Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New HVAC System Enhances Renovation

  • 11/01/15
HVAC System

Energy efficiency and ease-of-installation sealed the deal for Mitsubishi Electric when it came time to renovate St. Ignatius Loyola School in Cincinnati.

St. Ignatius Loyola School, Cincinnati, is the largest private school in Ohio, serving over 1,000 K-8 students. Many of the classrooms in the school’s original three-story building, which dates back to 1950, didn’t have air conditioning. That created a big problem on hot days. On cold days, the low-pressure boiler consumed a lot of expensive gas — another big problem.

The need for a renovation started with a need for comfort. “This is a building with thick, concrete walls, and some of the classrooms face south. On the third floor, during certain times of the summer when it was over 100 degrees.

For Tim Schweikert, the school’s physical plant manager, “the selected system had to be efficient, cost-effective and do a good job.” It was also important to have a certain aesthetic — what Schweikert called a clean look. “We wanted something that would be unobtrusive, so you wouldn’t see pipes running down the walls.

“When we went out to the Mitsubishi Electric training center in Kentucky, we saw how the units were displayed and we were impressed by their quietness and efficiencies. Ultimately, we thought Mitsubishi Electric was the better unit,” adds Schweikert.

Installation took place over the summer when the students were on break.

Rick Weidner, PE, project engineer, EQS Mechanical says, “It went really well. We ran condensate to existing closets and stayed above the drop ceiling to keep everything concealed. Aesthetically, they had a real clean look when we were finished.”

The school has appreciates the system’s cost savings, thanks to the units’ efficiencies and the school’s practices. There are no thermostats in the individual classrooms, so the centralized controls have “saved us quite a bit of money – perhaps $11,000 a year. You figure, $300 a classroom for 37 classrooms,” Schweikert concludes.

www.mehvac.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.