DEMAND DOUBLES FOR MULTI SERVICE CHILLED BEAMS
14/02/2008
Typical 1960's refurbished building.
Typical 1960's refurbished building.
The multi service chilled beam (MSCB) market has doubled in size in just over 3 years. Terry Farthing, Head of Communications at TROX UK, who have over a 50% share of this market, gives his views on how this sector is set to go through the ceiling.
Independent research organisation BSRIA estimates that the market for chilled beams grew by 33 per cent in 2006 compared with 2005 and predicted further growth of 40 per cent for last year. However the all embracing term chilled beam includes, of course, the MSCB which in value terms is between 2 and 5 times greater than that of a commodity beam. As such the great surge in market value reported by BSRIA has been heavily influenced by the popularity of the MSCB's. Indeed, over the last five years, they have really come of age, with leading developers such as Land Securities and Stanhope acknowledging their benefits and starting to install them on increasingly large and prestigious projects including speculative office developments. There are, in fact, a wide range of good reasons for the enthusiastic approval with which MSCB's are now being greeted.
One of the most important is related to their superb energy efficiency performance. MSCB's are the most energy efficient terminal air conditioning system and compared to constant speed AC fan coils the saving in carbon emissions is around 15%. This in itself is a compelling reason to utilise this new air conditioning system. However there are many other features which are making this system so popular.
Sustainability is becoming another major influence in the selection of air conditioning systems. With MSCB the chilled water temperatures are elevated at 14ºC flow and 17ºC return. This means that renewables such as ground water can be more effectively utilised. Also with sustainability you have the life of the building and system to consider. Most pre 1970 office buildings have a low floor slab to soffit height. Traditional comfort cooling solutions require a false ceiling which reduces this height too much. Hence, landlords tend to opt for expensive new build to ensure a modern office environment and sufficient space for the increased cabling and other services. However, MSCB's solve the space problem because they can be fitted directly to the soffit and be left exposed, meaning that there is no need for a false ceiling. This, in turn, means that the slab to soffit height is sufficient, even in refurbished buildings. TROX, for example, has supplied MSCB's successfully down to 2.8m high which allows 100mm false floor and no false ceiling. So MSCB's offer the opportunity to modernise and recycle older buildings – a more sustainable solution that also costs less and is available quicker.
With the MSCB's there are no moving parts, no fans, no filters, and as such the life of the unit is much longer than with a traditional air conditioning system. Typically fan coils have a life of 15-20 years, whereas with MSCB's it is in excess of 30 years. Product or system life is an important and often overlooked factor in the sustainability argument.
As mentioned above, with exposed MSCB's there is no need to have a false ceiling. Most false ceilings in modern office buildings are hiding an array of cables, pipes, ducting, etc., which can now be incorporated into an architecturally designed raft. Anyone looking above a false ceiling would be amazed at the untidiness and dust and dirt that is allowed to accumulate above sophisticated machines and people who need a clean, controlled working environment.
With MSCB's it’s the first time the architect can style the appearance of the services to virtually whatever appeals most. It’s not a case of “cost doesn’t matter” either, because the customisation can be achieved with a minimal premium, probably less than 2% of the MSCB value.
This is achieved by manufacturing the façade of the beam or “services raft” from interlocking architectural grade of extruded aluminium. The shape and visual appearance can easily be changed by using different extrusions. If new extrusions are required, which is often the case, tooling costs are minimal compared to rolled steel sections. Because of the very tight tolerances that can be achieved with extruded aluminium this material is ideally suited for the long lengths used in the manufacture of MSCB's. The appearance of MSCB running along the soffit without false ceilings needs to meet the stringent and high standards set by the architect. They need to produce a straight smooth continuous appearance along the installed lengths of up to 30 metres (see picture 1). So when you look along the whole length in an open plan office there are no obvious joins, “ripple effect” or alignment problems often associated with rolled steel sections.
Off-site prefabrication of the beams is another significant benefit which enables a consistent high quality product to be achieved within a controlled environment. Prefabricating MSCB's in the factory also has a dramatic positive impact on their performance because the quality of the build can be tightly controlled and individual components can be tested so the professional team knows precisely how each will perform in a given space. Prefabrication also improves speed, quality, safety and sustainability (waste materials can be recycled more easily in the factory, and traffic movements can be lessened, which is better for the environment).
Another advantage with MSCB's is that they produce very high comfort levels. This is because the air enters the room at relatively low velocity levels and the supply air temperature is higher than with fan coil systems. This eliminates any complaints concerning cold spots or draughts. The noise levels are also low since there is no terminal fan.
With so many advantages an enthusiastic sales approach may get the customer wondering, can all this be true! Since these benefits are fact and with more people discovering the advantages of MSCB's the days of the uninspiring, flat false ceiling could be over.
Over and above these benefits there has been a significant change in our attitudes to environmental issues which have been influenced by:-
• Legislation
• Politics
• Corporate Responsibility
Legislation: The impact of Part L is in itself significant but other targets are being sought, for example a high standard of energy efficiency within the proposed building labelling. This will bring about further pressure on energy reduction measures – beyond Part L – so that investors and developers can be certain their building will remain up-to-date and marketable. The more aware the market becomes of the relative energy efficiency of the building the more important this issue becomes and will totally convert the rather conservative attitude of the letting agents.
Politics: Currently all parties seem to be entering a competition as to who can be “greenest”. It is certain to become a major issue at the next elections bringing more and more publicity to the carbon emissions debate. This will move public opinion significantly towards sustainability and saving scarce resources.
Public awareness could also encourage the Government to go for more demanding carbon emission targets potentially making buildings that currently just meet Part L obsolete in less than 10 years.
Corporate Responsibility: Companies are becoming increasingly aware that they have a moral duty to help cut carbon emissions. However, there are also hard-headed business reasons for them to take environmental concerns seriously. Since people have begun to recognise the reality (and the consequent dangers) of climate change, and have therefore changed their attitudes to the way the environment is treated, the ecosystem has become a competitive issue among companies.
The image of major retail companies like M&S and Tesco, for example, has been strengthened because they have taken an enlightened and progressive stance on the issue and this is leading to the greening of industry in general. This also applies to many property developers who want to market up to date low energy buildings.
Building labelling is also going to make the energy consumption more transparent and will strengthen the case with building owners and developers to utilise MSCB.
Therefore the multi service chilled beam market is set to continue to grow and will very soon become the leading terminal air conditioning system. The arguments are compelling and the progressive reduced carbon emission limitations will make this a formality.
Summary of Benefits of MSCB's
