New Whitepaper Explores Retrofit Solutions

Healthcare premises in the UK present a unique challenge due to their age and the diverse condition of building infrastructure. Installing HVAC equipment in this setting is challenging. That is why Akrivis created a new whitepaper called “Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises: Designed for Retrofit.”

This in-depth resource offers key insights into the advantages of selecting an Air Handling Unit (AHU) designed specifically for retrofit installation in older hospital buildings. It explores the challenges of retrofitting AHU equipment in smaller spaces, and how specialised retrofit ventilation systems can provide a future-proof solution for hospital buildings, both old and new.

Key Highlights from the Whitepaper:

NHS Hospital Infrastructure

Across the UK, there are around 1250 NHS hospitals. Although some are newly constructed or refurbished, there are also many premises originally built in the 19^th century. In fact, the oldest hospital in the UK dates back to 1123, making St Bartholomew’s Hospital the oldest healthcare premises to provide continuous patient care on the same site.

Against this backdrop of diverse and ageing infrastructure, the whitepaper explores various challenges that NHS estates and facilities managers face when specifying ventilation solutions including limited or non-existent plant room space, access constraints, and integration difficulties.

The Advantages of “Design for Retrofit”

In order to deliver an Air Handling Unit able to support reliable ventilation in older buildings yet also able to adapt to evolving ventilation in healthcare needs, companies designing products for NHS infrastructure must prioritise “Design for Retrofit.”

This approach results in solutions that are compatible with both modern medical facilities and with existing infrastructure. In this whitepaper, Akrivis looks at how a “Design for Retrofit” AHU should address aspects such as ventilation demands, regulatory requirements and moreover spatial limitations.

Benefits of the DM Series

Benefits of the Akrivis DM Series are explained in detail in this whitepaper, focusing specifically on the various “Designed for Retrofit” features including:

1. Space Savings

The whitepaper explores how traditional horizontal AHUs can be difficult to retrofit in existing buildings, given the limited space available. It explains how Akrivis engineers set about achieving a compact vertical AHU with a modular design, which is also scalable to meet a range of performance capacities.

2. Innovative Physical Attributes

With space at a premium in NHS hospitals, this whitepaper explains how innovative AHU design can overcome these spatial constraints. For example, it explores how specific module depth and height restrictions allow DM Series AHUs to pass through standard NHS doorways, while top duct connections significantly reduce the floor space required and simplify installation.

3. Ease of Use

Discover how the “Designed for Retrofit” nature of the DM Series offers significant advantages by reducing on-site labour during installation and maintenance. This whitepaper explains how Akrivis designed all modules to facilitate a simpler final assembly process as well as enhancing access to internal components for routine maintenance or future repairs.

Download The DM Series Brochure

The DM Series of packaged and integrated AHUs offer several benefits to NHS hospitals in the UK. In this whitepaper, Akrivis provides project, procurement and facilities managers with detailed information about the various “Designed for Retrofit” features, all of which make the DM Series ideal for ventilation of healthcare premises, but also well-suited for new-build projects, providing a future-proof hospital HVAC solution.

Download the whitepaper via the form below to find out how specialised ventilation for healthcare facilities, which is “Designed for Retrofit”, could enhance your healthcare HVAC system.