The owner of this 19th-century 70,000 square-foot factory building in the heart of a vibrant downtown redevelopment area had a vision to create a mixed-use redevelopment that would include office space, destination dining, craft beverage production, and event space. The owner selected Erdman Anthony to provide mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design, book type specifications, and construction administration services to renovate the former knitting mill into shell-type retail and office space while preserving the building’s historic nature.
The sustainable and innovative design features included a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) HVAC design to preserve the historic nature of the building’s exterior and included LED lighting with a central occupancy sensing/dimming control system.
Preserving the exposed brick inside the building proved a challenge, as it would not meet the energy code. The compromise was to add knee walls around the perimeter that could be insulated. In addition, the knee walls could conceal the outlets and other data writing to preserve aesthetics. A historic elevator mechanism was also preserved.
Given the historic nature of the building, it was not possible to add condensers and outside air louvers. Therefore, the HVAC design solution utilizes VRF system and a dedicated outdoor air system to minimize condensers and outside air intake points on the building. Due to grade issues, the storm water from the alley between the buildings needed to be run back through the crawlspace to the opposite side of the building to meet the required storm invert.