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 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
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Sep 14, 2022
27 new kitchen and bath products multifamily developers and AEC teams are using for the first time
Multifamily developers and AEC project teams are adopting new kitchen + bath products and systems for the first time, according to the MULTIFAMILY Design+Construction Kitchen+Bath Survey 2022.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 13, 2022
Take the Multifamily Kitchen + Bath survey – Maybe win one of 10 $50 gift cards
Preliminary results of 2022 Multifamily Design+Construction exclusive Kitchen + Bath survey.
Building Materials | Aug 3, 2022
Shawmut CEO Les Hiscoe on coping with a shaky supply chain in construction
BD+C's John Caulfield interviews Les Hiscoe, CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction, about how his firm keeps projects on schedule and budget in the face of shortages, delays, and price volatility.
Building Materials | Jun 20, 2022
Early-stage procurement: The next evolution of the construction supply chain
Austin Commercial’s Jason Earnhardt explains why supply chain issues for the construction industry are not going to go away and how developers and owners can get ahead of project roadblocks.
Plumbing | Jun 7, 2022
Sloan launches ‘Sinks Beyond the Restroom’ innovation
Sloan, the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial plumbing systems, has launched its ‘Sinks Beyond the Restroom’ concept.
Events Facilities | May 13, 2022
Sloan opens new showroom and office in Chicago's Fulton Market District
The flagship showroom highlights Sloan’s full suite of aesthetic, hygienic commercial restroom products.
Multifamily Housing | May 11, 2022
Kitchen+Bath AMENITIES – Take the survey for a chance at a $50 gift card
MULTIFAMILY DESIGN + CONSTRUCTION is conducting a research study on the use of kitchen and bath products in the $106 billion multifamily construction sector.
Sponsored | | Jul 27, 2021
A Recreation Center’s Connected Design Brings the Edmonton Community Together
