HVAC Technology Transforms Space

HVAC

Randolph Community College transformed a neighboring outdated factory into a high-efficiency, LEED Gold facility with help from innovative SEMCO products.

Randolph Community College (RCC) in Asheville, NC, recycled a neighboring industrial factory into a LEED Gold showcase using the HVAC industry’s most innovative equipment.

Transforming the former 46,000-squarefoot, $850,000 Klaussner Furniture Plant’s un-insulated brick shell into a high-efficiency educational facility proved challenging for two Raleigh-based firms, consulting engineering firm Progressive Design Collaborative (PDC) and architecture firm Smith Sinnett Architecture.

With the encouragement of RCC’s Director of Facilities Cindi Goodwin, PDC thought well beyond convention and designed one of the nation’s first combinations of active chilled beams with an offpeak hours ice storage/chilled water loop.

The foundation of the Continuing Education and Industrial Center’s (CEIC) cooling system is 184 IQHC active chilled beams and two Pinnacle dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS) — both products manufactured by SEMCO, Columbia, MO. The combination of chilled beams and DOAS provide air movement, noise abatement, energy efficiency and a tight tolerance of indoor air quality in terms of temperature and relative humidity. The environmental conditions provide an unprecedented learning environment of quiet, indoor air comfort for RCC students.

The ceiling-mounted two-pipe chilled beams, which range from two to 10-feet in length, supply all of the $7.6-million facility’s cooling. Air cooled by the chilled beams descends to the occupied space and pushes warmer air up to be chilled again in a perpetual air displacement strategy. A 130-ton air-cooled chiller with scroll technology and an ice storage system supplies the chilled beams’ water loop.

In addition to perfect indoor environmental conditions, the CEIC’s comprehensive energy savings result provides a quick six-year payback of HVAC equipment costs.

www.semcohvac.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Introduces Claude for Education

    Anthropic has launched a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • Electrifying Bus Fleets

    Now is an excellent time for K-12 “yellow” school buses, college campus transportation, and public transit systems to transition to zero-emission electric buses instead of traditional gas or diesel-powered models.

  • Texas District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Splendora Independent School District (SISD) in Splendora, Texas, recently broke ground on a replacement facility for Greenleaf Elementary School, according to a news release. The district partnered with planning, engineering and program management firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) for the project.

  • Education Design Showcase

    Spaces4Learning Launches 2025 Education Design Showcase

    Spaces4Learning is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Education Design Showcase! Launched in 1999, the program celebrates innovative and practical solutions in planning, design, and construction.