Air conditioning A


quick Google search, and you’ll turn up hundreds of articles focused on ‘clever ways to hide your air conditioning’ making it


pretty clear that aesthetics create a challenge for architects incorporating HVAC into any scheme.


High lifecycle costs


Reducing the visual impact of air conditioning outlets in a domestic or commercial setting conventionally means specifying subtle, ducted systems that are less intrusive – hidden within the ceiling or ceiling void –- with discreet grilles for air flow. But ducted systems aren’t the most cost- effective to install or maintain, with difficult and restricted working conditions meaning lifecycle costs are higher than the cassette alternative. Ducted units need all-round access within the


ceiling void to accommodate piping connections, filter cleaning and maintenance. This means incorporating at least one access hatch per ducted unit and there can be issues with uneven temperatures, air flow and static pressure. Motorised dampers can be installed to control individual supply grilles, but these are an additional cost and require regular balancing so there’s an initial and ongoing cost consideration.


The case for cassettes


So what’s the alternative? Cassette systems are designed for easy access to components from the underside so there’s no requirement for access hatches making them a more cost-efficient solution across the lifetime of the product. With our research finding a typical cassette system costs an average of 50% less to purchase and install, it’s a difficult one to balance and, at the end of the day, there’s a conflict between cost and aesthetics. For architectural designers, the main issue with


cassettes has been the visual ‘noise’ they create across the ceiling, breaking up the clean line of the ceiling and the carefully-considered lighting design or viewed against other architectural elements within the scheme.


Lowering the carbon footprint


RICS estimates around 35% of the lifecycle carbon from a typical office development is emitted before the building even opens, and that increases to 51% for residential. As the built environment looks to decarbonise, repurposing old buildings is one significant way of reducing the carbon cost of construction. Architects working on heritage building restoration or refurbishment projects are looking for subtle solutions to 21st Century problems without losing the building’s integrity in the process. Until now there’s been no resolution, but the design team at Hitachi have come up with a solution; the Silent Iconic 4-way cassette design panel combines visual discretion with high performance and easy access for filter cleaning, effectively resolving the conflict between interior design aesthetics and cost considerations. And when


18 December 2021


www.heatingandventilating.net


Balancing cost and aesthetics


Choosing indoor units that fit the aesthetics of good architectural design or building heritage has been notoriously difficult. Here, Stuart Kennedy, sales manager at Hitachi Air Conditioning Europe takes us through the options


bold statement in black or almost imperceptible in white.


connected to the Sideflow VRF outdoor unit, we can improve our carbon credentials with a lighter weight, physically smaller unit that includes an all- important reduction in the F-Gas refrigerant charge.


Statement without noise


Silent Iconic blends almost seamlessly into the ceiling to harmonise with the overall scheme and architectural features without the visual ‘noise’ of a standard cassette unit and can be integrated into most ceiling types and colour schemes, making a


The louvres are black to reduce the visual impact across the ceiling and the central air inlet is frameless and louvred while the panel edge is flatter than anything else on the market. This ‘visually silent’ quality has already won three international product design awards - the iF Design Award 2020 in the Product category, the Good Design Award 2020 and the Red Dot Best of the Best Product Design 2021 – which adds weight to Silent Iconic’s design credentials. This innovative design solution expands horizons


for architects designing air conditioning schemes into heritage refurbishments or new-build interior spaces where aesthetics are just as important to the client as budget and cost control. Silent Iconic bridges the gap between concealed ducted units and conventional 4-way cassettes, breaking the commercial rules where air conditioning units are selected for performance and functionality, then either price or visual appearance.


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