ACR Journal

October | November 2020 AIR CONDITIONING 18 Breakthrough for commercial spaces as Mitsubishi Electric’s City Multi system is used in refurbishment project. Big step for R32 VRF Volume 6 No.6 A former tram station in Bristol is said to have become the first building in the UK to benefit from large-scale R32 air conditioning. The Art Deco building in the city’s Gloucester Road was originally a main station for electric trams and is now occupied by one of the largest environmental business networks in the UK – Future Economy Network. Renamed the Future Leap Hub, the refurbished ground floor brings together like-minded companies and acts as a showcase for sustainable businesses. It oˆers a carbon neutral, co-working space, meeting rooms and an event space for hire, in which weekly, sustainability themed events are hosted. The air conditioning industry has been transitioning to R32 in line with the phase down of refrigerants with high GWP, but this has not been possible for larger VRF systems until the launch of the City Multi R32 VRF at the end of 2019. Future-proof “We looked across the market at a whole host of technologies for our heating and cooling and when Mitsubishi Electric’s R32 system was recommended to us by Envira- Mech Services, we quickly realised it was absolutely the right product for us,” said Alan Bailey, Director of the Future Economy Group and Future Leap. “So far, we’ve been really, really, really pleased with the end result. “I have to say I can’t speak highly enough about Envira-Mech Services, they were really, really good on site. They were very conscious of the other trades who were working on site at the same time, and were very happy to fit in when the scheduling went a little bit out of sync.” Future Leap is carbon neutral in its operation and has incorporated sustainable technologies and solutions, including a carpet made from disused ghost fishing nets that have been reclaimed from the bottom of the ocean. Inside the refurbished former tram station