The unique part of the project was that it was pre-fabricated in St. Louis, and shipped to “The Nati” in eight large sections. This included two 500-ton water chillers, two boilers, and a cooling tower water filter. Murphy Co. has completed pre-fabricated projects in the past, but this was different, says Design Engineer Matt Gildehaus. “The difference with this one is it had a roof, it had walls, it had to meet building codes. There’s a lot more that went into this one than what we’ve done in the past,” he says. Along with the massive size of the shipments, there was a change, which required adding a boiler and a space for a future third boiler. Building Information Modeling (BIM) assisted the team in deciding the logistics. According to Murphy Co., handling the project remotely presented tremendous economies of scale, provided better quality control and reduced the amount of manpower and cost. There also weren’t the typical challenges of site restrictions or working around the schedules of other contractors.Our second 2014 winner is Air Force One, Dublin, OH, and its branch in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. The Portage Trail Village senior care facility was in dire need of an entirely new comfort system. It’s 46-year-old rooftop units were rusted and ragged.
Have you, as a mechanical HVAC contractor, ever taken a moment to consider the importance of what you do? You can do so with pride, because the value of indoor comfort can never be underestimated.
The two winning projects we’ve chosen for 2014 Design/Build Awards are prime examples of what this industry is all about.First, we have a project by Murphy Co., St. Louis, MO. They’re repeat D/B Award winners, whose projects are always impressive. This year, The Murphy Company team took a road trip to Cincinnatti, OH, to install a central utility plant for a 200,000 sq. ft. addition to the Belterra Park Gaming & Entertainment Center.
