With its focus set on innovation and quality, Nuaire had the XBC heat recovery unit ready as the ideal space saving solution when St Albans Cathedral started its expansion and refurbishment project.
Along with renovating its existing Chapter House, which provides specially adapted spaces designed for children and adult learning, the Cathedral built a new Welcome Centre, providing much-needed accommodation and modern facilities to support the varying needs of the Cathedral congregation, visitors and staff.
Prior to the refurbishment works, much of the Crypt and first floor Education spaces were naturally ventilated. However, the introduction of a new lift in the Chapter House meant that the original 1980s Crypt ventilation plant was left without means to deliver heat and ventilation to the largely windowless basement space.
Nuaire suggested its XBC heat recovery unit for the job as it catered to the challenge of fitting under the newly constructed elevated floor void, as space was a premium in the Cathedral. Being the shallowest on the market relative to air volume, XBC’s feature of low-depth made it ideal. The XBC also has an integral condensate pump, which eliminates the need for a gravity drain or condensate drain trap. Its built-in condensate pump enables the unit to be installed directly on top of the original 1980s sub-floor, avoiding permanent damage through drainage.
Furthermore, the XBC unit is fully accessible from the side and requires only 260mm for filter removal, making maintenance possible within the confined space. Additionally, when the final parquet floor is installed over the newly raised floor level incorporating the access hatches, the location of the unit means that it will be almost invisible within the architecturally-sensitive space.
Nuaire’s Area Sales Engineer, Andrew Bott, who worked closely with Mott MacDonald, part of the technical team for the renovation, said, “Being a listed building, we had to ensure that we proposed a unit that would leave the building relatively unchanged. The XBC heat recovery unit is well suited to overcoming all challenges within this project whilst meeting the architectural and conservation expectations.”
Nuaire provides a full range of energy-efficient domestic, commercial and renewable ventilation solutions. UK based with over 500 employees worldwide, Nuaire has been at the forefront of the ventilation industry since 1966.