Gilberts is giving the ultimate treatment to an innovative relaxation development in Cheshire.
To extend the £10m The Spa at Carden’s four-star atmosphere to the smallest detail, the air movement specialist has even designed and hand- assembled a bespoke ventilation grille in the main reception area that appears to be floating in the air in a feature marble wall.
The aesthetic challenge of the reception grilles was just one of many challenges Gilberts’ faced in developing the tools to meet the ventilation strategy designed by Kimpton Ltd. Performance challenges included finding aesthetic solutions that addressed airflow rates ranging from as little as 15l/s in the 14 treatment rooms through to 1000l/s in the swimming pool/ hydrotherapy suite.
“The marble wall is a focal point of the main reception, designed to make an impact and set the scene for the high quality throughout the Spa,” explained Gilberts’ Sales Director Ian Rogers. “Therefore, any ventilation inlets and extracts in the vicinity had to continue that aspirational, dramatic ambience. A linear bar grille was the obvious choice to ventilate the area, so we designed a bespoke version.
“The blades within the grille appear to be floating in the air within the marble wall. We gave those grilles the Gilberts version of a Spa treatment!”
Added Chris Tolley, Kimpton’s Senior Projects Manager. “We knew we could rely on Gilberts as a single source to deliver solutions, that met all the demands, to the high level of style required.”
Beyond the main reception, predominantly, Gilberts’ high capacity two-slot slot diffusers ventilate the main Spa areas, including the 14 x treatment rooms, manicure and pedi room. Linear bar diffusers address ventilation in the bar, and café and form continuous runs ventilating the swimming / hydrotherapy pool. adjustable swirls air the offices, staff rooms and male & female changing rooms, whilst air valves ensure fresh, moisture- and odour- free air within the toilets and showers.
Family-owned Gilberts has a reputation for innovation and customisation, due to its capability to, in-house, design, develop, manufacture and supply solutions to deliver efficient air movement strategies in commercial environments. Products are predominantly manufactured in-house, to the extent it even designs and manufactures its own jigs and tools.The internal design capability, combined with in house test laboratory, 3D modelling and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software puts Gilberts’ in a unique position to develop from scratch, test, validate, supply and install bespoke solutions to meet specific requirements.
The company has a heritage spanning nearly 60 years, and a team recognised as expert within its respective fields.
