Construction Checklist by a Coldroom Specialist Team
Designing and building cold rooms is not only time-consuming but also takes up a lot of effort. A cold room specialist team comprises a versatile group of individuals specializing in various different features of a cold room. Every project is unique and may include specific novel requirements put forth by the client. To ensure that these are accommodated and adequately integrated into the cold room, a specialist team devises new strategies and plans. However, to make sure a cold room specialist team is adequately able to integrate the requested features, clients must have a clear idea of their exact requirements.
Therefore to help clients easily identify their needs, many cold room specialists compile checklists that account for different aspects of the cold room. Here are some essential features found in a checklist by a cold room specialist team:
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Adequate Location
Depending on the client’s identified location for the installation of the cold room, specialists can help clients make a calculated decision regarding the best suitable cold room for them. For instance, fixed cold rooms require open space placements as these are pre-built from before and require installation as it is. On the other hand, modular cold rooms are best suited for small and compact places.
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Temperature Management System
Cold rooms are built with an adjustable temperature management system. However, to identify an adequate refrigeration system, clients need to indicate their required maximum and minimum temperatures. On the basis of this information, cold room specialists can adequately identify a cooling unit best suited for the cold room being designed.
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Environmental Elements
Although cold rooms are designed to protect the material they are holding against environmental elements, some cold rooms may have enhanced requirements. These are commonly found in cold rooms being designed for hospitals, labs, and food storage units. Such cold rooms may require additional features such as an additional layer of sealing against external elements, maximum sterility, or even protection against moisture. For such cold rooms, clients must provide cold room specialists a list of all environmental elements that they would like controlled for ensuring the cold room’s maximum utility.
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Available Space
Like location, the available space within also places an essential part in determining certain features of a cold room. Clients must provide specialists with a proper layout of the building, floor, and ceratin area within that they would like the cold room installed. Similarly, if the clients must also identify the space and area if the cold room is to function as a stand-alone unit outside of a building environment.
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Portability
Some businesses require portable and mobile cold rooms. For instance, seasonal businesses prefer portable cold rooms that can be assembled and reassembled anywhere when needed. This is an essential feature to identify to a cold room specialist team as they will need to build in certain design variations within the intended cold room from the beginning that will allow clients to easily transport it to a different location on demand.
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Safety and Security
Certain businesses and industries may require some form of warning system or alarm system if they are housing dangerous or invaluable material. For instance, cold rooms in research laboratories working with novel diseases often have alarm systems built in to warn against contamination or outbreaks. If adequately identified from the beginning, design teams can also recommend clients added layers of security such as automatic sealing chambers that can be built in the cold room envelope.
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Internal and External Lighting
Cold rooms are void of natural lighting therefore it is essential to build in some form of lighting within to help with navigation. However, sometimes the material held by certain cold rooms can be sensitive to regular light and may require specialized lighting solutions. Such lighting systems may need special electricity connections and wiring therefore clients are advised to inform specialists of such requirements from the beginning.
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Fire Hazard Protection
If an intended cold room will be potentially holding hazardous material, then clients must inform the cold room specialist team in charge of this requirement. Certain protective measures are therefore installed within to help contain the fire in case there are any accidents. Most specialist teams often employ industry-specific specialists to install these measures against potential hazards.
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Accessibility
One of the most essential features to take account of when designing cold rooms is the level of accessibility required by the client. Entrance and exit doors need to have certain sealing and insulation properties to prevent temperature fluctuations. Also, some cold rooms require vehicle access thus larger doors and multiple layers of insulation within to help uphold the required temperature. Access arrangements are integrated into the initial design phase of the cold room, therefore, must be vocalized earlier on.
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Ventilation System
Depending on the material that a certain cold room will be holding they might need some form of ventilation as well. For instance, some cold rooms may need ventilation for hazardous fumes and gases. If clients are certain about the material that will be housed within the intended cold room, specialists can provide essential advice regarding the utility and requirement of a ventilation system to ensure maximum utility of the cold room.
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Drainage System
There will always be some level of moisture that a cold room may be required to drain out. Additionally, refrigeration systems also have moisture build-up that needs drainage Therefore, drainage systems are often considered an essential design feature in almost every cold room and will be installed regardless of the client’s requests.
Conclusion
Cold room specialist teams often employ additional people on a contractual basis depending on the requirements identified by the client. Other than the core team, this group of individuals is responsible for ensuring the adequate installation of certain specialized design features. Therefore, most specialist teams design checklists like these to help clients think beyond the initial idea they have of a cold room. This way clients ate able to identify their requirements and needs early on so that the core team can identify these contractual specialists in a timely manner as they are often difficult to book because of their limited number.