Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city, lies on the lower course of the Elbe. This port city serves as the financial and cultural centre of northern Germany. The grand Bieberhaus stands on solid foundations in the pulsing heart of the city, its beautiful facade providing a window on the past. However, when property developer Alstria acquired the building, it became apparent that the interior could not entirely measure itself against the exterior. The time was nigh to perform a complete renovation and at the same time to replace the existing ventilation with an FTX system. We were entrusted with delivering eight units from our Envistar Top series.
Renovations were completed in 2018 and the building now houses everything from office space on the upper floor to award-winning shops and a historic theatre on the ground floor. In other words, Bieberhaus has many diverse tenants – something that places high demands on ventilation given that offices, shops and theatres all have different needs.
Thanks to a close collaboration with the consultant, we were tasked with delivering eight units from our Envistar Top series, all with the integrated cooling unit EcoCooler. Given the lack of space for central ventilation and chillers on the rooftop, a decentralised solution was deemed perfect for the project. This meant that each floor would be equipped with a minimum of two units with integrated cooling. Plant rooms are small and located in open-plan office landscapes screened by doors. Envistar Top convinced with its smart dimensions for ease of transport into the building, as well as taking up less space in the plant rooms. The high-performance units are also very quiet and energy efficient.
It is not only at Bieberhaus that top-connected units are proving to be a great success. They are being delivered to large parts of Germany, with their popularity attributable to two reasons; firstly, they save up to 75% floorspace compared to traditional end-connected units and secondly, the units are adapted for ease of transport through tight passages, something that is far from guaranteed when using end-connected units. When combined with the relative novelty of the concept on the German market, this has provided the Envistar Top series with strong sales and a good reputation.
