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Live decarbonisation in central London office building


Victaulic, the specialist in mechanical pipe joining, has partnered with mechanical, electrical and HVAC contractor WS Swift to successfully retrofit and upgrade the HVAC system within an iconic 265,800 ft2 office and retail building in the heart of London. By eliminating welding, decreasing installation time, and ensuring adaptability, the project reached new heights for sustainable retrofitting in London’s built environment


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his project, carried out over the summer of 2024, involved replacing the existing chillers with cutting-edge air source heat pump


systems—all while the building remained fully operational and occupied without disruption. The project showcased the advantages of flame-free, reconfigurable pipe joining solutions, ensuring efficiency, safety, and adaptability in a live environment. “The partnership with Victaulic allowed us to


deliver an efficient solution tailored to the needs of the building and its tenants. The simplicity of the installation process, compared to flame-based pipe joining, helped us to stay on schedule and reduce the carbon footprint of the project,” said Chris Rodwell, mechanical project manager at WS Swift.


The increasing focus on decarbonising London


London is implementing various strategies to decarbonise its buildings. The GLA reports that 78% of greenhouse gases in the UK’s capital are produced from buildings. The built environment has a significant role to play in meeting the UK’s climate action targets. “Decarbonising existing buildings in London is a critical step to meet Net Zero goals,” said Ed Hamlyn, technical sales engineer at Victaulic. “We’re proud to support projects like 1 Stephen Street with innovative solutions that make retrofitting faster, safer, and more adaptable, while also reducing on- site emissions.” WS Swift has found that many of their London


projects now focus on refitting existing piping systems with more efficient options. “Sustainability is at the heart of what we do. On this Stephen Street project, Victaulic solutions


Top left: Stephen Street, London has been undergoing a live decarbonisation project.


Left: Daniel Swift, managing director of WS Swift.


meant we were able to minimise emissions, reuse components, and support a circular economy—all while delivering a cutting-edge HVAC system,” said Daniel Swift, managing director of WS Swift. “Decarbonising an existing building is far more complex than starting from scratch. This project shows how combining new technology with thoughtful planning can transform older spaces into sustainable, energy-efficient environments with little to no impact on building operation.”


Navigating the complexities of retrofitting an operational building


During the planning phase, WS Swift initially considered welding for the retrofit. However, early assessments revealed that the time required for welders to be on-site would be excessive — almost permanent — not a scenario that would work for the contractor or the building owner. Given these constraints, teamed with


the requirement for low emissions on this decarbonisation project, the team turned to Victaulic. “During planning, we took our original drawings


to Victaulic’s Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) department,” Daniel said. “They converted our welded model into detailed 3D drawings which helped to visualise and optimise the piping design and mitigate any potential system clashes prior to installation.” Another major factor was the need to work within


Above: The mechanical room featuring Victaulic couplings and fittings at 1 Stephen Street, London.


16 October 2025


an occupied building. Since tenants remained in place throughout the upgrade, safety on-site was of course a key consideration and the flame-free pipe joining method eliminated any potential risk of fire. Instead of welding, pipes are grooved and joined with a mechanical coupling secured by two bolts. This method is faster, requires no specialist labour, produces no on-site emissions, and offers clear visual confirmation of proper installation. Additionally, the couplings are easily removable and reusable. “We can have the correct lengths and sizes on


Above: Close-up of a Victaulic mechanical pipe joining coupling.


site thanks to the detailed drawings provided,” said Chris. “The products can be assembled so easily, and our operatives are fully trained by Victaulic.”


Meeting tight project deadlines on a live building project


Upgrading an HVAC system in an operational building presents unique challenges. With this project taking place during the summer of 2024, it was crucial to keep the building cool throughout the installation process. “Multiple systems were running back-to-back


to keep the building cool. As we shut down old chillers, we provided temporary cooling systems – all using Victaulic products as they are so adaptable – allowing the temporary system to be quickly disassembled and reconfigured at a new location, all using the same materials. At times, the parts of the existing and new cooling systems were running simultaneously meaning that there was a constant need to change configuration,” said Daniel. “We’ve used Victaulic before and it’s tremendously reliable. In this circumstance we were able to temporarily build sections of the plant room and then relocate them to other parts of the building when needed.” Time considerations also become more critical.


Project deadlines are always important, however when upgrading a fully occupied and operational building, there is even more pressure. Victaulic’s Installation-ReadyTM couplings are designed for quick and easy installation, translating to faster assembly times, resulting in less time on site. The reconfigurable nature of the system allows for live modifications to be made quickly and easily on-site, reducing the risk of delays.


“Using these solutions means there is a big saving on time because the products are so much quicker to install. Minor alterations are very quick and easy to execute too,” Chris said.


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