VRV units on the roof
The 140 outdoor units for a Daikin VRF air-conditioning system at SkyParks Business Centre in Malta are supported by Pump House’s Flexi frame system. The VRF systems serve all seven floors of the building, and the roof support systems were installed by Zarb Installations as sub-contractor to MA&A Services.
The VRV outdoor units were arranged in eight runs, with the longest run supported by one Base-Frame and 15 Extender-Frames. The total requirement was for eight Base-frames and 105 Extender frames. They were delivered to site individually boxed , with all components and instructions to hand.
Josef Zarb, managing director of Zarb Installations, explains, ‘The engineers were only allocated one working week to assemble the frames and lift the Daikin units onto the room, so we knew time was going to be an issue because this job was so large.
‘Having previously used the Pump House Flexi frames, I understood how the modular system worked, which makes them very easy and quick to erect. our decision was simple. This build could have taken the team at least five days using other roof-support systems. Instead it took us just two.’
The team had to ensure that the units were located over adequate load-bearing roof supports, and all the 100+ frames were assembled in situ. The engineer specified that each frame would be located in line and levelled with laser beams to ensure accurate positioning.
Josef Zarb says, ‘We sent the drawing and schedule of the air-conditioning equipment, along with weight and dimensions, and Pump House helped us specify the frames required.’
Flexi Frame has a load rating of 500 kg and has been overload tested up to 5 t.
