Andrews R300 condensing boilers and water heaters have been selected for an ambitious project that has raised £11.8m to construct a new elderly care residence in Greenock.
The Little Sisters of the Poor have been looking after those in the neighbourhood who are most in need, regardless of creed, since February 1884, when they first took up residence in Union Street, Greenock. The Sisters quickly became a valued part of the local community and support for their work has continued to grow beyond the immediate locality. In 2000 it became clear that the residential care home comprising all three houses purchased during the 1800s and joined together by corridors in 1906, could no longer meet the needs of the elderly residents. The fund raising efforts of the Sisters and local people together with the generosity of all their supporters is soon to be realised in the completion of the new Holy Rosary Residence at 14 Union Street.
This complex complements the style of a retained listed building and the surrounding area whilst optimising views for the residents. It contains a number of integrated facilities within an internal "village street”, including a tearoom, craft shop, a three-basin hairdressing salon, computer facility and therapy rooms. The "street” also gives access via the main entrance to a large "village hall” community area with stage and a servery that can cater for 60 to 80 day care lunches and other social events.
The more independent of the residents will occupy 20 one-bedroom apartments, having a shower and washbasin in the bathroom and sink in the kitchen, while the remaining 33 en-suite bedrooms with shower and wash- basin will be allocated for residential nursing care and respite care. There is also essential accommodation for visitors, service rooms and non-residential staff changing rooms as well as accommodation for 12 resident Sisters who are constantly at the service of those in their care. These various facilities incorporate 16 showers, 4 baths, 30 wash basins and 9 sinks, a further 40 washbasins and 20 sinks being associated with food preparation, kitchens and laundry plus visitor and staff toilet facilities throughout the building.
According to Jim Cant, the M & E Services Consultant for the project, "This gives a fair approximation of the number of hot water outlets being served by the two Andrews Supa-Flo R303 Condensing water heaters. An assessment was carried out using Andrews "Size-It” software program to determine peak usage requirements and a maximum demand of 1600 litres per hour was calculated. Each unit installed is capable of carrying the full load with 13% capacity spare. The "hot fill” kitchen and laundry washing appliances have integral electric water heating elements so temperature levels can be increased to ensure disinfection conditions are achieved.” Three Andrews Supa-Heat R306 Condensing boilers supply all space heating requirements throughout the complex via low surface temperature heaters in all residential rooms and other small rooms and fan coils are used in corridors. Larger communal areas are served by a central station air handling unit providing supply and extract air.
Condensing technology was recommended for both space heating and domestic hot water production to The Little Sisters of the Poor, as this charitable group is concerned to ensure the most efficient use of energy so that running costs can be kept as low as possible. Operating economy of all services plant should be further optimised by being linked to the BEMS.
"Andrews R300 series condensing boilers and water heaters were chosen for the small footprint and identical appearance, which simplified plant room design”, says Jim Cant. The stainless steel tube heat exchanger of the Supa-Flo is ideally suited to this type of hygiene priority application, whilst the low water content and mode of operation eliminates conditions that could support the presence of legionella.
"Furthermore”, he explains, "the relatively small diameter flues required facilitates the flexibility to arrange these to suit the building construction and design. After leaving the boiler room, the flues rise through the main dining room and are concealed, with ventilation ducting, behind a traditional sandstone chimney breast before issuing from the chimney head to atmosphere.” MCM Consultants were the over-all project architect and project manager and James Frew Limited installed the building services and commissioned the appliances as part of their mechanical services contract with Kier Scotland Ltd.
