Sustainability Adaptable heating
A key obstacle when turning retail and office space into housing is that they lack the extensive plumbing and heating network a home requires. As a result, extensive work may be required to make the building fit for continued habitation. However, this may be easier said than done when considering the steps required to convert these spaces.
Specifically, in order to create flats in areas not originally designed with this purpose in mind, a number of stud walls need to be raised designating individual apartments. As a result, specifiers and contractors may struggle to fit traditional copper pipework, which, due to its rigidity, may not be well-suited to the adjusting spatial situation. Because piping may need to be put into awkward, confined spaces, this flexibility can increase installation time and costs.
Allowing adaptability
Advances in polymer-based flexible piping solutions that can bend mean challenges associated with retrofitting these spaces can be negated. Systems such as Rehau MLCP pipe RAUTITAN stabil, for example, provide the adaptability required in a retrofitting conversion project, while being durable and remaining easy-to-install in both heating and plumbing applications. As such, it is suitable for radiator connections on projects of this nature, as it can be used for installations through the floor, skirting board, or wall, depending on what is required. The fact it is also available with space-saving stainless steel heating pipe manifolds also makes it a solution well-suited to compact areas. This practicality extends to commercial premises with high ceilings, where developers may look to utilise available space by installing underfloor or ceiling
heating systems to warm prospective flats below or above. The system’s status as a universal pipework solution means it is applicable as a single solution to a wide variety of applications, regardless of the heating or plumbing system being installed on a retrofit project.
In conclusion, as demand for office space falls and the need for housing constantly rises, it is clear that there will be a growing shift to replace commercial properties with residential ones. As sustainability increasingly becomes a country- wide necessity, the market for retrofitting these premises with heating systems appropriate for housing will therefore expand. Consequently, it is vital specifiers and contractors select flexible, practical and adaptable solutions best-suited to what will likely become the new normal.
www.heatingandventilating.net
January 2021
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