Product category:
Pipes
News Release from: Wavin Plastics | Subject: Osma Underfloor Heating
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 15 June 2005
Wavin Plastics and the Straw House
Energy efficient heating system suited to the structure of the Straw House and Osma Underfloor Heating was the obvious choice.
When you think of an award winning structure, a Straw House in Islington, North London, wouldn't be the first thing to come to mind But, as an environmentally friendly construction, and the first of its kind in the UK, the architects were faced with a number of challenges
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 18 Sep 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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One such challenge was to source an energy efficient heating system suited to the structure of the Straw House.
Osma Underfloor Heating was the obvious choice.
The Straw House is designed, owned and occupied by architects Jeremy Till and Sarah Wigglesworth, and was constructed utilising materials chosen for their low embodied energy, such as sand bags and strawbales.
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The building was highly experimental and based on extensive research of new materials and construction techniques.
Sarah Wigglesworth describes the house as; "providing a model of sustainable living in an urban environment, whilst promoting a spatial and relaxing environment within which to live and work".
Sarah continues: "The Straw House is just as much an office space as it is a home and all the components of the house from the steel structure to the interior aspects were chosen to reflect this".
An underfloor heating system was the obvious solution, providing unrivalled benefits over radiators, with a much more even and comfortable heating effect whilst being completely unobtrusive.
It was, in fact, Sarah Wigglesworth who made the initial contact with Osma Underfloor Heating in her quest to find an energy efficient and safe heating solution for the Straw House.
Underfloor heating systems operate through the transfer of heat by natural radiation from a surface which needs to be only slightly warmer than the room temperature.
The floor is normally warmed to 26-29degc which is about the same temperature as the palm of your hand.
The architecture and design of the Straw House provides an innovative twist to the Islington landscape, and internally the building is equally planned and thought out, utilising space for the utmost effect.
Each room has been carefully planned with the office located to close to the street, fronting onto the railway line and the house is at the back.
In order to reduce noise levels, the office is protected externally with sandbag cladding.
By means of a bespoke service, each of the rooms is fitted with an Osma Underfloor Heating system to complement the interior by way of shape and structure of the property.
For the office first floor, 50mm pocketed polystyrene was supplied.
The panels are rigid sheets of extruded insulation with channels cut into the surface, into which the pipe is pressed.
At various intervals along the surface, the channels are widened to pockets that are slightly deeper than the diameter of the pipe.
Between the pockets, the short sections of channel act as grippers to hold the pipe in place.
As soon as the pipe is laid, it is then possible to lay the screed on top.
Once dry, a full range of tile, timber and carpet floor finishes can be added.
Craig Parker, project manager at Osma Underfloor Heating commented: "The Osma pocketed polystyrene is the ideal product for the office location providing a substantial heat source where it is needed most.
A key benefit of underfloor heating in an office environment is that it does not restrict the usage of space, enabling the floor to be used in its entirety and without detracting from the architectural features of the room".
On the second floor of the office, a Modular Chipboard system was supplied, designed for suspended or battened floors.
The chipboard is a 22mm moisture resistant 2400 x 600 tongued and grooved flooring panel, with a serpentine channel in the underside, to which a 10mm diameter pipe is pressed.
The underside of the panel is then covered with an aluminium foil and the top surface is printed to show the exact location of the pipes.
Craig Parker continued: "The Osma modular chipboard replaces the floor deck that would normally be put in place during the construction process.
This product incorporates both the floor deck and heating system, considerably reducing installation time as well as cost, when compared to other underfloor heating systems." The Osma Modular chipboard panels are laid in the active centre of the room with additional plain panels to complete the flooring surface area.
The floor finish can then be added to create the desired look.
The award winning Straw House development is a perfect example of how innovation and design go hand in hand and how the simpler aspects of a development can prove to be instrumental in the overall look and feel of a building. Request a free brochure from Wavin Plastics ...
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