An innovative hybrid air conditioning system is being used for a new 250-bedroom hotel project in Birmingham.

Mitsubishi Electric's Hybrid Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology has been chosen for the 18-storey KKA Architecture-designed Holiday Inn Express Birmingham City Centre scheme, which is due to open in April 2017.

Overall, the VRF technology removes the need to install leak detection equipment in occupied rooms. It is designed to keep guests comfortable in a controllable, energy efficient way, whilst still offering the full flexibility of design and installation that VRF air conditioning is synonymous with.

Mark Foster, Managing Director of Centre Island, who will manage the hotel, explained: "We needed reliable and effective air conditioning that is easy to use from the guest's perspective but which is also more cost effective for the hotel moving forward as it removes the annual maintenance costs associated with a leak detection system.

"The added advantage of using Mitsubishi Electric equipment is that we can control the whole system centrally, which minimises energy use for the business whilst still allowing guests to have individual control within their rooms. This also ensures we can stop rooms being heated or cooled when they are empty."


The design for the air conditioning system was put together by SISK Design and Build Contractors who worked with Building Services Consultancy DW Pointer. Working in collaboration, the companies committed to providing a VRF system that did not need the significant cost of adding leak detection units in all of the bedrooms.

Brian Inett of John Sisk & Son said: "We proposed Hybrid VRF as it completely removes leak detection in occupied spaces whilst still offering the flexibility of a VRF system.

"We were already aware of the Hybrid system and had been looking for a suitable project to use it on, so this was an ideal solution for the client, especially as it does away with the annual costs of leak detection maintenance."

Dennis Winter, from installer Dragon Air Conditioning, added: "Hybrid VRF uses water to transfer heating and cooling around the building, which removes the need for refrigerant leak detection in occupied spaces.

"But there are also other benefits to the project as the system is being installed in phases which matches the way the hotel is being built."

Once completed, the hotel will employ around 60 people and form part of the Arena Central redevelopment scheme in Birmingham City Centre which will also be home to the new HSBC headquarters.

Mitsubishi Electric's Mark Grayston Senior Product Manager for VRF & Hybrid VRF said: "There are a lot of hotels that are now coming to terms with how to keep guests comfortable whilst complying with new legislation on refrigerants and leak detection.

"This is why we have developed the Hybrid VRF system and this new development points the way to delivering the highest levels of guest comfort without adding significantly to install and maintenance costs."

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