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Looking at the bigger picture
With new headquarters currently under construction, the development of an environmentally sustainable UFH solution and a growing list of high profile projects, Warmafloor looks well placed to expand its share of the commercial underfloor heating market. PHAM news recently visited the Southampton company to find out more about what it has to offer.
For anyone who has any doubts about the viability of underfloor heating, then a glance at a file of completed projects from Warmafloor should be enough to quash them. The Southampton based company estimates that it is currently completing around 500 projects a year and can point to a lengthy listing of satisfied clients over its 20 year history. Applications include some of the country's most high profile buildings, such as the British Museum in London, the National Gallery and the Building Research Establishment. In the last two years, over 300 schools have benefited from the company's UFH expertise, alongside several hospitals, nursing homes and leisure centres.
Much of the company's success has been built on its ability to take total control over an installation, including design, installation and commissioning of the system. "We offer a complete service", explains MD Mike Lamb. "We have our engineers and our own teams of fitters, and our own commissioning guys. In fact, we don't sub-contract anything- and we do it at a very competitive rate. Using sub-contractors may work in the domestic market, but in the commercial sector you cannot afford to take the risk of using sub-contractors who may or may not be there at the end of the day.
"We take full responsibility for the underfloor heating and we take a scientific approach to every aspect of what we're doing. We give the client something that we know will work and will operate to the design parameters of the building."
All Warmafloor systems are computer designed, with drawings showing full pipework layouts, pipe lengths, thermostat and manifold positions, controls and floor details. A wide range of floor types can be accommodated, including solid concrete and screeded floors, floating floors, timber joists and sprung floors.
Our involvement in a project starts from the earliest stage, sometimes before it has even got off a drawing board", says UK Sales Manager Malcolm Jaques. "The gestation time of these projects can often be two or three years, but we're right in from the very beginning and we work closely with the consultant engineers and architects." "We're effectively selling peace of mind" adds General Manager Dave King. "Our aim is to take an order and then take the stress away from people."
With the increasing burden of regulations and general red tape, many consultants and architects no doubt appreciate having one potential headache taken care of. And as Dave King explains, the challenge of fitting an underfloor heating system is not something to be underestimated.
"What some people don't seem to realise is just how technical underfloor heating is. These days you have to consider various regulations, building acoustics, health and safety issues and sundry other requirements. Every job we do now, we have to produce a risk assessment and method statement.
One recent project has been Gloucester's new £19m police headquarters, which combines Geothermal ground source heat pumps with Warmafloor's heating & cooling system.
Green Minded
The company prides itself on its ability to deliver a system that will have a minimal impact on the environment, reflecting today's demand for sustainable construction. Its UFH systems predominantly use polystyrene insulation manufactured using steam injection, avoiding any need for environmentally harmful gases. The polybutylene underfloor pipe, manufactured by Hepworth, is said to use less energy in production than many alternatives and can also be recycled at the end of a building's life. "One of our biggest achievements has been to ensure that all our installations have zero global warming potential." says Mike Lamb. "We've effectively re-invented ourselves to be as green as we possibly could be. I have always been concerned about energy, CO? emissions, and the environmental impact of the materials we use and I'm really proud of the standards we have achieved.
In addition to its established environmental policy, the company believes that its ability to combine underfloor cooling with the heating system offers a more sustainable option to other air cooling alternative. The underfloor cooling system is a simple but effective concept, operating by the circulation of cold water in the embedded floor surface, providing a cooled slab which absorbs heat from the cooled space. A similar system can be used to provide 'structural conditioning', with heating and cooling elements built into walls and ceilings.
"More and more companies are looking at heating and cooling solutions, and underfloor heating is a very good way of heating and conditioning a building, says Malcolm Jaques. "Climate research suggests that temperatures will be rising over the next 50 years and designers need to consider a building not just for the needs for today but also for the future.
The immediate future for Warmafloor certainly looks promising, with the company set to open new purpose-built headquarters, complete with warehousing and training facilities, in August this year. Currently employing 12 teams of installers, the continued growth in the business is likely to mean an increase in staff levels in the coming months- and even more names added to the client list.
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