Current News Items
News Archive
Feature Articles
List of AET Installations |
|
PRESS RELEASE
AET COOL PRUDENTIALThe Hiross FlexibleSpace underfloor air-conditioning system and Nesite raised access floor has just been installed by Bel-Air in association with Advanced Ergonomic Technologies, the world-wide main agent for the system at the new Beacon House Prudential building at Clarendon Dock in Belfast. Clarendon Dock is a 20 acre site within the 200 hectare Belfast Harbour. The harbour area is currently being transformed under the supervision of the urban regeneration body Laganside.The FlexibleSpace system has been installed over 5,000 sq. ms. at Beacon House and was supplied and fitted in less than 15 weeks and well within budget. This exceeded the client's expectations so helping to reduce construction times and minimise disruption to other trades. Beacon House comprises of 52,000 sq. ft of office space and Prudential has taken a 15-year lease on all five floors of the property. The contract spend on fitting out the building was £3.1m while the overall spend by Prudential exceeds £7m. The property will accommodate the projected expansion of Prudential's life and pensions customer services operations over the next four years.
Raised Access Floors too...
AET have also supplied a Nesite raised access floor to complement the underfloor plenums. The Nesite flooring employs pedestals and air-tight stringers which form a variable height steel substructure with modular panels giving a uniform surface that appears and behaves like a solid floor. The resulting void between the access floor panels and the original surface is then used to house AET's modular air-conditioning Fantiles but it also facilitates the laying of IT cables. In a PC-intensive environment such as Beacon House, ease of cable management is a crucial issue and Nesite became the ideal choice. The Nesite flooring at this location has a predominantly carpet finish but high class finishes in rest areas include Dalsouple and American cherry wood in the restaurant area. Such features enhance the aesthetics of this exciting building.
The modular nature of the AET equipment ensures that additional air-conditioning Fantiles can be added should cooling requirements increase. Extra Fantiles simply replace tiles in the Nesite raised access floor. Similarly, as usage of the building evolves the Fantiles can be relocated in a matter of seconds avoiding all the structural costs and disruption associated with changes to conventional ceiling-based air-conditioning systems. Digital in the South of France have quoted a 30% reduction in the cost of facilities related operating costs after using the FlexibleSpace system in their building.
Staff in and working since AprilStaff began working in Beacon House in April. It is expected that the building will finally house over 550 staff who will operate the Prudential's existing claims payment centre and new customer service-related functions. During the life of the building it is inevitable that changes to layout ands services will occur. The FlexibleSpace system is expected to offer savings perhaps as high as £100/sq. metre when compared with the cost of changes to a conventional fan/coil or VAV system. The development was supported by a grant from the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland.User feedback has already been very positive. Staff have reported the absence of draughts and reductions in tension headaches. They also appreciate the ability to adjust fan speeds to suit their own requirements bearing in mind individual metabolisms and dress preferences.
All pipes and ducts are under the floorTraditional ceiling based air-conditioning creates the tangle of pipes and ducts which are inherently difficult to access, maintain and clean and lead in some cases to the development of Sick Building Syndrome. By taking air through the floor, the Hiross system allows far greater accessibility and maintenance is far easier. The architects found a good deal of freedom with interior design while being able to maximise layout flexibility. The building will have at least 480 PC terminals and cooling requirements are likely to be in the region of 120 watts/sq. metre. The architects were given a good deal of freedom with aspect ratios while being able to maximise layout flexibility. The building will have at least 480 PC terminals and cooling requirements are likely to be in the region of 120 watts/sq. metre.
EU5 Grade filters even remove pollenBeacon House is benefiting from AET/Hiross's conditioned air module (CAM) units. Each unit has been supplied with EU5 grade filters which will assist in removing fine particulate from the air such as pollen and other allergens thus improving the indoor air quality and reducing symptoms of hay fever and other respiratory and eye irritations. The CAM units address cooling and heating needs by distributing the air under the floor through plenums in place of conventional ducts. As a result horizontal distribution ductwork is virtually eliminated and the floor voids are fully accessible for the routing of cables and other services at any time. Chilled or hot water is supplied to individual coils in each unit via 3-way valves that control the flow according to the needs of each CAM. The building is divided into 27 separate zones served by \C15, C25 and C35 CAM units with appropriate base frames to accommodate the varying supply and return air configurations to be found at different locations in the building. Hiross CAM units operate at low noise level and thus can be enclosed in partitions or left free-standing in shafts, corridors, technical rooms or in working areas.The architect was Coogan and Company who performed the design for the developer Cusp Ltd. The interior design was performed by Belfast-based BDP (Building Design Partnership.) Colin Chestnutt, a director of BDP comments: 'Our brief was to produce a flexible open plan office environment which would appeal to staff of varying ages and from different backgrounds. The occupational density necessitated leading-edge air-conditioning. The AET equipment is highly effective in the way that it uses CAM units to deliver conditioned air through Fantiles via the floor plenums.'
Staff can hear themselves thinkHe continues: 'This approach allowed us to abandon a traditional suspended ceiling and opt for a ceiling solution in monolithic plasterboard fixed directly to the underside of the floorslab. Given the amount of telephone activity in the building, acoustic retention was an issue and we have been able to install mineral wool tiles which create coffers so improving the acoustic performance of the space.'Mr Chestnutt expands: The fact that the AET/Hiross equipment underfloor air-conditioning gave us flexibility with regard to the ceiling allowed us to incorporate stretched fabric sails which not only further improve acoustic performance but also create visual interest. The building's aesthetics are further enhanced by boldly coloured partitions and joinery items together with a largely indirect, task-specific lighting system. The combination of semi-translucent and clear elements in the corridors is also an attractive feature.' A significant role in the project has been played by Watts and Partners who work for Prudential in Northern Ireland and England. Watts and Partners are a multi-disciplinary construction company with particular strength in building surveying. Michael Johnston, Lead Partner at the Belfast office of Watts and Pntrs. comments: 'We adapted the impressive design by Kevin Coogan to suit our client's needs. The property must be among the highest specified working environments in Belfast. We were able to progress from traditional solutions and make innovative use of the underfloor voids both for cable management and air-conditioning via the AET FlexibleSpace system.'
Favourable Capital AllowancesAnother significant advantage of the Hiross system is the ability to claim capital allowances of 25-40 per cent per year on the U.K. mainland and 100 per cent in Northern Ireland as a writing down allowance. Most businesses think of capital allowances as relating to machinery and traditional items of plant. However, use of floor voids as an air plenum changes the status of raised access floor from 'fixture' to 'plant and equipment'. In addition, anything that is placed on the floor such as air-conditioning Fantiles and demountable partitions and the like also qualify for capital allowances.
A stunning view across the LaganBeacon House is located at the entrance to Clarendon Dock and the building has a stunning view across the Lagan which includes the Harland and Wolfe shipyard where the Titanic was constructed. Staff facilities include a high quality restaurant and gymnasium together with vending points and informal meeting/relaxation areas on each floor. These are also served by the FlexibleSpace system. The fourth floor incorporates a dramatic double height space with full height glazing to the river elevation affording excellent views of the city and docks area. Here the fabric sails are much larger and their individual illumination creates a stunning vista viewed from the nearby M3 as it crosses the Lagan. The building's reception area sits below the five-floor rotunda void and is finished in attractive Kirkstone seagreen slate and an Armacoat special plaster finish.
A final comment from Glan Blake ThomasGlan Blake Thomas, Managing Director of AET comments: 'As we approach the beginning of the third millennium we should stop and consider for a moment that offices under construction today will, through user demand and government legislation, be under far greater scrutiny from occupants than buildings have in the past. Buildings that are incapable of meeting the demands of the users or the legislation may never find a tenant or may simply lose their occupation permit or at the least their tenants. Either way it is inconceivable that businesses will survive in inappropriately designed buildings. As the world market-place becomes smaller and even more competitive it is essential that facilities in Northern Ireland offer the most cost effective solutions for their businesses. This places a greater duty on designers to build in flexibility not just in cabling but in all elements of the structure and other services to ensure that the buildings become true assets of the tenants now and in the future and not white elephants or mill stones around the neck.Continuing he says: 'I believe that the concept of FlexibleSpace is becoming recognised the world over as a common sense approach to servicing a building cost effectively and I believe that it will make a very real and positive contribution in reducing operating costs in Beacon House while also improving staff comfort and effectiveness.' |
![[ Top ]](images/top.gif){kind=small}
|
Current News Items
News Archive
Feature Articles
List of AET Installations |
 |
|
AET Homepage
Introduction to FSS
AET Consultancy
Hiross Air Conditioning
Nesite Raised Access Floors
AET Venitzia Range of Carpet Tiles
Electropatent underfloor cabling
Movinord Partitioning
|