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i MORE FRESH AIR MAKES FOR HEALTHIER BUILDINGS "Sick buildings are a result of an inadequate supply of 'fresh' outside air and dirty ventilation ductwork." So says Thomas Widegren, president of Hiross Scandinavia AB, a company that has introduced a new method of ventilation and heating/cooling office buildings by leading air under the floor. "Traditional ventilation systems normally employ ductwork. These channels collect dirt,'dust, fungi, bacteria and other particles over time. Building occupants begin to feel ill after a couple of years, which results in increased absenteeism, dimished work productivity, etc. Low ventilation efficiency and a low proportion of fresh air creates poor conditions for achieving a good indoor environment," says Thomas Widegren. Innovative thinking required - Hiross leads air under the floor. The problems have been compounded since the energy crises in the 1970s. That was when we began to build better- insulated buildings in order to conserve energy. This resulted in a restriction of the incoming air supply to inadequate levels. "By placing the ventilation under the floor, our technology - as opposed to traditional systems - enables us to replace air, almost inaudibly, more than 10 times an hour in a 10 square-meter office, while maintaining a very high proportion of fresh air," says Thomas Widegren. Extensive replacement of air is necesary in order to remove heat, airborne particles and gases from a room. Thanks to the large proportion of fresh air and the absence of ductwork, the risk of dirt and other types of grime accumulating is much lower. Smoking at the office "A good air-handling system must be able to provide an office with such a good level of indoor air quality that the occupant of a neighboring room can smoke without it anyone noticing it," says Thomas Widegren. Hiross is currently installing nearly 35,000 square meters of ventilation flooring at the Alviks Strand office complex. An inspection of the air quality was carried out during spring 1988 by ACVA Atlantic Inc., a world leader in this area with experience from Europe and the U.S. ACVA's test shows that the Hiross ventilation system helps keep the number of airborne particles low and that it prevents the smoke in one room from spreading noticeably to other rooms in the building. The nicotine level in the smoker's room was 50 microgram per cubic meter, while levels of 2.3 micrograms or less were recorded in the other rooms. English standards, which are i

frequently used as a guideline, do not recommend any measures as long as the level does not exceed 500 micrograms. ACVA praises Hiross ACVA found the large supply of fresh air provided by the Hiross system to be very good. It also views the possibility of upgrading the filtration capacity to different areas and the reduction in size of air- treatment zones to 200-250 square meters to be positive. ACVA recommends regular cleaning of the air-handling system. The simplicity of the Hiross system in this respect is quite clear; simply lift the floor platesi The flexibility of the system, which allows remodeling, guarantees that future effectiveness will not be jeopardized. The core of the Hiross Flexible Space System is a central air-handling unit that filters and heats outside air before distributing it through a vertical shaft within the building. Fresh air is taken in separately in the respective ventilation zones where the Hiross central unit INCAS (Infinite Conditioned Air Supply) passes the air through yet another extremely fine filter. The air is then heated or cooled and distributed beneath the floor to the various ventilation zones. Total air replacement per hour is 5,000 cubic meters. In order to create individual climates, a FAT (Fan Air Terminal) unit has been placed in each room. FATs are equipped with double thermostats and a damper, which makes it possible to regulate the individual climate, i.e. introduce as much air into a room as is required for the moment. "The absence of ductwork makes it possible to create an efficient and easily cleaned ventilation system. This is one of the reasons why our Flexible Space System has been so successful," says Thomas Widegren. Excess heat removed The majority of modern offices today contain heat sources in the form of computers, laser printers, armatures and sunlight, all of which create a year-round cooling need. The normal office load is between 60-80 watts per square meter. The Hiross system makes it possible to govern the temperature of each individual room as well as of every ventilation zone. All heating and cooling is done via the air. A good climatic system does not have to be expensive "The absence of ventilation ductwork and waterborne heating means that the Hiross Flexible Space System is actually cheaper, in terms of total costs, than traditional fan-coil systems. The difference in cost - SEK 200-400 per square meter - becomes evident when f

calculating the total construction costs of a building instead of a section-by-section analysis." Flexible Space, a building concept in itself, has a great influence on individual subcontractors. Total building costs are lower for the following reasons: + shorter construction time + steel joists do not need to be planished + simpler electric installation (only in joists) + no false ceilings (everything is contained in the j oists ) + no pipes needed + simpler construction work, no inlets or caulking required + less capital required + simpler management and regulations + simpler planning and coordination There are many additional factors that have been learned through practical experience that serve to lower building costs. We would be happy to discuss these with you at any time. All you need to do is contact the undersigned. Sports arena next During spring 1988, we landed an order for the delivery of 13,600 square meters of the Flexible Space System to the Johanneshov sports arena in Stockholm (buildings 1 & 2). We are extremely proud of the confidence displayed in us and will continue to do our utmost to deliver perfect systems. This proves that Flexible Space has become an accepted climatic and ventilation system on the Swedish market. And this is a partial victory in itself. Hiross Flexible Space in Hong Kong In May 1988, Hiross in Italy signed an order for Flexible Space for American Express' new Hong-Kong office. Hiross Scandinavia provided assistance by showing visitors completed installations in Sweden, which helped convince the consultants, architects and building owners. CAPTION: Thomas Widegren, president of the Hiross Scandinavia ventilation company, would like to see more stringent quality requirements that can be met by greater cooperation between orderers, consultants and developers. A two-year product guarantee is OK, but it should also include functional requirements. This would allow serious suppliers and developers to play a major role again, i.e. reliability would increase at the same pace as operational and maintenance costs. The result would be healthier buildings.