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Delta Electronics (Americas) used a radiant heating and cooling system as part of its green-building strategy for its expanded headquarters in Fremont, California. In the July 16, 2018 account published by Building Design + Construction, the 170,000-square-foot campus was designed to help meet LEED Platinum and net-zero-energy standards. The project changed from conventionally installed radiant tubing to prefabricated, labeled Radiant Rollout Mats, allowing three dedicated installers and one runner to place 138,000 feet of PEX tubing over five months.
That report documents installation efficiency and jobsite coordination—not a measured energy result or proof that the building received either certification. Its most useful lesson is practical: radiant slabs can support ambitious environmental goals, but the outcome depends on early slab planning, moisture control, protection of tubing, ventilation design, and commissioning.
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What project does the 2018 report actually describe?
The source is a manufacturer-authored project account by Uponor, published by Building Design + Construction on July 16, 2018. It describes Delta Electronics (Americas)’ expanded headquarters in Fremont, California, which the company presented as its 12th green building worldwide. Delta’s stated mission, quoted in the article, was “to provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow.”
For this campus, the radiant slabs were intended to provide the primary heating and cooling. The article says the system was selected to help meet LEED Platinum and net-zero-energy building standards. Those words describe the project’s design objective; the article does not provide a certification date, LEED point total, measured net-zero balance, energy-use intensity, or a percentage saving for the Fremont building.
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The installation team included mechanical contractor ACCO Engineered Systems, Sean Timmons of ALFATECH-Timmons, and Osborne Company, an Uponor representative firm. ACCO recommended changing the original specification from conventional radiant tubing installation to Uponor Radiant Rollout Mats after using the mats on large commercial projects including San Francisco’s Pier 15 Exploratorium and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District building.
The article is therefore best read as a construction case study. It explains how a large radiant installation was organized and what problems appeared in the field; it is not an independent energy audit, post-occupancy evaluation, or USGBC scorecard.
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| Project fact | What the published account says |
|---|---|
| Location | Delta Electronics (Americas) headquarters expansion, Fremont, California |
| Campus size | 170,000 square feet |
| Radiant equipment | 138,000 feet of PEX tubing installed in Radiant Rollout Mats |
| System role | Primary heating and cooling through radiant slabs |
| Installation labor | Three dedicated crew members plus one runner |
| Installation period | Five months |
| Reported project aim | Help meet LEED Platinum and net-zero-energy standards |
These figures come from the Uponor account in Building Design + Construction. The report does not state the tubing diameter or spacing, slab thickness, number of manifolds, plant type, or construction completion year. Those omissions matter when another project tries to use the Fremont numbers as a benchmark: a mat installation’s productivity depends on layout, access, slab sequencing, crew familiarity, and the work package around it.
Why did the team replace loose tubing with Radiant Rollout Mats?
Radiant Rollout Mats arrive prefabricated and labeled for the intended circuit. Instead of positioning long lengths of loose PEX on rails or securing them with tie-downs across the slab, installers roll out a prepared mat and connect it according to the planned sequence. On large, open circuits, ACCO project manager Jonathan Bell said the mats were “much quicker than laying down regular tubing.” He also said the prefabricated and labeled mats made material handling more efficient onsite.
The choice was not simply a product substitution. ACCO and its design partners spent substantial time before field work on slab construction, the sequence of that construction, and fabrication of mats that matched the sequence. That preparation reduced opportunities for crews to improvise once concrete work began. Bell summarized the benefit as: “We eliminated a lot of potential problems up front – lessons that we learned on other projects.”
There is a trade-off. Prefabrication requires accurate information before the material is ordered. If architectural walls, penetrations, structural details, or pour boundaries change afterward, a mat may no longer fit the location for which it was fabricated. The Fremont team had to accommodate physical building changes after procurement, one of the project’s explicit challenges.
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How fast are rollout mats compared with conventional PEX?
The Fremont account gives a calendar result—five months for 138,000 feet with four people—but it does not publish a control estimate, labor hours, or dollar savings for the conventional method. It is not valid to convert that description into a project-specific percentage improvement.
A separate 2016 Building Design + Construction AIA course reports that prefabricated, pre-pressurized rollout mats can be installed seven to eight times faster than conventional PEX tubing systems. That is a broader practice statement, not a measurement of Delta’s campus. The same course reports that, on a large project, an installed radiant cost could reach about $5 per square foot, while noting that mats cost more as a material but can produce a better total installed cost because of labor. That figure is not Delta’s contract price.
For estimating, the useful comparison is a work breakdown rather than a headline multiplier:
- Field placement: Mats can reduce repeated measuring, clipping, and tie-down work on long, regular circuits.
- Spacing consistency: A fabricated mat keeps the planned layout more uniform, provided the slab area matches the fabrication drawing.
- Material handling: Labels let the crew identify circuits and move the right package to the right pour.
- Upfront engineering: The design and fabrication process takes more coordination before delivery.
- Change management: Late geometry changes can require redesign or replacement rather than a simple field adjustment.
What training and coordination did the installers need?
ACCO’s crew had prior experience with the mat approach, but the first circuits still required onsite instruction. Osborne Company demonstrated faster installation methods, and the initial work progressed more slowly while the crew learned them. Bell said, “it didn’t take long for the crew to have a full understanding of the processes, and they quickly picked up the pace for the rest of the installation.”
That sequence suggests a practical mobilization plan for other projects: identify the first pour as a training zone, have the representative or experienced supervisor present, confirm how mats are unrolled and connected, and standardize labeling before production pours begin. A short learning curve can otherwise consume the labor advantage that justified prefabrication.
Coordination also had to include the concrete contractor. Mat dimensions, circuit labels, pour boundaries, penetrations, access routes, and the timing of slab placement all need to agree. The Fremont team’s decision to plan construction sequence and fabrication together is more transferable than its five-month duration because the duration cannot be separated from the campus geometry and schedule.
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What jobsite risks threatened the tubing?
The project encountered two risks that are common to prefabricated hydronic work. First, physical building changes occurred after material had already been procured. Second, construction delays threatened to leave tubing exposed to the sun longer than expected.
Bell said the team had to think quickly to protect the PEX from possible prolonged sun damage. The article does not specify a protection product, exposure limit, or replacement quantity. The documented lesson is to treat ultraviolet exposure as a schedule risk: coordinate delivery with the pour sequence, keep material covered and staged appropriately, and establish responsibility for protection when a pour slips. Any exposure limits should come from the tubing manufacturer’s current installation instructions rather than from this case study.
Late changes require a similar control. Before ordering custom mats, the team should freeze the architectural and structural information that defines each circuit, then maintain a formal revision process. A field change that is harmless to a loose tube layout may be costly when the circuit has already been fabricated and labeled.
Can a radiant slab deliver LEED Platinum or net-zero performance?
Radiant slabs can contribute to an efficient building, but equipment selection alone cannot deliver a certification or a net-zero balance. The Fremont article says the system was chosen to help meet those standards; it does not establish that Delta received LEED Platinum or achieved measured net-zero energy.
Radiant cooling separates sensible temperature control from ventilation and moisture control. The slab absorbs sensible heat, while a dedicated outdoor-air system or another ventilation system supplies fresh air and handles latent loads. The 2016 BD+C course attributes roughly 12–14 Btu/h·square foot of sensible cooling capacity to a radiant floor and says a separate ventilation system is still required. It also reports that radiant cooling can save up to 50% of cooling electricity in a typical office compared with an all-air system, but that is a general practice statement, not a Fremont result.
Thermal mass is another design consideration. Thermally activated building systems (TABS) place PEX in the structural slab; embedded surface systems place tubing in a thinner topping, gypsum, or plaster layer; suspended metal ceiling panels use copper tubing. The Fremont account identifies radiant slabs and in-slab mats but does not specify which classification applies. Slab-based systems respond more slowly than all-air systems, so designers may use night pre-cooling and load shifting rather than rapid thermostat changes.
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How is condensation prevented in radiant cooling?
Cooling water must remain above the indoor air dew point at the active surface. The 2016 course recommends indoor relative humidity of 60% or less, with a control range around 30–60%, and says supply water should be two or three degrees above the dew point. Its example gives a 55°F dew point at 50% indoor relative humidity and an entering-water target of 57–58°F.
Those values are design guidance reported by the course, not operating data from Delta. A project still needs sensors, controls, sequences, and commissioning that reflect its climate, envelope, occupancy, and ventilation system. The course’s Uponor speaker states that surface condensation can be avoided in a properly designed system and that concern should focus on indoor relative humidity. Commissioning verifies whether the installed controls actually maintain those conditions; without it, an owner may not know whether the system performs to specifications.
What do independent radiant-building studies show?
Evidence from other projects provides context, but it must not be reassigned to Fremont. In a 2017 Center for the Built Environment review of nine commercial radiant case studies, seven buildings had Energy Star scores above 90 and four scored 98 or 99. The nine were a subset of 23 buildings with a median energy-use intensity of 38 kBtu per square foot. The write-up also reports that radiant systems appeared in 42% of verified zero-net-energy buildings.
The same review found slightly higher temperature satisfaction in radiant buildings. Occupants had a 66% chance of being more comfortable than occupants in the comparison set, based on 26 radiant buildings and 1,645 occupants versus 34 all-air buildings and 2,247 responses. Acoustic satisfaction showed no difference. The authors cautioned that a mechanical system cannot guarantee high performance; the strongest examples also used efficient envelopes, shading, daylighting, and natural ventilation.
Other examples illustrate the range of outcomes. The 2016 course reports 34% lower electrical costs at Infosys Hyderabad compared with a variable-air-volume system, 34% energy savings over ASHRAE 90.1-2007 at the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, and a 94% reduction in cooling electricity at San Francisco’s Exploratorium using Bay water. These are separate buildings and systems. A 2025 Building and Environment review summarizes Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory findings of savings up to 30% depending on climate, with reported ranges as high as 42% in hot, dry regions and 17% in cool, humid regions. None of those percentages is a Delta Fremont measurement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should a contractor or designer carry into the next project?
- Freeze the geometry before fabrication. Coordinate architectural, structural, penetration, and pour drawings before ordering labeled mats.
- Map the pour sequence. Fabricate and stage each circuit to match concrete access and the planned installation order.
- Plan a training pour. Put an experienced installer or representative on the first circuits and standardize connection and labeling procedures.
- Protect stored PEX. Assign responsibility for shade and covering, especially when weather or downstream delays can move the pour date.
- Integrate ventilation and controls. Size the outdoor-air system for fresh-air and latent loads; set dew-point safeguards before cooling operation.
- Commission before handover. Verify sensors, flow, valves, control sequences, slab response, and documentation against the design intent.
- Evaluate the whole building. Envelope quality, shading, glazing, daylight, and passive ventilation can matter as much as the radiant equipment.
For large, open circuits, the Fremont experience supports a clear conclusion: prefabricated, labeled mats can make installation faster and more orderly than loose PEX rails or tie-downs. They do not remove the need for engineering discipline. Their advantage is greatest when the design is stable, the slab sequence is deliberate, and the team controls exposure and late changes.
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What is the practical verdict on the Fremont installation?
Delta Electronics’ Fremont headquarters demonstrates an installation strategy, not a verified energy score. The published account documents 138,000 feet of PEX in a 170,000-square-foot campus, installed in five months by a small dedicated crew after the team invested in planning, training, and fabrication coordination. It also records the limits: late building changes and sunlight exposure created problems that had to be managed in the field.
Radiant Rollout Mats were a logical fit for the project’s large open circuits and ambitious schedule. Whether a future project should use them depends on the same decision points: how stable the layout is before procurement, how much repetition the slab offers, whether prefabrication can be staged safely, and whether ventilation, humidity control, and commissioning are designed as part of the system rather than added afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of PEX was installed at Delta Electronics’ Fremont headquarters?
The published account identifies 138,000 feet of PEX tubing delivered in custom Radiant Rollout Mats for hydronic slab heating and cooling. It does not state the tube diameter, spacing, or a retail product SKU, so those details should not be inferred.
How should tubing be handled when a concrete pour is delayed?
The Fremont team treated prolonged sun exposure as a field risk and protected the tubing when delays threatened the schedule. A project should assign protection and inspection responsibilities in its site plan and follow the current tubing manufacturer’s exposure and storage instructions.
Does a radiant slab eliminate the need for an air-handling system?
No. Radiant surfaces primarily handle sensible heating or cooling; outdoor-air equipment is still needed for ventilation and typically for humidity and latent-load control. The air system and slab controls must be designed together.
Which radiant system responds faster: a slab or ceiling panels?
Slab-based TABS and embedded surface systems rely on thermal mass and generally respond more slowly than all-air systems. Suspended metal ceiling panels have less mass and can provide higher rated cooling capacity, so the choice depends on response time, architecture, acoustics, and available surface area.
Why is commissioning especially important for radiant cooling?
Radiant cooling must stay above the space dew point while delivering the required flow and capacity. Commissioning confirms that humidity sensors, water-temperature limits, valves, pumps, and control sequences work together; otherwise an owner may not know whether the installed system meets its design specifications.
