Commercial Guidebook | Real Estate Investor Magazine Commercial Handbook 2013 | Page 22

IMPROVING HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) plant to regulate temperatures within the building. These air barriers may also be ventilated, thereby advancing the insulation further,” says van Driel. He says many of these systems can be premanufactured in modules off-site and installed at a fraction of the time a conventional type facade would take to be erected. “Sealing the building is always on the programme’s critical path. Besides the time gain, it reduces any disruption or inconvenience to tenants. This is crucial when renovating, as there are probably user tenants who are at work behind the existing facade. And should a panel be damaged, it can simply be replaced without a string of mixed discipline contractors being required. Some of these systems claim to be ‘self cleaning’ but these treatments tend to be more effective in higher rainfall areas.” Nieman says some suppliers provide CAD (computer a