Integrated Service Loom

This project has been developed as part of our House of the Future program.

By such means the space is essentially characterised by a facility for connection, for change, flexibility and a long life.

This product has been conceived to respond to demands for a hyper flexible building tenancy program, where there are rapidly changing requirements from users or occupants or from a very nomadic lifestyle. We asked how do we allow for any range of functions in a given space. The first step is to integrate all the services. Then any habitable space can be cabled and serviced in a single operation. Services can be ducted in a floor channel or along the inside of the perimeter wall at floor level or at chair rail height. The services may be contained in a single loom that is flexible and does not require joins or corner pieces like traditional plumbing etc. The loom contains sewage out, mains water in, electricity in, telephone and optical in and data through. Such a flexible system engenders longer life for a space without expensive and materially demanding renovation. It thereby indirectly contributes to environmental savings. In developing the detailing of this project we have gone to the chemical industry to utilise existing drip free connection-disconnection technologies, which have been extensively tested in hostile and demanding environments. By such means the space is essentially characterised by a facility for connection, for change, flexibility and a long life.