Akrivis DM Series Vertical AHUs Chosen for Ireland's New Surgical Hub Programme

Project at a Glance  

Sector: Healthcare

Project: 3 No. HSE Surgical Hubs in Cork, Limerick, and Waterford, Ireland

Product: Akrivis DM Series

Key Benefit: HTM Compliant AHU with 30% smaller footprint

Maximising Clinical Performance While Minimising Plant Room Space 

As part of Ireland’s Elective Care Programme, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is delivering a network of modern Surgical Hubs nationwide to increase capacity for planned procedures and reduce waiting times. Designed using a standardised approach, each hub supports efficient patient flow and best-practice clinical pathways. The result is a purpose-built healthcare environment capable of delivering high-volume elective care across a wide range of specialties, including general surgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, ENT, dermatology, gynaecology and urology.

The Challenge 

Medical Air Handling Units (AHUs) play a critical role in maintaining safe surgical conditions by supplying clean, conditioned air through completely segregated air paths, eliminating the potential for cross-contamination while meeting stringent HTM compliance requirements.

At the same time, healthcare developments face increasing pressure to maximise every square metre of available space. Rising construction costs and limited plant room space meant the consultant and mechanical sub-contractor for this project, required a solution that could deliver uncompromising performance within a significantly smaller footprint.

The challenge facing the engineering consultants for this project was simple:
How do you deliver uncompromising medical ventilation when plant room space is at a premium? 

The Akrivis Solution

The Akrivis DM Series Medical Grade Vertical AHU was specified for the Surgical Hubs project because it delivers uncompromising HTM-compliant ventilation within a compact footprint. Developed in collaboration with healthcare providers, authorising engineers and healthcare design specialists, the DM Series was purpose-built to meet the demanding requirements of modern hospitals. Its innovative vertical design provides a fully integrated, factory-packaged solution that simplifies installation while delivering the reliability and performance essential for critical healthcare environments.

Unlike traditional horizontal AHUs, which require significantly more plant room space and often depend on multiple third-party components, the DM Series is supplied as a plug-and-play solution. Its vertical configuration reduces the required floor space by approximately 50%, while its slimline depth offers greater flexibility in constrained plant rooms. The result is a smarter compact ahu solution that maximises valuable building space without compromising performance, compliance or ease of installation – perfect for the project in hand.

DM Series Vertical AHU installed on site in HSE Surgical Hub, Cork

Project Benefits

Space Saving by Design

With standardised plant rooms and space at a premium, the DM Series reduced the AHU footprint by approximately 30% compared with conventional horizontal units, helping maximise valuable plantroom space. Close collaboration between Akrivis, the consultant and the mechanical sub-contractor ensured a smooth transition from design through to installation.

Purpose-Built for Healthcare

Designed specifically for HTM-compliant healthcare applications, the DM Series provides the precise environmental control required throughout the Surgical Hubs’ operating theatres and clinical spaces. High-efficiency ebm-papst EC fans deliver reliable, energy-efficient airflow to support consistent ventilation performance.

Faster, Simpler Installation

The factory-packaged, plug-and-play design reduced on-site installation time and simplified commissioning, helping keep the fast-track Surgical Hubs programme on schedule while minimising disruption during construction. The integrated compact AHU design also reduced the number of separate components that needed to be installed and coordinated on site.

Protection Against Cross-Contamination

The DM units installed have Run-around-Coils, which segregated air paths support the stringent infection prevention standards required within the Surgical Hubs, providing safe, compliant ventilation for operating theatres and procedure rooms.

Engineering Smarter Healthcare Infrastructure

As healthcare facilities continue to evolve, every engineering decision influences clinical performance, operational efficiency and long-term value.

The Akrivis DM Series demonstrates that reducing plant room space doesn’t have to mean compromising ventilation performance.

By combining medical-grade air handling, HTM-compliant design and an innovative vertical configuration, the DM Series delivers a smarter approach to healthcare ventilation – helping engineering consultants, mechanical contractors and healthcare providers optimise space without sacrificing performance.

For Ireland’s new Surgical Hub programme, the DM Series proved to be the ideal solution, delivering the clean air surgical teams depend on while making the most of one of today’s most valuable resources: space.

Ready to Maximise Performance Without Compromising Space?

Talk to Akrivis today to discover how the DM Series can help maximise your next healthcare project.