Mitsubishi Electric has partnered with Chester Zoo to install heat pumps at its event venue, The Square.

The Square event and conference facility was completed in 2023. It combines the historic Grade II-listed stables block, constructed in 1886, with a modern area that can seat 200 guests. The venue hosts weddings, product launches and meetings.

According to a company statement, there was a particular challenge for the heating and cooling requirements. Parts of the building need high temperature heating for the Grade II listed elements, while the more modern elements need lower temperatures for the underfloor heating.

Rob Arathoon, mechanical and electrical projects manager at Chester Zoo, said: “The Square combines a conference space that is also used for weddings, plus some smaller spaces that are used for meetings and private functions in the older, listed-status areas and both elements have very different heating requirements.

“This presented some specific challenges to the design as we’re trying to achieve a higher temperature circuit to heat the listed building, whereas the newer, more insulated area had to have a lower temperature circuit which was feeding an underfloor heating system.”

The solution sees two Ecodan CAHV air source heat pumps feeding a Climaveneta EW-HT water-to-water heat pump to provide a boosted temperature circuit. The CAHV units provide water at 45°C, with the EW-HT boosting the temperature to 75°C.

Together the heat pumps deliver very high temperature water for the radiators in the historic parts of the building and lower temperatures to serve the underfloor heating in the new part.

An Ecodan QAHV air source heat pump has also been fitted, which delivers water temperatures of up to 90°C for use in the facility’s kitchen and toilet areas.

Aside from meeting the heating requirement at the Square, the statement added that the designers also faced the challenge of how to cool the conference area in the summer. Three Mr Slim R32 air conditioning systems were installed to provide cooling when required. The air conditioning utilises R32 refrigerant which has a much lower global warming potential (GWP) and helps reduce the embodied carbon for the equipment, it noted.

Jennifer Kelly, head of sustainability at Chester Zoo, added: “As a world-leading conservation and education charity, we know that we can’t be part of the problem that we’re trying to solve, so we are developing sustainable plans that help us reduce carbon emissions and achieve our net zero targets.

“A major part of this is our partnership with Mitsubishi Electric and we’re also keen that this helps to showcase the best of heat pump technology in some of the most challenging applications to inspire others to act.”

Chris Newman, zero carbon design manager for Mitsubishi Electric, said: “The solution used at the Square goes to show that across the zoo’s estate, it’s not just about decarbonising animal habitats, it’s also about decarbonising and using the most efficient technologies to provide heating and cooling for human spaces as well.”