Xpelair Ventilation Solutions has been specified by Mecserve Consulting Engineers for a landmark renovation project to revive a Grade II listed French Renaissance style heritage property overlooking London’s Hyde Park into prime residential living. The company has supplied its Xcell 400 mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) units as part of the refurbishment of The Lancasters, which is being transformed by developers Minerva/Northacre PLC into 77 grand apartments.
Clifton Gordon, Xpelair’s National Business Development Manager – Ventilation, commented: “This is an extremely prestigious project restoring an ambassadorial residence that dates back to the mid 1800’s to its former glory. Behind the retained 90ft high Victorian façade will be state-of-the-art lateral and duplex apartments that will set new standards in residential landmark living, complete with finely wrought balconies, 4.8 metre high ceilings and fantastic views across Hyde Park.
“To meet the first class standards of the development, specifiers Mecserve required a high performance ventilation system that would not only provide a continuous supply of fresh and healthy air, but would also retain heat, cut energy losses and fuel bills and reduce carbon emissions. Other key requirements were the ease of installation and the reliability of the solution. The Xcell 400 was specified as it meets and exceeds this criteria.”
Efficient heat recovery
Ideal for larger properties, Xpelair’s Xcell 400 offers performance levels of 400m³/h at 150Pa. The range features a 90% efficient heat recovery cell, which transfers the heat from the outgoing exhaust airflow to the incoming fresh air whilst keeping the two flows separated. As the temperature of the outgoing air drops, it reaches dew point and gives up condensate. The warming process to the incoming air reduces its RH ensuring a fresh, condensation free, indoor environment all year round.
The Xcell 400 features UltraDC motors, designed for continuous operation, long life, low noise and exceptionally low running costs. The unit design allows the outlet spigots to be set vertically or horizontally to suit site conditions and is fitted with two G3 cell pre-filters, which are user accessible from the outside without having to isolate the unit.
Clifton continued: “Mecserve specified the Xcell 400 primarily based on the performance of the units. Due to the size of the apartments in The Lancasters, a minimum of two units and sometimes three units have been installed to meet the volume of air required. Xpelair’s design team worked in partnership with Mecserve throughout the specification, installation and commissioning process to ensure everything exceeded the project requirements.”