Heating, ventilation and plumbing design
Generation, distribution, emission and control — with calculations that survive operation, not just handover.
Heating
Heat demand is calculated to SIA 380/1, not estimated. The difference matters: a heat pump oversized by thirty percent cycles, wears out and never reaches the seasonal performance that justified it. We calculate the envelope first, the plant second.
Distribution, hydronic balancing, flow temperatures, storage, domestic hot water: each of these decides whether the installation holds in January at minus ten.
Ventilation
Air flows by use, pressure drops, acoustics, heat recovery, fire compartmentation and smoke extract. Ventilation is the discipline that needs the most space and gets coordinated last — which is why we bring it into coordination early.
Plumbing
Domestic water installations to SVGW W3, sizing of hot water generation, avoidance of stagnation and legionella risk, foul and rainwater drainage, attenuation and infiltration to the requirements of the municipality.
What we insist on
- Calculation, not rule of thumb
- Every capacity figure traces back to a calculation that is in the file.
- Hydronic balancing
- Without balancing the best plant is wasted. It is specified, inspected and recorded.
- Documented set points
- The installation is handed over with its set points written down, so the operator later knows what was changed.
- Replacing an oil boiler
- Feasibility, flow temperature, envelope work required, subsidies — in that order.
Questions about HVAC and plumbing
Can a heat pump heat an unrefurbished building?
Sometimes yes, often only with modified emitters. What decides it is the flow temperature required: above 55 °C, running costs climb. The answer comes from the calculation, not the year of construction.
Do you design cooling?
Yes, for residential, office and commercial buildings, including laboratory and server room applications with tighter requirements.
Who balances the system after handover?
Balancing is part of the tender and is owed by the installing contractor. We inspect and accept it — which is not the same thing.
A project that needs a technical opinion?
Tell us the building and the stage it is at. You will get an assessment and a fixed fee per phase, with no obligation.