CONSTRUCTION/OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION & PREFABRICATION An education in prefabrication W As schools start


planning their summer refurbishment programmes, ensuring that the heating system operates reliably and efficiently will likely feature high on the list of priorities. Prefabrication helps simplify the process, says Anne Wraith, head of building services at Baxi


hen it comes to education, an efficient heating system is key to creating high comfort levels for optimal learning environments while avoiding


unnecessarily high energy bills. Ensuring efficient energy use also plays a central role in setting schools on their pathway to decarbonisation. But school heating refurbishments can pose a number of challenges, from tight project schedules to restricted plant room space and access constraints. Fortunately, whether planning a complete plant room installation, a heating system refurbishment or a boiler replacement, use of prefabrication will make everything simpler.


Benefits to schools


One of the issues with school projects is that, to ensure they remain operational during term time, refurbishments are typically scheduled to take place during the summer shutdown period. While the summer shutdown may provide the perfect circumstances to carry out refurbishments from the school’s perspective, for designers, specifiers and contractors, it coincides with the busiest time of year.


First, contractor availability may be an issue. Second, where several schools require heating refurbishments within the summer holiday period, this puts pressure on the maintenance team to squeeze all the planned replacements into the tight timeframe. How can using prefabricated heating solutions


resolve these problems? A major benefit of prefabrication is that all project and site requirements and limitations can be addressed by key stakeholders from the outset in the design, along with any future plans. Crucially, these bespoke solutions enable almost limitless design flexibility to achieve the ultimate in rapid, high-quality installation. This is particularly relevant on school refurbishment projects where access, space and time availability are common concerns.


Once the final design has been approved,


production takes place in a quality-controlled factory environment. Thanks to the use of specialist machinery, improved control procedures and comprehensive end-of- line testing, the highest build quality can be achieved. Sustainability is a major driver for the building services industry and building operators alike, so it’s worth noting that offsite fabrication also has the potential to reduce waste, leading to a lower environmental impact.


Flexible approach


The opportunity for off-site fabrication exists for the full range of applications. On larger refurbishment projects, prefabricated


packaged plant rooms – either roof mounted or externally located – can be purpose- designed in sections or as a single lift, depending on the site requirements, to enable straightforward transportation, accurate positioning and easier installation. Another option might be to use modular skids. Skid modules lower space requirements through optimised design and a reduced footprint. This can overcome any project limitations to turn otherwise problematic installations into a faster, easier and safer process. Where the requirement is to replace existing boiler plant, some manufacturers also offer bespoke single boiler systems to enable a rapid, quality installation – even outside of the summer shutdown period.


A case in point


Take Sherborne School in Dorset, where four Remeha Gas 120 Ace boilers have been installed using a bespoke Remeha cascade arrangement and Plate Heat Exchanger. Remeha is part of Baxi. When the time came to refurbish the heating system serving its Big School Room, the fabric of the historic Victorian building and the operating temperatures of the heating system presented obstacles. This two-storey building was built in 1878 to


provide a new assembly hall and classrooms for the School. Until recently, the building had been relying on six increasingly inefficient and unreliable boilers for heating. Mechanical engineers Cosgrove & Drew were invited to evaluate the practicable options to achieve a more modern, efficient and reliable heating system. Relocating the plant room or designing an external packaged plant room had to be ruled out due to space and budget implications. A site survey with Baxi identified additional hurdles: restricted access to the basement plant room, narrow walkways, stairwells and doorway, and a low ceiling inside the plant room.


Overcoming challenging space and access limitations


As renewable technologies were not a viable option, Neil Price, Senior Technical Manager at Cosgrove & Drew recommended installing


14 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER APRIL 2024


energy-efficient modular boilers with a Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE) to meet the School’s requirements. Baxi proposed installing four Remeha Gas 120 Ace boilers using a bespoke-designed Remeha off-site fabricated cascade system complete with insulated pipework set and pumps and a specially sized Plate Heat Exchanger in a space- saving configuration. Working with Cosgrove & Drew, the Baxi team


prepared CAD and 3D drawings of the boiler cascade arrangement bespoke to the design parameters and integrated specially sized pump sets and a PHE into the design.


In addition to the boilers, pumps and PHE, the rig design included a pressurisation unit, a dosing pot and an expansion vessel. To resolve the problem of limited access through a narrow doorway, the rig was delivered in units which could be bolted together inside the plant room and connected to the existing system. Once the design was agreed, production took place in a factory environment, with comprehensive end- of-line testing.


Reduced installation time was a major advantage, as Neil explained: “With no need to size all the individual components and no onsite welding required, on site time and labour was reduced significantly,” he continued. “This approach also minimises disruption which was particularly important as this project took place during term time. Commissioning was carried out by Baxi’s commissioning engineers who safety tested the installation.” At Sherborne School, it has proved a hugely successful solution. Neil added: “The bespoke prefabricated rig design made it possible to achieve a space saving option that not only made access into the plant room easy but fits nicely into the available space for easier future maintenance.” The School is equally pleased, anticipating more reliable heating and energy savings. From enhanced quality assurance and sustainability to valuable time savings and increased productivity, prefabricated heating solutions bring valuable benefits to building services professionals and school estates managers alike. As manufacturers and offsite specialists, we look forward to working with specifiers and contractors to provide schools with the best possible bespoke heating solutions and a welcome education in prefabrication.


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