A dance studio is a high, open room with mirrors, a sprung floor and a class that fills, works hard, then changes over. The load is bodies and latent heat, plus sun on a roof, not a shop counter. Air should mix above head height rather than jet across the centre of the floor. Sound matters because teaching is spoken over music, and the outdoor unit should not add vibration to the studio wall. If the effective rated output is more than 12 kW, the operator has the inspection duty on GOV.UK's air conditioning inspections page, including TM44. Use an F-gas certified installer.
Mirrors, a high roof and the centre of the floor
Tall rooms stratify. A unit lost at the top can leave dancers hot at floor level, or a badly vaned unit can throw a cold stripe down the mirror line. The centre of the floor is where people travel. They should not need to dance out of a draught to stay comfortable. A jet across the centre is uncomfortable and uneven. Ask for high-level mixing that still reaches the people on the floor in a tall room.
Mirrors and ballet barres take the walls. The bracket has to miss the mirror and still be serviceable. A cassette needs a structural soffit and a void, which a sprung-floor studio under a flat roof may not have. Size a full class, including latent heat, and leave the sprung floor out of the drain route.
The peak is the last ten minutes of a full class, then a new group walks into a humid room. Controls should recover the room in the gap you actually have. A setpoint in the mid 20s with enough capacity is more usable than a colder number the unit cannot catch. Sweat is moisture. The coil will run wet and the drain must keep up. Ventilation for a packed room is still separate. A split recirculates. Cooling will not replace ventilation after a packed class. It can remove some heat and some moisture at the coil. HSE workplace temperature guidance applies to teachers as workers: reasonable comfort, no legal maximum.
Compressor vibration, changing rooms and the studio wall
Music hides a little indoor fan noise and does not hide a compressor bolted to the studio wall. Vibration and compressor noise on the teaching wall carry into the class. Prefer another elevation, with anti-vibration mounts, and only use the studio wall with a structure and noise check. Roof plant needs a structure check that understands a sprung floor and any flat above. Service access cannot be through a class.
Changing rooms and a reception are different moisture and door loads. Cool them only if they are in scope, and do not steal the studio unit's capacity through an open changing-room door. Landlord consent and three-phase power become real questions once more than one large indoor unit is needed. The class timetable, including evenings, is the pattern that matters. An F-gas certified company should install the system, with the throw set relative to the centre of the floor and a condensate route that stays off the sprung floor.
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How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.