Award-winning HVAC and air filtration solutions for a leading university
Excellence demands action: One of the world’s top 100 universities faced a significant challenge. The HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) and air filtration systems across its approximately 300 campus buildings were in urgent need of a comprehensive upgrade. Maintaining the outdated systems was complex and resource-intensive, with intricate filter requirements driving high storage and inventory management costs. CBRE, the university’s facilities management partner, tasked us with designing a new, optimised air filtration configuration to achieve:
- Significant savings on energy and maintenance costs
- Superior air quality across 300 buildings
- Reduced on-site storage requirements
- Lower procurement needs
- Fewer supplier inquiries
- Minimised disruption to campus operations
The client: A historic institution with a global reputation
Our client, a historic Scottish university, is renowned as one of the top 100 higher education institutions worldwide. With around 300 buildings, the university operates a vast range of HVAC and air filtration systems.
Maintaining clean air and ensuring the safety of students and staff was a demanding and resource-heavy task. We were brought on board to transform this.
The challenge: Optimising air filtration across a diverse estate
HVAC and air filtration systems in educational institutions are often subject to intense demands. Frequent heating, cooling and ventilation cycles, diverse operating environments, and high footfall require reliable, energy-efficient solutions. To maintain clean air across its estate, the university had relied on a wide variety of HVAC and air filtration systems, many with complex, time-consuming configurations. This resulted in:
- High maintenance and energy costs
- Frequent supplier inquiries
- Expensive inventory storage
- Regular disruptions to campus operations
CBRE commissioned us to overhaul these systems entirely. The goal was to reduce complexity, simplify inventory management, and significantly lower maintenance, procurement, and energy costs. At the same time, state-of-the-art air filtration technologies were to be implemented to provide maximum protection against viruses, bacteria, fine dust, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), ensuring a safe, healthy environment with flawless climate control.
The solution: Bespoke air filtration configurations by MANN+HUMMEL
Our air filtration services always begin with a thorough analysis, and this project was no exception. In Scotland, our team spent over 300 hours conducting filter tests and gathering data across all 300 university buildings. Using these insights, we identified the optimal air filtration configuration for each operating environment and HVAC system of the university. However, our approach went beyond clean air: We optimised the university’s entire ventilation management system, simplifying inventory storage, management, and processes.
The result was a significant streamlining and rationalisation of processes, delivering substantial cost savings for both CBRE and the university.
The results: Award-winning, tailored and future-proof
With a custom, standardised air filtration configuration, we modernised the university’s filter management and ventilation systems, exceeding all objectives:
- Optimal protection against airborne pollutants across 300 buildings
- Energy consumption reduced by ~813,000 kWh per year
- Cost savings of ~£179,000 and 170 tonnes of CO₂ annually
- 1,000 fewer filters replaced annually
- Improved inventory storage, procurement, transport, and supplier inquiries
- Fewer campus disruptions due to reduced maintenance efforts
As a leading service provider, CBRE oversees thousands of projects every year. It is, therefore, a tremendous honour that MANN+HUMMEL won CBRE’s Exceptional Customer Value award for 2024 in recognition of this work.
MANN+HUMMEL: Excellence in air filtration
We are a global leader in filtration solutions. With over 20,000 employees across 80 international locations, we separate the useful from the harmful. Our 80+ years of filtration expertise are applied across a wide range of industries, from public buildings like universities and schools to the automotive and healthcare sectors, as well as agriculture, waste and wastewater treatment, and many more.
Our mission? Clean air and optimal filtration for a safe, sustainable, and efficient future.
Contact us if you’re interested in bespoke filtration solutions – or explore MANN+HUMMEL’s innovative air filters and filtration systems on our website.
Contact us
At MANN+HUMMEL, we’re here to support your air filtration needs! Whether you have questions about our products or need tailored solutions, our expert team is ready to assist you. Reach out to us via email or telephone to discuss your requirements, and let’s work together to enhance your air quality. Contact us today and experience exceptional service tailored to your business!