Big Y Foods, Inc. is a supermarket chain headquartered in Springfield, MA. The company has over 70 stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

 

Erdman Anthony provided engineering services to three new Big Y stores as part of the architectural engineering design team. The stores ranged in size from 27,000 to 60,000 square feet. Our firm provided HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection systems design and construction support services. 

 

The stores' complexity required significant coordination with the structural and interior components to confirm that visual and functional requirements were maintained and conflicts between disciplines were minimized.

 

Typical design for the stores includes exhaust systems for multiple cooking suites and an in-store bakery, totaling more than 10,000 CFM of exhaust air; domestic water and filtered water systems; complex multiple grease-trap systems; indirect waste systems; HVAC systems for cooling, heating, and dehumidification; and heat reclaim from refrigeration condensers to provide domestic water preheating. 

 

Our firm provided design for multiple fire protection systems, meeting requirements of NFPA and FM Global. The systems included wet systems and dry systems under exterior canopies. The electrical systems included interior lighting, emergency lighting, power distribution, and refrigeration controls. The main electrical service design included components for a full-store emergency generator.

 

To minimize project delays, Erdman Anthony provided construction observation services to determine that the systems and equipment were installed correctly, as referenced in the construction documents and design drawings. The staff also conducted field visits at frequent intervals.