Proposal and application of a raised multilayer flooring system and its influences on thermal environments

Abstract

This study discusses a raised multilayer floor (RMF) system. The RMF system is characterized by gaps between the slab and flooring material. It has been applied to a wide range of building types in Japan because it is known to excel in acoustic absorption. The thermal performance of the RMF systems was considered to be more efficient than that of a floating floor (FF) system in which a heating panel is attached to a floor slab. However, this has not been sufficiently explored. In this paper, 72-hour in-situ temperature measurement test was performed to compare the thermal performance of the RMF and FF systems. They were applied to two identical rooms in a reinforced concrete (RC) building. The tests were performed under three different heating conditions. There was no heating, air-conditioning heating, or floor heating (FH). The RMF system was found to be more effective than the FF system in terms of FH operation speed, comfort level, energy efficiency, and vertical temperature distribution. The RMF system increased the floor surface temperature about 2°C higher than the FF system. 72-hour FH operation at a 26°C setting resulted in the RMF system reducing energy consumption by approximately 10% than the FF system.

Keywords

• in-situ testing
• raised multilayer floor system
• energy efficiency
• comfort level
• vertical temperature distribution