Swegon has unveiled the industry’s first wooden air handling unit which could redefine sustainable building solutions.
When the GOLD air handling unit was launched in 1994, it was an all-new concept setting a new benchmark for energy efficiency and performance.
Now, three decades later, embodied carbon is increasingly in focus, and Swegon presents the first wooden air handling unit.
So far, two functioning prototypes of the wooden GOLD air handling unit, size 005 have been built, where the traditional casing of conventional steel has been replaced by cross-laminated timber (CLT).
By replacing the steel, Swegon managed to reduce the CO2 footprint by 40 per cent. For a larger air handling unit, the saving would be even greater, according to Martin Ottersten of the innovation and knowledge centre at Swegon.
"By rethinking material choices and challenging industry norms, we are driving the future of sustainable building solutions and this concept is an important step in testing the limits for the industry," he said.
Kvänum head of product management, Annika Sedwall, said recycled steel had already been introduced inside the company’s GOLD units to minimise environmental impact.
“With this concept wooden air handling unit we take a significant step further, in line with our ambitions within the RE:3 concept to be in the forefront of reducing embodied carbon of products,” Sedwall said.
The unit is a concept product that is not on the market for sale, but will be evaluated and used in discussions around future alternative materials.
Just last month Swegon signed an agreement to acquire HOWATHERM Klimatechnik GmbH, a family-owned manufacturer of modular air handing units, based in Brücken, Germany.
CEO at Swegon Group, Andreas Örje Wellstam, said HOWATHERM’s modular air handling units will be a strong complement to its current product portfolio.
“Combined with their innovative spirit and focus on quality we see a perfect fit between our two organisations,” he said.