Albany House, Esher

It’s ‘new Daikin for old’ as council upgrades offices for tenants

A change of tenants provided a golden opportunity to give a modest three-storey office building in Esher, Surrey, a makeover including efficient new air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Albany House – formerly Fairmile House – is a 1990s council-owned, brick-clad building on Claremont Lane, next to the town centre car park. Building and interiors specialist Visu Verum was appointed to oversee the refurbishment, with Daikin D1+ Business Partner Direct Cooling Services to install the new air conditioning and ventilation systems. Visu Verum also worked with construction consultants Drake & Reynolds, who had previously occupied part of the building.

It’s ‘new Daikin for old’ as council upgrades offices for tenants

Daikin systems had served the building well for more than 20 years, so an upgrade to the latest Daikin Mini-VRV IV S-series and Sky Air systems and VAM Total Heat Exchanger units - units was a logical choice to accompany the redecoration and other interior improvements to suit the incoming tenants, accountancy practice Wellden and Turnbull.

“As a result, outdoor units had to be out of the public eye, while indoor components were to be either in the ceiling voids or as inconspicuous as possible.”

- Andrew Smith, project manager at Visu Verum

The outdoor solution involved locating two high-capacity Mini-VRV condenser units in a revamped gated and fenced area on the property boundary at a front corner of the building, behind a raised planter bed. These units serve the independent systems on the first and second floors.

Also in the enclosure and mounted on the side of the building are two Daikin R32 Multi Series condenser units that serve the ground floor offices, meeting rooms and staff breakout area.

Open plan areas on all floors are served by Roundflow Cassettes, while meeting rooms have wall-mounted units.