Trox was faced with the problem of combining the air conditioning and lighting into the 7,000 multi-service units to be installed in the two office buildings, without compromising the quality of the occupants’ comfort or the light output.

Guy Hutchins, Business Development Manager at Trox (UK), explained: “When cold air is blown from a slot diffuser across a light fitting, the air cools the lamp, reducing its light output. Ideally, all the air should be blown away from the light fitting. However, doing so on this particular project would have created an air distribution problem, resulting in the room temperature becoming uncomfortable. “The only alternative was to blow some of the air over the light fitting. To achieve an optimum air distribution pattern both for the occupants and the light fitting, we used an adjustable diffuser, incorporating a multidirectional air deflection cylinder. This allowed us to direct individual jets of air at an angle of 45 degrees downwards to the centre of the unit.It was, of course, important not to dim the light output and it was only through careful analysis that we were able to strike the right balance between lighting and comfort.”

Trox worked closely with lamp supplier, Thorn Lighting, to optimise the light and airflow rate from the diffusers to minimise their impact on the lights. It also adapted its VSD high induction slot diffusers to incorporate adjustable blades and redesigned the directional cylinder to achieve the airflow flexibility required for this application. Cooling onto the rear of the light was also minimised by using a thermal acoustic jacket.

Trox spent three months optimising the lighting and comfort,but equally important was the acoustic performance. The combined effect of noise from the four supply diffusers in each multi-service unit was carefully optimised to ensure maximum induction and performance.

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