Plastic ensures condensation-free ventilation at new hospital and research facility, Denmark
Plastic ensures condensation-free ventilation at new hospital and research facility
Project facts
Uponor Involvement
The final large piece in the construction of the new Aarhus University Hospital in under way. AUH Forum will be 14 storeys high, and will include inpatient care as well as medical research facilities. Construction is planned to be complete in mid-2022, and the site is already a hive of activity as foundations for the building’s extensive ventilation plant are put down.
A building of this size and height calls for a correspondingly large exterior air intake, to meet the high demands on ventilation. The contract eventually went to infrastructure specialist Uponor Infra and its plastic Weholite pipes, as the pipes have an insulating effect and thereby counter condensation, which can lead to mould formation. Mould should be avoided in all buildings, but particular care must be taken in hospitals.
Demands for delivery time and volume
KPC Construction Manager Nikolaj Laustsen Kæmsgaard was involved in the decision to choose Uponor as the supplier of ventilation pipes for AUH Forum.
“It was soon clear in the planning phase that large, secure ventilation ducts would be needed for the project, as there were very strict requirements on the volume and quality of air being brought in. That’s why it’s hugely important that the pipes are tightly sealed, so the air stays clean. Uponor could deliver a solution that meets the necessary demands on tightness and insulation,” Nikolaj Laustsen Kæmsgaard explains. He carries on:
“The delivery and assembly time was also a crucial factor in choosing Uponor. The prefabricated Weholite fittings were delivered to the building site in ready condition, so relatively few welds were needed to complete the system. Assembly only took two days, which is a huge improvement on equivalent elements in concrete, for example, where on-site casting alone can take two weeks.”
Weholite pipes from Uponor are made from reusable PE plastic with a design life of over 100 years. The elements are assembled by welding in situ, which ensures that the pipe system is tightly sealed, eliminating any risk of leakage from inside or penetration from outside.
Safety and materials are crucial
The fact that the Weholite pipes are made out of plastic is advantageous in terms of assembly. But the same is also true for cleaning and safety, as Torben Juler explains. He is the head of planning and design at Sweco, which has been the advisor on the project.
“To assure the air quality and indoor climate in the building, it is absolutely crucial that the ventilation pipes are well insulated and stay tightly sealed, that water does not collect in the pipes, and that damp and condensation are kept at bay. Plastic is a good material for this as it is smooth, secure, and has a very long design life,” says Torben Juler, adding:
“We have good experience with Uponor from previous projects, and we had a positive exchange with them on the AUH Forum project. The combination of a reliable product, easy handling of lightweight pipes during transport and installation, and a dependable business partner made Uponor the right choice to deliver the pipes.”
Uponor Weholite pipes have documented insulation properties, protecting against condensation and minimising the risk of mould formation. Uponor is one of the only pipe suppliers to be able to calculate whether condensation presents a risk based on actual, real-life conditions, and also to say whether additional insulation might be needed.
Project information
Project information
Partners
Contractor: KPC
Supplier: Uponor Infra A/S
Similar projects
Drinking water passing through contaminated area in Thisted
Intake pipeline for seawater in Copenhagen Harbour
Butt welding by night of 900 mm pipes ensures stable operation of a district cooling solution in Copenhagen Harbour.
TV-Tower, Estonia
PE pressure sewer system from Harjavalta to the city of Pori
New Uponor IQ –Storm water system - Sustainability and Quality in Road Infrastructure
Ultra Double replace concrete pipe line in Raahe
ProFuse pressure pipe line provides drinking water to cottage owners in islands near by Uusikaupunki
Environmental friendly heating and storm water systems in new Launonen day-care centre
New water pipeline
Now that’s truly FAST
Secure tunnel trunk lines
Life is grand for graylings in the pure waters of Ounasjoki River
Europe’s largest ever plastic culvert goes to Norway
Don’t count on luck to protect you from flooding
Clean drinking water for 17,000 scouts
Iisalmen Vesi renovated a trunk line by relining
To rebuild an office building located in the heart of Amsterdam into 150 appartments in a relatively short time is definitely a big challenge.
Handling storm water in a smart way
Urban runoff under control – quickly and easily
Relining to the rescue in Kajaani
Weholite limits overflows and pollution in London
Fighting against an ecological disaster in a world-record time
Rapid action was critical when a sewage collector broke in Warsaw, Poland, causing a massive waste spill into the Vistula River. Uponor Infra’s crew worked 24 hours a day in order to stop the pollution of the river. A temporary pipeline was produced, delivered and connected in just eight days.
Sewage pipelines to sewage treatment plant - HDD method
Collectors for sewage treatment plant
Renovation of reinforced concrete sewer - relining method
Sewage retention chanel
Renovation of cast iron water supply pipeline - swagelining
Thanks to swagelining technology, it was possible to carry out most of the water line modernisation works in the centre of the city of Łódź, in a built-up area, along traffic lanes with heavy traffic of motor vehicles and trams.
Sea outlet - discharge of stream water into the Gdańsk Bay part 2
Renovation of damaged stoneware collector – cracking/short relining
Sewage separation system
Construction of storm water collectors in Nowe Polkowice is one of the stages of a big investment concerning the drainage of the district.
Sea outlet of treated wastewater
A sea outlet of treated wastewater was initiated in Swarzewo. It is yet another of the many environmentally friendly projects that have recently been carried out in Poland where PE pipes were used.
Uponor pressure pipe system Profuse in Borås town
Uponor Infra culverts in major investment at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö
A test installation of an infra culvert with great potential
Strong, Safe and Flexible
Innovative, reliable - and installed in 11 days
Uponor soil drainage system Ultra Rib 2 in Kungälv
Infratunnel protects pipes and cables in new residential area
Focus on sustainability
Weholite installed in Valdemarsvik Sweden
Uponor Vault cleans the storm water
Hybrid solutions for storm water management
City of Lahti is building new neighborhood called Ranta-Kartano. While they were constructing basic infrastucture the city saw the possibilty to reserve some ground space for storm water management. Now there is a test running for different kind of storm water management. Uponor is involved with new type of storm water filter.
An easy and reliable storm water solution
Flow measurement reveals leaks in the water supply network
Fire wastewater safely recovered
Safe and Sustainable
Renovation of the sewage collector
Water treatment plant
Quick installation in the Konotopa channel
Super-sized cooling
Weholite tanks have multiple uses
Water supply in very demanding terrain in Norway
A smart retention system for an anti-flooding solution
September 2018 saw the launch of the project for a stormwater drainage system in Rzeszów, almost 26 kilometres long, in the residential District of Budziwój, which partially coincides with the floodplain of the River Wisłok. One of the elements of this system is the retention canal. The project, scheduled for delivery by May 2020, will help to finally solve flooding problems which have been plaguing the residents of this region of Poland.