Innovation and commitment to quality were two ways commercial HVAC contractors earned new business in 2011.

Each of our 2011 Contracting Business.com Design/Build award winners is an example of what can be done when you focus on the work at hand, rather than fret about the work you didn’t win, and when you employ the latest technology to the customers’ advantage.

Taken individually, each of these projects illustrates uniqueness of thought, outstanding execution, and the value of a team approach.

• The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, involved critical calculations by Southland Industries, to ensure hospital patients were cared for in the purest of environments.
• The Sota Construction office, by Tudi Mechanical, used an ultra-high efficiency thermal envelope, radiant slab heating and cooling, and closed geothermal loops. The customer wanted a model of efficiency, and he got it.
• Lee Co. juggled off-peak work shifts to replace the central energy plant for a leading psychiatric factility.
• CCG Energy replaced three, 8 million Btu boilers with three, 3 million Btu models, for peak effiency at a local high school.

Taken as a whole, these winning projects represent a mini-universe of the commercial HVAC sector, of which there are many across the U.S. — companies venturing into new methods, persuing worthwhile, trend-setting projects, and exerting a positive influence for quality commercial HVAC contracting.

These projects illustrate the possibilities open to each and every HVAC contractor: a chance to flex your techno-muscles, project management know-how, and consultative skills, to bring every project to a winning conclusion.

Congratulations to all!

The Winners:

Southland Industries, Dulles, VA
for the Walter Reed Medical Center

TUDI Mechanical, McKees Rocks, PA
for the new office of Sota Construction Services, Ross Township, PA

Lee Company, Franklin, TN
for the Alliance Health Center, Meridian, MS

CCG Energy Solutions, Richfield, OH
for Twinsburg High School, Twinsburg, OH

Runners-up:

Southland Industries, Union City, CA for the University of California, San Francisco Cardiovascular Health Center, San Francisco, CA
The project included an outpatient clinic, wet chemistry and biology labs, a vivarium and mechanical equipment rooms.

Products used:

• Hunt air handling units
• Greenheck exhaust fans
• Trane 300-ton air-cooled chiller
• Phoenix air control valvs
• Siemens RO/DI system
• Armstrong pumps
• Dri-Steam humidifiers
• Decker vacuum pumps

Service Unlimited, New Castle, DE for the New Castle Prebyterian Church, New Castle, DE
The task was to provide an innovative, cost-effective way to provide air conditioning to a landmark church built in 1707.

Products used:

• Carrier 5-ton high efficiency split system
• Thermidistat programmable controls

For information on entering the Design/Build Awards contest, visit http://contractingbusiness.com/awards/ DEADLINE FOR 2012 ENTRIES: JULY 8. Call or write with questions to Terry McIver: 216/931-9732; tmciver@penton.com