MVHR made easy with Posi-Joist

McLaren Construction (MC) presented Howarth Timber Engineered Solutions (Howarth) with a unique set of criteria for the development of 110 luxury apartments and houses at Cambium Gardens, Putney, in London.

Designed by Scott Brownrigg Associates, the brief was to construct very energy efficient buildings with large open rooms while keeping the building mass to a minimum. Ventilation systems providing a constant flow of fresh air into the buildings were also required.

MC teamed up with Howarth, via the carpentry installers J A Stott, in order to utilise their expertise and experience and meet the required specification.

It was identified at an early stage that the pre-cast concrete floor slabs originally specified would not work, and an alternative in the form of MiTek’s Posi-Joist metal web floor system was tabled. This lightweight solution allowed the complex Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) ductwork and building services to be routed through and hidden within the floor joist zone, maximising living space within the buildings.

Howarth used the latest EC5 compliant MiTek PAMIR design software to design the Posi-Joist floor joists, and also used the 3D capabilities of PAMIR to ensure that the MVHR ductwork was able to traverse the floors of the luxury apartments and houses. Howarth worked as an integral part of the overall project design team, producing interactive 3-D models and BIM compatible design output including the MVHR ducting so that the entire design team could check and sign off the proposals before any work was carried out on site. As changes were made to the ductwork layouts and runs, Howarth were able to easily reconfigure the Posi-Joists to accommodate the changes.

MiTek’s PAMIR software outputs a variety of file formats including DWG, PDF and Revit compatible IFC (Industry Foundation Class) files. This coordinated approach saved time and money on the build for the Contractor, Architect, Engineers and M&E designers.

The skill and experience of the Howarth Senior Designer, combined with the power of the MiTek design software and the flexibility of the Posi-Joist system, made it possible to achieve an efficient and cost-effective solution to a challenging project.