of OP acoustic ceilings.
Acoustic OP ceilings provide the highest level (Class A) of sound absorption (?w = 1.00), and combined with indirect lighting to optimise their high light reflectance (90%), are capable of helping to produce energy savings where artificial lighting is required.