Projects
WSP Group Africa ( Pty ) Ltd was appointed to design , tender , adjudicate , implement site quality control , and review and witness commissioning testing of the HVAC system for Rand Mutual Assurance ’ s ( RMA ) new headquarters in Parktown , Johannesburg .
Although this was the new home for RMA , the project consisted of the refurbishment of an existing building with an entirely new HVAC system . Being an existing building , there were various limitations and constraints such as electrical supply , plant room area , structural penetrations and shafts , as well as existing services coordination to name a few .
The brief from the client was clear , design an efficient HVAC system that was suitable for an office application , that would provide the best solution from a financial ( capital and operating ) and energy efficiency perspective , which yielded a sleek and stylish HVAC design as the services would be exposed .
1
HVAC system and design overview The analysis of selecting the correct HVAC system for the building consisted of ( to name a few ):
• Capital cost vs operational cost
• System efficiency ( coefficient of performance ( COP ) and energy efficiency ratios ( EER ))
• System flexibility
• Building application
2
1 . The rooftop packaged unit with visible filter . 2 . The pressure differential sensors . 3 . Outdoor units were positioned along the perimeter of the building as the structural integrity decreased towards the middle of the roof .
3
All images : RACA Journal www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I January 2021 43