PRE-LEASE SURVEY OF THE ENGINEERING SERVICES. XXXX London

Transcription

1 PRE-LEASE SURVEY OF THE ENGINEERING SERVICES AT London

2 Client: Clients Representative: For the Attention of: Telephone N o Site Address: London Report prepared by: Contact Name: FHP Engineering Services Solutions, Woburn Place, London, WC1H 0JR Jarrod Griffiths Direct Dial N o Date of Report: July 2010 Report N o Checked By One Report July 2010

3 CONTENTS SECTION DESCRIPTION PAGE NOS Introduction 1/1 1/ Executive Summary 2/1 2/ Technical Findings 3/1 3/7 Appendix 1.00 Photographic Schedule Report Contents July 2010

4 SECTION 1.00 INTRODUCTION FHP Engineering Services Solutions (FHP ESS) were commissioned by on behalf of their Client to carry out a pre-lease survey of the engineering services of the 3 rd Floor,, London. It is not clear when the building was originally constructed, however we can confirm the building is currently undergoing a refurbishment. During the refurbishment it would appear a number of engineering services were replaced. The property is set across basement, ground and three upper levels. The building currently has one Tenant on the 1 st floor with the 2 nd and 3 rd floors vacant, the ground floor includes the main entrance and common reception. The Client is considering occupation of the 3 rd floor with the view of 15 year lease term with a 5 and 10 year break option. We understand the floor area of the 3 rd floor is approximately 696m2 respectively. The main items of plant and equipment inspected comprise: Heating & Cooling Installations and Distribution System Ventilation Services Electrical Services Fire Safety Systems Public Health Installations Domestic Water Services Lift Installations The survey was carried out on a visual basis and did not involve an intrusive examination of the plant and various systems within the property. No plant testing or removal of covers or inspection hatches took place unless specifically indicated within the report. While the plant and equipment was viewed in operation where possible, it is common for plant to have historical operating problems, which are not apparent during a visual study Report 1/1 July 2010

5 This Report indicates the general condition of the plant and standard of the installation however, it would be necessary to carry out a more detailed validation study to determine whether all of the components of the systems are operational. The report does however; indicate if it is known that components have failed. If there are areas where further examination of the building or its services would be required or recommended to further identify problems in detail, then the need for any further investigation is detailed within the report. This Survey did not include any examination of deleterious materials within the property and the findings summarised within this Report do not allow for the treatment of such materials to affect any recommendations. Under the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required under Government legislation for a building of more than 50m 2 which is subject to sale or lease after 1st July A copy of the certificate was not provided at the time of the survey and the full report should be requested from the Vendor. In addition to this, there did not appear to be any evidence of an Air Conditioning Inspection (ACI) in accordance with CIBSE TM44. The survey was carried out on Tuesday 20 th July 2010 when the weather was bright and dry Report 1/2 July 2010

6 SECTION 2.00 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Executive Summary section is intended as a broad overview only and should be read in conjunction with the remaining sections of the Report to understand the full implications of the findings. The central plant such as the boilers, chillers and air handling units (AHU s) were installed in The chillers have subsequently been decommissioned and replaced with a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system installed in late With this in mind, the service charge expenditure taking into account the age and condition of the services of large items including the boilers and ventilation plant will likely require replacing within the latter part of the term of the proposed lease. It was noted a number of redundant chiller plant located in basement plant room and roof area was still in situ. We would normally expect the plant and equipment to have been removed and recommend that the landlord is asked for further clarification on removal. The office area of the building inspected for the Client (prospective Tenant) included the 3 rd floor and additionally landlord core areas, roof areas and services plantrooms were inspected. The office and toilet ventilation plant was operational at the time of the survey and was found to be in good condition. The newly installed VRF system was not witness in operation at the time of survey due to refurbishment works. Given the very close proximity of the residential accommodation to the VRF system roof equipment it is recommended that the landlord is asked to confirm that there are no current issues or restrictions on use of the VRF systems. It would appear from information provided the design parameters (heating and cooling loads) for the VRF installation are insufficient in accordance to the recommendations stated in the British Council For Offices (BCO) guidelines. This should be raised with the designers for further clarification as it could mean the system capacity is inadequate. The operation and maintenance information indicates an indoor design temperature of 27.0 C which is considered to be high Report 2/1 July 2010

7 Limited maintenance and statutory document was available at the time of the survey. A maintenance contractor is currently in place and the incumbent maintenance contractor is Polytech Building Services. We noted numerous redundant plant in the form of outdoor condenser units dedicated to the previous 2 nd and 3 rd floor Tenants which have been left in situ. We would normally expect the plant and equipment to have been removed under the dilapidations obligations of the previous Tenant. We strongly recommend these items are identified within the lease so that the Client considering taking the space is not liable for removal of this equipment at the end of the proposed agreement. There is some available space (subject to confirmation from the landlord) on the roof area for condensers should the Tenant wish to install supplementary cooling for a comms room etc. The office lighting was found to be to a good standard with LG3 indirect 600x600mm recessed modular florescent fittings commonly used. We believe the lift was modernised in 2000 and understand that the lift car will undergo further modernisation with in the refurbishment works currently taking place. In general the lift was found to be of a good standard. TABLE OF COSTS TABLE 1 Item Description Cost 1.0 LTHW Boilers Replace due to age (Years 8-10) 110, Toilet and Office Ventilation Plant Replace due to age (Years 8-10) 40, Lifts modernise in Years 8-10 due to age. 55,000 TOTALS 205,000 All costs detailed above are as at 2010, are for budget purposes and exclude taxes Report 2/2 July 2010

8 SECTION 3.00 TECHNICAL FINDINGS 3.01 Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning.01 Ventilation The office areas are ventilated by air handling units (AHUs) located at the basement level and noted to be manufactured by VES Andover. The supply AHU unit comprises a re-heat coil, fan and motor. The extract AHU unit comprises a fan and motor only. Fresh tempered air is delivered to each floor via a main vertical duct which branches at each floor level. Air is then ducted to the suction section of the fan coil unit (FCU). The air is then drawn into the FCU and locally tempered again before being delivered in to the office space. The AHUs were noted to be operational at the time of the survey and considering the age, replacement may be required in the latter part of the lease term (Year 8-10) due to age..02 Cooling Comfort cooling to the office areas is supplied by a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system. The system consists of 6 No. outdoor heat pumps located on the roof level and a number of indoor FCU units located above the suspended ceiling void. Each Tenanted floor is supplied with its own VRF system. The 2 No. outdoor heat pumps condenser units for 3 rd floor provide either chilled or heating to the 19 No. indoor FCU units which modulate to the desired temperature of each individual unit and delivers tempered air via swirl diffusers. The system manufactured by LG is controlled via wall mounted controllers and commissioned in October Report 3/1 July 2010

9 From the information provided it would appear the design parameters for the VRF installation are below that recommended in the British Council For Offices (BCO) guidelines. We recommend the Vendor provides some further clarification on the design intent for the 3 rd floor as it would appear the design is not adequate..03 Heating Low temperature hot water (LTHW) is generated from two natural gas forced draught boilers, manufactured by Potterton Commercial and each rated at 250kW. The boilers are located in a basement plant room and date from The LTHW is circulated to the AHUs and wall mounted radiators located in the staircase via a series of circulation pumps. Associated heating plant includes pressurisation unit, expansion vessel and chemical dosing pot. We noted that at the time of survey boiler number one was isolated. The building manager informed this was due to a reduced heating demand in the summer months. The LTHW plant and equipment appeared to be in a reasonable condition. Replacement of the boiler plant may be required in Year 8 to 10 due to age as the installed plant would have reached its economical life expectancy..04 Fan Coil Units The fan coil unit installation to the 3 rd floor comprises concealed ceiling mounted units. Each unit is equipped with a fresh air supply, fan motor, filter, associated controls and the facility to provide heating and cooling. The building manager confirmed the 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd floor units were replaced during the recent refurbishment works Report 3/2 July 2010

10 The FCU s modulate to the required air temperature using refrigerant medium via an outdoor condenser unit and heat pump. Fresh air is drawn through a filter section then dispersed through the unit to be delivered to the floor via a ceiling mounted grille. Control of the FCU s is via 2 No. localised controllers on each floor. Commissioning certificate was noted on site dated October 2009 and no defects were recorded..05 Miscellaneous Ventilation Toilets are supplied with an extract system only located on the roof area. Ventilation to the boiler room is achieved via a supply fan located at high level within the boiler plant room. The equipment was noted to be operational during the survey. The condition of the external toilet ventilation plant is satisfactory..06 Incoming Gas Supply The main incoming gas supply enters the building at basement level where the gas supply is metered and transferred to the heating plant only. There does not appear to be a gas line schematic located at the main meter and the room appears to be dirty. It is required to place a gas line schematic diagram at the point of entry Domestic Water Services.01 Domestic Cold Water Mains cold water enters the building at basement level and rises to feed a water storage tank located on the roof. The storage tank supplies water under gravity to sanitary appliances, expansion units, closed loop make-up systems and future Tenant kitchenettes. There is no evidence to indicate when the system was last cleaned and chlorinated; in addition to this we did not view any water treatment records Report 3/3 July 2010

11 In general the domestic cold water systems appear to be in fair condition with no major defects noted..02 Domestic Hot Water Domestic hot water (DHW) is generated by a large calorifier located on each floor and is heated via 2 No. electrical elements. The water is circulated around the various DHW outlets via a two-pipe flow and return method which is pumped by a Grundfos pump. In general the DHW systems appear to be in fair condition with no major defects noted..03 Sanitary ware Toilet facilities are located on each tenanted floor and consist of male, female and disabled toilet. The male toilet is fitted with 2 No. W/C, 2 No. wash hand basin and 2 No. urinals and the female toilets have 2No. W/C and 2 No. wash hand basin. The disabled toilet is fitted with a W/C and a wash hand basin. It was noted there are no shower facilities on site. The installation was renewed under the current refurbishment works and appears in good condition Electrical Services 3.01 Electrical Supply and Distribution The electricity supply enters the property and terminates into the mains distribution centre located in the first floor electrical riser cupboard. The supplies then distribute to the various sub main distribution boards and plant equipment located throughout the property. We believe each tenanted power supply is metered by the utility supplier and terminates into its own distribution board Report 3/4 July 2010

12 The main and sub main cabling is generally distributed in steel wired armoured (SWA) cables mounted on tray or clipped directly to the building fabric. The system appeared to be in reasonable condition commensurate with age. There is some evidence that test and inspection in accordance with BS7671 is current although we have not seen any supporting documentation. It was noted that a number of low voltage (LV) distribution switches and fuse boxes contained asbestos. Although there was evidence that an asbestos survey had been carried out no asbestos register provided at the time of the inspection Lighting and Emergency Lighting Lighting to the 3 rd floor office area was renewed as part of the recent refurbishment works and is provided by LG3 type 600 x 600 mm recessed fluorescent luminaires and recessed down lighting. The operation of the fittings is achieved by motion sensors and light switches can be found at either entrance of the floor which are used in conjunction with the motion sensors. The lighting installation appeared to be to a good standard. Decorative lighting is generally used in common areas, reception and toilets. Plantroom lighting is provided by linear fluorescent batten fittings. Emergency lighting is provided within select luminaires across the 3 rd floor utilising separate inverters and battery packs Small Power and Data A small power distribution board with spare ways is provided in the electrical riser on each floor. It should be noted the boards are metered locally and these are understood to be supply authority meters and not landlord check meters. The 3 rd floor distribution board is a Merlin Gerin 3 phase type having 72 ways with 28 in use is rated 125 Ampere 3 phase Report 3/5 July 2010

13 A perimeter mounted skirting trunking system is in use for the small power as well as 7 No. floor boxes which are served via a shallow cable duct recessed into the floor screed. There is no raised floor. Data risers are provided for communications cabling for Tenant use. The small power installations and provisions to the 3 rd floor appear to be adequate for typical office utilisation with no major defects noted. A protective door cover was missing from the distribution board located on the 3 rd floor. We recommend the cover is replaced. Please note, the door cover will not open due to door frame so will remain with very awkward access unless board is lowered Fire Safety Systems The property is monitored using a fully automated addressable system as manufactured by Morley Fire Systems. The system comprises smoke/heat detectors with integrated sounders and manual call points. We were advised the fire alarm system along with the field devices and cabling was replaced in the recent refurbishment works. In general the fire alarm system appeared to be in good working order with no major defects noted at the time of the survey Lifts There is 1 No. electric traction top drive lift installed to the property this being manufactured by Kone. The lift is located in the main staircore of the property and travels between ground and three upper levels. The lift is maintained on a regular basis. however Lifting Operations & Lighting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) certificates were not provided at the time of survey. The lift did not appear to be fully DDA compliant. The lift appears to have been modernised in 2000 and looks to be in reasonable condition however, the lift may require some modernisation within 8 to 10 years Report 3/6 July 2010

14 3.06 Drainage The drainage system comprises vertical stacks collecting the rain water toilet and general waste. The majority of the drainage system consists of cast iron and discharges into the local sewer connection at ground and basement levels. The drainage where visible appears to be in reasonable condition Security Systems The main entrance is manned during normal working hours and admission outside normal working hours is provided by access control and intercom system installed to the main entrance with intercom door release devices located on each floor for access. A CCTV system is installed with cameras monitoring numerous locations of the property. The security systems appear to be in reasonable condition with no reportable deficiencies Lightning Protection System Information relating to a lightning protection system was not witnessed. We recommend further clarification is sought from the landlord in respect of this deficit Report 3/7 July 2010

15 APPENDIX 1.00 PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY 1. Gas fired boilers in basement. 2. AHU s in basement Report Appendix 1/1 July 2010

16 3. 3 rd floor plan. 4. Typical roof layout Report Appendix 1/2 July 2010

17 5. Asbestos switches and fuse boxes located 1 st floor switch room Report Appendix 1/3 July 2010