Armstrong Packaged Plant Speeds the Way for One New Change

13.12.2010

A landmark modernist building in the City of London, with an eye-catching glass exterior, has installed high-efficiency heat exchange modules, variable speed pumps and booster sets from Armstrong.

Armstrong Packaged Plant Speeds the Way for One New Change

Shot of the development of One New Change in London, UK(Photo: Armstrong)

By packaging the equipment off-site and supplying it in ready-to-install modules, Armstrong was able to streamline the building services element of this prestigious central London project.

One New Change is a spectacular new office and retail development close to the London Stock Exchange and St Paul’s Cathedral. The use of floor to ceiling glazing means that the matt fritted glass echoes the surrounding Portland stone and brick facades, at the same time as providing a sense of airiness and space inside the building.

When designing the HVAC services for the site, Land Securities, MEP consultants Hoare Lea, and mechanical contractor SPIE Matthew Hall, decided to capitalise on the latest variable speed pump technology to ensure that the building could be both architecturally bold and energy efficient. Their priorities included high regeneration rates to deliver heating and cooling with the lowest possible energy consumption, and flexibility to allow incoming tenants to adapt the HVAC facilities to suit their individual requirements. The timescales for the project and its central London location also dictated that installation should be fast, efficient and streamlined.

The contract was awarded to Armstrong, a leading manufacturer of HVAC equipment and a specialist in packaged plant and integrated systems. A total of 58 packaged heat exchange modules – 29 for cooling and 29 for heating - were supplied, along with Armstrong 4300 variable speed pumps (with standalone inverters) and booster sets. The design of the system enabled the landlord’s section of the plant to be segregated from the tenants’ sections, making it possible to precommission prior to handing over, and to enable incoming tenants to finalise the HVAC fitout to their own requirements.

Armstrong constructed the heat exchange modules off-site and pre-tested them at their factory to check flow and pressure performance in advance. On the dates required within the build schedule the pre-assembled modules, mounted on pallets, were delivered to the construction site, needing only pipework and power connections. Off-site construction of the modules enabled them to be assembled concurrently with other building works, and cut installation times to a minimum. The number of deliveries to this extremely busy part of London could be reduced and, as fewer contractors were needed on site for the installation, the health and safety risk for this section of the project could also be minimised.

The 4300 Series variable speed pumps chosen for the site are an Armstrong best-seller with a particularly well-established reputation for providing outstanding energy efficiency in large commercial HVAC applications, whilst requiring a smaller footprint in the plant room than other pumps for the same duty. The Armstrong variable speed drives automatically calculate the building load throughout the day and night and match the pump speeds to the demand for optimum energy efficiency.

Wayne Rose, marketing director of Armstrong said, “We are very proud that Armstrong equipment was specified throughout this landmark building. Off-site construction of packaged equipment was a perfect solution for this project. Pre-assembly slashed the installation times, and factory testing prior to delivery speeded up commissioning, as well as avoiding potential bottlenecks in the schedule.”

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