Sedona-Xm
3x1 Suspension
| OCO Architects
Architect Specs Fabric Duct in Own Offices for IAQ, Aesthetics, & Value Engineering.
San Antonio, Texas—Architects admittedly are a hard sell on new materials and innovations such as fabric ductwork.
 However, principals at O’Neill Conrad Oppelt (OCO) Architects Inc. never hesitated when specifying the fabric ductwork that is a very visible and important element of the open ceiling architecture at their new San Antonio, Texas headquarters. “If architects specify a product like fabric duct for their very own offices, it’s a pretty good indication that fabric duct has become a viable part of the HVAC industry,” said Scott Freund, vice president, Comfort-Air Engineering, San Antonio, which installed the HVAC systems.
Fabric duct saved the project upwards of $15,000 in HVAC ductwork installation labor versus conventional round metal duct. Because fabric duct reduces dependence on precious metal resources and distributes air more energy efficiently than metal duct, its specification helped OCO achieve its sustainability mission while still enhancing the overall industrial theme of the interior design.
While sustainability and costs were important, OCO principals were very concerned how the custom-colored, silver-gray Sedona-Xm by DuctSox® Corp., Dubuque, Iowa would complement OCO’s galvanized metal interiors and the preservation of the circa-1940’s building’s raw, industrial appearance while also providing indoor air comfort.
The former sheet-metal shop oozes plenty of charm and nostalgia, but it took some of OCO’s best creativity to bring the 5,200-square-foot space up to 21st Century standards aesthetically as well as environmentally. Sixty years of grime were power-washed off the exposed steel trusses and corrugated metal deck of the gabled roof. As part of the building’s energy conservation, OCO insulated the walls heavily and then finished them aesthetically with perforated steel. “We opted to retain the rugged industrial look,” recalls Conrad. “The fabric duct complements the industrial style, but it also adds a contrasting softness.”
 Adding to the sleek design is DuctSox’s new 3x1 hanging system, which consists of stainless steel brackets that use a single cable suspension system. The 3x1 has three hanging contact points with the duct at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions to give the duct an inflated appearance even when air handling equipment is idle.
Supplying the duct and complying with OCO’s green building mission are four high-efficiency Carrier Corp., Syracuse, N.Y., split systems that use ozone-friendly Puron® refrigerant. The two systems that supply the main studio space have energy-saving, two-stage compressors that work at half-capacity on cooler days, according to installing contractor, Comfort-Air Engineering, San Antonio.
OCO’s strategy of locating the air handlers on an open mezzanine was efficient in labor costs because each unit is approximately the same height as the fabric duct run. Therefore, Comfort-Air Engineering needed only to make sheet metal plenum and fabricate a square-to-round adaptor as a transition between the units and fabric duct runs.
 Conrad has been particularly impressed with the air comfort difference of fabric duct, which has linear diffusers that provide a gentle imperceptible airflow versus the drafty nature of metal duct with registers every 10 feet. Additionally, DuctSox’s Sedona model uses Comfort-Flow technology which allows approximately 15 percent of the air to actually flow through the fabric’s factory-engineered permeability. Comfort-Flow also eliminates dust from accumulating on top of the duct thus providing better IAQ, according to Scott Spiva, sales engineer for manufacturer’s representative, Texas Air Products, San Antonio, who helped specify the product.
In hindsight, fabric duct should have been chosen for the conference room, which is the only area with metal duct. “When we meet in the conference room it’s interesting how everyone positions themselves away from the drafty air throw of the registers,” noted Conrad.
Comfort-Air Engineering designed more energy efficiency into the facility with the use of 24/7 programmable Debonair thermostats by Carrier Corp., for each HVAC unit so that energy is conserved during non-peak and unoccupied periods.
Although Comfort Air installed the single hanging cable for each of the 70-foot-long, 18-inch-diameter and 50-foot-long, 14-inch-diameter duct runs, Conrad and his partners negotiated the HVAC contract so they could install the actual duct to the cable runs. “Some people say fabric duct is difficult to install, but a couple of architects can install this much ductwork in just a half a day, we now know those assumptions are incorrect.” |