One of the area's newest luxury hotels, The Ritz-Carlton Toronto is a 53-story, 700,000 square foot (65,000 m2) facility featuring a five-star hotel with 267 rooms and 135 condominium residences. The hotel has incorporated REHAU radiant heating to provide maximum guest comfort.

One of the area's newest luxury hotels, The Ritz-Carlton Toronto, is also the first and only combined Ritz-Carlton hotel and condominium residence in Canada.

This 53-story, 700,000 square foot (65,000 m2) facility features a five-star hotel with 267 rooms and 135 condominium residences located in the heart of downtown Toronto. Its design incorporates signature elements associated with The Ritz-Carlton luxury brand, including the latest in comfort and convenience technologies to ensure a high-quality guest and resident experience.

Featuring dramatic high ceilings in the lobby, reception and bar areas, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows on all 21 floors of hotel suites, The Ritz-Carlton Toronto building project was an ideal candidate for REHAU radiant heating.

"The even, consistent heat delivered by this type of system, which is radiated upward from the floor and remains in close proximity to occupants, was the obvious choice for this project," said Mark Euteneier, president of Klimatrol Environmental Systems, the project's REHAU technical associate and supplier. "Not only does radiant heating provide maximum comfort for guests, it also ensures more efficient overall HVAC operation, even on cold Toronto nights."

Klimatrol worked with third-party testing company Bodycote to develop a suite mock-up for HVAC testing which validated that a radiant floor heating system would deliver heat output equitable to that of a traditional perimeter space heating system design.

"With floor-to-ceiling curtainwall windows in each suite, it was imperative that the HVAC system could accommodate all anticipated heat loads ," explained Euteneier. "Upon validating this with Bodycote, we installed the radiant systems along the 12 foot (3.6 m) perimeter of each room, which not only provided ample, comfortable heat, but, as an unseen infloor system, also did not interfere with the luxury look and feel of the suites and windows."

In total, the project included 84,000 square feet (7,800 m2) of floor heating, installed throughout the hotel's main floor and in each of the hotel suites. Approximately 140,000 feet of ½-in.and 5/8-in. RAUPEX® O2 Barrier pipe was used, along with 43 PRO-BALANCE® manifolds that were preassembled and pre-wired into manifold distribution cabinets located on the southwest and northeast corners of each floor.

"The superior pressure ratings of REHAU's RAUPEX pipe became particularly important due to the height of the building, which required higher pipe pressure ratings," said Euteneier.

In addition, a total of 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) of REHAU snow and ice melting system was installed throughout various exterior areas of The Ritz-Carton Toronto. This included the main drive, garage ramp, entrance and walkway areas of the building, as well as outdoor terraces on the 6th and 21st floors.

Thanks to REHAU and Klimatrol, guests at The Ritz-Carlton Toronto can now enjoy all aspects of a luxurious stay – including comfortable indoor heat and safe, clear outdoor surfaces – throughout the winter season.

For more information, visit Greenbuild 2011 booth No. 222N or contact: REHAU, 1501 Edwards Ferry Rd., N.E., Leesburg, Va., 20176. Phone: 1.800.247.9445. Fax: 1.800.627.3428. E-mail: rehau.mailbox@rehau.com. Web site:www.na.rehau.com/heating..

REHAU delivers "Unlimited Polymer Solutions," and is the premium worldwide brand for polymer-based innovations and systems in construction, automotive and industry. The company generates continuous growth through its expertise and innovative capabilities in materials development, systems design and surface technology. Approximately 15,000 employees at more than 170 locations around the world ensure success of the independent, privately held company.
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TO THE EDITOR: Please do not convert REHAU, RAUPEX or PRO-BALANCE to lowercase. Thank you.