PIPELIFE IRELAND – COMFORT AND DESIGN
When walking into the largest single Jaguar and Land Rover showroom in Ireland, located in Bishopstown, Co. Cork, the visitor’s attention is immediately captured by the sleek and contemporary cars. However, comfortable room temperatures make your visit even more pleasant and enjoyable. The building company Summerhill Constructions and our loyal contract engineers Mechanical & Building Services and installer Billy Rice Plumbing & Heating opted for Pipelife Irelands superior underfloor heating system to ensure a lasting warm welcome for all showroom visitors.
LARGE-SCALE BUILDING PROJECT WITH LONG-LASTING QUALITY
The high-profile building for Jaguar and Land Rover has a 14-car showroom with a new dedicated car handover area and state-of-the-art workshop facilities for its dual Jaguar-Land Rover franchise. It also comprises an eight-car showroom and workshop facilities for its Volvo franchise. Pipelife Ireland was delighted to be part of this impressive development, supplying the underfloor heating system for the showroom. In all, there are 920 m2 of the Qual-Pex Plus+ Easy-Lay Multilayer Pipe installed across the showroom floors.
“Mechanical & Building Services, the contract engineers for the building, got in touch with us to discuss the project,” recalls Pipelife Ireland’s technical representative Glenn Kenneally. “Since we have worked with them on several projects before, they were happy to continue our successful partnership with this project. They especially appreciated our 50-year warranty offer on our pipe and after sales service,” states Glenn.
“From there on we provided the contract engineers with a detailed quotation for the underfloor heating system along with a detailed line drawing showing all the pipe runs,” tells Kenneally.
Pipelife underfloor heating systems operate by pumping hot water through a number of 16 mm Qual-Pex Plus+ ‘Easy-Lay’ multilayer pipes embedded in the floor structure. These pipes run back to a central manifold, which is supplied with hot water from the heat source – in this case, an air to water heat pump, through a series of pipes. The hot water flowing through each loop will be controlled by individual thermostats positioned in each room.
DESIGN, COMFORT, AND EXPEDIENCE – ALL IN ONE SOLUTION
The many benefits hydronic underfloor heating offers were exactly what the client needed in order to create a pleasant atmosphere for visitors while saving on energy and costs. Underfloor heating is a particularly effective method for heating large floor areas like the showroom with elevated ceiling heights. Since the radiant heating system ensures comfortable temperatures at the body level, less energy is needed to properly heat up the room, resulting in reduced costs. The solution also stands out with increased comfort and health benefits, ensuring evenly heated rooms without creating drafts and dry air.
Another important aspect of the showroom is interior design. To create an aesthetically pleasing and comfortable environment, the client wanted to take full advantage of the space without visual disruptions. The quiet and invisible system was an ideal solution.
SEAMLESS INSTALLATION BY LOYAL PARTNERS
The installation of the underfloor heating system owes its success to the long-standing and effective partnership between the supplier Pipelife Ireland and the installer Billy Rice Plumbing & Heating.
“One of the benefits we enjoy about the new Qual-Pex Plus+ ‘Easy-Lay’ multilayer pipe is the easy and flexible installation of it. My team greatly enjoyed working with this new pipe system,” states the installer from Billy Rice Plumbing & Heating confidently.
“We can do a job with fewer people and faster – that’s worth its weight in gold. Usually, I’m not easily convinced by a particular system, but in this case, I’m convinced that the new Qual-Pex Plus+ ‘Easy-Lay’ Multilayer Pipe is a true game-changer,” tells the installer.
Since Pipelife Ireland provided a detailed and precise line drawing, it helped to guide Billy and his team on how each pipe run should go, resulting in efficient installation. This also helped avoid any unnecessary delays on site.
“I have had the pleasure of attending the Renewable Training Centre in Cork where myself and my team had hands-on training and got to see first-hand the advantages of this new pipe as well as the manufacturing side of the process,” comments the installer.
Currently, the installer is working with Pipelife Ireland on a housing development project of 200 homes where he is installing underfloor heating systems and air to water heat pumps.
LASTING HEATING SOLUTION FOR MANY PROJECTS
Pipelife’s underfloor heating system provided the new state-of-the-art showroom with a life-long, virtually maintenance-free solution. It opened its doors to visitors in early 2020. The new Jaguar and Land Rover’s car garage is just one of many car showrooms that Pipelife Underfloor Heating has been chosen for. Pipelife has also supplied underfloor heating to the new Audi and Volvo car garages in Cork.
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Denise Maguire Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine
