When it came to choosing an HVAC system for a prestigious European development project, the contractors had to obtain low carbon, highly energy efficient equipment, and to make optimum use of space at this central London site. The space-saving features of the HVAC equipment manufacturer Armstrong were particularly valuable for this project.

King’s Cross Eastern Goods Yard is part of a major development project that is taking place around King’s Cross station in north London. The old railway buildings are adjacent to a massive transport infrastructure for London, and the St Pancras International station, for trains to Belgium and France. The £170 million project forms part of one of London’s most important development projects involving a site with a rich industrial history. It will provide a new campus for the University of Arts, London (UAL) and includes Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.

 

The UAL section of the development consists of a four-storey new build section linked to a refurbished Grade II listed granary building. When completed, the refurbished Eastern Goods Yard will also include retail areas, offices and public spaces.

 

The priorities for the developer, King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership, and their M & E contractor BAM Services Engineering, were to obtain the most competitive installed capital cost for the plant room, with low carbon, highly energy efficient equipment, and to make optimum use of space at this central London site.

 

The contract was secured by HVAC equipment manufacturer Armstrong. The equipment supplied for the project includes Armstrong 4392 Startwin IVS Series variable speed pumps (with integrated inverters) and 4300 Series vertical inline pumps with standalone IVS102 inverters, all fitted with spacesaving suction guides and Flo-Trex valves. Also supplied were 3750 series pressurisation units and GLA Glycol Autofill units, along with 6800 series IVS variable speed booster sets incorporating built-in inverters.

 

The Armstrong variable speed pumps supplied for the project have energy efficiency advantages as well as having the ability to reduce equipment footprint and to deliver significant savings in installed cost. Traditional base mounted end suction pumps can require up to three times more floor space than the Armstrong alternatives. The Armstrong pumps have a smaller footprint because they are designed to be hung as an integral component of the pipework, making it possible to install them above ground level and position other system components below them to use space more effectively.

 

The pumps supplied for the King’s Cross project also feature Armstrong suction guides and Flo-Trex valves, which provide further space-savings. The suction guide creates the optimum flow conditions at the pump inlet with a single component. This eradicates the need for the conventional Y strainer, flanges, nuts, bolts, gaskets and suction spool piece. At the discharge outlet, the Flo-Trex combination valve carries out the functions of a check valve, throttling valve and shut-off valve with just one component.

 

These features contribute to the pumps’ competitive installed cost. As the pumps were pipeline-hung it was possible to eliminate the cost of inertia bases, springs, flexible pipe connectors, field grouting and alignment. And the use of the Armstrong suction guides and FloTrex valves also offered a cost saving by reducing the number of individual components and the related assembly costs. The Armstrong pumps are also variable speed models, capable of delivering reductions in energy cost and carbon emissions throughout their lifetimes. Many of the pumps supplied are IVS models. These feature integrated inverters that automatically calculate the building load throughout the day and night, and match the pump speeds to the demand, delivering significant reductions in energy consumption.

 

Wayne Rose, director – Product Solutions Group, Armstrong Integrated Limited, said: “The space-saving features of the Armstrong equipment were particularly valuable for this important project. Space saved in the plant room translates into additional floorspace.”