Foamular Extruded Polystyrene Placed Under Floor Heating System

Taronga Zoo's New Floor Heating System Uses
Foamular Extruded Polystyrene

Taronga Zoo is one of the world's most famous zoo's, showcasing an extensive array of animals and world class views, but with over 1,000,000 visitors last year, it was often a scramble to get everyone in and queue often stretch to the car park on weekends.

The Zoo is currently undergoing a massive restoration program on their main entrance to drastically reduce queue waiting times and give visitors a more interesting place to enter the zoo. The original iconic building is heritage listed, so the zoo has decided to expand the entrance and restore the original building to its former glory.

The new entrance will have a Hydronic Floor Heating System supplied and installed by ComfortHeat Floor Heating Systems. The system will keep the concrete floor slab at a constant temperature year round, reducing the need for other heating/cooling systems and keeping running costs down to a minimum.

Hydronic Floor Heating Systems are an efficient way to heat large open spaces for extended periods of time, but they do require constant input. Heat from the system continuously leaks out of the slab and into the ground around it, so the heating system has to work harder to maintain this, increasing running costs and putting extra strain on the system.

Foamular Extruded Polystyrene was placed below the heating system, limiting the heat transfer into the ground. Foamular can also be placed on the side edge of the slab, wrapping the whole slab in insulation and creating a continuous thermal barrier.

There is also a strong safety value in underfloor heating in public places because any spills or wet floors dry much quicker. Zoos are very popular for young and old, but a simple spilled juice box could expose the zoo to millions in compensation claims but also distract from the zoo's friendly clean atmosphere.

Because Foamular is placed in the new entrance, every visitor to the zoo will now be walking on Foamular. Although it can't be seen, Foamular Extruded Polystyrene is helping Taronga Zoo reduce its running costs, and contributing to its ongoing push for increased sustainability.