The temperature of the air entering CH2 through the floor vents is usually around 20°C. This provides a basic ambient temperature control which is supplemented by additional cooling via the chilled ceiling panels and heating (through hydronic heating).
There are times throughout the year when the building does not need any supplementary heating or cooling to maintain thermal comfort.
When CH2 is in heating mode, additional heating is provided by hot water through an underfloor hydronic system located around the perimeter windows. Given that air supplied to CH2’s office spaces is already heated to about 20°C, when heat is required it is designed to be supplied at the points where heat loss is concentrated, that is the windows.
Hot water pipes are reticulated in the underfloor space along the north and south walls. In the floor beneath each window is a timber grille supplying radiant heat from the hydronic system. There are also small wall-mounted radiators along the south wall designed to assist with heat to areas restricted by full-height partitions.
The heat from the grilles under the windows acts to protect the office area from the cold by forming a warm air barrier around the perimeters, which rises into the space naturally using buoyancy, not fans.