The Brief

Royal Rover Dog Kennels at Bringelly in Western Sydney provides premium indoor accommodation designed to keep dogs comfortable throughout Sydney’s hot summer days and cold winter nights.

As part of the development of their new climate-controlled indoor kennel facility, Pine Group was engaged to provide a complete ventilation solution, working in conjunction with our licensed refrigeration partner for the air-conditioning installation. The scope covered ventilation design, energy recovery, ductwork and air distribution, coordinated with the mechanical cooling and heating system.

The Challenge

Animal accommodation facilities place unusual demands on a ventilation system. A fully enclosed kennel building housing a large number of dogs generates a continuous load of odour, moisture and stale air that must be removed around the clock – not just during business hours. At the same time, the space is heated and cooled to keep the animals comfortable, so every cubic metre of exhaust air carries conditioned energy out of the building with it.

The design had to balance several competing requirements:

• Delivering a high volume of fresh outside air continuously, without driving up heating and cooling costs.
• Removing odours, humidity and stale air from every kennel area, not just the main circulation space.
• Holding a stable indoor environment through Western Sydney’s summer heat and winter cold.
• Coordinating ventilation and air-conditioning installation so both systems work together, not against each other.

Our Approach & Solution

The facility is ventilated by a Frapol SKY 3000 Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV), delivering approximately 3,000 m³/h of continuous fresh outside air. The system uses an energy recovery heat exchanger to recover energy from the outgoing exhaust air and transfer it to the incoming fresh air, significantly reducing the heating and cooling load associated with ventilating the facility.

Fresh, conditioned ventilation air is distributed throughout the kennel areas via a dedicated ductwork system, helping remove odours, humidity and stale air while maintaining a consistent supply of fresh outside air to every part of the building.

The ventilation system operates alongside Mitsubishi air-conditioning systems, providing the facility with both temperature control and high-volume mechanical ventilation. The combination allows Royal Rover to maintain a comfortable indoor environment regardless of the external weather conditions.

Located near the new Western Sydney International Airport, the project is a good example of how commercial heat recovery ventilation and air conditioning can be combined to create a comfortable, energy-efficient environment in specialist animal accommodation facilities.

Outcomes

The completed system gives Royal Rover a fully ventilated, climate-controlled facility with a continuous supply of fresh air and year-round temperature control. The completed system provides:

• 3,000 m³/h of fresh-air ventilation
• Energy recovery to reduce ventilation heating and cooling loads
• Continuous removal of stale air, odours and excess humidity
• Mechanical cooling and heating via Mitsubishi air conditioning
• Dedicated ducted air distribution throughout the kennel facility
• Improved indoor air quality and year-round environmental control