UNDER FLOOR AIR DISTRIBUTION

Flexibility in services is a major concern in today’s industry and has to be compromised because of the rigid
conventional systems.

Flexibility in air distribution is now possible in India by incorporating Under Floor Air Distribution (UFAD) system
brought to you by AET Flexiblespace (I) Pvt. Ltd. a joint venture between United Insulations India and Advanced
Ergonomic Technologies United Kingdom. AET has installed over 65 million Sq. ft. of UFAD systems worldwide. UFAD
system along with raised access floor, under floor service distribution and totally demounted partitions helps in creating
a green and flexible environment.

Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) is a method of delivering space conditioning in commercial buildings that is
considered as an alternative to conventional ceiling-based air distribution systems because of the significant benefits
that it can provide.

By combining a building's HVAC system with all major power, voice, and data cabling into one easily accessible
service plenum under the raised floor, significant improvements can be realized in terms of increased flexibility and
reduced costs associated with reconfiguring building services. These raised floor systems are particularly appropriate
for office buildings housing today's businesses with their typically extensive use of information technologies and high
churn rates.

UFAD Technology
UFAD technology uses the underfloor plenum between the concrete slab and the underside of a raised access floor
system to deliver conditioned air directly into the occupied zone (height of 1.8 to 2 mtrs) of the building. This
conditioned air is delivered into the space using active or passive terminals mounted on the raised access floor. By
induction effect of these terminals, the temperature as per the set point is maintained in the occupied or breathing
zone. The occupants experience a better indoor air quality compared to the overhead system as the conditioned air is
directly delivered in the breathing zone.

AET can offer the following systems for comfort application

1) PleinAir System Manufactured by AirFixture USA
• In this system the Conditioned Air is introduced from the floor and the return is taken high from the ceiling.
2) Hivar System
• In this system the Conditioned Air is introduced from the floor and the return is taken high from the ceiling.
3) CAM System
• In this system the Conditioned Air is introduced from the floor and the return is also taken from the floor.

Description of the System

1) PleinAir system manufactured by AirFixture from USA

This system uses passive terminals to deliver conditioned air into the Breathing zone. A central air handling unit
delivers conditioned air into the plenum created between the top of the slab and the bottom of the raised access floor
at about 16 – 18 degree C. By maintaining a static pressure of about 12.5 pascals in the plenum the air is delivered
through the terminals to maintain desired room conditions in the breathing zone. The conditioned air is delivered
through constant volume or variable air volume (VAV) terminals using time modulation. These terminals are available
in square and round shape having the load bearing capacity of the raised access floor and in various color shades to
match the interiors. Some constant volume and VAV terminals can offer directional adjustments or individual controls.

Constant Volume terminals Variable Air Volume Terminals with Time Modulation
The space can be either conditioned with constant volume terminals as shown in fig 1 or by VAV terminals with time
modulation as shown in fig @ or it can have constant volume terminals in the internal area and the VAV on the
perimeter as shown in fig 3.

Figure 1

Figure 2
Figure 3

The hot air stratifies and is taken back to the central unit using terminals located high in the ceiling.

2) Hivar System
This system uses active terminals to deliver conditioned air into the Breathing zone. A compact central unit i.e Hivar
unit delivers conditioned air into the plenum created between the top of the slab and the bottom of the raised access
floor at about 14 – 15 degree C. By maintaining a static pressure of about 5 pascals in the plenum the air is delivered
through the active fan assisted Fan Tile Units FTU to maintain desired room conditions in the breathing zone. The
return air can be taken through the return grills or directly from the space.

3) Cam System
This also system uses active terminals to deliver conditioned air into the Breathing zone. A compact central unit i.e.
Cam unit delivers conditioned air into the plenum created between the top of the slab and the bottom of the raised
access floor at about 14 – 15 degree C. By maintaining a static pressure of about 5 pascals in the plenum the air is
delivered through the active fan assisted Fan Tile Units FTU to maintain desired room conditions in the breathing zone.
The plenum is divided into supply and return zone by an impervious material such that each room has both the zones.
The active supply FTU terminals are located in the supply zone and the return passive grills are located in the return
zone. The return air is taken back to the Cam unit through the return grills located on the floor.
Fan Tile Unit
The Fan Tile Unit (FTU) is an active terminal. The fan tile unit has a blower, on off damper, temperature sensors,
optional heater and a smart controller. The operating modes of the FTU are as per the figures. The FTU has two
temperature sensors one of the sensor monitor the room temperature and the second sensor monitors the supply
temperature. Based on the set point for the room the fan tile unit opens the damper and introduces supply air into the
room to maintain the set temperatures. When the temperature in the room has been achieved the FTU will close the
damper and would re circulate the air in the room. Note that in the recirculation mode the unit always takes some
amount of supply air having fresh air continuously.

Fig I Fig II
UFAD Technology Benefits

1. Improved thermal comfort: - By allowing individual occupants to control their local thermal environment, their
individual comfort preferences can be accommodated.
2. Improved ventilation efficiency and indoor air quality: - Improvement in ventilation and indoor air quality at
breathing level can be expected by delivering the fresh supply air at floor level near the occupants and returning at
ceiling level.
3. Reduced energy use: - Energy saving for UFAD system over conventional overhead system can be associated
with cooling and fan energy saving.
4. Better flexibility for reconfiguration of building services: - By integrating a building HVAC and cable management
systems into easily accessible under floor plenum, in-house maintenance personnel can carry out reconfigurations
at significantly reduced cost using simple tools and hardware.
5. Reduced floor-to-floor height in new construction: - Buildings using UFAD systems have potential to reduce floor-
to-floor heights compared to projects with conventionally designed ceiling based system.
6. Improved occupant satisfaction and productivity: - Research evidence suggests that occupant’s satisfaction and
productivity can be increased by giving individuals greater control over their local environment and by improving
the quality of indoor environment.
7. Reduction in project completion schedules: - Projects with UFAD system have potentials to be completed in less
time compared to conventional system.
8. Better conformance to LEED and Green Building Requirements: - Significant progress towards the USGBC LEED
2.2 (IGBC 1.0) requirements can be made with RAF and UFAD. A Green Building has been shown to give the
owners a higher Return On financial Investment (ROI).

This concept has helped lot of developer to construct the required number of floor in a reduced height or to construct
extra floors in the same height. Some of the projects are listed below. By not needing the 600 – 800 mm of ventilation
zone, the slab to slab dimensions can be brought down by about 300 – 400mm per floor retaining the same headroom.
In a building height of about 10 floors the developer can construct about 11 floors or in a small building the developer
can construct a mezzanine floor.
 THE CENTER FIRST POINT, BAA TELECOM TOWER
HONG KONG GATWICK MALAYSIS
HEIGHT SAVING 35 MTRS 6000 M2 BECAME 7500 M2 HEIGHT SAVING 30 MTRS

The evaluation of lifecycle cost of a building is not a simple thing. It is particularly difficult to forecast life cycle cost
accurately because so many forward looking assumptions must be made. One of the most studied aspects of this is
energy consumption. UFAD will usually provide significantly lower operating cost when compared to systems with
similar operating conditions. The bottom line with RAF and UAFD is lower life cycle cost and better Return On
Investment (ROI) for investors.

UFAD is now well established in many parts of the World (USA, Northern Europe and Hong Kong). In some areas it is
the system of first choice. As we continue to develop new markets, the same questions and concerns about the “new”
strategy are asked. We would be concerned if good engineers were not asking these questions. Hopefully now the
answers are available.

This is a viable Mainstream technology. UFAD has come a long way in the last 10 to 15 years. Consider it with care
for every project. Listen to a broad array of experienced professionals when designing and executing a UFAD/ RAF
project.

Existing buildings with UFAD systems 
 
Multi‐Tenant Buildings 
American Waterworks Bldg.St. Louis, MO 
One Century Place Nashville, TN 
Foundry SquareSan Francisco, CA 
160 King StreetSan Francisco, CA 
Mission Bay CatellusSan Francisco, CA 
The Soffer Tech Office Bldg.Pittsburgh, PA 
 
Data Center / Telecom Buildings 
AT&T Various sites 
GTE Various sites 
Global Crossing Various sites 
INFLOW Data Centers Various sites 
 
Level 3 CoLo Centers Various sites 
MCI Worldcom Various sites 
NYNEX Various sites 
Sprint PCS Various sites  
 
Call Center Buildings 
American Express Various sites 
Blue Cross Blue Shield Various sites 
British Airways New York, NY 
Dell Computers Various sites 
Hewlett Packard Various sites 
IBM Various sites 
Motorola Various sites 
United Parcel Service Oakland, CA  
 
Financial Buildings 
Jack Henry & Associates Various Sites 
Capital One Tampa, FL 
Chase Financial Services Various sites 
Citibank  Various sites 
Lloyd’s of London London, England 
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Various sites 
Shearson Lehman  
American Express Various sites 
World Bank Headquarters Washington, DC