Client: NFU Mutual
Property Management: CBRE
Quantity Surveyor & Project Consultant: PSK
Mechanical & Electrical Consultant: Couch Perry & Wilkes (CPW)
Main Contractor: AD Environmental Ltd, Leeds
DECARBONISATION • COMMERCIAL OFFICES • LIVE ENVIRONMENT
AD Environmental delivers a major 14-storey heating and cooling replacement package.
AD ENVIRONMENTAL’S ROLE
Main contractor responsible for delivering the building-wide Mechanical & Electrical installation in a constrained, partially occupied city-centre office.
THE PROJECT
Chancery Place is a 14-storey office building in central Manchester. The project replaced the building’s ageing mechanical heating and cooling infrastructure while supporting NFU Mutual’s decarbonisation strategy through the removal of gas-fired heating.
The existing 1.5 MW Carrier rooftop chiller, associated heating and cooling pipework and three 200 kW gas boilers were removed. In their place, the project team installed a Mitsubishi Electric heat-recovery VRF solution. Existing air-handling and ventilation systems were retained and upgraded with new DX coils to temper incoming fresh air in both heating and cooling modes.
As main contractor, AD Environmental led the practical delivery of the replacement works across the building, co-ordinating installation activity, specialist controls integration, programme demands and work within an occupied environment.
· Mobilised and managed the works from March 2025 through to completion in May 2026.
· Deployed up to 20 engineers on site at peak periods to maintain programme milestones.
· Adopted flexible and out-of-hours working practices to minimise disruption while the building remained partially occupied.
· Integrated additional indoor units and controllers required by revised CAT V office layouts during construction.
· Appointed and coordinated Calverley Controls of Leeds to deliver the front-end Building Management System integration.
· Managed the installation logistics associated with 25 rooftop VRF units in a constrained city-centre building.
ENGINEERING DELIVERY – A complex, building-wide installation
The completed system provides simultaneous heating and cooling across all 14 floors. Waste heat can be redistributed between zones, improving efficiency and reducing operating costs. Tenant zones are individually sub-metered, with energy use monitored through the central controls so occupiers can be charged for their actual consumption rather than on a floor-area basis.
SCALE OF INSTALLATION
25 Rooftop VRF Units • 174 Ducted Indoor Units • 25 BC Controllers • 14 Occupied Office Floors
CO-ORDINATION & CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Changes to office layouts arose after rooftop equipment had already been installed. AD Environmental incorporated the resulting additional units and controllers into the live delivery programme, working with CPW’s design and Kooltech’s technical support and revised schematics to maintain a coordinated solution.
LOGISTICS IN A CONSTRAINED CITY-CENTRE SITE
Equipment deliveries had to be timed to suit the programme and site constraints. The 25 VRF outdoor units were partially dismantled so they could fit within the building lifts, transported 14 storeys to roof level, and then reassembled for final installation. AD Environmental’s site team converted this demanding logistics plan into a completed rooftop installation.
| Equipment | Quantity | Application |
| Mitsubishi Electric PURY-P YNW heat-recovery VRF outdoor units | 25 | Primary heating and cooling |
| Mitsubishi Electric PEFY-M ducted indoor units | 174 | Floor-by-floor conditioning |
| CMB-M BC controllers with K-Con KS-8 isolation valves | 25 | Heat recovery and local isolation |
| Mitsubishi Electric PUZ-ZM condensing units | 6 | DX coils serving existing AHUs |
| Mitsubishi Electric AE-400 central controller | 1 | Central monitoring and control |
| EW-50 centralised controllers | 5 | Localised area control |
SPECIALIST SUPPLY & TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Kooltech supplied the Mitsubishi Electric equipment package, ducted-unit plenums and technical support. They factory-fitted and pressure-tested the approved K-Con KS-8 isolation valves and supported AE-400 commissioning. These inputs formed part of the wider installation delivered and co-ordinated on site by AD Environmental.
OUTCOME & AFTERCARE
A lower-carbon, more controllable building
The project removed the building’s three gas boilers and replaced its ageing chiller-based infrastructure with a modern heat-recovery VRF system. The completed solution gives occupiers localised control, enables simultaneous heating and cooling, supports tenant-level energy monitoring and improves serviceability through isolation at individual indoor-unit connections.
Decarbonisation: Removal of gas-fired heating supports NFU Mutual’s strategy to reduce operational carbon.
Operational flexibility: Simultaneous heating and cooling allows the system to respond to differing loads across the building.
Tenant accountability: Sub-metering and AE-400 monitoring enable energy charging based on actual consumption.
Maintainability: Isolation valves allow selected indoor units to be serviced without shutting down the complete VRF system.
CONTINUING COMMITENT
AD Environmental’s role extends beyond practical completion. Under a comprehensive service and maintenance agreement with CBRE, the company will provide two planned maintenance visits in each year of the warranty period.
As a Mitsubishi Electric Business Solutions Partner, AD Environmental was also able to provide NFU Mutual with an extended seven-year warranty, giving the client long-term assurance over system support and performance.