History of Beetham Tower Manchester
Beetham Tower, also known as the Hilton Tower, is a landmark skyscraper located in Manchester, England. Designed by Ian Simpson Architects the construction of the Beetham tower began in 2004 and was completed in 2006. At 554 feet (169 meters) tall, it became the tallest building in Manchester and the tallest residential building in the United Kingdom outside London.
Initially, the lower floors of the tower were intended for commercial use, featuring offices, retail spaces, and a restaurant. However, in 2008 the tower underwent a complete conversion, creating 219 luxury apartments, with panoramic views over the Manchester city skyline, and a 279 room hotel operated by the Hilton Worldwide chain.
This conversion marked a shift in the tower’s primary function from commercial to residential and hospitality, catering to both long-term residents and short-term visitors to Manchester. The latest news, published by the Manchester Evening News, is that the tower could now in line for further major renovations.
Project Overview:
Beetham Tower: Installation of a Commercial Heating System.
Since its opening in October 2006, the building has been equipped with four gas-fired pressure jet boilers. These units, combined, deliver a total heating capacity of 4800kW. However, one boiler was no longer working, and the others were at the end of their lives.
Atmostherm, with over 40 years’ experience in the HVAC industry, was awarded the contract to replace the boilers at Beetham Tower and we selected the Evomod commercial heating boilers by Ideal. These are specifically designed for powering hotel hot water and hotel heating systems.
The solution’s implementation involved the strategic selection and installation of four Evomod 1000kW boilers, each capable of delivering high efficiency and a compact footprint crucial for the space-constrained environment of Beetham Tower. To ensure the system’s efficiency and adaptability, Plate Heat Exchangers were incorporated. These exchangers were pivotal in managing the heating system’s pressure. This adaptation allowed for the seamless distribution of hot water throughout the skyscraper, enhancing the system’s overall performance and reliability in delivering consistent heating across the residential apartments, hotel spaces, and health and fitness facilities.
The Challenge, Installing and Proving Heating and Hot Water Services.
At Atmostherm we have the required experience installing commercial water heaters for hotels whilst maintaining heat and hot water when commercial heating systems are upgraded in hotels, restaurants, office buildings and warehouses.
The key is to implement a phased approach, ensuring that heating and hot water services are not disrupted. Temporary heating solutions might be necessary to bridge gaps while systems are being upgraded or replaced. Strategic planning, including the timing of renovations and temporary installations, is crucial to minimise inconvenience and ensure that buildings remain functional and compliant with safety standards throughout the process.
Solution: Ideal Evomod Commercial Boilers.
We chose to use Ideal Evomod commercial boilers on the Beetham Tower project.
The Evomod boiler is available in 250kW, 500kW, 750kW, and 1000kW models, and they offer a scalable solution up to 1MW per unit. These boilers have a small footprint enabling them to be installed where space is limited, which was the case at Beetham Tower.
The Evomod boilers have revolutionised heating at Beetham Tower, delivering several key benefits:
- Energy Efficiency: The advanced control system of Evomod boilers ensures energy consumption is optimised, reducing operational costs and environmental impact.
- Space-Saving Design: Their compact, modular nature made installation feasible within the constrained space of the plant room, a critical factor for this project’s success.
- Exceptional Support and Service: Ideal Heating provided unparalleled service, from pre-installation advice to onsite support and a smooth commissioning process. Atmostherm benefited from Ideal Heating’s free commissioning service, ensuring the system’s optimal performance from day one.
Our project director, Andy Payne, commented “The service from Ideal Heating has been brilliant from beginning to end. Paul Jones, Ideal’s Heating Commercial Business Development Manager, was always available for questions, queries, and advice. The team were available to come to site “The service from Ideal Heating has been brilliant from beginning to end. The team were available to come to site for visits when required and the commissioning process went very smoothly.” for visits when required and the commissioning process went very smoothly. They were also on hand to help us when it came to deciding to use the plate heat exchanger to achieve our desired output. There have been no issues with the boilers since installation.
We appreciated the boiler’s advanced control systems, which allow for precise modulation of heat output. In the renovation of the Beetham tower, four Evomod 1000kW condensing boilers were installed, to serve both hotel and apartment units. These boilers, equipped with Plate Heat Exchangers, enable and facilitate the efficient distribute of hot water throughout the building, showcasing our expertise in heating solutions.
Atmostherm Provides Commercial Heating Solutions to clients across Manchester and the North West of the UK.