TROX has developed and designed a decentralised ventilation system, fulfilling all the requirements of modern air conditioning, built into a slim-line sill unit just 195mm wide. TROX's pioneering FSL system has been installed into a ground breaking commercial building at the southern end of the Media Harbour, close to the centre of Düsseldorf. In the UK, its specification would be ideal not only for office complexes but also schools, hospitals and many other types of public building.
Capricorn House, Düsseldorf, creates an instant impact with its extraordinary shape and colours and is a working example of the most modern in building services technologies, creating the optimum in flexible office envrionments. The entire building has been designed as a low energy construction with a primary energy requirement 20% below the German energy saving regulations. The building is seven storeys high, with four basement levels, and potential office sizes range from 270 to 22700m2. The building services technology had to create all the preconditions for achieving maximum possible flexibility in the use of this space. It had, therefore, to be as decentralised as possible and take up minimal space.
The task was solved by building an active external façade, prefabricated in individual 2.7 x 3.35 metre modules with a clear installation space of 195mm for all utility supply and communications systems. The new TROX FSL sill unit is fitted into the modules at prefabrication stage and can be connected to all the supply lines with quick release couplings. There are no large space-grabbing plant rooms and no distribution ductwork, since outside air is drawn in through the façade of the building, resulting in the greatest degree of freedom for spatial planning.
Night cooling has been incorporated in the unit, alongside heat recovery, individually controllable supply airflow, recirculation function and free cooling.
Performance tests carried out by TROX before implementation demonstrated clearly that the high requirements in respect of noise insulation, wind proofing and protection from driving rain could be met without problem.
The FSL unit comprises a lower part firmly fixed to the façade panel of the building with outdoor air and exhaust air dampers and the function box mounted above this. Outside air is taken in through the opening in the façade and passes through an independently operating mechanical volume flow controller that limits the fresh airflow rate to a set maximum. The air is cleaned inside the unit by a F6 fine dust filter.
The air then passes through a heat recovery unit in which part of the heat energy in the extracted air is transferred to the fresh air inlet through aluminium heat exchanger surfaces. The supply air radial fan discharges the supply air through a heat exchanger with a heating and cooling function and then through the building side sill trim into the room with a displacement air characteristic. The extract air is taken through the sill trim above the unit and is filtered. The extract air then passes through the heat recovery unit.
With this slim-line TROX FSL unit, all the air conditioning is contained within the façade of the building, not only saving space but also providing total integration with the structure of the building and an inconspicuous appearance.
