Case Histories

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	Beacroft Build
	Ayrton Grimes
	Alan Townsend
	Lutyens Water Tower
	Garden Centre
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INVISIBLE WARMTH FROM ROBBENS UNDERFLOOR
SYSTEM HELPS GARDEN CENTRE TO GROW

Robbens underfloor heating systems make perfect partners for open plan retail areas.

The large new retail hall at Ashton Hall Garden Centre on the outskirts of Lancaster is a perfect example of that partnership in action.

In its thirty-year history Ashton Hall has expanded considerably - just as the concept of the garden centre has grown into an integral feature of Britain 's shopping life.

Since he took over twelve years ago, current owner Tony Abbit has seen a number of major changes.

" These days garden centre customers are looking for more than just plants and compost. Our new extension has been specially designed to meet their demand for hundreds of garden related items from furniture and barbeques to specialist books and clothing."

Beneath its distinctive twin domes the new retail hall at Ashton Garden Centre provides well over 500m 2 of open plan shopping space. The building features extensive areas of glazing on a steel frame, giving high levels of natural lighting.

Easy access

"A light, airy environment with easy access to all areas was a key requirement," says Tony Abbit. " Robbens underfloor heating not only met this need, but also ensured no hot or cold spots. It was a more practical solution to ensuring comfort for our browsing customers than warm air blowers or radiant panels."

A solid floor construction was used for the new retail area. During installation loops of Robbens multi-layer pipework were fixed in position above a layer of insulation material with the loop ends connected to four discreetly located manifolds. The manifolds are connected in turn by flow and return lines to the oil-fired boiler, which is located in plant room adjacent to the retail hall

After pressure testing, a normal sand and cement screed was poured to integrate the heating system into the floor structure and provide a smooth, even surface for the wood laminate finish.

Heating the retail hall from the floor up rather than the ceiling down as with convector systems not only ensures much greater comfort for customers and staff, it also saves energy. By eliminating “stack effect” under the 8m high domes, running costs should be optimised.