‘You don’t feel claustrophobic at all.’.
In this context, we have converted offices to pilot labs with a high density of fume cupboards and clean room facilities.We have also built an incubator/accelerator project; a lab building for startups.
The principal MEPchallenge here is catering for the air change requirements, which are clearly much higher in a laboratory than in an office.Doing this has been greatly helped by the 3D modelling that was carried out on the original project.. HVAC upgrades at the Portway.Also on the Granta Park is a building called Portway.
Initially built as a large office complex for one company, we have been working on dividing it up to house nine separate clients.This has complex implications for mechanical and electrical services.
For obvious technical reasons, each client cannot be serviced separately, so each one has to be monitored separately for energy, airflow and water usage..
The existing plant was 20 years old, and at the end of its useful life.The difficulty in installing adequate PV on multi residential developments will be even greater.
The only immediate pathway for these dwellings to become net zero is to invest in either a zero carbon PPA or carbon offset scheme, both of which come with significant increases in the cost of purchased electricity..Embodied carbon in sustainable building design.
On one hand, a Passivhaus building will need triple glazing, additional insulation and airtight membranes.The heat pump may contain refrigerants with high global warming potential and the MVHR unit will require insulated ductwork.