Underfloor cooling from low temperature groundwater.

Selected for this unique building, Warmafloor supplied and installed an underfloor cooling system which is fitted with the building slab.

The low energy Warmafloor systems utilises ground water at 13°C which is pumped from the earth through the embedded Warmafloor pipe coils providing any additional cooling that is necessary.

BRE's Environmental Building provides a model for offices for the 21st Century. Innovative and environmentally advanced, it demonstrates the way for the future based on a platform of new low-energy targets.

It is the first building to use, as part of the design brief, one Performance Specification drawn up by the Energy Efficient Office of the future (EOF) Group, a partnership between BRE, manufacturers designers, fuel utilities and other building professionals. The building has achieved the highest possible BREEAM rating.

Research and monitoring criteria were developed at the planning stage, and performance assessment, which has run from the outset, is continuing after occupation.

Low-Energy

The building not only provides a working office with low energy consumption in use, but also to serve as a large-scale experimental facility for evaluating various innovative technologies. The Performance Specification, a key element of the building brief, dictates performance targets for energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions, represent a 30% improvement.

However, energy efficiency is only acceptable when the design leads to a comfortable, healthy working environment. Consequently, the EOF Performance Specification considers thermal, visual and aural comfort, environmental health issues; and indoor air quality.