The £90 million phased refurbishment of insurance giant Norwich Union’s headquarters in Norwich features a comprehensive range of chilled beams from leading air distribution system provider TROX UK.

The total value to TROX over all four phases of the project is £3.5m.

This prestigious project – which embraces seven existing Norwich Union buildings, including the Grade 1 listed Surrey House (originally built in the early 1900s) – includes the provision of active multi service chilled beams incorporating speakers, PIR detectors and lights that use the “digital addressable lighting interface” protocol to boost flexibility and raise energy savings.

All the elements in the beams – each of which was factory fitted by TROX at its manufacturing facilities in Thetford, Norfolk – had to be programmed for the particular areas where they would be installed. This demanded precise co-ordination between the factory fitting of the elements within the beam and its final location in the building.

The energy efficiency of the TROX MSCBs is well proven, but is improved still further by the provision of inverter-driven pumps; if a beam shuts down, the water supply to that beam also shuts down so only the required amount of water is pumped at any one time.

MSCBs also offer several other benefits. For example, they:

• Remove the need for a suspended ceiling resulting in greater room height and more usable space.
• Are prefabricated in the quality-controlled environment of the factory, reducing time spent on site, with all the safety, timesaving, and cost implications that this involves. Off-site prefabrication also enables the co-ordination of fit-out services.
• Can reduce programme times by an estimated 40 per cent.
• Are bespoke designed, allowing the architect to be fully involved in how the beam looks.
• Cost a third less than fan coil systems over the life of the building.
• Need less maintenance because there are no terminal filters.
• Have no moving parts, eliminating the audible hum associated with conventional air conditioning units.
  

TROX conducted comprehensive analysis of the beams for the Norwich Union HQ at its well-equipped test laboratory in Thetford, including thermal, air distribution, and light distribution testing.

Bovis Lend Lease chose to have the installation carried out by TROX because it had worked with the company on previous projects where

TROX had proved its ability to work closely with the professional team to co-ordinate the programme. TROX had also previously worked with developer Land Securities, which demands the highest standards of its suppliers in terms of quality and reliability.

The redevelopment of Norwich Union’s HQ, which is due for completion by the end of 2007, will create 400,000 sq ft of office space.

The client is Land Securities Trillium, which manages and maintains the buildings in Norwich on behalf of Norwich Union. The building services engineer is Faber Maunsell, management contractor is Bovis Lend Lease, and the architect is Aukett Fitzroy Robinson.

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