Body Business fitness centre, Helmond, Netherlands

Type of works: supply of down-discharge, roof-mounted, evaporative coolers.

The Body Business fitness centre at Helmond in the Netherlands offers a complete range of facilities, including aerobic classes, weight training, spinning, physiotherapy and sports-injury treatment. This is a large facility in a building which originally held three indoor tennis courts.

Typical of fitness centres, there is a demand for cool, comfortable conditions for exercise. The fresh air brought in by an evaporative-cooling system produces a more comfortable environment than that produced by a recirculating air-conditioning system. Sweat and body odours are removed and available oxygen levels are maintained, which further contribute to maintaining the ideal conditions for exercise.

Down-discharge, roof-mounted, evaporative coolers were fitted to the double-skin metal roof sections. Vertical ducts take the air to fabric ducts, which then evenly distribute the air. Fabric ducts can provide draft-free conditions.

The air-change rate used in this fitness centre in the Netherlands was 10acphr in the general fitness areas and 12acphr in the spinning area. Sound attenuation has been incorporated into both the inlet and extract systems. Horizontal nozzles are incorporated into the duct. This is to create an induction effect to distribute the air evenly between the ducts. If these are not used then the air can fall vertically and produce non-uniform cooling.