Underfloor heating gives welcome to 147 m-high apartment building
Providing a warm welcome to the 43-storey Strata Tower in the Castle House development at the Elephant & Castle in London will be an underfloor heating system supplied by Timoleon to serve the entire lobby area. The system was chosen by building-services contractor Briggs & Forrester.
The 23 000 m2 Strata Tower and its adjacent 5-storey Pavilion building will provide 408 homes, 30% of them classified as affordable.
The low flow temperatures required for the underfloor heating will minimise carbon emissions.
The Timoleon heating is installed in a solid floor with loops of pipework fixed in position on Metis ClipPlates above a layer of insulation. The 10 mm of expanded polystyrene integrated beneath each plate guards against deformation and also provides extra insulation.
The ends of the pipework loops are connected via discreetly located manifolds to the central boiler plant in the basement.
After pressure testing, a screed was poured to integrate the Timoleon system into the floor structure and to provide a smooth, even surface for the final floor finish.
A CHP unit acts as lead boiler. Renewable energy includes three wind turbines integrated into the building at high level and sized to generate 45 kW — enough to power the common areas of the building.