Case study
Sensata Technologies, a global leader in sensor development and manufacturing, invested £16.5m in a new research, testing, and office facility in Newtownabbey.
CLIENT: Sensata Technologies
LOCATION: Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland
VALUE: N/A
COMPLETED: N/A
BACKGROUND
Sensata Technologies, a global leader in sensor development and manufacturing, invested £16.5m in a new research, testing, and office facility in Newtownabbey. The development required a building services solution that could provide:
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Precise and simultaneous heating and cooling across open-plan offices, testing laboratories, and research areas.
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Independent, highly reliable cooling for computer and server rooms.
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Integration of multiple systems into a centralised, easily managed platform.
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Energy efficiency to minimise long-term operating costs.
The facility, spread across two bespoke buildings, demanded a scalable solution capable of meeting diverse environmental requirements without compromising comfort, performance, or efficiency.
SOLUTION
The HVAC system was delivered using a Daikin VRV and split-unit configuration designed to handle the varied load profile of the site.
Key elements of the implementation included:
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161 fan coil units deployed across both buildings to provide heating and cooling simultaneously, ensuring stable and responsive comfort control.
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20 Daikin VRV systems, networked to manage demand across office and testing areas, optimising efficiency through variable refrigerant flow.
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10 independent split systems dedicated to server and IT rooms, providing precision cooling to protect sensitive equipment.
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A Daikin iTouch Manager platform, enabling full centralised control, scheduling, and monitoring of all systems, ensuring streamlined facility management.
This approach provided a highly adaptable solution, capable of serving complex and varying space conditions within a single integrated architecture.
OUTCOME
The completed installation delivered clear technical and operational advantages:
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Stable environmental control across all office, research, and laboratory spaces, ensuring comfort and consistency for over 900 employees.
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Dedicated resilience for critical infrastructure, with standalone split systems guaranteeing uninterrupted server cooling.
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Reduced operating costs, with VRV technology significantly improving part-load efficiency compared to conventional HVAC approaches.
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Centralised system management, giving facilities teams the ability to optimise performance and energy use from a single control point.
The system now provides Sensata with a robust, scalable, and energy-efficient solution, underpinning the company’s advanced research and manufacturing operations in Northern Ireland.
