Hilsdon Holmes Ltd Commercial Testing

Hilsdon Holmes Ltd has been busy over the past couple of months; as well as the usual domestic air-testing calendar, we have also completed a range of commercial tests which include the following:

87 Weston Street, Bermondsey, London

Situated in the heart of London, only yards from the iconic Shard. 87 Weston Street is a contemporary, minimal, but elegantly structured office space nestling beneath a block of high-end, split level apartments. Hilsdon Holmes Ltd were asked to undertake the air permeability test for the building.

Usually commercial buildings require multple fans to test to a required Design Air Permeability (DAP) rating, but after producing a ‘3D Sketchup’ of the office to determine the envelope area (calculated by the areas of the surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling combined), we determined that up to a permeability rating of 5, only one fan would be required to cope with the test.

The client sealed off the ventilation grilles prior to the test and once all ventilation systems had been turned off, the test was ready to go.

It is advisable that an initial inspection is done to ensure there are no major concerns before the project has gone to far, potentially resulting in very costly, and time consuming air leakage rectifications. This particular project had no such issues thankfully, as the test produced a result of 3.85.

If you have a similar office space in the centre of London and would like an air permeability quote, we would love to help.

Streatham Hill

Located in a London suburb undergoing a transformation, this Streatham Hill development consists of various apartment blocks above a host of commercial amenities. Our client instructed us to carry out an air test on the new community Theatre as required under Approved Document L2a / L2b of The Building Regulations for new build and existing commercial buildings.

This building needed to achieve a Design Air Permeability under 3, which can be a daunting prospect for both domestic and Commercial properties.- our client sensibly sought a preliminary Inspection from our test engineers In advance of the completion of the Theatre unit. This initial visit coincided with the final installation of the entrance canopy and the main entrance door was awaited so a temporary door was in place. We guided the build team through the process of preparing the building for our forth-coming tes and were able to revisit a fortnight later to carry out the air test.

Setting up a two fan system meant using the rear entrance, with a specially made temporary wooden frame to hold our canvas frame into securely. Again all vents were sealed, and the test gave a result of 2.93, which was within the required target Air Permeability figure..

Need a commercial space air-testing? Give us a call and we’d love to help you whether you’re in or outside London.

New Vac Pac & Chill Store, Treburley, Cornwall

Commercial testing brings its own surprises; and this was the case when we were asked to air-test a local building, namely a new extension to an abattoir! Thankful to say we produced the test at a weekend when it was not in operation.

The usual 3D Sketchup file gave an envelope area of 2736.03m2. A larger building area that almost required a more time consuming three fan setup, but fortunately for us the result came in at just 5.35 with the 2 fan system, so no additional fans were needed – which was less costly for the client too!

Have a Commercial development in the South West that requires air testing? Let us know and we will gladly quote for you.

As a quick recap here is a list of our Commercial test process:

An initial visit is highly recommended to run through areas which the build team can focus upon to ensure a smooth test day process (confirming approximate build area and number of fans required, and any potential problems relevant to air-leakage, a suitable set-up arrangement, and guidance to the client).
3D Sketch-up produced from supplied plans to determine the exact envelope area of the building.
All vents sealed by the client prior to our visit.
Air test carried out by ATTMA TS2 accredited tester to L2a standards. An air-test typically takes approximately 1-2 hours to complete.
Upon completion of a successful test we will issue a certificate within 24 hours (or even sooner if required).