Connecting corridor at Cologne/Bonn Airport equipped with aquatherm black – It’s easy to travel from A to B: For Cologne/Bonn Airport, the uncomplicated travel experience of its passengers is the top priority. One of the airport’s latest construction projects is also aimed at optimizing the travel process.
A new connecting corridor between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 will make it possible for passengers to move between the terminals on the airside without having to go through another security check. In addition to a 186-metre-long passageway with two staircases, two new boarding zones were created on around 1,000 square metres of floor space, from which passengers can board their aircraft directly. A particular challenge of the project was in the area of air conditioning.
The new building is architecturally based on the previous airport buildings and stands out due to its large glass surfaces, which allow a view of the airport runway. It is precisely this design that requires special attention during planning.
“Due to the large glass surfaces, the area heats up quickly. The many people who pass through this area every day contribute their share,” explains Thomas Runkel, authorised signatory of Etgenium GmbH in Königswinter and planner of the building project.
Therefore, he was looking for an effective cooling system that could cover the entire range of cooling requirements. In the context of earlier building projects, for example the housing estate HUF City Living in Montabaur and the renovation of the fire brigade control room of the airport Cologne/Bonn, he had got to know and appreciate the surface heating and cooling system . Therefore he also decided to use the aquatherm product for the new connecting corridor, which was installed in a perforated metal cassette ceiling and connected to an already existing district cooling network.
Adapt cooling to conditions at short notice
In contrast to conventional cooling systems, aquatherm black releases the temperature of the water flowing through the black registers made of corrosion-resistant polypropylene by means of radiation. Draughts or dust swirls are eliminated by this process and the perceived comfort in the room increases. The system also operates with higher flow temperatures than conventional cooling systems, thus enabling particularly efficient and energy-saving operation. Moreover, aquatherm black can be perfectly adapted to the conditions on site.
“In the aisles and boarding areas, we don’t deal with large crowds all the time, but only intermittently,” explains Thomas Runkel. “That’s why we divided the new building into eleven zones that are controlled individually. This allows us to adjust the temperature control to the number of people at short notice.”
Another advantage of the system, which can be installed not only in the ceiling but also in the floor or wall, is its low installation height.
“Strict height limits applied to the new building,” says the specialist planner. “Airport traffic with its large vehicles runs under the building, and space was to be left above it for potential further construction measures. The low installation height of aquatherm black, which is 24.5 millimetres including collectors, fixing rails and connections, therefore fitted very well into the concept.”
1500 registers installed within two weeks
Around 1500 black registers were inserted into the ceiling with a perfect fit – and all within a short period of time.
“We only needed two weeks to lay the entire system over an area of around 1,000 square metres,” explained Roman Münch, Managing Director of Münch Innenausbau in Hambuch, the company that carried out the installation work.
This was made possible by the object-specific production, which was carried out in close coordination with the customer in the main factory of the aquatherm group of companies in Attendorn. In total, registers were mounted in sizes between 240 x 700 millimetres and 240 x 1600 millimetres. aquatherm black was fixed to the metal cassette ceilings by means of magnets.
“This type of fastening has many advantages: The magnets ensure a very firm connection between the register and the metal cassette ceiling and are not only easy but also quick to install,” Alexander Mieden, master heating engineer and employee of Münch Innenausbau, reports.
The coils were connected to each other with a corrugated connecting tube and a plug-in connection. The corrugated tube allows a flexible connection, while the quick connector with safety clip creates a tight, yet detachable connection. 26 distributors, which were also installed in the ceiling, regulate the water supply.
For the company Münch the connecting corridor at the airport was one of the first objects where they worked with aquatherm black.
“The system impressed us with its fast and uncomplicated processing,” says Roman Münch.
Therefore, two more projects with the black registers are already being planned. And Thomas Runkel is also convinced by the system:
“aquatherm black works flawlessly, reliably and has met my expectations on every construction project so far.”
