Project Triathlon sets a new standard in precision environmental management for the confectionery logistics sector. Jet Environmental delivered a fully integrated solution encompassing temperature, humidity, and pressure control across four distinct warehouse zones, each with unique operational requirements. Main contractor Winvic Construction completed the facility in September 2021, and it remains one of Jet's flagship sites: we still maintain it today.
The system combines seven balanced JET induction units, advanced humidity regulation, and biosecurity pressure management — all orchestrated by a central chilled-water plant and intelligent Trend automation. The result is year-round product protection, regulatory compliance, and significant energy efficiency gains.
Confectionery is fragile cargo. Too warm and it sweats and blooms; too humid and it draws moisture and spoils; let air drift the wrong way between a returns store and a co-packing line and you risk cross-contamination that fails a food-safety audit. This facility had all of those risks in one building — and four areas that each needed a different answer.
The brief was not "cool the warehouse." It was to hold four distinct zones, simultaneously, at their own temperature, their own humidity, and their own air pressure — and to keep them there whatever the weather did outside.
The challenge: one building, four different climates
The facility required rigorous control of temperature, humidity, and air pressure to safeguard sensitive confectionery products while maintaining optimal working conditions. A single roof covered high-bay racking, low-bay storage and marshalling, a taint store for returned and quarantined goods, and a first-floor co-packing mezzanine. Each had its own job, and each needed its own conditions — including, in the taint store, negative pressure to keep any contamination contained rather than letting it drift into product.
- Maintain precise temperature control (±1°C) across all zones year-round
- Achieve independent humidity regulation for each product storage area
- Establish biosecurity pressure differentials to prevent cross-contamination
- Deliver an energy-efficient, future-ready modular system
| Zone | Area | Systems | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | High-bay racking | 3 JET internal AHUs | 15°C winter / 22°C summer, 55% RH, positive pressure |
| Zone 2 | Low-bay racking / marshalling / ground-floor mezzanine | 2 JET external AHUs | 15°C / 22°C, 50% RH, neutral pressure |
| Zone 3 | Taint store | 1 JET external AHU | 15°C / 22°C, 45% RH, negative pressure (biosecurity) |
| Zone 4 | First-floor co-pack mezzanine | 1 JET internal AHU | 15°C / 22°C, 50% RH, positive pressure |
The solution: seven systems working as one
Jet Environmental designed a bespoke multi-zone architecture combining seven balanced JET induction systems with dedicated Air Handling Units, a central chilled-water plant, and intelligent Trend automation. Warm and chilled water is distributed to zone-specific AHUs, each integrating bag and panel filtration, modulating gas-fired heaters, cooling coils, and humidity control modules. High-velocity nozzles fed by medium-velocity ductwork give uniform conditions with no moving parts in the distribution itself, and nothing at high level to maintain.
Air handling
Each air handling unit carries bag and panel filtration, chilled-water cooling coils, modulating gas-fired heating, a humidity-control module, and run/standby supply fans so a single fan fault never takes a zone offline.
Humidity, held per zone
Every zone has its own humidity sensing and modulating humidification and dehumidification, so each area sits at the relative humidity its product and process actually need — not a single building-wide compromise.
Biosecurity by pressure
Pressure differentials are actively managed to stop air — and anything in it — moving the wrong way. Negative pressure in the taint store contains returned and tainted goods; positive pressure across storage and co-packing protects product integrity. This is biosecurity engineered into the airflow, not bolted on afterwards.
Plant and control
A central plant of four Daikin R32 air-cooled water chillers — 2,444 kW of cooling duty, with multi-circuit compressors, primary and standby pumps, automatic water treatment, and an insulated buffer tank — feeds the whole system, alongside 2,025 kW of indirect gas-fired heating. Fabric sock distribution carries 104 m³/s of air across the zones. A Trend standalone control system, by AES Ltd, monitors every parameter in real time, adjusts automatically, and supports remote diagnostics, so the building effectively tunes itself and can be checked without a site visit.
Measurable outcomes
Year-round consistency
Stable temperature and humidity conditions maintained regardless of seasonal or external fluctuations, ensuring product quality and staff comfort.
Biosecurity assurance
Pressure differentials actively managed to mitigate contamination risks, supporting stringent food safety standards across all zones.
Energy efficiency
Modular design and intelligent controls optimise energy use with built-in capacity for future expansion and adaptation.
Operational excellence
Low-maintenance reliability, full adaptability, and compliance with industry best practices and regulatory requirements. And because Jet still maintains the site, the system is looked after by the team that designed it.
What the client said
"Jet Environmental Systems delivered an outstanding environmental control solution for our project. Their technical expertise, attention to detail, and ability to provide a sustainable multi-zone system that performs reliably in challenging conditions has been invaluable to our operations."
Project Director, DHL Supply Chain
At a glance
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Client | DHL Supply Chain |
| Main contractor | Winvic Construction |
| Completed | September 2021 |
| Building | 260 m × 240 m, 31 m average height |
| Floor area | 62,400 m² |
| Volume | 1,934,400 m³ |
| Balanced JET systems | 7 |
| Air handling units | 7 (internal & external), run/standby fan sets |
| Total airflow | 104 m³/s |
| Heating | Indirect gas-fired, 2,025 kW total output |
| Chillers | 4 × Daikin R32 air-cooled water chillers, 2,444 kW total duty |
| Humidity control | Zone-specific humidification / dehumidification |
| Pressure control | Positive / neutral / negative by zone |
| Temperature range | 15°C (winter) / 22°C (summer) |
| Control | Trend standalone automation system (AES Ltd) |
| Zones covered | 4 |
This project demonstrates how businesses can integrate sustainable, precision environmental control in large-scale facilities. The modular, future-ready design ensures ongoing adaptability and value for stakeholders across multiple sectors: warehousing and logistics, food and beverage, cold chain and cold storage, manufacturing and pharmaceutical. If your building is asking more of its climate than an off-the-shelf system can give, that is the conversation to have.
