A year on from the opening of Kestrel Court business centre in Gloucester, its success has led to the development of a second, multi-million pound complex in Portishead. As multi-tenant developments, flexibility was crucial and an integral aspect of the design was AET’s market leading Flexible Space Concept, incorporating its Hiross underfloor air conditioning system. With the Portishead site’s imminent opening and many units having already been let, Kestrel Court offers a wide variety of working space, from office, studio and workshop premises and, with sizes ranging from 200 to 1200 square feet, the range of options to local businesses is enormous.

It is this diversity that has been a key element to the success of both Kestrel Court developments and this has been made possible by the specification of AET’s Flexible Space Concept with its Hiross underfloor air conditioning system. Contained in the floor voids of the office block, the Hiross system eliminates the need for the space consuming suspended ceiling required by traditional air conditioning, allowing the developers to reduce the overall height of the building - resulting in less construction time and a reduction in costs.

Nigel Brooks, a director at site owners, Kestrel Court Managed Workspace explains: “By involving AET at the design stage of the projects and working with its innovative underfloor air conditioning system, we were able to significantly reduce the construction costs at the same time as maintaining the most flexible offering for our potential tenants. As well as not having to factor in the need for suspended AC housing units into the build, the Hiross underfloor air conditioning system operates with a floor void of only 150mm. That brought huge benefits, compared to traditional AC systems.”

Crucially, in a multi-tenant project such as Kestrel Court, the main advantage brought by the AET Hiross system for both the managing agent and the end user is that floor plans need not be set in stone. Integral to the design of the Hiross system are moveable fan tiles that can be positioned after a furniture layout is established.

Commenting on AET’s involvement in both projects, Nigel adds: “At Kestrel Court Waterwells, using AET’s Hiross system helped the main contractor, Barnwood Construction, keep the completion time to fifty two weeks. As such, our architects, Taylor Seymour and quantity surveyors, Huntley Cartwright, had no hesitation in incorporating the Flexible Space concept into our Portishead plans.”

Over fifty businesses are now located at Kestrel Court’s Waterwells Gloucester centre and, with office space at a premium in the south west, the prompt completion of the Portishead project was vital to Kestrel Court’s plans.

AET’s Flexible Space Concept is perfectly suited to fast-changing commercial environments such as the Kestrel Court projects. It utilises the plenum under a raised access floor as a duct in itself with the building divided into a number of zones depending on the potential use and occupancy density of the area. Each zone is supplied with chilled or warmed air by a conditioned air module (CAM). The underfloor void is divided into supply and return air channels using easily relocatable, airtight baffles. Supply air is drawn up into the occupied space by fan assisted terminal units (FTU450), which are recessed into the floor, plugged into an underfloor power source and are connected by data cabling for intelligent control. These fan tile units feature individual controls to provide variable speed and temperature adjustment for maximum user comfort. Air travels back to the CAM via return grilles located over the return channel for re-conditioning and is mixed with fresh air at that point to achieve high standards of indoor air quality.

Since they are not restricted by duct or pipe connections, FTU’s are changed with floor panels within minutes, allowing easy reconfiguration of the system to accommodate any changes eventual occupants wish to make to their office layout with minimum cost and disruption. Serious financial benefits may be achieved when compared with fan coil systems and VAV. Office IT and telecoms cabling as well as power points are also concealed beneath the raised access floor, minimising workspace congestion and making any subsequent reconfiguration a straightforward task.

Email: sales@flexiblespace.com