BSEE
Today’s buildings oen depend on a complex mix of air condioning technologies. Delivering this eecvely requires a new approach that cuts through tradional boundaries, says Neil Hitching, business development director at Toshiba Carrier UK
efficiency and delivering outstanding comfort require a joined-up approach across the equipment spectrum. In Construction 2025, the UK government set the industry some stretching targets. These include halving project delivery times, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, and cutting the life-time costs of operating buildings by a third – all by 2025.
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For our own sector, I believe this can only be achieved by more effective integration, covering system design, product supply, installation and maintenance. The way the industry has traditionally been structured, however, makes this a challenge. There are good reasons why the DX- based air conditioning sector and air and water-based H&V side have tended to operate separately, due to their different skill bases and regulatory frameworks. To improve project outcomes, however, requires redefining traditional boundaries. This has implications for everyone in the supply chain, not least for
manufacturers and suppliers – where the opportunities for bringing the technology strands together are greatest.
Technical and sales teams have in the past tended to focus on their own areas, whether DX, airside or chillers, for example. This enables people to specialise and be very effective in their own fields. However, the silo approach does not lend itself to integrated project delivery.
It can also result in installers and clients being bombarded with multiple meetings and duplicated conversations about projects. The time wasted runs into millions of man- hours a year, not to mention the missed opportunities for improving system design.
The challenge is to retain the benefits of in-depth product knowledge while building a higher level of integration. At this higher project level, teams can tap expert knowledge as required, while acting as custodian and champion of the big picture to deliver outstanding projects.
Solent University External wide angle shot
This is the approach we are developing at TCUK. The aim is to provide customers with a total HVAC solution for all building requirements.
ew building services projects today depend on a single HVAC technology. Raising environmental
standards, improving
AIR CONDITIONING & AIR QUALITY The Benefits of Bringing Building Services Together
This means giving seamless access to products across DX, chillers and airside, with a single point of contact to streamline communications. To this end we are developing multi-disciplinary teams, such as the pre-sales application and business development teams, with people trained in a range of technologies and disciplines. This not only covers how equipment operates and is applied, but how different systems can be combined to deliver optimum results.
People can then move confidently across disciplines to create total building solutions, drawing on the full palette of technologies available. A good example of this approach in action is Solent University’s recently completed sports complex, part of a £100m estates development programme. The building is designed to provide world-class facilities and be a centre of excellence for sports and related research.
It has complex use requirements, comprising two sports halls, three studios, a strength and conditioning gym, a general purpose gym accessible to the public, a sports and exercise therapy space, and personal training and teaching gyms.
The project had to achieve a BREEAM rating of “Excellent” and had to comply with Southampton City Council’s Strategy on Tackling and Adapting to Climate Change. We worked with the client and contractor to produce a total building solution based on a combination of Toshiba three-pipe heat recovery and two-pipe VRF systems, plus Digital Inverter splits and applied CIAT air handling units (AHUs).
Other important benefits flow from bringing technologies together. For example, demand for combined DX cooling and heating coils with AHUs has been increasing. However, bespoke systems with components from different manufacturers can be difficult for installers to configure due to the varied control systems. To solve the problem of varied control systems, engineers from CIAT and Toshiba came together to develop a fully integrated air handling unit and DX condensing package complete with onboard controls, with components matched for optimum performance. The new package eliminates complications that can arise from using different manufacturer’s systems, and saves installation and commissioning time on site, opening up fresh opportunities for installers. An important trend we’re seeing is the increased requirement for greater ventilation in buildings. This is likely to be strengthened further by the need to mitigate the risks of Covid-19 in buildings by improving fresh-air intake.
Enhanced ventilation will result in more complex building services designs, requiring a detailed mix of equipment, including AHUs, DX and hydronic systems operating side-by- side. From our own experience this has been demonstrated on many occasions over the past year, with projects involving split systems, VRF, AHUs, fan coils and chillers and/or heat pumps serving different areas of a mixed-use building.
22 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2020 Toshiba's new SHRMe VRF heat recovery system
Bringing solutions together under one roof replaces a potential web of contacts from multiple suppliers with a single point of contact with total responsibility for ensuring everything works. The saving in terms of the number of meetings alone is compelling.
In this way, it is clear why the approach is proving attractive to contractors and clients with complex buildings and large national estates. More efficient asset management, economies of scale and seamless system implementation can translate into huge savings, not to mention the running cost benefits of having optimised systems rather than the best-fit product from one narrow portfolio.
There are also big potential benefits for the environment. A whole- building approach enables solutions to be optimised for low energy consumption and carbon emissions in a way simply not possible for a “one club golfer” restricted to a single product offering. For the end user, this can translate into savings in running costs that continue to accrue over the lifetime of plant. The structural changes in the supply chain required to deliver the full potential of this approach cannot be accomplished overnight. We are very much on a journey. It requires the creation of new teams, supported by training programmes, and involves a change in culture. Since beginning this process two years ago, however, our own organisation has come a long way. Consultants, contractors and clients have welcomed the new approach, and around 20% of orders now include multiple technologies, with at least two brands used in combination on a project. This is increasing month-by-month.
Consultants, in particular, have been quick to see the advantages of a single source, enabling completion of project designs with all support and documentation provided highly efficiently. The approach has also been welcomed by clients in the hotel, education and commercial office sectors, where project requirements tend to be more complex, and involve the full gamut of cooling, heating and ventilation.
Larger developers and end users are themselves on a journey, seeking to streamline their own project delivery processes. This often involves reducing the number of contacts in their supply chain and focusing on working with preferred suppliers they trust.
In summary, we are witnessing the beginnings of a major restructuring in the industry. It will bring significant benefits for those who embrace it, and help deliver the government’s strategic targets for the wider UK construction industry.
Being in the vanguard gives us a unique perspective on the changes underway. Indeed, we are beginning work on an even wider integration, to potentially include equipment rental, service and temporary power alongside the new equipment offering. This would provide everything required to support a customer in the event of catastrophic failure, enabling buildings or industrial processes to continue operating until plant is repaired or replaced. This cradle-to-grave approach completes the circle. It offers not just a total building solution, but complete support throughout the equipment life-cycle. Now, that is revolutionary.
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