Waterloo joins in with Birmingham’s library’s energy-saving strategy
Waterloo Air Products has supplied 60 passive chilled beams for the newly opened 10-storey Library of Birmingham as part of the air-conditioning system that is supported by an aquifer ground-source system. The 2900 m2 facility is the largest public library in Europe, housing nearly 8 million books and expected to receive up to 10 000 visitors a day.
Rick Edmondson, chairman of Waterloo Air Products, says, ‘The Library of Birmingham is an iconic landmark, and Waterloo is very proud to be associated with such a high-profile project. We designed an extensive range of standard and custom-built air-terminal products to meet the energy-efficiency criteria.’
Sustainability was a key aim in the design, and energy efficiency has been addressed with the extensive use of solar shading in the design and detailing whilst maximising the use of natural light.
The chilled beams were supplied with a matt-black finish to prevent them being seen either through the lattice-style ceiling or through the perforated grilles that were also supplied. The beams are 600 mm wide and 1.7 to 2.8 m long.
Large, single-piece perforated grilles below a number of the beams have Waterloo’s AFVS spring fastening system to enable the grilles to be ceiling mounted but easily removed without tools for maintenance and cleaning.
Waterloo also supplied 138 attenuated VAV and CAV dampers to deliver controlled airflow in response to thermostats or a BMS. Other diffusers included high-induction slot diffusers with a matt-black finish for fitting behind various open-celled ceilings.
