Cardiff Motorpoint Arena extends service life of air handling units with remediation and planned maintenance regime
As published in Modern Building Services magazine/Dec 2012
Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena is Wales’ premier venue for indoor concerts featuring world-class artists. Inevitably, it’s opening act, back in 1993, was almost-local girl Shirley Bassey.
The Main Arena offers 4,500 square metres of exhibition space. Full capacity at concerts can reach 7,500, in a standing layout and 5,000, for a fully seated event. So control of air temperature and humidity is critical, and the financial and reputational risks to the business of equipment failure is incalculable, as it could lead to cancellation of events.
Yet when Marcus Donoghue took up the post of logistics and plant manager in 2011, he found that just two of the main arena’s air handling units were operational, leaving no margin for reduced throughput or failure at all.
Having also been handed responsibility for energy efficiency, and quickly identified the potential to generate carbon savings by optimising air handling, but new that new –for-old replacement of capital equipment was not an option. He was therefore prepared to go beyond ‘box ticking’ for statutory requirements and develop a regime of planned maintenance and staged improvement. In partnership with Airmec, now part of the Essential Services Group of air and water treatment companies, he commissioned a complete audit of the arena’s air handling equipment in 2010
As a result of the remediation plan put in place by Airmec, all the air handling units are now operational, giving the business a comfortable margin for error and failure at a cost that is only marginally higher than it would have been for routine and statutory maintenance only.
Airmec have also kept the Arena fully up to date on legislative changes, including the new BSEN 15780: 2011 Ventilation for buildings – Ductwork – Cleanliness of ventilation systems, a standard for new ductwork which represents latest thinking and best practice.
Airmec’s approach to successful project management has now led to its appoint too provide water service at the Arena as well, including the cleaning of water storage Legionella monitoring.
www.airmec.co.uk
As published in Modern Building Services magazine/Dec 2012
Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena is Wales’ premier venue for indoor concerts featuring world-class artists. Inevitably, it’s opening act, back in 1993, was almost-local girl Shirley Bassey.
The Main Arena offers 4,500 square metres of exhibition space. Full capacity at concerts can reach 7,500, in a standing layout and 5,000, for a fully seated event. So control of air temperature and humidity is critical, and the financial and reputational risks to the business of equipment failure is incalculable, as it could lead to cancellation of events.
Yet when Marcus Donoghue took up the post of logistics and plant manager in 2011, he found that just two of the main arena’s air handling units were operational, leaving no margin for reduced throughput or failure at all.
Having also been handed responsibility for energy efficiency, and quickly identified the potential to generate carbon savings by optimising air handling, but new that new –for-old replacement of capital equipment was not an option. He was therefore prepared to go beyond ‘box ticking’ for statutory requirements and develop a regime of planned maintenance and staged improvement. In partnership with Airmec, now part of the Essential Services Group of air and water treatment companies, he commissioned a complete audit of the arena’s air handling equipment in 2010
As a result of the remediation plan put in place by Airmec, all the air handling units are now operational, giving the business a comfortable margin for error and failure at a cost that is only marginally higher than it would have been for routine and statutory maintenance only.
Airmec have also kept the Arena fully up to date on legislative changes, including the new BSEN 15780: 2011 Ventilation for buildings – Ductwork – Cleanliness of ventilation systems, a standard for new ductwork which represents latest thinking and best practice.
Airmec’s approach to successful project management has now led to its appoint too provide water service at the Arena as well, including the cleaning of water storage Legionella monitoring.
www.airmec.co.uk