The St. Regis Amman — Pool Heating with Five Heat Pumps Under Severe Space Constraints
At The St. Regis Amman, the primary challenge was not thermal capacity but equipment location. The hotel operates within a dense urban site where the roof is occupied by air-handling and elevator equipment, the basement is fully allocated to parking, and the landscaped areas surrounding the pool form part of the guest experience.
Five MICROWELL heat pumps were therefore installed on a dedicated service façade, with each unit supported by a custom-engineered steel bracket. Water piping and electrical services were routed along the same façade and fully insulated. Structural design considered actual operating weight, required airflow clearances, separation between units, and safe maintenance access.
On the hydraulic side, the pool circuit was reconfigured rather than simply connected to the new equipment. Strainers were installed ahead of the heat exchangers, isolation valves were provided at individual branches, and variable-frequency control was applied to the circulation system so that flow follows actual thermal demand rather than operating continuously at maximum output.
The complete installation was carried out inside an operating five-star hotel while the pool remained in use. Consumption and performance data are still being collected, so no savings or efficiency figure is published until a reliable measurement period has been completed.
Challenges
Implementing a pool-heating system within an operating five-star hotel in central Amman where conventional equipment space was unavailable, while preserving guest experience and maintaining pool operation throughout the installation.
The system also required a mounting strategy that provided adequate airflow, structural support under operating loads, proper separation between heat pumps, and practical maintenance access without occupying guest or critical service areas.
Solutions
Five MICROWELL heat pumps were mounted on a dedicated service façade using custom-engineered steel supports. Unit spacing and clearances were designed to prevent recirculation of discharge air while maintaining service access.
The hydraulic circuit was redesigned with strainers ahead of the heat exchangers, isolation valves for individual branches, and VFD-controlled circulation so that water flow responds to actual system demand.
This approach enabled the complete pool-heating system to be integrated within the site’s architectural and operational constraints while maintaining serviceability and continuous pool operation.
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