History:
Helmuth Sokolean founded Barcol-Air AG 1979 in Switzerland. The engineering firm achieved a reputation for high quality commercial applications of Barber Colman products. In view of constantly rising heat loads in office buildings with the upcoming of computers, Barcol-Air soon recognized that new strategies were necessary to maintain a high quality thermal environment and increase the energy efficiency of existing HVAC systems. In the early 1980’s extensive research was conducted in Barcol-Air’s in-house laboratories to refine the radiant cooling technology and make it an applicable solution for modern commercial buildings. In 1986 the first Barcol-Air chilled ceiling was successfully implemented in an office building in Switzerland. The ability to respond quickly to market demands and offer innovative solutions for complex applications made Barcol-Air a major supplier of chilled ceiling systems in the European market with branch offices in several European countries.
In 1996 Barcol-Air was sold to Siebe, which later became Invensys, and with a strong partner the company was able to expand on the world market under the brand name REDEC Chilled Ceilings. More than 35 million sf of chilled ceiling systems have been installed around the globe to date, and the number of employees has constantly risen to 77. A Swiss company, Metallwaren AG Heiterschen, purchased Barcol-Air AG in 2006 and with the addition of a lighting division, has now grown to a company of 140 employees and a sales volume of nearly 70 million USD per year. The new company now operates under the name of MWH Barcol-Air AG.
Up to the current date, Barcol-Air’s laboratories have always been an important pillar of the company. As each building is unique in it’s design, location and requirements, the laboratories allow new innovations to be thoroughly tested and optimized at a 1:1 scale, which ensures that a proposed design is guaranteed to fulfill all specifications in terms of thermal comfort and efficiency even before the first brick of the building is laid! After may years of testing, Barcol-Air has gathered a large knowledge base of radiant systems and was able to manifest itself as a leader in radiant cooling technologies. In 1995 Robert Bosshard joined the company. In his function as laboratory manager he was responsible for R&D, design and testing of client specific solutions and technical support of personnel and clients. After many successful years at Barcol-Air, Robert founded his own company in 2003, Air-Comfort AG, with independent laboratory testing facilities and specialized in trouble shooting indoor environmental problems in existing buildings.
In 2007 Helmuth Sokolean founded a new company, Barcol-Air Ltd., in the United States of America. The company is registered in Connecticut and is autonomous of MWH Barcol-Air AG in Switzerland, yet holds a license agreement with MWH Barcol-Air AG, which entitles Barcol-Air Ltd. to make full usage of all patents and technologies previously developed. Robert Bosshard has joined Barcol-Air Ltd. as Chief Technical Officer.
Barcol-Air Ltd is currently setting up its new headquarters in Oxford. The location is to provide office space for sales and engineering, a training center for clients and engineers, and laboratory facilities for the testing of client specific radiant cooling - heating solutions. In a second step a test facility in accordance with the ASHRAE 138-2005 guidelines is planned, which will allow certified standardized testing of radiant panels (ANSI approved).
Goals:
With several decades of combined experience in radiant cooling - heating systems, Barcol-Air Ltd. is dedicated to achieving a high quality thermal environment in new and refurbished buildings, while maximizing the energy efficiency of HVAC systems.
A quality indoor environment not only benefits the health of building occupants, but can also increase productivity and reduce building maintenance and energy costs, creating a win – win situation for everybody!
News:
The interior fit-out of our new offices is scheduled to be finished in calendar week 19. Keep in touch, as the progress of the operations setup will be regularly posted!
