Trago Mills superstore has over 350 staff members and 215,000 metres of retail space, with the building stretching half a mile long end-to-end. Navigating such a large facility can take a few hours, making comfort a key driver in the design of the store.

Peter Powell of McCann & Partners, responsible for the detailed design of the m&e services, advised: “We needed to design a ventilation strategy to provide adequate fresh air for the occupants, along with good levels of heat recovery.”

Nuaire supplied seven bespoke AHUs, which were spread across three buildings. Due to its size, five of these AHUs were used in the main retail area, with thermal wheels quoted. The inclusion of thermal wheels meant the site could benefit from considerable heat recovery levels, whilst also minimising the amount of space the units occupy due to the vertical stacking.

As well as its large retail spaces, the site also contains a number of office areas for staff and management. Heat recovery units were selected to ensure the same levels of comfort and efficiency as the rest of the store. Nuaire XBC units were specified, and designed to fit into the void spaces above the office areas.

Nuaire technical sales manager, Rhys Tatchell, commented: “Comfort was the primary focus, not only for customers, but also for staff. Our XBC units mean that the office spaces will achieve high levels of heat recovery, with the minimum use of space. These units only require 260mm as a side access to the unit for filter maintenance – which means that not only can space be saved for the installation, but time can be saved during maintenance in future.”

Peter Powell of McCann & Partners has much experience of specifying the XBC, having quoted it on several previous projects. He commented: “We have used XBC units quite extensively over the last few years and found them to be quiet and reliable. I personally like the fact that you are able to control the speed of each fan individually, and they can stand alone without BMS control.”

Alongside the AHUs, Nuaire also supplied a range of low energy extract fans to the site, including Squif, Opus and Dave units, for areas including the offices and kitchens.

Nuaire will continue to quote and supply ventilation equipment as the Trago Mills store expands to include a new Leisure Village, containing a boating lake, a model railway and an indoor go-kart circuit.