Energy-saving tiles from Armstrong Ceilings are at the forefront of the BRE’s (Building Research Establishment) latest Innovation Park in Scotland.
Armstrong’s CoolZone system features on the ceiling of the main seminar area of the visitors’ centre at the heart of the 1,125-acre Ravenscraig Regeneration Project.
The CoolZone system incorporates BASF’s Micronal PCM (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 and can save around 40 per cent of the HVAC energy costs.Some 40m² of the reversible system, which is also wholly recyclable, has been used at Ravenscraig. As well as at Ravenscraig, where CoolZone was installed by Soundtex Ceilings, 20m² of Armstrong Ceilings’ CoolZone system has been installed as a pilot test by the BRE throughout the Victorian Terrace at its flagship Innovation Park at Watford.