Modern Comfort Meets Historic Heritage

The Background:

The Printworks, located in Belfast’s business and retail core, was a late Victorian warehouse, purpose built in 1895 for R. Carswell & Son’s to function as the home for the company’s printworks and bookbinding business. It was extended in 1910 and continued to function as a printworks until the 1970s. After this, the building was divided into individual tenants' spaces.  

In 2018, the building was purchased by Angus Properties, who slowly began the restoration process as tenants left. As Angus Properties took over each space, they began to strip out the entire building and see what was happening behind the facade. It became obvious that the 130-year-old building had fallen into huge disrepair and would need to undergo extensive refurbishment and restoration to bring it back to its former glory and ensure its preservation.  

The Challenge:

Transforming a 130-year-old red‑brick landmark building into a high‑performance retail and office workplace meant striking a delicate balance between protection and progress. Angus Properties’ vision was to honour the building’s industrial heritage by retaining its 19th century character façade and original structural fabric while delivering a modern space capable of attracting a diverse range of tenants.  

The heating, cooling and ventilation solution therefore had to meet three key demands. The first being to complement the architectural integrity of the original building. All of the equipment visible to occupants had to enhance and not compete with, the overall aesthetic of the building.  

The Solution:

To meet these requirements, Angus Properties partnered with long-standing Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Quality Partner, Air Cool Engineering, to design and deliver a bespoke HVAC solution built around Mitsubishi Electric’s air conditioning and ventilation systems. 

Air Cool Engineering, with decades of experience installing Mitsubishi Electric products, took a full-service approach by managing the design, installation, commissioning and servicing of the project. Their deep familiarity with the product range enabled a flexible, responsive solution tailored specifically to the building’s evolving needs.  

Each unit was carefully selected and installed to match the aesthetic of the building. Ducted, cassette and wall-mounted options were used depending on layout and design requirements set out by each tenant. The sleek Mitsubishi Electric black wall-mounted units were chosen to blend with the building’s interior character. The exposed pipework added to the industrial nature of the building, complementing the design. “Between Mitsubishi Electric and Air Cool Engineering we strike this balance between the aesthetics of the installations and the performance” states Paul Elliott 

The branch controllers and pipework were all installed with future reconfiguration in mind, enabling new zones or units to be added with minimal disruption. With improved design flexibility as a result of increased external static pressure, the VRF Indoor Unit allows authentic duct air conditioning within the strictest aesthetic confines. “Every zone be it a big room or a small room has individual controls. They're easily adapted. They're easily modified” states Martin Mullan, Managing Director at Air Cool Engineering. Combining this with a centralised control system that allows engineers to monitor and troubleshoot equipment efficiently, we are ensuring reliable, tailored performance with a simplified service future. 

The old oil-fired heating system was replaced with a full Mitsubishi Electric solution. The inclusion of heat recovery and energy-efficient technologies ensures high performance and comfort while reducing the carbon footprint of the building. 

Internally, the building now offers the comfort, control and energy efficiency of a new commercial building. Despite its age and original fabric, the space remains consistently comfortable year-round. The advanced system design ensures long-term adaptability regardless of any tenant layout or future occupancy changes. 

What once was a cold, oil-heated structure has been completely futureproofed with the most efficient heating and cooling system possible. “The Mitsubishi Electric systems that we have had installed in the building are all intelligent systems” testifies Paul. Now operating at a B-grade performance level, the building stands as a successful fusion of heritage preservation and cutting-edge engineering, ready to serve tenants for decades to come.