| Osma Underfloor Heating has been commissioned to provide and design a bespoke underfloor heating system for “The Core”, the new education centre at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The new building will stand alongside the Biomes, the largest greenhouses in the world, housing a variety of plant life. Structured in the formation of a tree, the building will have a huge canopy to let in natural light and follows natural and environmental principles within its construction. George Elworthy, project manager for Eden commented: “The main principles behind the structure of the building follows the Fibonacci mathematical sequence, reflecting the spirals found at the centre of a sunflower. With a unique structure such as this, we required a heating system that would not detract from the building’s aesthetics whilst providing a sustainable heating supply for the building. Osma underfloor heating was the perfect solution.” Osma Underfloor Heating is developed to suit all building construction types in the UK for both concrete and timber based floors. The range of underfloor heating provides cost-efficient and innovative solutions for the residential, commercial and public environments. Paul Knight at Osma Underfloor Heating commented: “This really is a remarkable project and the structure of the building is so unique. Osma provided a bespoke underfloor heating system for the education centre café and offices with a system designed to suit all its needs and requirements. The centre’s construction, from design to completion, is truly amazing and Osma Underfloor Heating is very pleased to have been part of the process.” The underfloor heating system covers a total area of approximately 1350m². The ground floor area of 700m² operates by means of system plates, applied directly onto the 100mm of floor insulation layer. The system plates are clipped and locked together easily and prevent any ingress of screed between the joints. The heating pipe is then securely fitted into the system plate locaters to the exact designed layout. The first and second floors, comprising an area of 650m², are operated by means of floating and battened foiled systems, which consist of CNC routed high performance extruded polystyrene panels. These panels arrive on site complete with an integral aluminium diffusion plate which is sealed over with a transparent film. The pipe work is located into the diffusion plate which acts as an excellent heat conductor when the floor deck is installed. |