The objective of the design was to find a way to put the warm air distribution on the floor, closer to where the students are during the long Chicago winters, and specifically for this school, where many of teaching activities occur in close and sometimes direct proximity of the floor. Hydronic floor heating systems, which had been used in the past by CPS, were ruled out because these systems have been proven to require significant maintenance. The MEP Engineer proposed the DDDF system combined with a warm air radiant floor system for the project. The warm air radiant system was proposed to create a double effect; “radiant” and “displacement air”. Both effects are proven to be efficient high-comfort in both summer and winter seasons.
