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Riviera Travel the UK’s leading river cruise and tour operator, recently embarked on a comprehensive office refurbishment at their head office in Burton on Trent. The company who is celebrating 40 years of travel this year, had an ambitious plan to modernise their workspace, to reflect their high-profile position in the travel industry. The company wanted the interiors to engender the lively, collaborative working atmosphere that the company is renowned for. An inspiring photographic scheme was chosen which was tailored to the travel company’s most popular destinations.
Focus was also placed on improving the comfort levels of the office interiors for Riviera Travel’s large workforce at this site. So, as part of this transformation, Riviera Travel planned to upgrade their air conditioning system and change lighting over to LED throughout the floors that were to be refurbished. It was also the ideal opportunity to install a new addressable fire alarm system and monitored intruder alarm, along with data and network upgrades.
Yee Group, recognised for its multi discipline team of electricians and engineers, was selected to manage these essential aspects of the refurbishment.
The scope of the works undertaken by Yee Group included the decommissioning of the existing air conditioning system and installation of new split systems. Installation of new LED lighting, emergency lighting, intruder alarm devices, fire alarm devices and data outlets throughout the refurbished offices. Installation of a new OM.3 8 core fibre optic cable to link data cabinets together, with new LC 8 way fibre panels installed within each cabinet. Yee Group also installed the new cabinets, switches, patch panels and new cable management bars.
The project presented several challenges:
Timing and Coordination: Since the offices were occupied throughout the renovations the air conditioning installation had to be coordinated with the overall refurbishment schedule to avoid disruptions and ensure seamless integration.
Space Constraints: The large open plan office layout posed space constraints, requiring a customised solution that maximised efficiency without compromising the design aesthetics.
Energy Efficiency: Riviera Travel was committed to enhancing energy efficiency and to reduce their carbon footprint. The company’s stated ambition was to reduce their carbon footprint by 20% by 2028 – including customer travel and within their business – by setting short- and long-term goals both at their office and on their holidays.
Comprehensive Assessment
Yee Group project managers began with a thorough assessment of the existing office space, collaborating closely with Riviera Travel’s Office Manager Jane Walker and Head of IT Operations Dan Broad. This involved detailed surveys and discussions to understand the specific requirements and challenges.
Customised Design and Planning
Based on the assessment, Yee Group designed a bespoke air conditioning solution tailored to the unique needs of large open plan office with a range of smaller meeting rooms and break-out spaces. The design focused on optimising temperature control and consistency. The new lighting scheme took account of workspace with positioning and the reduction of glare integrated seamlessly with the office’s new interior.
Energy-Efficient Systems
Yee Group recommended and installed a range of energy-efficient air conditioning systems that offered superior performance to suit the indoor areas.
These included:
LED lighting and LED emergency lighting was installed throughout which integrated with the existing suspended ceiling.
A Consistent Focus on Minimal Disruption
To minimise disruption during the refurbishment, Yee Group implemented a phased installation approach in line with Riviera’s project plan. This ensured that different sections of the office were completed sequentially, allowing Riviera Travel’s operations to continue with minimal interruption. The entire first floor was refurbished while staff relocated to the ground floor. The second phase saw employees moving into the newly refurbished offices upstairs while work was underway on the ground floor. The same relocation plan was implemented for phases 3 and 4. The data cabinets were replaced out of hours to avoid any disruption to the network and the critical for the day-to-day activities of the company. This was a massive undertaking and showed great commitment by the Riviera Travel team to the project.
Enhanced Comfort and Productivity
The new air conditioning system significantly improved indoor air quality and temperature control, creating a more comfortable working environment. This has positively impacted employee productivity and overall satisfaction. Changing the lighting to LED has created a more uniform light level from the previous fluorescent light fittings.
Energy Savings
The installation of an energy-efficient VRF system together with multi split air conditioning systems installed in the new office areas has led to substantial reductions in energy consumption, aligning with Riviera Travel’s sustainability goals and has resulted in immediate savings in electricity. While it is still early days it is likely that the energy saved by the air conditioning alone is likely to be up to 50% and the system should pay for itself quickly. LED lighting can easily save 70% on the electricity bill attributed to lighting in an office setting.
Seamless Integration
Thanks to Yee Group’s meticulous planning and execution, the air conditioning and lighting schemes are ideal for the office’s newly refurbished interior. The units were discreetly installed in ceiling voids, preserving the aesthetic appeal of the impressive photographic murals installed on many walls.
- The replacement of a failed Sanyo variable refrigerant flow (VRF) unit with a new Panasonic VRF system on the roof of the building which connected 10 indoor units.
- 9 multi split condensing units were located on a separate roof which was linked to 15 indoor units covering the first-floor office space.
- A further 8 multi split condensing units were installed serving 15 units covering the ground floor office space.
