Built to perform
An Andrews Hi-Flo Storage Water Heater installation is providing hot water services in the world class new Unicorn Theatre for children, which opened in December 2005. The Unicorn Theatre is the first purpose-built, professional theatre for children in the UK and presents world-class theatre and education projects for children aged from 4-12 years, their teachers and families.
Situated in Tooley Street, London, close to London Bridge tube station, City Hall and Tower Bridge, The Unicorn Theatre co-incidentally spans an old
alleyway called "Unicorn Passage”. The striking copper clad £13m building comprises the 340 seat Weston Theatre, the 120 seat Clore Theatre, the
Foyle Education Studio, Judi Dench Rehearsal room and McGrath Green Room. The public space includes the award-winning Italian Café Frizzante.
Designed by Keith Williams Architects, Mansell Construction Services is the lead contractor and Arup Associates, the structural, service and mechanical engineers.
The Andrews Hi-Flo 65/173 water heater serves dressing room showers, wash-basins and a small kitchen, providing a storage capacity of 295 litres
and recovering 786 l/hr #T44ºC. Such high output from a comparatively lightweight unit with a small footprint makes it ideal for this roof plant room
location.
This building project has been funded entirely by donations raised through various sources since the Company's founder Caryl Jenner launched the first
appeal in 1960. Whilst the design specification required compliance with all the latest regulations including those for energy efficiency, the usage did not merit the application of condensing technology in this instance. However, the fact that the Andrews units are direct gas-fired appliances means that they operate entirely independently of the central heating boiler plant resulting in both greater seasonal and peak efficiencies.
"In addition", explains Paul Hardy, Sales Director of Andrews Water Heaters, "the Hi-Flo uses a patented Hydrojet® water injection system which acts as a cold inlet sediment reducing device that mixes and distributes incoming water most effectively. This maximises energy efficiency by increasing the first hour delivery of hot water while preventing temperature build-up at the top of the tank. This also provides an additional safeguard to eliminating conditions conducive to the colonisation of Legionella bacteria an important consideration as 100,000 children will use this building each year." Andrews storage water heaters tested Legionella resistant by the National Measurement and Accreditation Service, NAMAS.
Paul Hardy concludes, "The high recovery rates achieved by these Hi-Flo units means we can be confident that during times of peak usage, the hot
water services will more than meet the demand."
