Markets & Projects

Challenges

In 2012, the university undertook the initiative of renovating the Firestone Library which was initially built in 1948. The intrinsic architecture made it challenging for the mechanical engineers to develop solutions for replacing and improving the HVAC systems. The HVAC scope of work included replacing air handlers, increasing capacity and introducing heat recovery equipment.

The Ingénia design team developed solutions utilizing Ingénia’s jobsite assembled construction. The HVAC retrofit included installing two new air handlers to handle the central heating, cooling, dehumidification and humidification of the library. Precise temperature and humidity levels were imperative due to the sensitive nature of the application. To validate the equipment quality, the jobsite assembled units were factory assembled, air leak tested and taken completely apart for shipment and reassembled in the field. This is a unique feature available exclusively with Ingénia’s custom air handlers. The reassembly process was supervised by a factory engineer.

Challenges

The construction of this large hospital project with several pavilions needed to meet accelerated construction and tight budget constraints. Nearly one hundred air-handling systems ranging from 5,000 to 40,000 cfm were designed for this major project.

Solutions

Ingénia's sales team worked with the engineers and contractors to design and produce high-performance ventilation systems with increased productivity. In order to maintain optimal thermal performances, the casings were manufactured with a 3’’ thick nothrough metal construction and injected with polyurethane. For added durability, the exterior surfaces of the unit were covered with an oven-baked powder paint and the internal surfaces were coated with an antimicrobial powder paint to provide improved air quality.

Challenges

A new building was added in 2013 to the Mercy Healthcare network. Ingénia’s engineering team worked closely with the consulting engineer to design and specify 12 new air handlers ranging from 23,000 to 65,000 cfm and operating total static pressures up to 10” w.g. The design team wanted to ensure the cabinet design included the most hygienic and energy-efficient features.

Solutions

The Ingénia design team and local sales representatives worked with the consultant to design one desiccant unit to handle the dedicated outside air for the building and 11 other units to condition the rest of the areas. In order to provide the highest indoor air quality cabinet walls, the engineer specified a 4” wall thickness cabinet with injected polyurethane foam with a thermal resistance value of 26. To provide a hygienic interior finish, all of the AHU’s internal exposed surfaces were coated with an antimicrobial finish after all manipulations (including bending and shearing) were completed. All units included multiple fan systems and specially designed acoustical baffles to meet low sound level requirements.

Challenges

A new building was added in 2008 to the UPMC Healthcare network. Ingénia’s engineering team worked closely with the consulting engineer to design and specify 13 new air handlers ranging from 11,000 to 56,000 cfm and operating total static pressures up to 12” w.g. The design team wanted to ensure that the cabinet design included the most hygienic and energy-efficient features.

Solutions

The Ingénia design team and local sales representatives worked with the consultant to design two heat recovery units to handle the dedicated outside air for the building and 11 other units to handle surgery rooms and general areas. In order to provide the highest indoor air quality cabinet walls, the engineer specified a 3” wall thickness cabinet with injected polyurethane foam with a thermal resistance value of 19.5. To provide a hygienic interior finish, all of the AHU’s internal surfaces were coated with an antimicrobial finish after all manipulations (including bending and shearing) were completed. All units included multiple fan systems and specially designed acoustical baffles to meet low sound level requirements.

Challenges

The design objective was to maximize energy efficiency while providing a comfortable and sustainable environment. The construction logistics and structural constraints required that the large air handlers be fully assembled in the field, therefore, shipped completely disassembled.

Solutions

The Ingénia design team and local sales representatives worked with the consultant to design 18 custom-built air handlers. In order to provide the highest thermal performance, the engineer specified a 4” wall thickness cabinet with injected polyurethane foam with a thermal resistance value of 26. The units also included enthalpy recovery wheels at the minimum outside air inlets, recovering energy from the exhaust air stream and rigid plate exchangers for the 100% outdoor air units. The largest air handlers were 60 ft. long x 20 ft. wide x 14 ft. high. These sizeable units were factory assembled, air pressure tested, completely disassembled for shipment and reassembled in the field. This is a unique feature available exclusively with Ingénia’s custom air handlers. The reassembly process was supervised by a factory engineer.

Challenges

This project in downtown Montréal needed to meet very demanding noise and air quality constraints. The project required the construction of 14 systems from 2600 to 25,000 cfm while meeting sound levels of NC-20 in the theater.

Solutions

The Ingénia sales team worked with the consulting engineer to build ventilation units to meet the very strict acoustic criteria. The fans were meticulously selected to obtain the lowest sound and vibration levels possible. The walls of the sections other than the wet sections were made using acoustically insulated panels with perforated inner walls. In order to avoid any risk of condensation and humidity in the wet sections, the panels of these sections were insulated with polyurethane.

Challenges

A new cutting edge pavilion was added to the three existing pavilions of the MNBAQ. It required the joint work of Ingénia and the consulting engineering group to design 20 ventilation units from 2000 to 32,000 cfm. The systems had to be designed to ensure constant comfort to the users and maintain optimal condition for the conservation of the works of art.

Solutions

The Ingenia sales team worked with the consulting engineer to design ventilation units to achieve optimal ambient conditions. In order to maintain thermal performances, the casings were manufactured with a 3’’ thick no-through metal construction and injected with polyurethane. For added durability, the exterior surfaces of the unit were covered with oven-baked powder paint. Moreover, to guarantee optimal air quality and therefore eliminate bacterial growth, the internal surfaces were coated with an antimicrobial powder paint.

Challenges

In 2008, several air handlers over 50 years old serving the ventilation for the central pavilion of the west court needed replacement. The very limited access to the mechanical rooms added to the requirement of heat recovery and larger capacities to meet current standards made space become the major issue and constraint.

Solutions

The Ingénia design team developed solutions utilizing Ingénia’s jobsite assembled construction. Each unit was designed in parts small enough to be brought into the building through a roof hatch. This design concept provided the engineers with complete flexibility for the limited space and saved the contractor significant assembly labor. All units included heat recovery wheels to meet the energy standards and the units were designed to handle additional capacity for current ventilations standards as well as increased people and equipment loads.

Challenges

This office tower project required the design and production of 22 centralized, compact and ultra-quiet units of 23,000 CFM floorby- floor units. It was imperative that sound levels in adjacent offices did not exceed NC-35.

Solutions

The Ingénia sales team worked with the consulting engineer to design air handling units to meet the specified acoustic criteria. To maintain optimum thermal performances, the casings were manufactured with a 2’’ thick no-through metal construction and injected with polyurethane while the internal walls were covered with 4" thick sound absorption panels to meet the acoustic criteria. For added durability, the exterior surfaces of the units were coated with powder paint.

Challenges

Nestled on “green roofs” all three Ingénia custom AHUs faced the same technical challenges: minimize energy consumption, minimize footprint and minimize sound in a cabinet with maximum visual appeal.

Solutions

The Ingénia design team and local sales representatives worked with the consultant to design three custom-built air handlers. Ingénia’s electronically commutated EC fan array saved 300 HP of energy without jeopardizing performance to bring down the total HP of all three units from the original design of 900 HP to 600 HP. Also, the 3’’ foam injected Cabinet was lined with acoustic panels in order to drastically reduce the sound power levels of 150,000 cfm systems below NC‐40 in the occupied spaces. By combining the EC fan array to large surface ‘A’ coil arrangement, the footprint of each system was reduced by over 500 sq. ft. without increasing velocity in the systems. Moreover, by incorporating specially designed, low-pressure drop heat–pipe heat exchangers in every system considerable energy savings were achieved.

Challenges

The replacement 14’+ height 75,000 CFM Air Handling Units located in the Penthouse could only be done through an existing 94” wide x 137” deep x 84” high freight elevator, therefore the need for units to be in “knocked down” configuration.

Due to the existing piping and ductwork surrounding the replacement Air Handling Units, an experienced manufacturer that designs units with modeling software to help eliminate coordination risks with prefabricated piping and ductwork was required.

Experienced field technicians performed field assembly of these “knocked down” configuration units and performed field leakage testing on-site after assembly.

Solutions

INGÉNIA® provided (7) 75,000 CFM double decker air handling units to provide redundancy and reduce required floor space. The other (5) units were various CFM rated units and were single decker units.

Experienced field technicians performed the field assembly of the “knocked down” units and performed customer-witnessed field leakage testing, meeting the specified requirement of 1% leakage at 10” w.g. pressure. Most units achieved a leakage rate of less than 1/2%.

All AHU’s were shipped as knock down construction due to the limited access into the mechanical rooms. The assembly of the units was done by our local representative’s service team.

The AHU’s featured INGÉNIA’s aluminum construction, with lighter panels making field assembly easier and faster. Additionally, aluminum provides better corrosion resistance.

Design coordination was facilitated by Ingenia’s virtual air handler modeling technology which saved precious time throughout the design process. Complex piping for the units was perfectly fabricated based on Ingenia’s 3D models and Revit drawings.

Challenges

The primary challenge revolved around height restrictions within the mechanical room. These constraints impeded the integration of the air handling system consisting of four indoor air handling units and two indoor/outdoor exhaust units (EAHU), potentially compromising their functionality and overall efficiency. Finding a solution that could accommodate these limitations without sacrificing performance became our mandate.

Solutions

Our team approached the challenge with a blend of ingenuity and precision engineering. Recognizing the critical need to minimize the height of the return fan module above the air handling unit, we devised a multi-faceted solution:

Customized Design: Leveraging our expertise in custom solutions, we tailored the design of the air handling unit to optimize its dimensions while maintaining peak performance standards. By meticulously designing each component to fit within the height parameters, we ensured a seamless fit within the mechanical room.

Raceway Conduits: To address concerns about maintaining a leak-tight unit, we provided empty raceway conduits alongside the units, facilitating the field mounting of controls. This strategy not only preserved the unit's integrity but also facilitated the installation process.

Rigorous Testing: Prior to deployment, our solution underwent rigorous testing to validate its efficacy. The air leakage test, a crucial benchmark of cabinet performance, yielded exceptional results of 0.28% air leakage, with the test pressure set at 12 inches of water gauge.

Energy recovery: To adhere to energy recovery codes, we integrated our specialized recovery coils; facilitating heat transfer between the exhaust air and outside air streams.

Challenges

Thorough coordination with 3D models proved crucial for prefabricating all pipe supports and floor reinforcements, and for designing space for major mechanical equipment prior to unit installation. Planning guaranteed that field installation wouldn’t disrupt other equipment.

The airflow tunnels were linked through a shared vestibule, extending into a larger plenum designated as a mechanical room by the customer. Testing of both tunnels was performed at the factory.

The supply fan arrays were configured with 30 supply fans and 16 return fans, ensuring minimal cabinet size while optimizing airflow redundancy.

Solutions

We conceptualized, engineered, and delivered Ingénia’s top-tier AHU, featuring a lightweight, corrosion-resistant aluminum construction cabinet and exceptional Indoor Air Quality (I.A.Q.) features.

The contractor handled the installation of mechanical equipment, piping, and electrical accessories in the field. We ensured precise sizing and fabrication of the unit piping based on our 3D models and Revit drawings. Ingénia’s virtual modeling technology expedited design coordination, significantly reducing time and effort required for field equipment installation in the service vestibule and mechanical compartment.

Experienced field technicians conducted the assembly of the unit and executed field leakage testing witnessed by the customer, surpassing the specified requirement of 1% leakage at 10” w.g. pressure. The resulting leakage was below 0.5% of the design airflow.

The unit was equipped with large EC fan arrays, comprising a total of 60 supply fans and 32 return fans, controlled by Ingénia’s Fan Array Touch Screen Control Panels with BAS communication. These panels facilitate effortless monitoring and adjustments of fan control settings, while also displaying system status and airflow, and detecting and advising on any system faults.

Additionally, Ingénia’s team designed and fabricated custom exterior Z-brackets to facilitate the field installation of screen walls on all four sides of the units, enhancing the building’s architectural design as per the customer’s request.