It may sound like a contradiction in terms,but mass customisation is the way forward for building services design,according to leading multi-service chilled beam specialist Trox UK.
Standardisation has been the watchword in the building services industry for more than a decade with many organisations pointing to its perceived benefits – better quality,faster construction, predictability and tighter cost control.
But,according to Trox UK,this approach can also have a significant downside – design inflexibility.The problem,says the company,is that standardisation can lead to regimentation,which constrains the building services installation designer.In other words, standardisation can mean lower costs,but at the expense of uniformity.At the other extreme,customisation increases flexibility, but it is also far more expensive which is why Trox favours a third way –‘mass customisation’,which is essentially the mass production of personalised products.
Terry Farthing,Sales and Marketing Director of Trox UK,explains:“We believe we have come up with a way of bringing the engineering and architectural sides together without compromising design or performance.This has enabled us to develop a situation where there is no conflict.We call this the Trox Design Bureau collaborative design process.”
Mass customisation requires that the factory is adaptable and agile, and these are the two drivers at Trox’s Thetford plant,particularly in the design and manufacture of multi-service chilled beams(MSCBs)of which Trox has a 65 per cent UK market share.
Trox’s mass customisation process can be applied to any building larger than 30,000 sq ft.The architect is able to control the aesthetics of the MSCBs,but he also works in harmony with the engineer,who can satisfy the functional elements and performance demands.The process ensures that there is no conflict between the two.
For example,the MSCBs might be installed into an exposed structure – normally concrete,to add the benefit of thermal mass cooling.This structure can be flat or coffered so the architect doesn’t have to compromise on the structural design.If he wants to put the beams in a suspended ceiling,he is able to do this too,and still get all the benefits of a customised beam face.
On top of this,the architect can integrate partition locations wherever he wishes.This could be on a standard 1,500mm planning grid, but it doesn’t have to be – the architect has the freedom to change this configuration on a project-by-project basis.
He can also dictate that on a certain beam he wants a partition location for future use at any point along that beam.
The design can incorporate an active or a passive chilled beam so the air is supplied either within the beam or from another location, typically from the floor for a passive beam.
Lighting also impacts on aesthetics.Trox’s beam can integrate lighting that helps to satisfy the LG3 requirement(eliminating the cave effect to avoid a gloomy ceiling overhead with all the light projected downwards).So,for instance,the architect can produce a design that discharges light upwards to create unusual lighting effects at the same time as helping to eliminate this cave effect.He can also integrate coloured prisms,throw the light out sideways, change the colour of the lighting and so on.
As Trox,Marketing Manager,Guy Hutchins points out;this mass customisation process leads to a high degree of flexibility.“The engineering skills and knowledge that the Trox Design Bureau has built up allows us to dip into each of these spheres of importance – lighting, comfort,aesthetics and performance.We have a team of engineers experienced in each of these disciplines,which enables us to help the architect with constructive ideas and information.
Most manufacturers are geared up to sell a product.Our Design Bureau collaborates in the system design”.
Few companies seem to go in for mass customisation.Indeed,the trend is often in the opposite direction – manufacturing standard products and then either tweaking the standard design or bolting elements onto it.While other manufacturers tend to start from a standard base,Trox will begin with a blank sheet of paper.
Every project presents different challenges in terms of the interface of the beam with the structure.Some architects wish to make a feature of the interface,others want to disguise it.This decision will be made by the architect,but how can he have confidence that the design will actually work on site?
Mr Hutchins says that this is where Trox’s collaborative approach really pays off:“There is inevitably a balance between aesthetics and performance – every time you change the aesthetics there is always an impact on the performance of the beam.In our laboratory,we have the resources and experience to model the beams aerodynamically, thermodynamically and acoustically.So,whatever the architect does to the beam,we will work with him to ensure that the design of the building isn’t compromised and the specification that needs to be met is adhered to.”
Trox’s laboratory in Thetford can be used to mock up the lighting, aerodynamics,and measure the thermal performance and the acoustics, to give the architect the confidence that the balance is right.
“They don’t have to wait until they get on site to find out whether or not it will work.They know when they leave the factory that they have a cast-iron performance guarantee,” says Mr Hutchins.
Another advantage of Trox MSCBs is that engineers within the Trox Design Bureau are geographically close to every project in which they are involved.The company believes it is crucial to offer a locally available design resource that includes manufacturing and research & development, as well as engineering expertise.
Mr Farthing explains:“Every time the project goes through a collaborative design process there are always parts that are highly pressurised,where the client needs to sign off the aesthetics.Doing this remotely is more difficult.Even when you do the design electronically,you still need the meeting of minds of the manufacturer’s designer,the architect and the engineer.You need this human contact and interaction, and we can provide it.”
But Trox’s collaborative approach does not stop at the beam design. It also involves working on the way the beam is fitted to onsite services.For example,Trox will ensure that all the cabling for the MSCBs is attached,and the hoses are ready for connection to pipes on site.The company will even program the lighting control module on the beam.In fact,it will do as much as it can to customise the services side as well,so that when the equipment gets to site it is quicker and easier to install.
Lowering your overheads… overhead
The Trox Design Bureau brings together the company’s engineering and technical departments into what Trox describes as ‘an expert,highly- focused team that is able to advise on the elements that go to make up Trox’s packaged and integrated multi-service chilled beams (MSCBs)’.
These elements – any or all of which can be incorporated into the Trox MSCB – include chilled beams for air conditioning,sprinkler systems for fire control,a comprehensive range of lighting and public address systems.
The MSCB saves money for the end user because several functions are accommodated in a single, neat and attractive unit.
Business benefits for the site team include lower costs and faster, easier and less disruptive installation.
Guy Hutchins says:“The MSCB can form a distinctive architectural feature in any commercial application,whether new or refurbished.It is a refined and elegant solution to climate control.
It frees architects to experiment with bold and flexible interior designs while, at the same time,offering the building occupants the very best in indoor air quality and comfort.”
Terry Farthing adds:“The MSCB enables the client to specify,say, the type of light fitting and the performance of the chilled beam and we then operate as part of the design team alongside the architect, consultant or project manager.
“It can also carry pipework and electrical wiring, particularly useful in buildings that make a feature of exposed ceilings.All this enables the Trox Design Bureau – working in close partnership with the building’s designers – to offer a flexible,bespoke service to produce the best solution for the project and everybody involved.
