Designed by Richard Rogers, the Grade I listed Lloyd’s building is an internationally renowned London landmark. So when it was time to upgrade its cooling systems, Thomas Pound, Operations Manager at Lloyd’s, needed to find cooling tower engineers of the highest calibre.

Lloyd’s of London is the world’s leading insurance market. Founded in 1688, Lloyd’s may be steeped in history, but its iconic London building strides confidently into the future.

The Lloyd’s Challenge

Completed in 1986, the Lloyd’s building was designed to the most exacting specifications. However, as technology boomed, the cooling systems could no longer cope in the height of summer with the increased heat being generated by the explosion in IT equipment.

Replacing these systems would be no easy task because of the building’s revolutionary “inside-out” design. Richard Rogers had taken the usual internal elements of a building and made them design features on the outside.

This gives Lloyd’s incredible freedom of space inside the building, but it means service work involves unique challenges. This was particularly true for the cooling towers.

Typically, cooling towers are square — but at Lloyd’s they are round.

As Mr Pound noted:

“To replace them we’d have to put a square peg into a round hole.”

Preserving the building’s design integrity meant it would be impossible to add extra features to the towers. The only option was an upgrade.

“We needed to optimise what we had within the confines of the original towers and improve the performance.”

Keeping Cool Under Pressure

Consulting engineers at MIET designed a solution, but implementing these designs would be far from straightforward.

As various companies bid for the contract, Vistech quickly emerged as the frontrunner. More than simply having the ability to install to a design, Vistech engineers were bringing innovative ideas to the table and actively improving the project.

Mr Pound was impressed:

“It was the innovation in design presented by Vistech which helped them win the bid. It showed my kind of thinking and my team’s kind of thinking. They were looking to make life easier for future maintenance.”

Proving Capability Under Tight Deadlines

Winning the bid was only the beginning. Lloyd’s could take no chances with such a critical project.

Vistech would have to upgrade the first of three cooling towers to the highest standard — or they would not be commissioned to refit the remaining two.

Starting work in April, the team had to complete the first tower by June — an incredibly demanding deadline, but vital if Lloyd’s was to have a viable cooling system for the summer.

As Mr Pound explained:

“If we could not feel confident in their ability to meet deadlines, we would not have continued with their services.”

Vistech not only agreed to these conditions, but also committed to refund labour costs if the job did not meet expectations.

Their confidence was not misplaced.

The work was completed on time and to a very high standard, pleasing the client and triggering the remainder of the contract.

Improved Performance and Greater Efficiency

Vistech’s upgrade of the cooling towers involved multiple elements:

  • Internal fittings stripped
  • Internal surfaces re-coated
  • New internals installed, designed to improve performance
  • Fans upgraded
  • New variable speed controllers installed on motors, increasing efficiency and saving energy

The cooling towers had to eject 7.5 MW of heat.

Previously, the system struggled to do this with three towers. Following the upgrade, the same duty could be achieved with just two.

Mr Pound noted:

“We’ve nearly doubled the performance of the towers, which improves efficiency and provides energy saving too. The initial figures pleased us all tremendously. The result they got was very impressive and has improved the towers’ capacity for heat rejection substantially.”

Professional Delivery and Long-Term Value

Beyond the physical results, Mr Pound was equally impressed by Vistech’s project management and collaborative approach.

“They were very professional and responsive to our needs. Whenever we asked for changes or requested flexibility because of other priority activities on site, their response was quick and conclusive.”

Since completing the upgrades, Vistech has been asked back by Lloyd’s to carry out condition survey work on the cooling towers — with everything still operating at optimum performance.

Cooling Fit for the Future

No less cutting-edge now than it was in the 1980s, the Lloyd’s building now boasts a cooling system fit for the future.

There has been no compromise to its award-winning design, and in a marketplace where face-to-face contact remains central to business, the ability to maintain comfort levels despite increased heat load has been achieved.

Mr Pound concluded:

“It was extremely enjoyable to work alongside Vistech’s engineers. They were coming to the table not simply to shove their kind of solution upon us. They listened and responded to our requirements and delivered results.”

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