Pipe technology provides home comforts to students
Students at Arts University Bournemouth are enjoying the benefits of a low carbon district heating scheme designed and installed by contractor Lorne Stewart and featuring a specialist eco-friendly pipe network. The new accommodation in Madeira Road, Bournemouth comprises 378 en-suite rooms in three buildings, together with communal facilities, with domestic hot water and central heating distributed from the central plant room via Flexenergy’s energy efficient Flexalen 600 pipe technology.
Lorne Stewart, the mechanical and electrical design and build contractor for the project, focused particularly on the carbon footprint of the scheme. With a central energy centre serving all three buildings, service entry points were ducted into the base of internal service risers early in the construction process. The benefits of the pipe’s fusion jointing system underground was a primary factor in selecting Flexenergy’s polybutene technology, along with its light weight, ease of use and sustainable construction credentials.
Peter King, Senior Project Manager at Lorne Stewart plc, said: “We are pleased to have been involved in the successful delivery of this project. We acted as a constructive partner in the Project Design Team working to ensure that the services installation was carefully dovetailed into the building envelope helping to create a very neat, unobtrusive yet accessible and effective solution. The use of Flexalen pre-insulated pipe in the external distribution network was both a cost effective and user-friendly option.”
Flexenergy Sales Director, Sandy Fairley, commented: “The pipe technology selected combines strength, durability and flexibility across a wide hot water temperature range when compared to conventional pipe. Its lightweight profile also makes it easier to handle.
“A significant driver for this project was environmental sustainability – so the pipe technology’s low thermal conductivity and consequent heat loss became important factors in the context of optimising energy efficiency in a low carbon environment.”