Dec. 01, 2005
- LONDON -- The new `Best UK Retail Interior¿ has been air conditioned using the latest Toshiba SMMS two-pipe and SHRM three-pipe VRF systems. Six floors of new retail and office space at Boots the Chemist¿s Oxford Street store in Sedley Place, London, have been air conditioned with a mix of Toshiba equipment. The much-praised four floors of striking modern yet comfortable retail design has just won its latest accolade at the Retail Interior Awards organised by Retail Week.
The visual impact of the air conditioning is minimal and very uniform despite the wide range of cooling requirements and indoor units used. The comfort levels are maintained to very close tolerances.
Each floor presented a range of different air conditioning challenges. One side of the building and the front is a shaded, full height, glazed wall, and the entrance and office areas are part glazed too. Throughout the store the majority of indoor units used are ducted. The basement follows this pattern with the floor zoned into front, middle and back. The first floor, where the Optician area is located, utilises the 3-pipe system where simultaneous heating and cooling could be required by consulting rooms and the reception area. Wall-mounted indoor units were also required. The `glass box¿ second floor area has conditioned air blown into the space from slot diffusers located on the non-glazed side of the box.
All the office areas use the Toshiba three-pipe VRF technology but have also taken advantage of using several floor standing indoor units in the meeting rooms due to restricted void space.
Establishing a controls solution that matched the needs of the building and the requirements of the clients and consultants was just part of the role that Toshiba¿s Projects department played in ensuring that staff and visitors to the building experience a remarkable level of comfort. Toshiba integrated the air conditioning equipment into the Trend IQ Excite range of controllers, the client¿s preferred choice. All the functions of the indoor units can be fully controlled and monitored centrally from the Trend front end. The indoor units are connected by a Lonworks gateway through a Realtime LTX-21 to the Trend controllers located on each floor.
The specifying consultant was Charterhouse. Boots specified the use of Toshiba equipment. The main mechanical contractor was Woodward and Co., and the air conditioning installation was carried out by Artisan Air.
