EWS provides strategic support for telecommunications campus
As part of its ongoing work providing service, maintenance and upgrading of service on the Cable & Wireless campus at Bracknell, EWS installed air conditioning for this new gymnasium for employees.
EWS residential engineers play a key role at the energy-efficient campus of Cable & Wireless at Bracknell by supplying HVAC service and maintenance expertise. This European headquarters is a major hub for international telecommunications traffic. It comprises four modern buildings around a lake. The five resident engineers include three dedicated to air-conditioning systems and two providing electrical-engineering skills and plant-room assistance. EWS’s brief covers all multi-vendor equipment on the whole campus. Responsibilities include chillers, VAV air conditioning, AHUs, Trend BMS and water treatment. Much work is preventative maintenance, but with an expanding site and more people, a significant proportion involves replacing or installing more plant. In Waterside House, for example, EWS has installed new chillers VAV systems and more fan-coil units. In Lakeside House, chillers have been refurbished, new fan-coil units installed and a BMS installed — with work phased over 10 months. EWS also worked with contractor Overbury on a new gymnasium for employees. An office and toilet block has been refurbished to include showers and changing facilities. VRF comfort cooling in the gymnasium maintains the temperature at 21°C. The brief included air conditioning, with supply and extract air supplied by Moducel LKS units. Qualitair condensing units and heat pumps were installed, with a new supply and extract for the changing area, all linked to a BMS. All the new Ductwork had to be installed after hours. In Thames House, comfort cooling is provided in open-plan offices, with close control in switch rooms. To replace aging AHUS four Edenaire IPAC units have been installed that can provide free cooling. The changeover was planned to avoid disrupting switching facilities that carry traffic for Africa and the Caribbean. Two units at a time were replaced, using temporary cooling to maintain the environment. All buildings have yet to reach full occupancy. Future work includes replacing 700 kW dry coolers serving Thames House. This will involve draining the system, cutting pipework, installing new coolers and providing temporary cooling.
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