flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Committed to green-building practices and efficient radiant installations

Sponsored Content Plumbing

Committed to green-building practices and efficient radiant installations

It took five months for three dedicated crew members plus one runner to install 138,000 feet of PEX tubing with the Radiant Rollout Mats.


By Uponor | July 16, 2018
The Delta Electronics (America’s) 170,000-square-foot headquarters

The Delta Electronics (America’s) 170,000-square-foot headquarters is a LEED Platinum, net-zero energy building in Fremont, Calif.

When Delta Electronics (Americas) expanded its headquarters in Fremont, Calif., they leaned on the company’s mission “to provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow.” The headquarters is a shining example of creative thinking paired with a desire to protect the environment to develop their 12th green building worldwide.

To help meet the LEED® Platinum and net-zero energy building standards, the company chose to go with a radiant heating and cooling system from Uponor. Originally specified for a conventional radiant tubing installation, the mechanical contractor, ACCO Engineered Systems, suggested changing the specification to Uponor’s Radiant Rollout™ Mats for a faster, more efficient and consistent installation. ACCO had recently completed several large commercial projects using the mats, including the Pier 15 Exploratorium in San Francisco and the SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District) building.

ACCO, in conjunction with Sean Timmons of ALFATECH-Timmons, and Osborne Company, an Uponor rep firm, designed the radiant heating and cooling system using the mats for the 170,000-square-foot campus. The radiant slabs are the primary cooling and heating systems in the campus buildings so it was crucial for the design to ensure comfort as well as the desired energy efficiencies.

Due to their previous experience with the Radiant Rollout Mats, ACCO spent a considerable amount of time up front designing the slab construction, the sequence of the slab construction and how the mats would be fabricated to align with the installation thought process. “We eliminated a lot of potential problems up front – lessons that we learned on other projects,” said Jonathan Bell, ACCO project manager.

 

The headquarters includes a radiant heating and cooling system The headquarters includes a radiant heating and cooling system featuring 138,000 feet of PEX tubing installed via Radiant Rollout™ Mats from Uponor.

 

It took five months for three dedicated crew members plus one runner to install 138,000 feet of PEX tubing with the Radiant Rollout Mats. It would have taken much more time – and labor – to install the tubing using conventional PEX rails or tie-down methods.

The installers needed a bit of onsite training to get up to speed, and the first couple of circuits went in a little slower while Osborne Company helped demonstrate efficiencies and effective ways to speed up the installation. “But it didn’t take long for the crew to have a full understanding of the processes, and they quickly picked up the pace for the rest of the installation,” Bell said.

As with any project, there are challenges to overcome in buildings of this magnitude. “Having to accommodate physical building changes that occurred after we had procured the material was one of the challenges we had to work with,” Bell said. “And construction delays threated to leave the tubing exposed to the sun for longer periods of time than we had anticipated. We had to do some quick thinking to make sure the tubing was protected from possible prolonged sun damage.”

Osborne, the Uponor rep firm, became an instrumental strategic partner in helping overcome and solve these unique challenges, and Bell is pleased with the process, the solutions and how quickly the crew installed the Radiant Rollout Mats.

“For large, open circuits, the installation of the Radiant Rollout Mats is much quicker than laying down regular tubing,” he said. “And the prefabricated and labelled mats allows for more efficient material handling onsite, which is very important in these large installations.”

 

Uponor

800.321.4739

uponorpro.com

Tags

Related Stories

Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014

Liberty Utilities protects installers with Viega MegaPress

Liberty Utilities of New Hampshire wanted a way to keep its installers safe without compromising the quality of their installations, which is why the utility provider decided to start installing Viega MegaPress. SPONSORED CONTENT

Sponsored | | Sep 13, 2014

Right Way Plumbing finishes first at Max Planck Florida Institute

The Max Planck Florida Institute consists of a three-story, 100,000-sf scientific research facility with 30,000 feet of copper joined with Viega ProPress fittings.

Sponsored | | Jun 22, 2014

JW Marriott Indianapolis redefines city’s skyline

The 34-story JW Marriott is both the largest and tallest hotel in Indianapolis. One of the most prestigious hotels in the city, the JW Marriott has hosted celebrities and NFL teams alike. 

| May 1, 2014

Tight on space for multifamily? Check out this modular kitchen tower

The Clei Ecooking kitchen, recently rolled out at Milan's Salone de Mobile furniture fair, squeezes multiple appliances into a tiny footprint.

| Feb 27, 2014

Transition Fittings from Viega Make Press Connections Between Copper and PEX Systems

Viega offers the only press fitting to transition from copper to PEX tubing, eliminating the need for solder or threaded adapters.

| Jan 8, 2014

United Association, NRDC seek major plumbing code changes

Proposed changes include mandating the insulation of hot water piping in new buildings. 

| Nov 25, 2013

Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'

"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.

| Oct 27, 2013

Uponorpro.com now features LiveChat online technical support for professionals

Free service provides professionals in the PEX plumbing, fire sprinkler, and radiant heating and cooling industries access to Uponor Technical and Design Services online for support.

| Sep 27, 2013

ASHRAE/IES publish first standard focused on commissioning process

ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 202, Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems, identifies the minimum acceptable commissioning process for buildings and systems as described in ASHRAE’s Guideline 0-2005, The Commissioning Process. Standard 202 is ASHRAE’s first standard focused on the commissioning process.

| May 9, 2013

10 high-efficiency plumbing fixtures

From a "no sweat" toilet to a deep-well lavatory, here's a round up of the latest high-efficiency plumbing fixtures.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Plumbing

EPA to revise criteria for WaterSense faucets and faucet accessories

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to revise its criteria for faucets and faucet accessories to earn the WaterSense label. The specification launched in 2007; since then, most faucets now sold in the U.S. meet or exceed the current WaterSense maximum flow rate of 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm). 



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021