The Exchange Student Accommodation Bath
Brief: ADL Mechanical & Electrical Contractors Ltd have been contracted to provide the Design Development; Supply; Installation & Commissioning of the mechanical & plumbing at The Exchange Bath.
Built around 1938 from classic Bath Stone, The Exchange originally served as the city's Labour Exchange and Weights and Measures Office. The structure holds a significant place in local WWII history, having endured the devastating April 1942 "Baedeker Raids." Because it was not cleared away post-war, the building serves as a unique physical memorial to the Bath Blitz and retains a Grade II listed status, preserving dramatic wartime scars such as shrapnel impacts on its lower facade and a pink-red hue on its upper stonework caused by intense incendiary fires. Today, this historic civic landmark has been thoughtfully modernised and repurposed into high-end, sustainable student living, perfectly balancing its rich architectural heritage with contemporary needs.
The scope of the mechanical works consists of:-
o Air source Heat Pump (Qton)
o Hot & Cold Water Services
o Above Ground Drainage
o Ventilation
o Acoustic Enclosure
o BMS Automatic Controls
o Combined heating and power
o Sanitaryware
Programme: 20 weeks total
Mechanical Project Value: £600K
Project Overview: The Exchange, Bath
Project Scope: Complete Mechanical & Plumbing Refurbishment
Sector: Purpose-Built Student Accommodation
We were appointed to deliver the comprehensive design development, supply, installation, and commissioning of the mechanical and plumbing systems at The Exchange in Bath. This major refurbishment transformed the historic site into modern, highly efficient student accommodation.
Our team handled the complete overhaul of the building's core systems, with a strong focus on decarbonisation, energy efficiency, and modern performance standards.
Key Works Completed:
Decarbonisation & Hot Water Upgrades:
A primary focus of this project was removing the inefficient, localised electric hot water cylinders previously used throughout the building. We designed and installed a highly efficient Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Q-Ton Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) system. The external ASHP units were strategically installed within a custom acoustic enclosure on the building's roof. These advanced heat pumps supply primary hot water to two high-capacity 500-litre cylinders located in the new ground floor plant room.
Cold Water Services & Treatment:
We retained the building's existing central incoming main and cold water infrastructure risers, extending brand new copper and MLCP (Multilayer Composite Pipe) pipework out to all the individual rooms. Following an analysis of the local Bath water quality, we installed a base exchange water softener dedicated specifically to the hot water system to protect the new ASHP plant.
Ventilation Systems:
For the newly formed studio apartments, we installed contemporary ceiling-mounted extraction fans. Both the room extractors and the kitchen extraction systems were seamlessly ducted to terminate at the building's existing plenums.
Above Ground Drainage:
We installed complete U-PVC above-ground drainage systems throughout the property to effectively service all new sanitaryware and water points.
Smart Building Controls (BMS):
To guarantee that the new mechanical plant operates as economically and efficiently as possible, we installed a comprehensive Building Management System (BMS). A new central control panel was installed in the ground floor plant room to interface with and monitor all new equipment. In addition, the ASHP system is monitored via a dedicated Q-Ton Remote Monitoring System (QRMS)
