Displacement air terminal units from Trox are helping the new Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport to achieve outstanding levels of energy efficiency. The units are housed in stunning purpose-designed stainless steel grilles which enhance the aesthetic effects created by the architect. In addition, the 75,000sq m terminal uses approximately two thirds less energy compared to other equivalent buildings.
The visually striking new terminal has been created for Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) by a design team including Arup, Mace and architects Pascall+Watson. Opened officially in November 2010, it will eventually have the capacity to handle 15 million passengers per year, both short and long-haul. It is already being heralded as a landmark building, receiving a Structural Steel Design Award and being named Public Building of the Year.
Seamless integration
Working in close cooperation with the architect, consultant and contractor, P J Hegarty, Trox supplied a range of specially engineered internal diffusers which sit inside architectural stainless steel grilles. These include column units (designed to be mounted around the structural columns to hide them), in addition to cylindrical and rectangular floor-mounted diffusers. Other Trox diffusers have been designed specifically for wall mounting, and for installation in wall recesses.
During the design phase, the diffusers underwent extensive testing at Trox’s laboratory in Thetford. They were put through their paces fitted into the exact architectural steel covers designed for the building, to analyse and prove performance of the equipment prior to installation on site. The end result is seamless integration between the aesthetic impact of the space and its building services, with the stainless steel external structures for the diffusers enhancing the space.
As displacement is possibly the most energy efficient way of cooling large open spaces such as airports, the choice of technology has also enabled the DAA to make significant improvements in terms of carbon reduction.