Warmboard Heats up the Frozen Continent

Warmboard Chosen as Radiant Flooring System for U.S. Government Retrofit Application

It is the coldest, driest, wettest, windiest, most extreme place on Earth. It is a landmass of 14 million square kilometers, containing more than 90 percent of the world’s ice. The climate is described as a “cold desert.” It is Antarctica. Since 1959, more than 14 countries from around the world have used this continent strictly as a place of research. For studies of Antarctic marine ecosystems to research of the Earth’s atmosphere, Antarctica is the seasonal home to a global team of scientists and engineers.

U.S. contractors recently began the renovation of U.S. Antarctic Program buildings in Antarctica. In these buildings,heat is the priority. But with winter temperatures reaching an average of -40 degrees Fahrenheit, how do you build a structure that provides adequate warmth and comfort? These U.S. contractors chose Warmboard to solve the problem.

“Let’s face it – this is the coldest place on earth. We chose Warmboard because it provides the kind of heat we need here,” says Bill Koleto, Consulting Engineer for the United States Antarctic Program. “Warmboard gives you warmth where you ARE – at the floor level. It’s easy to install and it’s energy-efficient.”

Warmboard is a unique three-in-one radiant heating system that provides a surprising, yet smart solution to heat dilemmas – by designing a system that is located in the floor. Warmboard offers an efficient heating system on its unique base of strong, tongue-and-groove subflooring. Hot water is circulated through tubing installed on these flooring panels. This heat radiates through an aluminum top layer – into living spaces. This radiant heat travels through the air, but rather than heating the air, the heat energy warms solid objects in the room. The heat offered by the floor and the solid objects in the room creates a clean, fresh and comfortable heat balance in any room.

Engineers were thrilled to learn about Warmboard’s ease of installation, since many similar products on the market require the pouring of concrete – a virtual impossibility in a cold climate, much less in Antarctica. In addition, Warmboard’s retrofit applicability matched this job, as one of the goals for this renovation was also to protect the building from damage resulting from seismic activity. Warmboard’s low mass is an added benefit in applications where seismic activity is a concern, because it adds negligible load to a structure, particularly when compared to systems using concrete.

A team of engineers traveled to Antarctica for the renovation and seismic retrofitting of U.S. Antarctic Program Building #155. Home to a large dining hall, a computer server room, and TV/radio equipment, this building is one of the hubs of American activity in Antarctica. The job included an overhaul of the building’s dining facility, including multi-level flooring installation. Warmboard excels in installations like these because of its two-in-one solution forbuilders as a sub-flooring and heating system in one cost and energy-efficient package. Warmboard’s subflooring features seven bonded layers for extra strength, and added functionality for the easy creation of multi-level floors. The 1 1/8 inch flooring panels feature visible tubing paths for the insertion of hydronic tubing. The system’s aluminum topcoat ensures that uniform heat is conducted in any room.

“Warmboard is a great system to work with because the product itself makes installation so easy,” said Ken Robinson, a carpenter involved in the installation. “The tongue and groove system of the subflooring fits together beautifully – and the tubing is really easy to place. From the flooring panels to the aluminum sheathing, this was one of the most user-friendly products I’ve ever installed.”

In this application, Warmboard has been installed as part of a forced-air system; the hydronic tubing will conduct heated glycol. “In Antarctica, you can’t use water for this system,” said Robinson. “You need something with a lower freezing temperature – so we’ve used glycol – and Warmboard allowed us this flexibility.” Warmboard provides a comfortable heat balance that matches a body’s external temperature of 85° F.

While seals and penguins may thrive in the Antarctic, humans probably never will. But with the best quality materials in building and a Warmboard radiant flooring system in place, at least they will be warm.