Adapting for maximum efficiency, comfort and convenience in iconic London office building
100 Bishopsgate is one of the largest office buildings in the heart of London, providing nearly 11,000 square feet of flexible space across 37 floors. It was developed and is managed by Brookfield Properties on behalf of Brookfield Asset Management, one of the largest alternative asset managers in the world.
Built in sustainability and comfort
100 Bishopsgate was designed with future-thinking office design, sustainability and comfort for tenants at the forefront. A unique feature is a 3,896 sq ft flowering green wall to encourage bees and butterflies, which also provides nesting for swifts and sparrows. To encourage sustainable travel there are 900 bike storage spaces, 900 lockers, e-scooter / e-bike parking and changing facilities with 50 showers.
Roof-mounted photovoltaic panels and solar hot water panels generate renewable electricity and heat energy for the entire building, while a comprehensive surface water drainage strategy ensures 100 Bishopsgate has a neutral impact on surface water runoff while reducing the risk of flooding and water pollution.
Heating and cooling conditions to fit building occupancy
Development work started in 2015 and in 2017 SWEP won the contract to provide 64 compact Brazed Plate Heat Exchangers to help ensure comfortable heating and cooling conditions for occupants and visitors. In early 2023, SWEP was asked to review and advise on the design and configuration of the heat exchangers in light of changes to how the building was being utilized since completion in 2018.
Gary Middlehurst, Brookfield Properties Vice President for Engineering explains, “The impact of the Covid pandemic and the subsequent shift to partial home working, meant that the building was not being used at the same level as before. Prior to the pandemic our tenants' people were generally in the building five days a week, but now many are working from home two or three days and in the office the rest of the time. As a result, we needed to change how the heat exchangers are configured to ensure their maximum efficiency.”
Christer Frennfelt, Business Development Manager Consultant & Utility for SWEP, led the review, “The heat exchangers were originally specified and set-up to be self-cleaning. But because they had been delivering less heat flow and load than first calculated, they were not operating at maximum efficiency and developing some fouling. We have undertaken extensive monitoring, subsequently removed and flushed all the heat exchangers and reinstalled them with revised operating parameters. They are now delivering maximum efficiency appropriate to the building's level of occupancy.”
Gary Middlehurst concludes, “SWEP did a great job in getting to grips with the issues and revising all the calculations to re-engineer the system. Now whatever the weather and whatever the demand, the building is set-up to deliver maximum comfort and convenience to our tenants.”