Arlington, VA

Arlington Public Schools Barrett Elementary School HVAC Improvements

Scope of Services
Facility Condition Assessment
Mechanical & Plumbing Engineering
Retro-Commissioning
 

Barrett Elementary School was originally built in 1939 with additions and major renovations in 1973, 1994, and 2001. The HVAC systems were completely replaced during the 1994 addition/renovation and were modified again in 2001. As expected, the systems that weren’t upgraded in 2001 had either reached the end of their service lives or were in poor condition by 2013. Of particular concern were non-functioning air conditioning controls, excessively high indoor humidity levels, and inadequate ventilation in the gym, cafeteria, and administration areas.

2RW Project Case Study Main Image
Services

2RW performed a facility condition assessment to provide a comprehensive overview of systems that had been implemented in multiple phases. These services included:

  • Heating and cooling load calculations and pipe flow calculations for existing HW and CHW piping system.
  • On-site field investigations to assess conditions and reconcile as-built conditions with available drawings.
  • Functional testing of equipment in basic modes of operation to assess condition of controls and itemize simple, quick repairs.
  • Multiple reviews of live building automation system (BAS) trending reports and summary descriptions and assessment of the physical/operating condition of all existing HVAC systems.
  • Developed a schematic design with analysis, recommendations, and cost estimating for immediate fixes and long-term system upgrades.

2RW was then selected to refine the schematic recommendations into full construction bid documents for HVAC system renovation. Upon completion, 2RW performed retro-commissioning which included test preparation, equipment testing, TAB work, controls review/report, and an investigation phase report.

Results

A majority of the HVAC systems were replaced and connected to the existing APS central building automation system.

Scope of Services
Facility Condition Assessment
Mechanical & Plumbing Engineering
Retro-Commissioning
 

OWNER: Arlington Public Schools

TIMEFRAME: 2013 – 2015

SIZE: 40,000 SF

COST: $1.655 million


Highlights
  • Assessment of a wide variety of equipment types built in different phases over 30 years
  • Coordination of both testing/balancing and controls contractors to provide a comprehensive system assessment