As older buildings mature, there is an opportunity for them to develop into a new refurbished alternative. That could be either complete re-development or the need to refurbish due to changing of space requirements. With this, brings the question of the buildings infrastructure and whether or not the proposed changes to the space needs can be adopted.

Naturally all refurbishment projects that involve substantial building works must be carried in accordance with the recent changes to the building regulations, the need for compliance and British Standards along with other codes of practice. This poses questions about the state of buildings M&E services. – Can the existing heating/Cooling system cope with a potential increase in capacity? Is additional fresh air required in the occupied space? Is the ventilation adequate and therefore in compliance with minimum Air Change requirements?

Taking that all into account the attention is then therefore focused on what type the systems are, and whether they are fit for purpose? If not, is there additional capacity available out of the existing systems to deliver the required duties, or is a new system needed?

Air handling units (AHUs) are used to supply and circulate conditioned air around a building and/or to extract stale air as part of a building’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system. In many cases there is the potential for these AHUs to be reconfigured to accept new components to increase capacities, or to improve energy consumption with newer components.

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