DRU gas fires have pride of place in prestigious Belgravia development

DRU gas fires have pride of place in prestigious Belgravia development

DRU Fires, based in the Netherlands, is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of contemporary gas fires, wood stoves and functional gas heating appliances.

The company was awarded a contract to produce and install purpose-designed gas fires into Ebury Square, a prestigious development of luxury apartments by Berkeley Homes in Belgravia, London’s most exclusive residential enclave.

The Ebury Square apartments are in the heart of Belgravia
The Ebury Square apartments are in the heart of Belgravia

The Ebury Square apartments are at the premium end of the London property market. Designed by leading architects Squire & Partners and renowned interior designer Martin Goddard. They consist of one, two, three and four bedroom apartments and five bedroom penthouses where no expense has been spared in order to match their owners’ expectations.

The gas fires, known as Prestige models, were selected for their contemporary design, versatile formats and high energy efficiency. They consist of single-sided and double-sided tunnel models depending on the layout of each individual apartment.

They are balanced flue appliances. Air is drawn from outside the building for combustion, with waste gases expelled outside through a concentric flue. This results in effective, comfortable heating, with no depletion of air from inside the room.

Most DRU gas fires in the building have an individual PowerVent® terminal on the roof.
Most DRU gas fires in the building have an individual PowerVent® terminal on the roof.

DRU PowerVent® system overcomes complex venting problem

An important factor that persuaded Berkeley Homes to work with DRU was the company’s unique PowerVent® system. Due to the size of the buildings and the configuration of the apartments, the flues had to be extended up to 64 metres throughout the service ducts in the complex, with most of the fires having external PowerVent® terminals on the roof.

As well as the ability to vent the fires over large distances, another advantage of the DRU PowerVent® system is that the noise from the motorised fans is confined to the roof, making the operation of the fires entirely noise-free.

DRU and Berkeley enjoyed successful collaboration

During the course of the Ebury Square project, DRU engineers and product designers worked closely with Berkeley Homes’ architects and consultants to produce a solution that was fit for purpose and would stand the test of time. This included several visits by Berkeley staff to the DRU headquarters near Arnhem in the Netherlands.

In total, 89 fires were installed at Ebury Square, 67 of which utilised the PowerVent® system and including one in the reception area on the ground floor
In total, 89 fires were installed at Ebury Square, 67 of which utilised the PowerVent® system and including one in the reception area on the ground floor

About DRU

The name DRU stands for Diepenbrook & Reigers of Ulft, which was founded 1754. Its UK subsidiary, Drugasar, was formed in 1975, with the name being a combination of DRU, gas and air. The main manufacturing centre is in Duiven, near Arnhem, Netherlands, with a further subsidiary in Belgium and distributors throughout Europe.

The company’s product range includes high end and mid-range gas fires, contemporary wood fires and stoves, cast iron stoves, functional gas wall heaters, garden stoves, fire surrounds and other fireplace accessories.

DRU is ISO 9000 accredited and its products are all CE approved. As well as being a leading brand in the UK fireplace industry, it is also a major supplier of heating products to local government, schools, churches, military camps and industry