Worcestershire County Cricket Club partnered with our team at IRS to install a modern air conditioning solution in the Graeme Hick Pavilion’s conference room and players’ gym.
At Worcestershire County Cricket Club, creating a comfortable and welcoming environment is a top priority, not just for players, but for guests enjoying the club’s hospitality spaces too. The Graeme Hick Pavilion, one of the most popular and frequently used areas, needed a reliable solution to tackle ongoing temperature issues.
That’s where we came in. The goal was clear: install a modern air conditioning system that could both cool and heat the space efficiently, while also supporting the club’s wider sustainability ambitions.
The Graeme Hick Pavilion offers incredible views across the pitch and towards the cathedral, thanks to its large glass wall. While this creates a fantastic atmosphere for guests, it also brings a major downside: heat build-up during warmer months.
When the sun is out, the conference room can quickly become uncomfortably warm, making it difficult to maintain a pleasant environment during events.
Key Challenges Included:
On top of that, the club was keen to move away from gas heating and adopt a more energy-efficient, future-focused solution.
To tackle these challenges, IRS designed a system tailored specifically to the space, using powerful and efficient Midea Twin Split air conditioning units.
In simple terms, the conference room was equipped with two 20kW systems, providing a combined 40kW of cooling capacity to handle the large, glass-fronted space. Meanwhile, the players’ gym received a 20kW system, ensuring a comfortable training environment all year round.
Key Benefits of the Solution
Because Worcestershire County Cricket Club is an existing maintenance customer, they’ll also benefit from an extended 10-year manufacturer’s warranty, adding extra peace of mind for the future.
This wasn’t a straightforward installation. Like many real-world projects, it came with its fair share of challenges, but with careful planning and a flexible approach, the IRS team kept everything on track.
The Pavilion is rarely quiet. With events, bookings, and regular use of the gym, shutting down areas for long periods simply wasn’t an option.
The team had to stay adaptable, sometimes changing plans at short notice to fit around last-minute bookings. Even while work was ongoing, it was important that the space still looked clean, tidy, and ready for guests.
Despite the pressure, the engineers maintained a professional approach throughout, ensuring minimal disruption and a smooth experience for the client.
Another major factor was the location itself. The New Road ground is well known for flooding during periods of heavy rain, especially in winter.
This created a number of logistical challenges. Access to the site, particularly the car park, was sometimes completely blocked by floodwater. This meant that lifting equipment into position wasn’t always possible when planned.
To work around this, the condensing units were installed on the roof rather than at ground level, keeping them safe from potential flood damage.
A HIAB crane was required to lift the equipment into place, but flooding delayed this part of the project more than once. Instead of pausing entirely, the team pushed ahead with internal work wherever possible, keeping the project moving.
Projects like this often rely on close collaboration, and this one was no different.
IRS worked alongside roofing specialists to safely seal all roof penetrations, while also coordinating with the site’s electrical contractors to ensure power was delivered efficiently through the same access points.
When delays hit, particularly due to flooding, the team stayed in constant communication with everyone involved, including the club staff and players, to keep things aligned and avoid unnecessary downtime.
“The Graeme Hick Pavilion is one of our largest and most popular hospitality spaces. It overlooks the pitch and has a glass windowed wall to show the best view of the pitch and Cathedral. However, as it is mostly glass on one side, in the summer, we have issues with it being too hot in the conference room. Therefore, we decided to install air conditioning in the conference room and our players gym.
We have worked with IRS before for previous air conditioning services and refrigeration works. I got in touch with our Key Account Manager with IRS who is absolutely fantastic. Between measuring for the quote and commissioning the air conditioning, IRS have been nothing but helpful and flexible to work around our events.
Equally, the engineers have also been brilliant, flexible, friendly and have cleaned up after themselves as they have been doing the work. I could not recommend IRS enough and we have already booked in for some additional work with them.
Not only will the air conditioning help with the summer heat, but it also allows us to be more sustainable as a club by moving away from gas central heating to using the air condition units for heating as well as cooling.”
Hannah Jones
Facilities Supervisor
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Beyond comfort, this project plays an important role in the club’s sustainability journey.
By switching to air conditioning systems that can both heat and cool the space, Worcestershire County Cricket Club is reducing its reliance on gas and lowering its overall carbon footprint.
Environmental Benefits:
It’s a practical step forward that delivers both immediate and long-term benefits.
The end result is a space that works exactly as it should, comfortable, efficient, and ready to be used all year round.
Key Outcomes:
With a strong track record across the UK, the team at IRS continue to deliver tailored solutions for complex environments like this one.
Key Strengths Demonstrated in This Project:
This project at Worcestershire County Cricket Club shows what can be achieved with the right approach, even when conditions are far from straightforward.
By working with our team, the club now has a reliable, energy-efficient system that improves comfort for everyone who uses the space, while also supporting a more sustainable future.
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