Lush Ltd is best known for its sweet-smelling, handmade cosmetic and bath products and a highly ethical approach to business life. So when it came to the comfort of their staff in a new office, energy efficiency was a key priority.
Lush Ltd
The Client
The Project
When Lush decided to expand its office space, the company leased out a new unit in Dolphin Quays, Poole, a prestigious complex of apartments and office spaces. The leased units came with running water and electricity, but other comforts like air conditioning all needed to be arranged by the tenant.
We wanted a system that would create a pleasant working environment for our staff, whilst fitting comfortably into the office environment. We also wanted to make sure we avoided any draughts for our employees
Krystal James – Project Coordinator, Lush Ltd
The Solution
To meet Lush’s eco-friendly requirements, we chose to install Mitsubishi Electric’s City Multi VRF efficient heat recovery system.
Across the space, 12 ceiling-suspended indoor units have been fitted, with one additional floor positioned unit for a specific area. The beauty of the City Multi system is that excess heat from an area being cooled can be moved to other parts of the building that need heating, helping improve the overall efficiency.
This is a highly efficient option for Lush Ltd as it allows the air to be heated during the winter and heat to be removed from the air in the summer. To further meet their requirements, we came up with a solution using swirl diffusers which distribute the airflow in the building more evenly and ensure the experience is discreet.
Challenges Faced
During the project, there were a few challenges we faced…
1
Working with multiple contractors on one project (with a tight turnaround deadline of 8 weeks) meant that there needed to be a high level of collaboration to ensure each team was able to complete their work and everything was delivered on time.
2
Our team also discovered that Lush Ltd wanted the outdoor units to sit at a higher level in the building. To accommodate this, additional frameworks needed to be created that would fit around the existing system to provide structural support – something that was not part of the initial project plan.
3
Finally, there was a lot of existing pipework running throughout the building that wasn’t considered in the original drawings. This made the installation of the MVHR units more challenging, resulting in real-time adaptation to ensure the units fitted within the space provided.
This was an exciting project to work on, given the location, there were strict time restrictions we had to adhere to, so as not to disturb the tenants above and below the site
Gary Whitcher, Director at Modern Facilities Services Ltd
Results
The whole office air conditioning installation was completed within the 8 week timescale, and has provided a discreet, efficient system. Lush staff comfort is now taken care of, with effective heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.
With a tight eight-week time scale to work towards, the team had to work hard and fast to ensure everything was delivered when promised. We are proud of the result and are pleased to hear that Lush Ltd is considering rolling out the same system to its other sites
Gary Whitcher, Director at Modern Facilities Services Ltd