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Rapid Energy was approached by a facilities management company on behalf of one of their clients’ offices in Paddington, London. The office building’s rooftop chillers had gone into critical fault, and a permanent repair was not a viable option in the timeframe available.
With no cooling capacity and rising internal temperatures, the building required an urgent temporary chiller solution to restore climate control and maintain tenant comfort. The FM company needed a partner who could act fast, work within tight site constraints, and deliver without disruption to the building’s daily operations. Given Rapid Energy’s reputation for quick response, reliability, and expertise in critical cooling solutions, the FM company called us for immediate assistance.
For this project, the following equipment was utilised:
The project presented several complex logistical and technical challenges:
Crane access was not feasible due to the time and cost of arranging a road closure in the high-traffic London location. This ruled out the usual method for removing faulty equipment and installing new units.
Internal access constraints posed a significant challenge. Moving the chillers from the loading bay to the rooftop was challenging due to narrow hallways, low ceilings, and tight corners. Additionally, the equipment had to fit within strict size limits for the goods lift, adding complexity to the entire process.
Transporting the chillers across the rooftop required manual handling over a 40-metre distance. This was a delicate task, requiring coordination and care to avoid accidents or damage in an exposed, elevated workspace.
High system water temperature posed a risk to the chiller equipment. The existing water temperature of 50°C was too high for safe operation, requiring additional steps to drain and cool the system before it could safely pass through the temporary units.
Following a detailed site survey, Rapid Energy proposed a bespoke installation method designed around the building’s unique access limitations.
To reduce the size of the units and allow safe passage through tight internal spaces, the chiller hire frames were removed. The equipment was then manually transported using plant skates and pallet trucks, with every hallway, lift interior, and rooftop access route carefully measured and mapped in advance to ensure a safe and seamless transit.
To address the high system water temperature, our engineers spent several hours draining and refilling the system to gradually bring temperatures within a safe operating range. Once conditions were stable, the chillers were filled, connected, and commissioned.
Within a few hours of activation, the system temperature dropped by 10°C. Over the following 24 hours, internal climate conditions returned to normal, restoring comfort across the building and preventing further disruption to the tenants.
Our team completed the rooftop chiller installation without crane access or road closure.
Equipment was safely moved through tight access routes and transported via goods lift to the 10th floor.
Once on the rooftop, the chillers were positioned 40 metres into place.
BMS data confirmed temperature improvement, and within 24 hours, office temperatures were fully restored.
When cooling failure isn’t an option, Rapid Energy delivers engineered solutions at speed- safely, reliably, and without compromise.
