Been commissioned to design a conference hall and trying to decide how to heat and cool the interiors?
Raised floors with a radiating heating system could be the perfect solution for your project. Imola Tecnica produces and installs raised floors with radiating systems employing modular panels installed below the surface of the floor, forming a second plenum in which specific areas are left free of piping to permit inspection of the surface below.
Raised floors also permit creation of inclined surfaces using appropriate supports and any accessories that may be required to stabilise the structure. This is why engineers Tabanelli and Bartolozzi chose this product for the Auditorium Cefla.
But let us take a closer look at the project through the words of its designers.
Interview with engineers Federica Tabanelli and Marco Bartolozzi
What were the needs you had to respond to?
The project was an auditorium composed of a foyer and a 450-seat conference hall which can be divided into three completely separate and independent rooms with mobile walls. The biggest room (with a capacity of 370) has fixed seating, while the other two have removable seating to permit greater flexibility. The linear geometric shapes of the architecture inspired us to conceal the utility installations and integrate them entirely into the structure and furnishings. In view of the size of the hall, the floor had to be inclined without adding to permanent loads on the floor slab. As the rooms may be used in different ways, we also needed to differentiate the heating and cooling systems used, employing an air flow system with nozzles under the chairs in the room with fixed seating and a water system under the floor in the hall with removable seating.
What solutions did you consider?
We considered a number of different solutions: from ceramic flooring glued in place to prefinished wood and floating floors. The solution best suited to the project’s architectural, structural and plant engineering requirements turned out to be a floating floor with a porcelain surface. The floating floor is best because it does not add to the permanent load on the floor slabs and permits creation of a sloped floor while permitting optimal inspection of the volumes underneath the floor. This solution also permitted complete integration of the heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems in the two types employed.
Were there any problems that made you wonder about the solution you should adopt?
The alternative solutions did not allow us to stay under the limits on permanent loads on the floor slab, while a glued floor would not have permitted easy inspection.
What convinced you to use Imola Tecnica raised flooring?
We used Imola Tecnica raised flooring in our project because the company offered porcelain surfaces with the finish texture appropriate for the rooms’ style. The chosen product could be supplied in large sizes laid on a substrate permitting not only the desired slope but raised floors up to 110cm high. What’s more, this product was available with the built-in heating system we required. In addition to the features of the product, we encountered a highly competent, professional technical staff that provided us with assistance in the planning and supervision of the work, suggesting the most appropriate technical solutions.
Can you describe the benefits of working with this kind of solution and partner?
The combination of top-quality surface finishes, large sizes, the possibility of raising the floor by up to 110cm and perfect integration of utility networks are the benefits offered by the solution we chose.
The project in short
What: Auditorium Cefla;
Where: Imola
Materials: slabs in the custom 115×55 cm size
Proprietor: Cefla
Design: Studio TB Imola, engineers F. Tabanelli and M. Bartolozzi
Features: inclined floor raised from 30 cm to 110 cm above the substrate, with numerous openings for led lights and for conducting heat.
To conclude, if you are in search of a partner that will help you overcome the limitations imposed by your project and help you come up with a creative solution, Imola Tecnica may be just the player you’re looking for!
