Sparta, Wisconsin: Modular Chiller Witness Test

This past Tuesday, DesignTech participated in the witness test and demonstration of the modular chillers for an undisclosed interiors project in Washington, DC. DesignTech served as the owner's representative; verifying that the system met the design specifications. The test took place in Sparta, Wisconsin at the Multistack chiller manufacturing facility. 

The manufacturer demonstrated the proper operation and startup of the eleven chiller modules and two end suction chilled water pumps. The Multistack facility in-house tests their equipment with a hydronic system capable of testing three of the 30-ton modules at once. The performance testing was completed successfully; with each module proving the nameplate data to be accurate. The chillers were specified with complete factory controls that were complete at the time of the testing. The completion of the controls installation allowed the factory to demonstrate the sequences of normal operation as well as a myriad of failure condition responses including but not limited to:

  • Power source out of phase
  • Circuit failure(s)
  • High head pressure condition at compressor
  • Loss of flow to module
  • Loss of leaving chilled water temperature sensor input (fail to run sequence)
  • Loss of pump drive control
  • Primary chilled water pump failure

Multistack did an excellent job in their demonstration and their product line is a testament to their willingness to customize equipment for specialized applications. Stay tuned for to see this modular chiller at work once it is shipped to Washington, D.C.

Trump International Hotel DC: Cortile Restaurant

In collaboration with Architecture Incorporated,  DesignTech Inc. has been designing one of the restaurants in the cortile of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC. The restaurant sits inside the 10 floor, 196ft inner court of the Old Post Office Pavilion building on Pennsylvania Avenue. The entire building and annex are being renovated by the Trump organization under a 60 year lease with GSA and are scheduled to complete work in 2016. 

Doug Kirby, Tom Igo, Hugh Gilbreath, and Evan Bjorndal are the design team members from DesignTech. The plans are currently under GSA review while final coordination takes place. The photo below depicts the empty 1st level and mezzanine of the restaurant as well as the exposed structural steel members which will now serve exclusively for decorative purposes. 

Stay tuned as we continue to give updates about the progress of this project and enjoy the view from the top of the 2nd tallest building in DC. 

Closing L Street: Verizon Midtown Cooling Tower Replacment

In March of this year DesignTech Inc. in collaboration with WE Bowers completed the replacement of the the three cooling towers at the Verizon Midtown CO with three like capacity towers. The towers were replaced due to age and poor condition. This installation and phasing was crucial not only because two towers had to remain in operation at all times, but also because it required the closing of L Street in downtown DC for the hoisting of the equipment. In addition to providing three new 500 ton cooling towers, the scope included modifying the existing steel dunnage to accept the new cooling towers and modifying the local piping at the towers to fit the new installation. Inside, WE Bowers provided two new heat exchangers to replace the existing and reconnected them into the chilled and condenser water loops. The contractor also had to modify the automatic temperature controls for the new tower and heat exchanger operation. 

As seen in the photos, the installation went incredibly smoothly. WE Bowers completed the project as scheduled and maintained the necessary operation of two towers successfully! Ron Marx traveled to the site for the early morning installation and served as the project manager throughout the life of the job. 

Brookings Institute Bookstore: Small Space Design at its Best

Our task was a small renovation for the Brookings Institute bookstore at 1775 Massachusetts Ave. in the District. We were challenged to increase the visibility of the bookstore, increase display space, improve lighting and the HVAC system for the existing bookstore. We collaborated with Hickok Cole to make the changes below.