Lees House, Brighton

IT'S EASY BEING GREEN: PANASONIC PROVIDES SUSTAINABLE HVAC SOLUTION TO BRIGHTON OFFICE BUILDING

Panasonic has supplied an efficient and easy-to-install heating and cooling system to a refurbished office building in the centre of Brighton. Hastings-based installer, Coolerway specified Panasonic’s innovative 3-way Multi Heat Recovery Control Boxes and VRF ECOi system to provide a solution that not only offers simultaneous heating and cooling, but is also easy for staff to control.

The new tenants of the ground floor of Lees House, leading digital marketing agency Net Natives, carried out a significant refurbishment to their two office spaces, creating a trendy, industrial-chic style. The architect, Jeremy Diaper of Chalk Architecture, was keen to leave the original terracotta ceiling tiles exposed, which meant that the heating and cooling system wouldn’t be hidden above a false ceiling. This stripped-back style helped to cultivate the industrial aesthetic, so that the piping and units of the heating and cooling system became architectural features, rather than simply functional pieces of technology.

With Panasonic launching its new 3-way multi HR control boxes towards the end of 2015, Coolerway saw the benefits of the new product, and quickly identified that this project would profit from having these systems installed. Supplied via Panasonic distributor, TF Solutions, Coolerway installed two HR control boxes, one in each part of the office, and linked the system to 8 Panasonic 4-way cassette units.

For the installer, this new system cut down the project time significantly, as the new 3-way Multi HR Control Box removes the need for installing individual 3-way PCB and solenoid valve kits for each indoor unit. It also simplifies and reduces costs and timing in installation and designing processes. For the end user, the benefit is that each cassette can be controlled individually, allowing one to be in cooling mode while the other is in heating mode.

“Using Panasonic’s Multi HR Box, we were able to drastically cut down the installation time on site, as we just put the box up and attached each unit, it was really that simple,” said Greg Smith of Coolerway. “It also makes piping design and installation much easier, because its features connection tubes for the main refrigerant circuit lines on both sides of the unit, which is another fantastic innovation. We are looking forward to using it on many more projects.”

Coolerway installed 3 Panasonic VRF ECOi outdoor units to provide simultaneous heating and cooling to the refurbished ground floor office. Due to limited roof space, the installer required a space-saving solution. The Panasonic units are among the most compact on the market and take up very little installation space, so were the ideal choice for this project.

To enable local control of each cassette, Coolerway linked a Panasonic CZ-RTC4 controller to each unit. This offered employees a wide range of options for controlling their environment, including changing the temperature, the fan speed and air flow direction, as well as programming a weekly function. The CZ-RTC4 is very straightforward to use, allowing employees with no experience of heating and cooling solutions to easily adjust the temperature to suit their needs, creating a comfortable environment for all staff members.

Panasonic’s efficient and flexible heating and cooling solution has proved a huge success in the refurbished Brighton office, providing a comfortable working environment for staff, and contributing to the stripped-back, industrial aesthetic of the trendy office. Its market-leading technology, including the 3-way heat recovery control boxes, ensured that project was completed quickly and simply by Coolerway.