Environmental Systems Design (ESD), Chicago, IL, took home three Technology Awards from Region VI of the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), as part of the organization’s 2008-2009 awards program.
The ASHRAE Technology Awards recognize outstanding achievements by members who have successfully applied innovative building designs that incorporate ASHRAE standards for effective energy management and indoor air quality.
- ESD received a first place award in the "Health Care Facilities – New" category for the Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago.
- The O’Brien Residence Hall at Saint Xavier University in Chicago received a second place award in the "Institutional Buildings – New" category.
- A fan system renovation at the Chase Tower in Chicago was the third place winner in the "Commercial Buildings – Existing" category.
The 18-story Prentice Women’s Hospital is designed to handle the delivery of 13,500 babies a year and house 256 licensed beds. The facility, which achieved a LEED® Silver certification for sustainable design, features integrated technology systems, redundant infrastructure, full building HEPA filtering, energy-efficient design, a central UPS system, a robust power quality design to meet the special needs of sensitive electronic medical equipment, and a web-enabled DDC building automation system.
Environmental Systems Design has provided design solutions on hundreds of buildings in the United States and on major projects throughout the world. Its staff includes 52 engineers who have achieved LEED® AP status.
"ESD has played a leading role in developing and applying solutions to create buildings that use less energy, deplete fewer natural resources, generate less waste, and provide a healthy indoor environment for occupants," says Raj Gupta, P.E., LEED AP, president of ESD. "A key component of that effort is to expand the expertise of our engineers by heving them fulfill the LEED accreditation process."