Exchange Quay is a premier, multi-building commercial office estate in Salford, Greater Manchester. Featuring a complex HVAC infrastructure and a diverse tenant mix, the estate faced the universal challenge of maintaining peak operational efficiency in a live, high-demand environment.

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To address this, a strategic partnership was formed between the asset owner, Till (Asset Owner) CBRE (Managing Agent) and CSR Sustain.

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The HVAC Challenge

Operating a large, multi-let estate typically involves "invisible" inefficiencies. Despite having a Building Management System (BMS) in place, Exchange Quay faced several hurdles:

• Operational Drift: Plant running outside occupancy schedules and control settings drifting due to seasonal changes or manual overrides.

• Conflict & Inefficiency: Simultaneous heating and cooling across multiple zones.

• Reactive Maintenance: Fault resolution was often driven by tenant complaints rather than technical foresight.

• The "Data Gap": While the BMS provided raw data, it lacked continuous diagnostics and the expert engineering interpretation required to turn that data into action.

 

The FDD-Led Optimization Approach

CSR Sustain deployed the CIM PEAK AI-powered Fault Detection & Diagnostics (FDD) platform, layering advanced analytics over the existing infrastructure to provide continuous intelligence.

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The Strategy Included:

• Non-Intrusive Integration: Seamlessly connected to the BMS with zero additional hardware or tenant disruption.

• Real-Time AI Analysis: Automated monitoring of thousands of data points to detect faults and abnormal operations.

• Expert Oversight: CSR Sustain’s CIBSE-certified Building Performance Engineers reviewed and validated AI findings, ensuring every recommendation aligned with best-practice engineering standards.

• Collaborative Execution: Coordinated corrective actions were managed in partnership with CBRE and TILL to move from reactive to predictive maintenance.

 

Faults & Inefficiencies Identified

The platform acted as a "digital MRI" for the estate, uncovering hidden issues that traditional maintenance missed:

1. Control Conflicts: Identifying zones where heating and cooling fought against each other.

2. Ghost Running: AHUs, pumps, and fans operating during unoccupied hours.

3. Sub-optimal Setpoints: Correcting control deadbands and plant sequencing.

4. Invisible Degradation: Spotting gradual performance drops that were not yet severe enough to trigger standard BMS alarms.

 

Performance Outcomes

By combining AI insights with certified engineering expertise, Exchange Quay achieved measurable, sustained improvements without capital replacement:

• Reduction in HVAC Energy Consumption: Directly lowering the carbon footprint and operational costs.

• Enhanced Plant Longevity: Reduced runtime and mechanical stress on expensive assets.

• Improved Occupant Comfort: More stable internal temperatures and fewer comfort-related complaints.

• Operational Confidence: A transition to a proactive, data-led maintenance model where performance drift is corrected in real time.

 

Conclusion: Why Continuous FDD Works

The Exchange Quay project demonstrates that the most sustainable building is the one that is already built—when it is optimized correctly. By pairing AI-led diagnostics with CIBSE-certified expertise, the estate now operates closer to its original design intent, season after season.​