Electric Chillers Installation in Corporate High-Rise

Donnelly Division: HVAC Construction
Client: Boston Properties, one of the largest and most prestigious Developers, Owners and Managers in New York City of Class-A office space totaling millions of square feet.
Industry: Class-A Office Space
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CLIENT

  • Boston Properties, one of the largest and most prestigious Developers, Owners and Managers in New York City of Class-A office space totaling millions of square feet.

TECHNICAL SCOPE

  • 3D modeling
  • 13th Floor Installation of Two Electric Chillers – 900-tons and 2050-tons
  • New electrical equipment to power the new chillers
  • 3 Liebert split system A/C units on the 61st & 63rd floors

CHALLENGES

  • Occupied building – must avoid unscheduled downtime and additional costs
to HVAC Construction

THE OPPORTUNITY

The base building’s existing steam absorption chillers, that provide the large tonnage central air conditioning, had served beyond its useful life and needed to be replaced. After consideration of all the factors, the client opted to replace their existing absorbers with new electric chillers. Electric chillers offer a number of key benefits.

  • A higher COP (Coefficient of Performance)
  • lower equipment purchase cost
  • A 50% savings in required floorspace
  • Shorter installation time
  • Overall reduced energy consumption for added cost savings

THE PROJECT

Donnelly handled the project planning, 3D modeling, and management. The existing steam absorption chillers on the 13th floor were removed, and two new chillers were hoisted via crane. New critical electric equipment was installed to power the new chillers. 3 A/C units were installed to cool critical electrical equipment on the 61st and 63rd floors.

THE OUTCOME

Having provided accurate estimates, Donnelly completed the project on-time and within budget. Donnelly’s Building Information Modeling (BIM) capabilities and strategic alliance with Elite CAD Designs facilitated detailed 3D modeling to ensure successful project planning and logistics. Donnelly’s expert project management and attention to safety kept workers and equipment safe throughout this challenging installation project.

“We really appreciate Donnelly’s expert project management and attention to the details, including managing the rigging that lifted the 900-ton and 2050-ton chillers from the truck up to the 13th floor through the curtain wall. It’s difficult to do a project of this size without any issues.”

 
– Chief Engineer at Boston Properties

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