BMW has added another branch and what a branch it is! In the middle of April, the impressive Meerschman BMW garage opened in Erembodegem, Aalst. Designed by Willy Naessens Industriebouw, the modern infrastructure is immediately eye-catching. Not just wonderful to look at, the building is also ecological and future-proof, designed in a way to prioritise the customer experience. That’s why a focus of the construction was excellent air treatment, for which Daikin's expertise was called in.
Occupying a strategic location close to the main access roads, this BMW dealership is now the new central hub for East and West Flanders. Built to provide both customers and employees with everything they need, the building covers an area of 2,700 m², offering showroom and office space, an ultramodern workshop with no fewer than 25 workstations and special lifting bridges for electric cars, as well as lots of underground parking space.
For its new flagship, the BMW-MINI Meerschman dealership – a family business that also has branches in Ninove and Zottegem – wanted an environmentally friendly and future-proof HVAC total solution. Since each of the different types of areas in the building required an individual approach while still needing to be integrated as a whole, it was a great challenge to overcome.
In fact, it was a project that was tailor-made for Daikin! And that was exactly how Danny Meerschman, manager of BMW Meerschman NV, felt. In Daikin, he had found a partner with a great deal of technical expertise, who could provide a high-quality and reliable total solution and who was well-known for its great service post-installation.
Thomas Cottem, Product Coordinator AHU at Daikin
2020
A car isn't bought in a split second, so it's really important to create a climate that feels comfortable for visitors and (potential) customers. That's why it’s also important to ensure a constant, pleasant temperature in the showroom and to make sure it is well ventilated so that it always feel comfortable.
The façade of the showroom is made from extremely large sections of glazing that allow a lot of sunlight to enter the space. So that the temperature can be regulated in both summer and winter, one of the requisites for the system was the ability to react very quickly to heating and cooling demands.
“We need large flow rates in the showroom which is why we chose to use Daikin Air handling units that deliver 27,500m³/h. These are also fitted with a heat recovery wheel to recover both heat and moisture. The showroom is also equipped with a DX heating and cooling coil. This means that we can add heat via the ventilation system during the winter months while the entire showroom is brilliantly cooled in summer,” explained Nicolas Van Isterdal, manager of the Vinco Engineering consultancy.
Daikin's 3-pipe system was consistently chosen as the best option for the office spaces. Quickly and individually adjustable, the discreet built-in cassettes enable one office to be heated at the same time as another office is cooled. “For offices, it’s a brilliant top product,” confirmed Van Isterdal.
In order to achieve a healthy working environment, it is also extremely important to ensure proper air ventilation. This is why the workspaces were equipped with ventilation units fitted with a CO2 sensor to ensure there were sufficient supplies of fresh air and that indoor air quality remained at an extremely high level.
With a building of this size that uses different technologies, there is a definite advantage of having centralised controls and regulation. To ensure that it was all easy to use, the building operator opted for Daikin’s Touch Manager. This uses intelligent building management to ensure that the energy consumption of the building is efficiently and effectively managed.
11 VRV units
VRV Loop that provides 130 kW of integrated after-heating or cooling
Daikin 4 VRV Loop with continuous heating technology
Air handling units that deliver 27,500m³/h for the showroom
Roof-mounted Plug & Play units
Supply of 10,655 m³h fresh air for the workspaces
