As Torquay expands we are seeing our Westcoast Business Park grow to meet the demands of manufacturing, service and trade businesses. This blog is about a recent job we completed for a local design business called Brown Ink Design.

The owners of Brown Ink purchased a new precast tilt slab warehouse and planned to convert it into their new design studio. Being a design studio they liked the idea of being creative with the space but wanted to make sure it was a comfortable environment for their team. Once they had completed some preliminary design sketches they rang Mako Air to get a rough idea of costs associated with fitting a heating and cooling solution which would heat a 170m2 area on the mezzanine floor they planned to add. Our original idea was to fit a 25kw Fujitsu ducted split system air conditioner. Brown Ink liked the idea of using exposed ducts but quickly dismissed the idea because of noise and insulation issues associated with the roof type. The 25kw Fujitsu system required 3 phase power, it was discovered a little later that there had not been 3 phase power fitted to the building.

We went back to the drawing board and decided a 16kw Fujitsu system would do the job, our client was very particular about spending money on insulation to make sure the building was as efficient as their budget would allow. Once the system was approved there were a few adjustments needed to the studio layout to incorporate the unit inside the ceiling cavity. The fitting in the end was very tight but we made it work. The duct used was flexible R1.5 insulated to eight vents of which six were slimline vents sitting just below the ceiling height. There are two zones in the design so the meeting room can be turned on or off depending on the use. The roof unit was a heavy bugger and required a crane to lift it into place (check out the photo in the gallery below).

During Fit-Out Photo Gallery

Completed Project

Outcome – Client’s Feedback

The client has been using the studio for five weeks and are delighted with the outcome. The split system air conditioner is quiet and heats the area substantially within 10 minutes of being switched on. In fact the thermostat has been set at 21 degrees and fan setting hovers between the two lowest settings, quiet or low. The system has been programmed to come on and switch off at certain times which can be customised for each day of the week. Once programmed it is a set and leave system which Brown Ink are very happy about. The slimline vents have also worked in really well with the studio design, as you can see from the photos the studio has a mixture of industrial fittings, raw materials and clean white lines.

The cost for running the system is very good considering the space it is heating, Brown Ink reported back their first monthly electricity bill was $290 which was for July one of the coldest months of the year. They also commented that it was running long hours seven days a week as they continued to complete the fit-out over the weekends. We anticipate the cost to decrease when they return to a regular 5 day working week.

We are always delighted when a project works the way the client wanted, our job is to please and to provide the solutions our clients want. If you are looking for a solution to your office heating and cooling, don’t hesitate to give us a call. Or if you want to hear from one of our clients give Rodney at Brown Ink Design a call on 5264 7144, he’ll tell you what he liked about our service.