King Upkot Residential
The King Upkot project is a new residential construction, in Brussels, Belgium. The building will be a student residence of more than 2,000 m2, made upfor 8 floor and 131 rooms. The IMI team won the project in March 2021 and finalized it in September 2021.
The Hydronic Challenge
This project is specifically challenging for the team because the customer needs their building to have the lowest energy cost as well as the lowest carbon footprint possible. King Upkot’s goal is to reduce their energy consumption drastically in the next 5 years. To achieve this longterm continuous improvement is a must. That been said, it was a requirement being able to gather system data like differential temperature, flow and power consumption. Enabling maximum visibility in the system, which allows for improvement measures.
The Solution
The client wanted a system with complete controllability, while gathering as much insight as possible; their main requirement was that the system allows for continuous improvement leveraging the system data. The IMI team designed a circuit that would achieve just that using the state of-the-art application of HySelect. The software calculates crucial system data such as required valve sizes, pump, and water volume needed simply by inputting pipe lengths, terminal unit design flows and differential pressure. The application also allows you to set the correct flow and differential pressure. Appreciating the customer requirements, one of the main component of the design is the use of the TA-Smart. The valve enables the customer to collect system data to understand better where most energy is being consumed and therefore take steps to optimize the system continuously. TA-Smart replaced a heat meter, thermostats and control valves, reducing components, simplifying system setup and management.
The use of it will build the basis for transparent system operations. Enabling optimizations when needed and reduce energy consumption in line with user behavior.
Beyond this fully controllable solution, an extra will be able to bring enough heat in extremely cold conditions. Having this set up externally and in a way that only functions in extreme conditions reduces the central system’s complexity, reduces energy consumption and ensures comfort at all times.
Finally, to fully ensure excellent water quality, component durability and correct pressure, the team installed IMI Pneumatex Vento Connect, Statico, Aquapresso and Pleno Connect. This combined solution ensures that the system consistently delivers smart comfort for everyone even when pressure variations in the system arise, reducing inefficiencies and energy consumption.