World’s largest underfloor heating contract gets underway

In what is believed to be the largest underfloor-heating contract ever let in the world, Warmafloor is to supply systems for the £8 billion Project Allenby/ Connaught, which will provide accommodation for over 18 000 military personnel at 200 sites in Aldershot and across the Salisbury Plain. The project will provide 11 500 new and refurbished en-suite bedrooms, technical buildings, stores and secure units, offices and leisure facilities. The need to minimise long-term energy and maintenance costs make underfloor heating the favoured choice for many of the principal buildings. Mike Lamb, managing director with Warmafloor, explains, ‘The potential to make significant savings in energy costs on such a large project is, itself, a major factor in the specification decision-making process. Underfloor heating will typically translate to savings of 20% or more in domestic properties. This can rise to as much as 50% in larger commercial and industrial buildings. ‘However, of equal importance in this instance is the impact on maintenance. The removal of surface-mounted radiators and pipework should result in huge economies in maintenance time and cost over the 35-year contract period.’ The project involves Warmafloor from concept to commissioning, first designing underfloor systems for the different building types, producing numerous technical drawings and then carrying out installation as each phase progresses. It will call for hundreds of miles of Hep2O underfloor heating pipe. The first projects are at Tidworth garrison on Salisbury Plain, where developments include an officers’ mess, technical stores, warehouses, a vehicle maintenance facility and an armoury. The contract is being carried out for Aspire Defence, the joint venture between Carillion, KBR and HSBC, which won the 35-year PFI contract.

Related links:

• www.warmafloor.co.uk