Showcasing the finest examples of Design/Build in the commercial HVAC market, Contracting Business is proud to present the 2004 Design/Build Awards. Now in their 14th year, the Design/Build Awards honor the boldest, most creative, most innovative work being done by commercial HVAC contractors across the nation.
Congratulations to this year’s winners:
- Kahn Mechanical Contractors, Dallas, TX
- McClure Company, Harrisburg, PA
- Mechanical Air Service, Inc., San Jose, CA
- Schwickert's, Inc., Mankato, MN
The stories behind these winning projects are featured in the following pages. If you’d like our judges to take a look at the best work your company has to offer, see the 2005 Design/Build Awards entry guidelines on pages 14 & 15 of this issue.
Before we introduce you to this year’s winners, here are summaries of the five projects selected as runners-up.
Harvey W. Hottel, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD
Dodona Manor/The George C. Marshall International Center
Dodona Manor was the home of George C. Marshall from 1941 until his death in 1959. During this time, Marshall served as Army Chief of Staff, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Defense. The building, a national historic landmark, recently underwent a renovation to allow it to serve as a museum. The challenge for Harvey W. Hottel was to bring a building that was constructed in the late 1800s up to ASHRAE museum standards. The company designed and installed a system that has no visible outside equipment, low noise levels, is environmentally friendly, and handles an unusually high winter heating load due to the energy inefficient envelope.
Equipment list:
- WaterFurnace geothermal heat pumps
- Bryant gas furnaces
- Bryant thermidistats
- Bryant zoning system
- Bryant variable speed blowers
- Therma-Stor dehumidifier
- EWC Controls humidifier
ACCO Engineered Systems, Inc., San Leandron, CA
State Compensation Insurance Fund, Oakland, CA
ACCO Engineered Systems was called in to address occupant comfort concerns in an owner-occupied, three-story, 54,000 sq.ft. office building. Built in 1982, the building’s HVAC system had undergone a number of modifications over the years, but still provided poor occupant comfort and low energy efficiency. After performing a thorough building analysis, ACCO implemented a solution that included replacement of the existing rooftop cooling tower and pumps with a new, 120-ton evaporative-cooled VAV unit with DDC controls. An additional 27-ton air-cooled VAV unit was provided to serve the building’s west exposure. Extensive structural and ductwork renovation was also performed. In true Design/Build fashion, ACCO served as the general contractor and managed every aspect of the project.
Equipment list:
- Mammoth VAV rooftop unit
- Carrier air-cooled VAV units
- Rite hot water boiler
- Taco in-line hot water pumps
- Metalaire VAV boxes
- Metalaire diffusers
- Griswold temperature control valves
- Automated Logic DDC Controls
Great Lakes Mechanical, Dearborn, MI
Arvin Meritor Project, Southfield, MI
This new, four story, 80,000 sq.ft. office building in the Motor City includes a 16,000 sq.ft. automotive laboratory with dynamometers and environmental test chambers. The system designed and installed by Great Lakes Mechanical meets the temperature control and indoor air quality requirements of this customer’s unique combination office building/testing laboratory. In addition, the system’s variable speed drives, modulating burners, VAV boxes, economizers, and state-of-the-art controls provide a high level of energy efficiency.
Equipment list:
- Trane VAV air handlers
- Trane constant volume air handlers
- Price fan-powered VAV boxes with reheat
- Price cooling-only VAV boxes
- Perfection/Schwank infrared heaters
- Carrier split system
- Greenheck exhaust fans
- Johnson Controls
E.H. Gochnauer & Sons, Inc., Lancaster, PA
Moravian Manor Retirement Facility, Lititz, PA
The scope of this project involved a new, 100,000 sq.ft. independent living facility, and renovations to an existing 35,000 sq.ft. of assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. E.H. Gochnauer & Sons handled all the mechanical and plumbing systems in the 24-month-long project. The mechanical system features a 425-ton, four-pipe HVAC system. The plumbing system includes the installation of a new, domestic hot water generating system and a new, domestic hot and cold water distribution system.
Equipment list:
- Trane water-cooled chillers
- Trane fan coil units
- Cleaver-Brooks hot water boilers
- Bell & Gossett pumps
- Loren Cook exhaust fans
- Titus registers & diffusers
- SEMCO energy recovery
- Staefa control system
- Baltimore Aircoil cooling towers
- Alfa Laval heat exchanger
- Exhausto flue exhaust
- Taco circulating pumps
- Aaon rooftop units
- Toshiba variable speed drives
EMCOR Services - New England Mechanical, Vernon, CT
ADVO, Inc., Branch Facility Project, Windsor, CT
New England Mechanical Services, Inc. (NEMSI) brought together its Mechanical, electrical, sheet metal, auto-
mation, and service teams to seamlessly deliver this project in only seven months. NEMSI provided a tailor-made system for ADVO’s new, 160,000 sq.ft. office, research, production, and warehouse facility. Illustrating Design/Build relationship-building at its best, after its successful work at this ADVO branch facility, NEMSI was awarded the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical work for another 10,000 sq.ft. building on the customer’s Windsor, CT campus.
Equipment list:
- Carrier rooftop units
- Carrier packaged ceiling units
- Carrier VAV boxes
- Carrier VAV boxes with reheat
- Loren-Cook exhaust fans
- Greenheck exhaust fans
- Con Tech stratification fans
- Liebert computer room air conditioner
- Markel electric unit heaters
2004 Design/Build Awards HONORABLE MENTION:
Seaman’s Heating/Air Conditioning/Refrigeration, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI
for American Seating Park, Grand Rapids, MI
