Engineered Systems - June 2008 - (Page 46)

Notre Dame Tackles The Heat The construction of the press box presented challenges which influenced the type of A/C system that could be installed in the space, according to Paul Quigley, regional sales director with Goodman Manufacturing Co. L.P. Quigley was with Excelsior Manufacturing & Supply Corp. of Elkhart, IN, one of the specifiers for the press box project. “The first problem we faced was the fact that the Notre Dame Football stadium’s press area is three floors below the roof level,” said Quigley. Installation options were limited because the area surrounding the press box is composed of fan seats, perimeter sidewalks, and the field itself, so engineers looked to the roof of the stadium. However, the thickness of the concrete of each floor precluded the option of placing the cooling system on the roof because of the amount of labor needed to cut through three levels of concrete to install ductwork for the system. “Duct systems capable of handling over 80 tons of cooling would be considerably large, take up a great amount of critical finished space, and would also be very unsightly,” Quigley added. A second problem facing the design team was the significant load diversification due to the layout of the room. The press area has one complete wall of glass, floor to ceiling, facing the fields. “It is a virtual human solar aquarium,” Quigley said. Traditional ducted systems cover areas in a broad-spectrum pattern, which meant that the constantly shifting solar and human load would cause multiple comfort problems due to the fact that air source units FIGURE 1. The thick concrete floor might have precluded other typical alternatives. The VRF installation avoided the need to cut through it. later from chilled water. Today, the university is pursuing LEED® Standard certification in all new construction, according to Polotto. “Because we produce our own power, it is difficult to get to a Silver level,” he said, “However, as we move forward, every building will be LEED certified.” Conversely, during renovation projects, provisions need to be made to maintain the integrity of the historic structures on campus with an eye toward solving, what Polotto called, “challenge projects” in an energy-saving way. One such project was the renovation of the Notre Dame football stadium press box. ‘SOLAR OVEN’ SINGES PRESS UND’s power plant chillers supply chilled water at 42°F to 60% of the campus square footage, which leaves a considerable portion not air conditioned. Many of the buildings on campus were designed before the arrival of A/C, said Polotto, with the press box being one such space. The stadium was built in 1930 to replace Cartier Field, where Knute Rockne coached, as it was deemed too small, only holding 30,000 fans. Architecturally, the stadium was built to mimic the University of Michigan stadium on a smaller scale, at first holding 54,000 fans, although an additional 21,150 seats were added in 1997. The three-level press box is a large steel and glass structure overlooking the field. The top floor is the VIP donors’ level. The middle level broadcast floor includes the emergency 46 medical services (EMS) center, broadcast center, visiting athletic director’s suite, visiting coach’s box, and the Notre Dame head coach’s family suite. The bottom floor houses the stadium’s press box and can accommodate as many as 330 reporters and staff. Temperatures in the press box often soared to over 90° during games, and the large glass wall did not open to allow fresh air into the space, and although large fans provided some relief, the poor IAQ was not alleviated. FIGURE 2. A constant air wash keeps the temperature constant in the glass-walled press box. En gi neer ed S y stem s June 2008

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Engineered Systems - June 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Letters To The Editor Back2Basics HVAC Challenge Case In Point Commissioning Efficiency Incentives HydroTech Building Automation Energy Wiz HVACR Designer Tips Notre Dame Tackles the Heat State Of The Arts Time For A Transplant? Project Delivery: What Can IPD Do For You? Issues & Events Computers & Software Products Application Checklist Glossary Classifieds Advertiser Index Tomorrow’s Engineer

Engineered Systems - June 2008

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