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Innovation comes in different shapes and forms across different centuries. The skyline at the 67 acre King’s Cross development in Central London manages to encapsulate 2 examples of engineering ingenuity from two different centuries.
The iconic Victorian, wrought iron structure of Gas Holder 8 sits alongside the high spec, contemporary £80 million Plimsoll Building. Carillion is the main contractor, delivering three inter-linking 14-storey towers with 255 apartments and 2 schools.
Shepherd Engineering Services (SES) is responsible for the £13 million services package and. along with Carillion’s design team, has developed a modularised riser system and a service “cupboard” for every apartment. This little box of delights, as referenced in the full story on Construction Manager, is where the innovation comes in.
The “cupboard” (see top left of the image) contains heat, power, plumbing and BROOKVENT’S highly efficient aircycle 1.2 mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system (HRV). This is all incorporated in a metal frame – with space left for a washing machine! – and can be simply wheeled and dropped into position.
“It was a revolutionary concept to combine all the MEP work for a cupboard, right down to internal finishes, in a single prefabricated framed unit. It provides us with a final-fix item that is pre-wired and pre-tested ready to be plugged directly into the building services at ceiling level.” Will Newman, Project Manager, SES.
The prefabricated cupboards carry several major benefits and are another example of the advantage of the growing trend in offsite construction. SES estimates that they were able to cut 15,500 man hours on site by modularising the services, improve onsite health and safety and reduce trades and services clash. Which all leads to costs being protected on the project and ultimately “…everyone’s profit is realised and not eroded by old and poor practices.” David Mason, SES
If you’d like to find out more about BROOKVENT’S range of highly efficient HRV systems email hello@brookvent.co.uk or click here to see our HRV product comparison table.
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