A Legacy of Sustainable Solutions and Service Excellence

Samsung’s high-spec variant refrigerant flow (VRF) air-conditioning solution for Sandton’s tallest building is a masterpiece in planning and sustainable service delivery

Sandton’s skyline is an ever-changing landscape and the latest addition to this space is set to be the tallest. The Leonardo, a mixed-use building featuring residential, business and retail space, is currently under construction at 175 Maude Street. With a number of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and eight penthouses, retail spaces and premium business suites, one of the design principles is to be energy efficient, as well as ensuring consistent thermal comfort for all tenants.

With mixed-use buildings, addressing the diverse thermal comfort needs of different occupants is often a challenge. However, Samsung’s solution to the heating and cooling requirements of the entire building has been revolutionary. While variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology affords users complete control over the interior temperature, uses no water, provides a means to heat water and is exceptionally energy-efficient, that’s not the reason the installation is ground-breaking. It’s all about the extended warranty and maintenance plans that have been put in place by Samsung, as well as the 24/7monitoring system that’s in place for the installation.

“Working with Improvair Environmental Solutions (IES), a company whose approach to solutions-based after care and maintenance is in line with Samsung’s innovative and customer-centric values has made this project not only possible but also allowed us flexibility in delivering excellent solutions for this complex installation,” says Samsung Business Lead, Digital Air Solutions, Troy Gower.

The intricate solution was designed in collaboration with two consulting engineers, Ian Wingrove and Graeme Page, who worked closely with the Samsung team and IES.

The complete solution that’s been put in place by Samsung is set to be the future of specifications for heating and cooling requirements in buildings, whether mixed-use or not.