Victaulic gives good account of itself in Rothschild project
A change of specification from welded pipework to Victaulic’s grooved end joints for pipework has overcome recurring problems experienced by N. M. Rothschild & Sons. Used in its new headquarters in the City of London, the Victaulic system made possible the on-time delivery of HVAC systems.The new 16-storey building is on the site occupied by Rothschild since 1809 and provides 21 000 m2 of floor space. It has three mechanical plant rooms for the boiler, air-handling unit and water, along with a cooling tower.
Among problems previously experienced by Rothschild were the need for the periodic replacement of rubber bellows at least every 10 years.
It was a visits to Victaulic’s premises in Stevenage that convinced the Arup [consulting engineers] and Rothschild’s engineering team of the benefits of grooved technology. Arup senior engineer Krys Lanowski explains, ‘It was clear that using Victaulic flexible couplings in and around the mechanical room was the best solution. Our many follow-up meetings with Victaulic’s engineers to discuss value engineering and how using their systems could reduce the mechanical room footprint were also invaluable.’
Engineering services throughout the building use a range of rigid and flexible couplings, valves, mechanical Tees and suction diffusions on steel pipe from 5 to 30 cm diameter.
In particular, it was essential to minimise the footprint of the pump set-up. Using flexible couplings, which last the life of the system, rather than rubber bellows helped save space, as did using suction diffusers instead of flanged strainers. Suction diffusers straighten out the water flow as it enters a bend, avoiding the need for long runs of straight pipe into a pump section and improving pump performance. These devices have just two nuts and bolts, compared to 16 on a flanged strainer, so installation and access for cleaning are both quicker.
Victaulic’s construction piping services team worked with contractor Briggs & Forrester to produce 3D isometric drawings form the contractor’s drawing to create a detailed bill of materials and help plan delivery schedules.
