Armstrong World Industries Ltd

ARMSTRONG CEILINGS DEBUTS ENERGY-SAVING ‘CoolZone’ SYSTEM AT ECOBUILD

Eco-friendly systems that help to reduce a building’s energy costs at the same time as they maximise occupier comfort will debut with Armstrong Ceilings at Ecobuild 2012.

CoolZone tiles, which feature Phase Change Material (PCM) that absorbs heat to delay the requirement for air conditioning, will showcase on Armstrong Ceilings’ stand (N1120) that will itself help to demonstrate how the system works.

The results of a trial currently underway in the [overheating] meeting room of an office in London are also due to be revealed at the show (March 20-22).

CoolZone incorporates BASF Micronal phase change material into Armstrong’s plain metal ceiling tiles. This material – microscopic polymer capsules containing a wax storage medium - is embedded in gypsum and then encased in the metal tile.

On heating during the day and cooling at night, the wax melts and solidifies. In this way the internal temperature is regulated, ensuring a stable and comfortable environment in which to work, whether it is commercial, retail, healthcare or educational buildings.

Armstrong CoolZone improves thermal comfort and contributes to the intelligent energy management and commercial success of a building in a number of ways:

• It reduces or eliminates the need for air conditioning - in tests, the CoolZone tiles delayed the onset of air conditioning by approximately four to five hours in an average office. Not only can this save around 40% of the HVAC energy costs and reduce peaks in demand for air conditioning but it can also help to improve the thermal comfort for the occupants.

• It is a passive solution requiring no energy that is easy to incorporate into existing buildings and is therefore ideal for renovation and refurbishment.

• It is a flexible solution that can be moved within rooms to deal with areas of high heat load, from room to room, and can even be switched from building to building