College House Bristol Student Accommodation
Brief: ADL Mechanical & Electrical Contractors Ltd ADL Mechanical & Electrical Contractors Ltd have been contracted to provide the Design Development, Supply, Installation & Commissioning of the Mechanical & Plumbing installations of the refurbished College House, Bristol.
Located at 32-36 College House, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5SP, the building has been extensively refurbished to create new student accommodation. The facility features modern studio apartments and communal amenities rooms distributed across four levels, supported by a central basement plantroom. As part of this redevelopment, we were contracted to modernise the building's core infrastructure by installing comprehensive mechanical, ventilation, and life-safety systems. This ensures the delivery of highly efficient, comfortable, and safe living spaces for the student population.
The scope of the mechanical works consists of:-
o Cold Water Services
o Hot Water Services
o Above-Ground Drainage
o MVHR Ventilation
o Air conditioning
o ASHP System
o BMS Automatic Controls
o Smoke Ventilation
o CAT 3 Residential sprinkler
Programme: 34: weeks total
Mechanical Project Value: £1.6 Million
Project Overview: College House Student Accommodation,
BristolProject Scope: Complete Mechanical & Plumbing Installations
Location: 32-36 College House, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5SP
We were appointed to deliver the comprehensive design development, supply, installation, and commissioning of the mechanical and plumbing systems for the refurbished College House in Bristol to create new student accommodation. The development provides premium student studios and communal amenities rooms distributed across four levels, all supported by a centralised basement plantroom.
Key Mechanical & Plumbing Works
Heating & Hot Water Generation:
Domestic hot water generation is driven by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Q-Ton Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) located within a dedicated acoustic enclosure on the first-floor roof. These units act as the primary heat source, supplying two 500-litre domestic hot water cylinders located in the basement plantroom, each equipped with 10kW electric immersion heaters for emergency backup. A secondary hot water return loop with a dedicated circulation pump ensures continuous circulation through 15 individual vertical risers, preventing dead-legs and providing instantaneous hot water to all outlets.
Cold Water Services:
A new 63mm incoming cold-water main supplies a 10,800-litre working capacity twin-compartment Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) cold water storage tank located in the basement plantroom. To ensure sufficient water pressure across the site, a dedicated three-pump cold water booster set was installed to serve the domestic hot and cold-water services, while also acting as the primary supply for the sprinkler network. A base-exchange water softener protects the hot water generation plant, and a dedicated CAT 5 booster set with a break tank was installed to serve the basement bin store wash-down supply.
Ventilation & Air Conditioning:
The student studios and amenities rooms feature dedicated Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) units to supply continuous filtered fresh air, with studio units incorporating manual and humidity-triggered boost functions. A highly efficient Mitsubishi Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heat recovery system was installed to provide simultaneous heating and cooling to occupied areas via concealed Fan Coil Units (FCUs) and Branch Controller (BC) boxes. Standalone split air conditioning systems were installed to provide dedicated year-round cooling for critical infrastructure rooms, including the Comms and UPS rooms, while the basement areas are served by a centralised Mitsubishi Lossnay MVHR unit.
Safety, Drainage & Smart Controls:
Comprehensive above-ground drainage was installed using U-PVC pipework with solvent weld fittings. Extensive fire safety systems were integrated, including a BS 9251:2021 Category 3 residential sprinkler system and a high-temperature mechanical smoke clearance system for the basement escape routes. A comprehensive Trend Building Management System (BMS) with an IQView touchscreen was installed to control, monitor, and meter the site's mechanical plant, incorporating safety shut-downs and fire alarm interlocks. In addition, the ASHP system is monitored via a dedicated Q-Ton Remote Monitoring System (QRMS).
