Trox (UK) has supplied 700 space, cost and maintenance saving multi service chilled beams (MSCBs) to Oxfam’s headquarters in a contract worth £250,000.
Trox SPL DID 600-4 active and passive MSCBs were fitted in the reception, offices, crèche and conference areas of the three-storey HQ building in Oxford.
The nine MSCBs in the reception and the four exposed passive units in the conference areas incorporate air diffusers and downlights. The five exposed units in the crèche are fitted with uplighters so they do not disturb the children playing below.
Active chilled beams installed in the offices, which provide both heating and cooling, are constructed of aluminium extrusion with perforated faces in five sizes to integrate with the adjacent ceiling.
Following design approval from consultant, Hurley Palmer Flatt, and design and build contractor, IEI Building Services Engineers, Trox manufactured samples of the beams before a building module mock up was built in the test facility at Trox’s Thetford factory. Thermal and lighting performance tests were also conducted. The factory assembled chilled beams were delivered to site in returnable cases for protection and ease of handling on site.
The DID multi service chilled beam offers significant benefits for both installers and end-users.
First, it can be installed in shallow ceiling voids because of the space it saves by circulating all the air within its casing. This contrasts with traditional beams that rely on air drawn from the void; they require an air gap between the beam and the slab to ensure adequate performance, and consequently demand more ceiling height.
Secondly, the DID beam uses less energy than conventional fan coil units and therefore costs less to run.
Thirdly, because there are no filters to change and no moving parts in the DID unit itself (because it is effectively a fanless fan coil), the unit is virtually maintenance free.
The beams can be supplied with luminaires that satisfy both British Standards and health and safety regulations relating to the illumination required in environments where VDUs will be used. Alternatively, they can be supplied with a plain box to take any type or make of linear light fitting.
The range, which has been designed to fit a 600mm ceiling grid, is available in sizes up to 1,800mm long and offers either cooling only, or cooling and heating options.
Trox (UK)’s Trevor Minns said: “The DID multi service beam is a refined and elegant solution to climate control. The chilled beams combine a pleasing appearance with the established technology of our already successful DID range of active beams.
“Our MSUs enable 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. 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 MSU solution for the project.”