However much we all want to do the right thing, there is always a shadow over our shoulder – what’s the cost?
Good news: going against the conventional, getting below the skin of your new build, refurbishment, or refit project, WILL tick all the boxes in terms of ethics and morals- AND deliver savings on construction costs- and beyond.
What is this miracle? Underfloor air conditioning- or UfAC.
The clue is in the name- underfloor. Using a 200m+ raised access floors eliminates the need for a ceiling based ventilation zone- typically twice the depth which helps to maximise floor to ceiling heights.
The process in new build means the overall building height is reduced, by up to 10%, with all the associated savings in construction material and labour costs. The building is completed – and therefore occupied – more quickly. That delivers an accelerated revenue stream/ ROI, potentially providing income three months before an office block offering the same lettable floor space is even finished!
An added bonus is the lower building may often more easily attain planning consent, with all its associated costs, as the reduced height has a correspondingly reduced impact on its local environment.
In refurbishments, it delivers greater internal headroom, creating a feeling of space which increases appeal to prospective tenants. Indeed, use of UfAC in the conversion of an Edwardian mansion block into offices in the heart of London enabled a 35% increase in total occupancy.
Because UfAC uses the floor as a plenum, there is no ductwork, delivering further cost savings in terms of materials and labour as well as helping reduced embodied carbon.
Finally, if you need any more convincing, how about the fact that, given the raised access floor changes from a fixture and fitting to a mechanical duct allows owners/occupiers to reclaim 100% of the capital cost of the raised access floor under the governments Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme (PMA’s).