global ventilation upgrade a breath of fresh air for office workers
global associates have carried out a series of significant upgrades to the mechanical ventilation plant control systems at an 11-storey office building in South-East London.
Completed in just under 12 months, the refurbishment and upgrade project involved an overhaul of existing air handling units (AHUs) and replacement of variable air volume (VAV) boxes by the client. As part of the works global associates carried out £350,000 of installations and upgrades to the BMS controllers, software, graphics and provided various remedial works to significantly improve the indoor environment.
In recent years the critical role that indoor air quality (IAQ) plays in employee wellbeing and productivity has been brought into sharper focus. Investing in improved IAQ systems and creating a comfortable working environment is not just about compliance but also about creating a healthy and efficient workplace.
Following changes in the London office layout and the introduction of sectioned off work areas, the building tenants recognised that the existing ventilation system was now struggling to provide the desired amount of fresh air for occupants and requested a validation survey for all mechanical services and the BMS. global engineers carried out a meticulous review of current systems before providing a detailed survey report and producing a proposal that would map in with existing system and soon to be upgraded systems.
With the building in constant use during regular working hours, most work had to be completed outside of normal office hours, requiring detailed coordination of work between contractors to keep to the project on programme and minimise disruption. Throughout installation the client and lead contractor Frankland UK Ltd, along with installers BEH Electrical Ltd, demonstrated adaptability in being able to carry out work in specific time frames during intervals where workspaces were unoccupied.
As well as remedial works to existing AHU’s, all 11 floors of VAVs were replaced, air distribution systems rebalanced, and existing scroll fans replaced with electronically commutated EC fans. Following the VAV system upgrade it was then necessary to rewrite the software and graphics to reflect the new air management requirements and update the site-specific operating and maintenance manuals to reflect the system changes.
Tridium JACE controllers were utilised to connect multiple devices and sub-systems whilst environmental sensing covering PIR, CO2, temperature and relative humidity was provided by Sontay 4 in 1 Modbus Smart Sensors.
Despite the irregular working hours, the project was completed on time and has delivered the precise temperature control and improved ventilation needed to create a healthy, productive and comfortable workplace for occupants.
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