Vine Court, University of Liverpool

Our team was commissioned to deliver the decarbonisation scheme for Vine Court, a student accommodation building at the University of Liverpool, utilising the Salix Low Carbon Fund. We acted as both the Principal Designer and Lead Designer for this project.

The scheme involved replacing existing gas-fired boilers with low-carbon air-to-water heat pumps in two student accommodation buildings, the West Block and the East Blocks. These blocks comprise approximately 750 one-bedroom apartments, with the West Block also featuring retail units, a restaurant, a kitchen, and office areas on the ground floor.

Early involvement focused on space allocation for the new plant equipment, including external heat pumps and internal plant rooms. Our team conducted site feasibility studies and budget assessments to understand the impact of the strip out and installation of the heat pumps. This planning included consideration for additional ancillary pipework and options for extending the existing plant room to accommodate the new system requirements.

Given that the buildings are student accommodations, noise regulations presented a challenge. Our team collaborated closely with both the design team and the client to find an optimal placement for the heat pumps, minimising acoustic disturbances and ensuring compliance.

Routing options for connecting the internal plant room to the external units were explored, considering both cost implications and aesthetics. External routing of the pipework was agreed, which also posed challenges to ensure the pipework was aesthetically pleasing, properly insulated and accessible for maintenance

Since the buildings heavily rely on domestic hot water, we closely collaborated with the Building Management System contractors to assess the existing system’s performance and ensure optimal integration of the new heat pump system.

The design for the new systems includes two new air-to-water heat pumps for the East Block and three for the West Block, both installed on each building’s roof, and the extension and refurbishment of the existing plant room to allow for the integration of the new mechanical systems. The delivery of this project resulted in a fully coordinated decarbonisation design that achieves a balance of cost, performance, maintainability and sustainability.