Some of the most intriguing buildings are ones you can walk past and simply not know they are there! So walking down Broad Passage in Acton in West London you can walk past the door to five impressive new music studios and have absolutely no idea what has been cleverly crafted in the basement of a building which sits under a row of shops in The Vale that have apartments above them, right in the centre of Acton.
Background
Very low noise air conditioning
The door to the studios opens to reveal a narrow entrance pathway to steps down into the basement of the building and on entering the studios you find yourself in a small reception area with a fully equipped kitchen. A corridor in front of you leads to the five studios that have somehow been incorporated into the building each one effectively a sound proofed pod that ‘floats’ in its own space so that noise generated in any of them does not interfere with the studio next door, or cause issues with the shops above the studios or the apartments on the first floor and above.
Created by Nick Sonuga of StudioSixMusic these studios offer recording facilities to the highly active music scene in West London in plush surroundings that benefit from all the facilities you would expect of such a facility but not exactly where you might expect to find them! This includes highly effective, very low noise air conditioning with a high efficiency heat exchanger, to keep each studio comfortable however many people are in them at any one time.
Challenge
Space was at a premium
The air conditioning was supplied by M3R Climate - a specialist distributor of LG HVAC equipment based in Milton Keynes. M3R supplies splits, VRF, AHUs, Ventilation, controls and supplies spare parts.
“We like the options LG equipment offers us,” says Ryan Kontoh.
Solution
Multi V S Heat Pump and ERV
“The equipment we specified, the Multi V S Heat Pump unit for the studios in Acton was a perfect fit because we were able to fit the LG ERV Ventilation unit and the condenser in a very tight space in what is effectively an alley way and to ensure that it was capable of delivering a maximum of 12.5kW of cooling for the five studios in the basement. We find the equipment simple to install and very flexible – in this project, space was at a premium but we were able to overcome any issues easily. We also love the LG controls – with the LG pedigree in electronics it is no real surprise that the controls are excellent – very user friendly intuitive and easy for new users to pick up and understand to control the climate in each studio as they need it.”
No compromise
“We were delighted to be involved in this project,” says Mike Price - Midlands Account Manager from LG. “It’s a pleasure to work with Ryan and the guys at M3R – they understand our equipment and ensure that their customers get the best from it once its installed. This was an excellent use of our equipment in a very tight installation envelope and proved that when you have a vision for a building it is possible to incorporate what you need in it, without compromising if you use the right equipment combined with expertise and know how.”
