VUE Newport Marina Condos

Marina Condos Keep Cool Where the Water Laps at Luxury

Beautiful harbor views, elegant living, fine dining and shopping define the new VUE Newport development in Newport Beach, California. Less obvious but nevertheless very important is the quiet, hidden, small-duct air conditioning that allowed more architectural freedom during the design phase of the contemporary condos.

VUE Newport, a 122,800-square-foot mix of 27 high-end condominiums, restaurants, modern commercial office space and specialty retail shops located on the Balboa Peninsula of Southern California’s Newport Bay, is the very definition of luxury living. Residents relax on balconies overlooking a 22-slip private marina, take in stunning harbor views and enjoy the very best in modern amenities and creature comforts. VUE Newport puts its own spin on the “live, work, play” model with its motto of “Live. Dock. Dine. Shop.” When VUE Newport was still in the planning stages, Third Palm Capital LLC, the national real estate developer and property owner, committed to outfitting the residences and commercial spaces of the project with the very best in luxury finishes, appliances, construction materials and mechanical systems. The residential units feature elegant touches and amenities, including The Unico System small duct HVAC for unobtrusive stateof-the-art air conditioning.

Strategy

Jerry Grogan, vice president of construction for Third Palm said they chose The Unico System as the air conditioning system for the condominiums for two main reasons. “The flexibility of the system’s design meant that we didn’t have to make the design concessions so often required with bulky conventional A/C systems. The second factor had to do with our residents’ expectations. VUE Newport’s residential units truly represent the pinnacle of high-end living, and our residents expect the very best in indoor comfort. Only The Unico System could deliver on both fronts.”

Third Palm reached out to the manufacturer who put them in touch with Adam Skorstad, Unico’s regional sales manager. Adam acted as liaison between the project building professionals at Third Palm, Wieland builders, and Unico factory design experts. Working together, the team calculated cooling load requirements for all areas to be conditioned, and created layouts for all system components to fit The Unico System into the design schematics.

Construction on the project – the site of a former WWII era shipyard - began in early 2016, and Phase One reached completion at the end of the year when residential units became available for purchase. Phase Two was completed in early 2017 with all residential units completed and ready for occupation.

Results

“One of the things our first occupants noticed were the small round ‘can lights’ in their unit ceilings. Maintenance received more than one call asking how to replace the bulbs. Needless to say, the owners are completely surprised to find out that those small openings are, in fact, air conditioning registers,” Jerry said. In addition to the small sized outlets, VUE Newport residents are pleasantly surprised to find that The Unico System operates quietly and creates even temperatures without any hot or cold spots.

“While Newport Beach enjoys annual moderate temperatures,” notes Jerry, “summer days can be hot and winter nights can be chilly. The Unico System works perfectly to balance the comfort needs of VUE Newport residents.”