Aesthetics first in contemporary home renovation

Case Study: Residential

A contemporary six bedroom detached house renovation in London sets the highest standards for modern family city living. Behind the exterior facade of an original period property, the luxurious bespoke interior features the highest quality finishes, fittings and furnishings. As part of the fit out, the Invisible.AC small duct high velocity (sdHV) system was specified to ensure the aesthetics of the property would be enhanced and that the personal comfort of the occupants would be ensured through whole house heating and air conditioning.

The design and finish of the ground floor open plan kitchen, dining and reception areas set the standards which are maintained throughout, from the lower ground family room, gym, study and cinema to the upper levels featuring the master suite and and guest bedrooms. Interior design features include an inspiring helical staircase, hardwood floors, contemporary furnishings and finishes. Skylights and floor-to-ceiling dual aspect glazing contribute to the ambience within the property.

Considering these design attributes, careful consideration had to be given to the specification of heating and air conditioning system for the whole property. Rather than selecting traditional wall radiators for heating and ceiling cassettes for air conditioning, which would have negatively impacted on the interior detail, a more integrated solution had to be identified.

The selection of the Invisible.AC small duct system was perfect. Its ‘invisibility’ alludes to the discreet linear grille room outlets, just 25mm wide, that feature high on the walls in rooms and send jets of heated air or cooled air at high velocity into the space using jet induction technology. This ensures even temperatures with minimal variation across the space and, in comparison to conventional air conditioning which ‘dumps’ cooled air, there are no cold or hot spots.

The outlets not only contribute to a perception of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, but also form an essential part of the significant advantages of the Invisible.AC solution. Its almost silent operation contributes significantly to the overall ambience within the home and occupants can set personal preferences to control the indoor climate in individual rooms.

In keeping with the energy efficiency and green credentials of the property, the primary generators are three Daikin Altherma Monobloc Air Source Heat Pumps, 16 and 11kW capacities, which are installed in the front courtyard. Three Invisible.AC systems, incorporating two 14kW and one 10kW air handler, are installed in the basement and first floor areas to provide heating and cooling for all the rooms of the property and complemented by underfloor heating.

Clever sound attenuating flexible layout ducting, less than 150mm in diameter, links the air handlers to the room outlets and is woven through small spaces behind walls and above ceilings.

The inspiration to use Invisible.AC for indoor climate control is a clear example of how imaginative interior design does not have to be compromised by unimaginative building services solutions.