Studor has delivered a simple, flexible, cost effective drainage system for a prestigious renovation project converting an office tower to a four star hotel in Milan. Retrofitting 162 bedrooms with ensuite bathroom facilities, plus a luxury spa and gourmet restaurant, severely compromised the 20 floor office block’s existing drainage system: only Studor could provide the optimum, high tech and innovative solution.
Studor’s Italian partner, Bampi, was contacted by a local installer for advice. A 20 floor tower located in Milan was undergoing large scale restructuring work, involving a significant change of use. This well-known office tower had to become, in just a few months, a 4 star hotel!
Now known as “The Hub Hotel”, the existing external facades of the building were maintained while the interiors were completely stripped to accommodate luxury rooms and suites with large en-suite bathrooms. Comfort aspects were key points, and low noise levels were a top priority. High quality internal dividing walls were installed accommodating and isolating both WC cisterns and ‘low noise’ drainage pipes.
The Hub Hotel in Milan now offers 162 rooms, Classic, Superior and Deluxe, all characterised by design details and high tech functionalities. Particular attention has been dedicated to the bathrooms; all covered with an elegant and dark marble, which is stylishly combined with transparent glass details.
Located in the heart of the new Milan trade, conference and business area, the hotel includes a modern wellness centre (Spa Emotions) on the roof level, with panoramic views, a swimming pool, sauna, whirlpool and fitness centre with up-to-date equipment. The gourmet ‘Mirror Lounge and Restaurant’ further enriches the facilities and services of the new hotel.
For simplicity, the engineers originally based the new drainage system on the previous layout and here started the real difficulties for both the engineer and the installer. As the number of bathrooms connected to each stack increased considerably, drainage design had to be reviewed and proper consideration had to be made to validate its effectiveness, particularly with regards to its ventilation.
Additional difficulties came with having no room for either additional wet stacks, or even ventilation stack pipes. There was no option but to increase the branch lengths, which obviously requires specific and dedicated ventilation. The only known solution was, again, the installation of an extra ventilation pipe network, i.e. a lot of extra work, plus many roof and floor penetrations – a big and complex problem! During further discussion between the installer and the engineering company, no real solutions were found.
Fortunately, the installer discussed the problem with their connections in the industry, and a planning contact who had just attended a technical seminar organised by Bampi (and coordinated by its local engineering association) recommended to look at the Studor P.A.P.A. single stack solution!
After discussion, the Studor P.A.P.A. System was utilised, along with the current drainage system, with minimal intrusion or additional work. The Studor Mini-Vent Air Admittance Valve (AAV), installed within the suspended sealing, and the Studor Trap-Vent (combined trap with integral AAV), installed under the wash basins, were used for branch ventilation, providing a very easy and quick option.
Studor Maxi-Vents were installed on top of the stacks, ensuring optimal use of the roof terrace (as there were no roof penetrations), and Studor P.A.P.A.s (Positive Air Pressure Attenuators) were installed to complete the Studor P.A.P.A. System, eliminating the need for any additional vent stacks and offering a secure ‘positive pressure transients balance’ solution. Indeed some of the Studor AAVs were installed within the newly built separation walls, saving much needed space!
Not only did the Studor P.A.P.A. System prove an effective way to ventilate a very highly loaded drainage system at the Hub Hotel but, in this complex example, the system brought substantial financial benefits: very limited installation time, no extra work, no roof or floor penetrations, and no welding, plus also maximum space utilisation. The simple solution was the Studor P.A.P.A. single stack solution!
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