Royal China Club Restaurant HVAC – A Fileturn Project

Restaurant HVAC Design and Installation

In the heart of London’s Marylebone sits one of the most exquisite Chinese restaurants in London. The award-winning chefs at Royal China Club on Baker Street produce mouth-watering Dim Sum and Cantonese style dishes that offer the truly authentic flavours of the Far East.

Royal China Club operates a successful chain of restaurants throughout China, Dubai and here in London, where we are fortunate to have six of these Chinese eateries.

The restaurant that is the pinnacle of the Royal China Club’s UK operation is in Baker Street. This flagship restaurant originally opened in 2005 and can accommodate 250 diners. Now in its 13th year, the restaurant has undergone a complete refurbishment by Fileturn, who contracted Synecore to provide a complex heating, ventilation and air conditioning system throughout the restaurant, kitchen and wine storage area.

Fileturn is renowned for providing sophisticated commercial interiors and extends its expertise to developing stylish restaurant fit outs and hotel refurbishments. Synecore is proud of its long-standing relationship with Fileturn, which has resulted in some incredible projects to date.

On this occasion, Synecore was contracted by Fileturn to design and install the restaurant HVAC at Royal China Club as part of the restaurant’s extensive refurbishment.

 

 

The Brief

The restaurant HVAC system needed to provide sufficient ventilation throughout the main restaurant, bar and kitchen area. The design and equipment used had to be efficient and effective in heating and cooling the two areas simultaneously.

While the practicalities of the restaurant HVAC system were a key factor, so was the appearance and noise levels. In all instances, the installation had to be unobtrusive visually and audibly.

The Restaurant HVAC Design

At the centre of the restaurant HVAC design was Toshiba’s VRF heat recovery system, which provides heating, cooling and ventilation to multiple areas. This sophisticated system is a firm favorite for commercial HVAC, as it is efficient and flexible.

Within the HVAC design and installation for the building, Synecore’s team had four key challenges to consider, including:

  • The shallow ceiling voids within the restaurant interior design
  • Limited space for kitchen ventilation ductwork
  • How to overcome the insufficient gas and electrical supply within the property
  • Strip down and rebuild of the outdoor condenser on the flat roof
  • The external noise restrictions

The design incorporated commercial extraction, ventilation and air conditioning throughout.

Accommodating a Minimalist Interior Design

 In the restaurant and bar, the sophisticated interior commanded that the only visible air conditioning and ventilation equipment on display were subtle vents in the ceiling.

To accommodate this streamline design, Synecore had to overcome the shallow ceiling void, which measured just 450mm. This would not be sufficient to house a single fan unit that would be capable of handling the air flow of eight metre cubed per second. Instead, the Synecore team retrofit multiple smaller fans within the ceiling to provide the same efficiency of one large fan unit.

With this effective solution in place, all ductwork and the air handling units were neatly disguised within the ceiling void.

Kitchen Ventilation

 In the kitchen, Synecore was tasked with providing suitable ventilation. The wall space available for the HVAC ductwork installation was limited. Therefore, Synecore’s designers used an innovative duct liner called VentiFlex, manufactured by a company called Kompozitall, which ensured a sealed duct starting from ground floor level through to the roof top.

VentiFlex is a unique duct liner that expands within the flue or duct. When it reacts with steam, the material molds to the exact shape of the flue or duct.

Hot Water Generation System

The gas and power supply within the Royal China Club premises was limited and not sufficient for the restaurant’s needs. Unbeknown to the client, this was in fact something Synecore’s designers and engineers could help with. The team suggested that by incorporating a hot water generation system into the HVAC scheme, the restaurant could reduce its energy consumption drawn from the mains supply.

The Hot Water Generation System uses the high temperature exhaust discharge that is released from the kitchen equipment to heat water and provide warm fresh air back into the restaurant.

This smart system can heat up to 3,000 litres of water per day to 65 degrees, which can be used for dishwashers, mains water supply, air conditioning and plumbed heating. All this without having to draw on gas and electricity from utility companies!

Strip Down and Rebuild of AC Condenser

 In most instances a crane is used to deliver the heavy air conditioning condenser unit to the roof top. However, on this occasion access was limited and a crane was not possible. There was no option than to strip down the new Toshiba VRF system, dismantling it into smaller pieces to transfer it by hand to the roof top. Once at roof level, engineers rebuilt the system.

Overcoming Noise Restrictions

To overcome the issue of noise restrictions, which is a very common requirement in densely populated areas, Synecore had to use extensive sound attenuating ventilation products.

In the Client’s Words

“Having worked with Synecore, we are aware of their expertise in designing and installing HVAC systems that can solve specific challenges. At the Royal China Club they came up with a design that excelled in energy efficiency and problem solving to provide a high-quality, discreet HVAC system within tight confines,” Associate Contracts Director, Fileturn.

 

Client

Royal China Club, Marylebone, London on behalf of Fileturn

Equipment

Toshiba’s VRF heat recovery system, Veniflex HVAC ductwork

 Associate Contracts Director, Fileturn,

“Having worked with Synecore, we are aware of their expertise in designing and installing HVAC systems that can solve specific challenges. At the Royal China Club they came up with a design that excelled in energy efficiency and problem solving to provide a high-quality, discreet HVAC system within tight confines.”