Transforming the old historic bank building to a fully functional and fit for purpose restaurant required extensive renovations, including an entirely new heating, cooling and hot water system. To service the 4,000 sqft building, Jacuzzi needed a high-capacity performance and energy efficient solution, providing heating and cooling with accurate climate control and ultimate comfort.  

The well-known Italian brand, Big Mamma Restaurant Group, has recently transformed an old four storey bank into a striking new restaurant, Jacuzzi, in the heart of High Street Kensington, West London. In keeping with the grand design of this new ‘pleasure palazzo’, the interior environment needed to offer ultimate comfort and to help create a memorable and luxurious dining experience. Summit Design specified, designed and installed the comprehensive new heating and cooling system, utilising two 45kW Panasonic 3-pipe ECOi EX MF3 units with nanoe^TM X technology.

The Big Mamma Group selected the abandoned old bank building on Kensington High Street, for its fourth restaurant in London – Jacuzzi, a luxurious 170-seat Italian dining experience.  Bedecked with high end Italian treasures and decadent interior design, the site covers four floors, including a Sicilian mezzanine floor with a retractable roof opening out to the bustle of High Street Kensington.

Transforming the old historic bank building to a fully functional and fit for purpose restaurant required extensive renovations, including an entirely new heating, cooling and hot water system. To service the 4,000 sqft building, Jacuzzi needed a high-capacity performance and energy efficient solution, providing heating and cooling with accurate climate control and ultimate comfort.  

With Summit Design’s in-depth understanding and knowledge of heating and cooling, the company specified two Panasonic 45kW 3-pipe ECOi EX MF3 series with nanoe^TMX and with a range of indoor units including adaptive ducted, 4-way cassettes, ceiling suspended, floor mounted, wall mounted and slim ducted units.

“The Panasonic ECOi EX series is one of the most advanced VRF systems currently on the market, offering not only high performance for simultaneous heating and cooling but also sophisticated installation,” says Dan Sparling of Summit Designs. “The solution is ideal for commercial applications having enough capacity to run the energy efficient system for the entire building. Furthermore, the wide selection of indoor units that the Panasonic range offers, meant that we could adapt the system design to select the best and most appropriate indoor units, ensuring best choice for each space.  It was very important for the heating, cooling and ventilation system to blended seamlessly into the interior design so as to not distract in any away from the impressive diner experience and general ambience of this high-end restaurant.”

The Panasonic ECOi EX MF3 offers powerful performance for both heating and cooling. Designed with a twin rotary inverter compressor, the system is highly energy efficient even in extreme ambient temperatures of say 43^oC and continue to cool, even when the outside temperature reaches a maximum of 52^oC, with a high SEER of 3.49 and SCOP of 4.17. The optimised energy consumption was enhanced by the addition of the heat recovery box which was able to connect multiple indoor units with a single box. The heat exchanger captures the waste heat from the cooling operation and is able to redirect it using the 3-pipe system to areas requiring heating. This capability allows the system to heat and cool multiple areas simultaneously, allowing for greater independent climate control across the four floors and flexibility in meeting a comfortable climate for all.

The installation at the large Jacuzzi property was made easier by the flexibility of the Panasonic system. The units provide up to 1000m of piping and up to 30m height difference between the indoor units, meaning the system was able to extend its reach across all four floors with ease. The ECOi EX MF3 system provides easy to use and effective temperature and humidity controls, has a newly designed fan for optimised airflow, and customisable settings that can be tailored to suit the needs of the building.

“The Panasonic ECOi units now all come as standard with nanoe^TM X technology, a great benefit that really adds value, especially to a luxury dining experience like the new Jacuzzi restaurant,” adds Rachel Wales, Regional Sales Manager for Panasonic. “The nanoe^TMX technology inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, viruses, and other airborne pollutants[1]. With nanoe^TM X, the system can reduce unpleasant odours, tackle mould and allergens and even help keep hard and soft surfaces clean, all of which culminate in creating a better indoor air quality and enhancing the experience for staff and guests alike.”

The Panasonic system was able to be installed quickly without any problems, helping deliver the opening of the new restaurant on time. “We are so pleased with the operation of the system so far and are assured that staff and guests of the restaurant are kept comfortable throughout their experience”. 

The Panasonic ECOi EX MF3 offers powerful performance for both heating and cooling.

The nanoe^TMX technology inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, viruses, and airborne pollutants.

2 x 45kW