Reisterstown Elementary School, HVAC Installation
WAI worked directly with BCPS to provide design and construction administration services for the $3.4 million air conditioning installation at Reisterstown Elementary School. This project included: a new air conditioning system for the entire 58,250 sq. ft. school, a replacement of the existing heating water pumps to new dual temperature pumps with variable frequency drives, as well as converting the hydronic system to variable flow. New direct digital controls were also designed for all new equipment. Work included electrical, plumbing, civil, structural, architectural and environmental design in support of the mechanical design. The complete school, with the exception of utility spaces and restrooms, is air-conditioned.
Key aspects of this project included:
- Converted the two-pipe heating only hydronic system to a two-pipe change-over system. Reused the existing piping to the greatest extent possible.
- Replaced the existing pumps with new inverter rated pumps so the system could convert to variable flow, and the system GPM was adjusted to meet the cooling load.
- Provided a new air-cooled chiller on the roof of the boiler room complete with dunnage and architectural screening. The chiller was piped to the existing hydronic system with decoupled pumps to maintain constant flow through the chiller while varying flow through the terminal units. The boilers will be by-passed during air conditioning operations.
- Replaced all floor mounted unit ventilators in the classrooms with new heavy duty two-pipe change-over fan coil units.
- Replaced the existing heating only classroom unit ventilators with heat pumps utilizing split condensing units located on the roof, and console type vertical evaporator units were mounted in the position of the old ventilators.
- Replaced all existing HVAC controls and provided all new actuator, valves, dampers for new equipment. Placed all existing devices under the control of the new DDC system.
- Provided new 460/277 V 200 amp service.
This project had a construction cost of $3.4 million; significantly under the $5 million MEP budget.
