AET Flexible Space, leading provider of underfloor air conditioning has returned to 33 Glasshouse Street in London after completing the initial works of a phased refurbishment early in 2017. The building features a Grade II Listed façade and is located in a prominent position looking over Regent Street and the Soho area of the West End.
The unusually shaped building has a total area of around 52,000 sq. ft. and is currently undergoing full structural reconfiguration and refurbishment to form larger, open plan floor plates and Category-A office accommodation with a floor to ceiling height of 3.3m to be created on floors three to seven. Space saving underfloor air conditioning was originally specified by Consultants WPP and Architects Buckley Grey Yeoman. This second phase of refurbishment focuses on the third floor at Glasshouse Street, removing the old lift area and extending the space through to 100 Regent Street.
With underfloor systems, fully conditioned air is fed into the plenum by zonal downflow units (CAM), which is then supplied into the workspace via fan terminal units (Fantile). The Fantile units feature integrated controllers where users can personally adjust fan speed and temperature to suit their own comfort. Systems can be configured with underfloor or high level return and can easily integrate with passive or other ventilation systems.
The system specified at 33 Glasshouse Street is a CAM-C Direct Expansion system with supply and return air distributed via the floor plenum. The Fantiles are standard TU4 fan terminals with EC motors for enhanced energy efficiency. Instead of a rooftop chiller providing chilled water, the building uses Daikin Heat Pump units to maximise use of space and energy efficiency.
In addition to the creation of contemporary office accommodation, the main entrance and reception area has been reconfigured and bespoke features created at selected areas; including a potential roof terrace on floor six. A floor to ceiling height of 3.3m has been achieved on floors three, four and five with the adoption of underfloor air conditioning enabling the elimination of the ceiling void and subsequently maximising the available space.
The final result is fabulous commercial work space suited to corporate headquarters in a prime London location.
