CASE STUDY| ISSUE 10 | 2014
Crystal Tower, Bucharest
Daikin’s VRV-W system delivers energy
efficiency in landmark office building
Daikin’s water cooled VRV system is at the heart of
energy efficiency of the Crystal Tower, a landmark
office building in the centre of Bucharest, Romania.
The Crystal Tower in central Bucharest is home to
the Romanian headquarters of ING Bank. The
stunning office building was designed by architect
Adrian Spirescu to look like a crystal uncovered in
the grey stone that predominates in the Romanian
capital. The natural effect is achieved by the
building’s asymmetric profile, with a glass façade cut
at different angles. Unique to Bucharest, the tower
is also topped with a helipad.
The tower’s striking and innovative architecture is
matched by a number of innovative and sustainable
features which meant it achieved a BREEAM
Excellent rating at the design stage. Along with the
use of natural light, the building features intelligent
and innovative heating and ventilation systems
working with the building’s double skin glass façade
to reduce energy consumption and create a perfect
climate for occupants. This was the first time a
double-skin glass façade had been used in Romania.
It enables permanent air circulation between the
two layers, creating a micro-climate and protecting
the interior from extreme temperatures. Inside, the
climate of the building’s ground floor and 14 office
floors are controlled by a water-cooled VRV climate
control system from Daikin; its restaurant by aircooled VRV.
Client SC Plaza Development srl says that the VRV
system was chosen because “from the outset we
decided we needed a modern and versatile air
conditioning system that was flexible enough for
both the open plan office spaces individual offices
and meeting rooms. We also expressly requested
that the system be sustainable, with low energy
consumption and, if possible, incorporate energy
recovery. Ultimately, we wanted an energy-efficient
building and Daikin provided the optimum solution.”
Daikin’s VRV system delivers a “whole building”
climate control solution. Suitable for a wide range of
applications, VRV systems can be installed in almost
any environment where outdoor ambient
temperatures are between -20°C and 46°C (in
cooling mode) and -25°C and 15.5°C (in heating
mode), or higher if using heat recovery technology.
CRYSTAL TOWER BUCHAREST
VRV systems are regularly installed in offices, hotels,
restaurants and bars, leisure centres, healthcare
environments, shops, public buildings and
residential applications.
VRV inverter-controlled systems offer high levels of
efficiency because they vary the volume of
refrigerant to match the building’s requirements
and the outside temperature. This means only the
minimum level of energy required is used, reducing
operational costs and lowering carbon emissions.
Different zones of a building can also be controlled
independently, further improving efficiency.
The VRV-W water-cooled range is ideal for tall
buildings such as the Crystal Tower, where the
allowable refrigerant piping of air-cooled systems is
too short or where there is little space to site
outdoor units. The compact and lightweight units
can be stacked to save even more space and are
also quiet, making them suitable for areas with
stringent noise restrictions, such as city centres.
Along with the high efficiencies at partial loads
associated with Variable Refrigerant Volume
technology, VRV-W features Variable Water Flow
technology, which regulates water flow depending
on the required capacity at any one time, saving
even more energy. An added bonus is that
operation in free-cooling in spring and autumn
results in operational savings of about 30-40%,
compared with air-to-air systems.
VRV-W heat pumps can be used with a wide range
of Daikin and third party fan coil, ventilation and air
handling units as well as air curtains, and can also be
used to produce hot water.
ISSUE 10 | 2014
The Crystal Tower’s VRV-W system comprises 70
outdoor units connected to 280 Daikin concealed
ceiling duct units and 600x600 cassettes.
The system was designed by consultant Tehnoclima,
with installation carried out by HVAC company AVI
Compact, which also installed the two cooling
towers and the conventional VRV air-to-air unit
linked to ducted indoor units for the restaurant.
Daikin Sky Air units provide comfort in the
restaurant lobby, while on the terrace there is a
700kW chiller providing cool water for the air
handling units serving the entire building and a
150kW chiller for cooling the server rooms.
Climate, security systems and other building
services equipment are controlled by the Crystal
Tower’s building management system, which
ensures everything is functioning efficiently,
creating a perfect climate using the minimum
amount of resources.
The combination of the innovative building skin and
the VRV system means that efficiency is dramatically
improved and the Crystal Tower’s annual energy
consumption rate is much lower than a similarly
sized, conventionally built tower.
SC Plaza Development srl says that alongside VRVW’s high COP and its low energy consumption,
another reason the system was chosen was because
“it allows office tenants to control and monitor
individual indoor units and offers flexibility if the
interior layout is changed in the future”. Despite the
higher investment costs, the lower running costs of
the system mean that the payback period is
estimated to be just three years.
The Crystal Tower won the Bucharest Architecture
Eco Architecture Award in 2012 and was also named
as Green Project of the Year by the Romanian Green
Building Council. It is a shining example of how an
innovative building fabric, combined with the latest
climate control technology, can deliver very highly
sustainable tall buildings in urban environments,
without compromising on design.
Pictured:
The Crystal Tower is a landmark office building
in the centre of Bucharest, Romania.